Surprise! Double update for you! Cause I'm bored in school. Enjoy!
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EJ's POV
While I'm driving, I look next to me, poor, bruised Ricky was asleep. I couldn't believe what he told me. He used to have it so good, perfect parents, he even once said he has a perfect life, where and when did this all go wrong for him?
I pull up to my house and quickly get out of my seat, he needs help and fasts. I can't believe one of the most perfect boys in the world was stuck with the worst woman ever. I get out of the car and open his door, gently shaking him awake.
"Wake up, bubba."
Ricky's eyes flutter open and he looks at me. My heart cracks as I look at his black eye and scars. "Come on" I whisper unbuckling him. He grabs my arm and I slowly help him out of the car and back on his feet.
As soon as he hits the ground snd hugs me tightly. "Please...please help me" the curly-haired boy begged softly, clearing fighting back tears. I wrap my arms around his waist and whisper "I'm here, we'll help you."
I quickly get us in the house and lay him on the couch. "I'll get the others," I tell him. "Please hurry" he groans.
I run up to Uncle Dennis and Aunt Debby's rooms, apparently, Ashlyn was in there too.
"EJ? What's wrong?"
"Come downstairs, please!" I plead.
They follow me downstairs where I show them Ricky's almost lifeless body on the couch, groaning, his eyes shut. Their jaws drop as their eyes widen. "Oh, my god!" Ash gasped.
"What happened, kid?" Uncle Dennis bends down to him, his hands softly touching his black eye.
I was expecting him to tell them about his mom, but instead...
"I got jumped again, just not the same people, more brutal."
I look at him with widened eyes. Why would he lie about this? Why would he still cover for his mom? He should just tell them the truth, we just talked to him about this.
"Oh, come on, honey" Aunt Debby says, she helps Ricky off the couch and leads him into the kitchen. "EJ, I saw your face."
"What do you mean?" I ask him. Wait, why am I covering for Ricky's mom? She's not mine and she's hurting my friend!
"I need you to tell me the truth, what happened to him?" Uncle grabbed my shoulder. I was wondering if I should tell them the truth or not. I don't want to lose Ricky's trust by telling him, but I also don't want him to feel alone anymore, like you can't share secrets anymore. I more than anyone knows how that feels.
"His mom hits him, she's been hitting him since he was 13, but he didn't tell anybody. He said his mom beat him hard today and he ran away. I found him crying in a dark alleyway. If I had known, maybe I could've helped him. I cou-could've..." my voice starts to crack and Ashlyn quickly grabs my hand.
"It's not your fault, EJ" Uncle Dennis says. "He's gonna fight this alone anymore."
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Ricky's POV
Ashlyn's mom was gently wiping the blood off my face and examining my black eye. I'm not used to getting this treatment, but then again, I've never been beaten this hard in my life, to the point where I have a black eye. I knew my mom would hurt me, but I never knew she would do this to me.
"Did you see who beat you?" Her mom asks.
"No, they had on hoods and it was really dark. After they beat me, they left me in the alleyway, then EJ found me. I tried to push him away, but he still stayed with me."
"That's EJ, always helping his friends."
I slightly chuckle, but I quickly wince in pain and grab my stomach. Nothing was broken, it all just really really hurt.
"Does anything else hurt?" She. "Everything hurts" I weakly nod my head. She tilts her head and caresses my cheek. "I'm really sorry, Ricky, your gonna be ok," she says. She keeps cleaning my face for a while.
"If your comfortable, please take off your shirt? Just so I could see if there's anything else" she says. I do hesitate, but I do take off my shirt. My shirt is worse than my face, there are more nasty yellow bruises with more purple splotches, more on my arms too. I could feel her looking at me, but I just keep my head down.
"Oh, honey, I may need to take you to the hospital" I hear her whisper. No! I hate hospitals, they're scary, my eyes widen and I grab her hand with both of mine. "No, p-please don't, I-I'm begging you, p-please don't take me to the hospital!" I beg her, I could see her shocked look.
No one's ever seen me like this, I hoped nobody would ever have to, but as I've learned, life takes me in negative directions I never wanted to go in.
Then before she could say anything else, EJ, his uncle, and Ashlyn walks in.
"Oh my god...Ricky" Ashlyn breaths. She walks up to me, tracing her hands down my arm. I look at EJ and his Uncle. They both look upset and angry at the same time. No, not the right words, they look homicidal.
"It's just bruising," I say hiding my torso and twisting my curls. "I'm sorry, kid" EJ's uncle says. "Why don't you go get in the shower?" He says. I grab my shirt and jump off their counter, before I go upstairs, EJ's whispers in my ear.
"You can borrow my clothes."
"Thanks" I simply say, walking away.
What's wring me? I used to be this happy "Class Clown" who could make anyone feel better, but now I'm this sad emo kid who just mopes around and lets myself be pushed around by his own abusive mother and her stupid boyfriend.
During I got in the shower, I just let myself be drowned. I cried. Everything in my life was terrible, I looked down and saw the bruises marking my legs, torso, and arms and some scars, sometimes the water got in my small wounds and I winced in pain.
When I got out, I looked in the mirror, my eyes were glowing gold, no, not my eyes, this time my pupils. I don't get it, sometimes it's just my irises and sometimes it's just my eyes, I gotta figure this out.
I look on the sink and hear my phone vibrating, I pick it up and see Nini texting me, frantically, wonder what's up.
Bumblebee: sweet as honey. Lie.
Lie: everything about my life.
After I finished with her, I called my dad, after 3 wings, he finally picked up.
