I feel sick, so sick that I don't know if I can get back to the car without kneeling over and throwing up my breakfast. He was gone, they were gone. That day in court was the last day I was meant to ever see them, they were meant to leave us alone.
"Poppy" mum grabs my forearm and diverts my attention back to her forcefully. "Are you feeling okay?" She looks concerned as she turns to face me head on. I know my face has turned a concerning shade of white and she can feel the tremors that vibrate through my body.
She gives me a slight shake and I can breathe again as I gasp in air. My eyes come back into focus and I try my best to suppress the shakes.
"U-uh yeah, yeah I'm okay. Lets go" I say quietly as I start on my walk to the car, hoping to get there before my legs give out. I don't look back to see if mum is following but I feel her presence following me.
I go straight to the passenger seat after passing the keys to mum. She gives my side profile a confused look because I had driven here but I don't think it's safe if I drive us home. She doesn't question my actions and the ride home is mainly silent. I know she knows something is wrong but I don't want to say anything without talking to Hex first. Do I even need to tell mum? Maybe this was just a coincidence and Ace had stumbled upon us. Maybe this will actually be the last time I see him. Right?
I check my phone and find two missed calls from Hex. I gulp, he definitely felt my emotions, they were too extreme for him to ignore.
Mum pulls into the driveway and gets out, keys in her hands as she waits for me to get out of the car so that she can lock it. I stand on unsteady legs but they hold up and I hope my shaking knees aren't noticeable.
Before she can lock the car I stop her.
"Hey mum" she looks at me as she points the keys at the car "I'm going to go see Hex at work" I announce. She nods her head and then heads to the front door to unlock it before handing the car keys back to me.
"Drive safe, honey" she wishes as she watches me make my way to the drivers door. I give one last look around the street before looking at mum again as she leans out the open front door.
"Make sure you lock the door, mum" I say and get in the car, closing the door behind me before she can question why but instead I hear her hushed voice through the door answer 'I always do'. She closes the door before I'm fully out of view.
The drive to the mechanic shop is anxiety filled. The familiar feeling creeping back into my bones as I look in the mirrors constantly, waiting for that familiar dark coloured car to make an appearance.
I don't see it; it does nothing to ease my nerves though.
I park out the front and scurry my way to the shop, my arms wrapped tight around my waist. Clyde is out the front, half under the front of a car, his face not able to be seen.
I drag my feet on the concrete so that he hears me walking towards him and I don't scare him. He pulls himself out from under the car, his face and hands dirty and stained.
"Hex's missus!" He exclaims as he stands up and holds out a hand to shake. I go to shake his hand but stop when the oil is still wet on his skin. "Oh shit" Clyde says making me chuckle.
"Hi Clyde" I greet and try to come across somewhat normal but I just want to get to Hex "I'm looking for Hex" I say politely and hope that he doesn't try to continue with more conversation even though he's very welcoming.
"Thought you were. He's out the back, go through the shop and to the right. Be careful, he's having a bad day" Clyde warns me. I thank him and turn my back. When he can't see my face I release a shaky breath, out of all the days for Hex to have a bad day, it had to be today.
I shake my hands out by my sides.
"Hey Poppy!" I spin back around to face Clyde as he stands in front of the car he was working on, hands on his hips. "Everything alright?" He questions. I ignore the looks from other people that are around as Clyde yells across the shop. I just nod my head yes and then continue on my way to the back.
I see Hex before he sees me. He's bent over the hood of a car, inspecting the inside, his sleeves rolled up and from here I can see his clenched fists as he tries to figure out what's wrong with the broken car. His back is to me as I stand in the doorway and gather the guts to open my mouth.
"Hex" I call softly and take a step towards him. He turns and grabs something out of his ear, it takes me only a second to realise he had one earphone in.
"Hi baby" he says, the surprise on his face quickly changes to concern. I don't know if its because he just remembered my earlier emotions or because I hadn't covered the look of horror on my face as good as I thought I had.
The simple words from him are enough to make my eyes prick with tears no matter how hard I try to hold them back.
His face goes from concern to complete lack of emotion and I know that he knows something is wrong. I have no doubt his first thought is to do with his mother.
"I-I" I choke on my words and a tear slips from my eye.
"What's happened, Poppy" he doesn't ask, he demands
"I-I saw Ace" I say quietly and sniffle. Hex takes a few steps back until he's leaning against the car he was working on and I know he's having a similar reaction to me.
"You saw Ace Pollar?" Hex clarifies. His voice is strong and doesn't shake the way mine does. He crosses his arms over his chest and his eyes turn dark, I don't know with what yet. Worry? Confusion? Anger?
"Yes" I say as I take another step towards him, needing his comfort when my arms fail to do anything for myself.
He nods and looks at the ground. I wait for him to do something, say something. To give me some form of comfort, or idea on what to do.
"What do we do?" I whisper across to him. Something is dropped in the next room, assumedly a tool. The echo works it's way through the mechanic shop and makes me jump. The tiniest things scaring me as my nerves remain on edge, constantly in flight mode.
Hex shakes his head and continues looking at the ground as he thinks. About what? I don't know but I can see the anger slowing seeping into his veins and I can feel it through our bond.
He turns back to the broken car, leaning over and looking into it but not focusing on it.
I flinch when he grabs a screwdriver and throws it. It hits the far wall and leaves a screwdriver shaped hole in its wake. Hex surprisingly remains quiet though. He had never been one to keep his anger silent but I'm assuming that his anger management classes had unknowingly helped him, even if he won't admit it.
"Lets go home" he says quietly and slams the hood of the car down making me jump again at the loud noise that is only amplified by the mechanic shop.
Hex doesn't even bother grabbing his bag before he comes to me and presses a kiss to my forehead without a word. He guides me by an arm around my waist out of the room and out of the mechanic shop.
Clyde looks up when we walk past him.
"Oi! Where are you goin'?" He asks Hex. Hex doesn't even turn around as I look over my shoulder at Clyde. Clyde seems confused and I would be too if I had no idea what was happening.
"I've got a class, I'll see you tomorrow" Hex calls over his shoulder and pulls me along. His voice is void and empty as he talks. I see Clyde throw a confused look our way before sliding back under the car he was working on.
Hex takes the keys from me and opens the door for me, making sure I get inside and then makes his way to the driver seat. He had yet to say anything surrounding the situation and its making me antsy. I don't want to go home and then have him explode there while mum is around to witness it.
We pull onto the road, I keep my face looking straight ahead but every now and then I look in the side mirror with the worry I'll see that stupid car. I don't look at Hex; I know his head is working a million miles an hour.
"Fuck!" He suddenly exclaims and punches the wheel. I wait for the steering wheel airbag to go off but it doesn't and I wonder if I should be concerned that it didn't. "I thought we were done with this shit! I thought they were gone, Poppy!" He yells. I watch, unsure of how to help him. We pull up to a red light and the car stops "I thought they were gone" Hex says quietly, so quietly that I almost miss the crack in his voice as he bends to rest his forehead on the steering wheel.
I look away, out the window and lace the back of my palm over my mouth to stop the sob that wants to be released. I manage to stop it but the tears slip through, one through each eye as Hex's panic accentuates my own.
The light turns green and Hex sits up, his face a pale shade of white, similar to mine. His hands clench around the steering wheel and his left leg jumps up and down.
"We need to tell Charlie" he voices, I nod in agreement.