"Rocky, I've been worried sick! Are you okay?! Do you need me to come to get you? Where are..."
"Dad, I'm fine, I'm spending the night at EJ's" I explain.
"Listen, bud, I'm leaving for my trip tomorrow and after what just happened, I don't want you anywhere near your mom if I'm not there. Is there any chance you can stay with one of your friends for a couple of weeks?"
"I'll ask," I say. If they don't say yes, it's fine, I have Miss Jenn and a cold bench under a tree.
"Thank you, buddy, and I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault, it never was. I'll talk to you later" I mumble. "Okay, bye Rick," he says, but I didn't say anything in return, I just hang up.
I'm so messed up, now I don't know whose fault it is. I always blamed Todd cause it was easier, everything spiraled out of control when I saw mom kiss him, but maybe it's not just his fault, maybe it's not Mom's fault.
Maybe it's mine, maybe I really am the reason for all of this.
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Ashlyn's POV
We were all sitting in the living room, we just told mom what EJ told us, and she was shocked, to say the least.
"I can't believe his mom would do that to him," I say, no wonder he acts all mean and dark. He used to be one of the nicest people ever, and his new behavior is because of his mom.
EJ was about to say something, but before he could, Ricky walks down wearing one of EJ's shirts and sweatpants. We all turn and look at him.
"Um...my dad's going on a business trip, he'll be gone for a few weeks, and he doesn't want me alone with mom. Is there any...I mean, can I please stay here until he comes back?"
"Of course," mom says. He nods his head and quickly goes back upstairs.
"We have to help him," EJ says. "And we will" Uncle Dennis replies. "By keeping him far away from his mom. We're not gonna call the police cause we have no proof. Right now, we're just gonna keep him here."
"I'm gonna go check up on him," EJ says walking to the stairs. I feel really bad for Ricky, I had no idea, he must be going through so much.
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Ricky's POV
I'm laying on EJ's bed, thinking about what my mother has just done to me. Why would she do this to me growing up? What did I ever do to deserve this? What did I do to her? Is there something wrong with me?
I look down at my shaking hands, gold vapor was once again radiating from them. This is what's wrong with me now, I'm not normal anymore, I'm something else, I'm not me anymore, I...lost myself. Who am I kidding, I lost myself a long time ago.
I break out of my thought as EJ walks into the room. "You okay?" He asks.
"Yeah, I just got the daylights, beaten out of me, I'm perfect."
EJ comes next to and sits on the bed. It's silent for a while until I talk.
"She's never done anything to me like that before. It's always just been slaps, shoving, calling me worthless, and stuff like that. But this...I've never experienced anything like that, not even when Andrew jumped me. Did I do something wrong? Is there something wrong with me?"
EJ gets up from his bed and kneels in front of me, grabbing my hands.
"Ricky, there is nothing wrong with you, there never was and there never will be. I don't know why your mom would do this to you, but she doesn't know that's she doing it to the coolest and nicest guy, she doesn't know what she's missing out on. I promise you, you're safe here."
I didn't say anything after, I just threw myself and hugged him. Soon I hear him starting to sniff too, but I also feel him trying to choke back his tears. Of course, I was so busy being caught up in myself, I forgot he has his own stuff going on too. He just found out his parents died trying to save everyone, cause they were superheroes.
"It's okay, you don't have to stay strong for me," I say. Now we're both crying trying to calm each other down now.
Suddenly the door opens then closes, I don't hear anything, but I could fear little footsteps that belonged to only one person.
"E-Day. I can't sweep. Hi Wicky!"
EJ and I pull away and we both look to see Asher, staring at us with glassy eyes. He looks at both of us, the same sadness we were drowning in washing over him. "Why you cwying?" He asks.
"Don't worry buddy, we're okay. Come here" EJ holds his arms out. Asher bolts towards him and wraps his tiny little arms around to. "Pwease don't cwy, E-Day" he says. I'm about to die, he's so cute.
"I love you, Ashy, you know that right?" He asks. "Yes, E-Day. I wuv chu, too" he kisses his cheek. I can't help but chuckle at the 2 of them, like a brotherhood. I wish I had a relationship with someone like that.
"An we wuv Wicky too! Wight, E-Day?" Asher asks. EJ looks at me and is about to answer, but I interrupt him.
"No Asher, you don't love me" I last, but my laughter dies down as I whisper "nobody does."
"Hey, that's not-"
"Trust me. It's true, I know that cause no one, not even my dad have said those words to me in a long, long...long time" I sigh.
I look at the 2 boys giving me sad looks, great, I'm such a mood killer. Great job, Ricky, you made everything about yourself. "I'm gonna go to bed, night," I say turning on his bed so back faces them. I just wanna go to bed and forget everything.
I feel someone poking my back, I turn around to see Asher smiling at me. "What?"
"We wuv chu, Wicky" He smiles, but I just shake my head sitting up. "No, you don't okay. You don't love, nobody-"
"That's not true, Bubba. No matter how many times you say, we all do love you" EJ says seriously.
A small smile creeps on my face, no matter how I try to fight it, I can't. I don't know what to say anymore, so I just turn on my side and close my eyes.
They don't love you, Ricky. No one does.
Another update for y'all, cause you asked for ut. Sorry I'm leaving these trailers on sad notes, I promise you, the next chapter won't be as sad, it'll actually bring in the possible future couple I was talking about, unfortunately, it's not Caswen, so very sorry. Be back tomorrow. Stay safe and have a great day or night, wherever you are.