Disclaimer: This chapter contains sensitive and graphic themes of violence, blood, heavy (like really heavy) injuries. If you can't handle such topics feel free to skip this one out.
Nox
Three years ago on New Years...
Cam's hands reach behind my neck, angry and hellbent on hurting me. He tugs onto my hair so tightly I think he's going to rip it out of my scalp when he forces me to look up to him.
His movements are brutal, animalistic even as he manhandles me. My eyes close on their own accord and that's when I can feel him; ever so gently, running his thumb over my bottom lip.
The first thought that intrudes my headspace is to dig my teeth into his filthy finger until I separate it from his body, but then my system shuts down as I think to myself that it's only going to hurt more if I show any signs of resistance. It hurt with Elijah after all, so there's no doubt in my mind that Cam is set on making me suffer even further if I attempt to fight him off.
"Cam, this is not right." Addison's voice is small, weak, but loud enough to make me open my eyes to see something glimmering from the corner of my eye.
I focus my gaze on the long shard hanging from the edge of the sink and a plan formulates on my mind. "She's not involved in all this." She adds. "We will find Yoongi and we will make him pay, but not like this."
Cam averts his attention for a slight second and I can feel his grip loosen around my hair. He turns to her with a menacing grin as he holds me in place with his stiff grip on my hair.
Her gaze falls on me and she gives me a small nod before looking over at the sliver sitting on the sink. I'm not sure if my fight or flight instinct has kicked in or if I've lost a lot of blood, but I think Addison is sending me a signal to act quickly.
"Why must you always take the fun out of everything Addison?" He groans tiredly and he tightens his grip around my hair irritated. "You're starting to get soft."
"All I'm saying is that if you hurt her, you're no different from that fucker who took advantage of Hayden. You can fuck her for all I care and let her bleed out in this filthy bathroom." She says nonchalantly then shoves her hands in her pockets. "It's not like we're going to gain something out of this other than you getting your dick wet."
"Perhaps, you'd like to join in." He suggests with a smirk. "Then we'll both gain something out of this. She's very fucking pretty, isn't she?" He releases some length from my hair when he sees that I'm not responding in any way, but his hold on it is still strong.
He then drags a finger over my jawline, and I want to cut it off along with the rest of his hand, but I try my best to keep my cool. "Aren't you tired of seeing Elijah, the man you've yearned for years fall head over heels for this piece of ass in a little over a month? He's had her countless and countless of times while you stood there on the sidelines waiting for him to come to you.
"I was watching you Addison, while you watched him have the time of his life with her. I was watching you waiting for her to fuck it up, just so that you could show up and save the day. And one day, you saw her with that junkie in the library and then you caught her after the game, hiding with that son of a bitch under the bleachers. You finally got what you wanted; evidence that Nox Ellison is a cheating cunt and even after telling Elijah, you're still here Addison."
He looks away from me and that's when I find a window of an opportunity to quietly slide the sliver from the edge of the sink under my hoodie sleeve when he pulls me abruptly to face her, "On the fucking sidelines." Addison doesn't move or say anything when Cam continues, "Don't you want to be his equal?"
"What the hell do you mean?"
"I mean," he tugs onto my hair and jerks me upwards so that I'm now standing on my knees. The pain on my leg has dissipated completely, but I can still feel blood cascading down my thigh. "He's had a piece of this cunt so why shouldn't you?"
The moment I feel his grip relax on my hair, I hold out the shard and raise it to my head. With one swift movement, I run the sharp edge over the ponytail Cam has twisted around his hand.
It doesn't sever my tie with him completely, so I swing the piece of broken glass around like a madwoman until I cut myself off of him. Until all I see are my golden locks on the bottom of the floor, soaked in my blood.
Crimson oozes from my hand as I wave it around with precision, trying to keep the demon ahead of me at bay and my blade suddenly grazes his cheek, ever so slightly that the tiniest cut forms on the surface of his pale skin. A drop of blood runs down his cheekbone, but I don't stop there. My hands are moving on their own accord as I cut through the flesh on his arm, and he groans out in pain. It's a small cut and I can tell it's deep because it took some effort to pull the blade out of his arm.
"You fucking bitch-" Cam hisses and with that he extends his arms and dashes toward me, only to grab me by the waist. He walks me back towards Addison as I trash against him relentlessly, but then he digs his nails into my ribs and my voice gets caught in my throat when I scream. I fall on the floor where I notice another much smaller shard from the mirror, so I carefully pick it up and hide it under my sleeve.
I tighten my grip around the blood-stained blade on my opposite hand, since my life pretty much depends on it. Cam' hands make their way to my face, one holding me steady by my hair as he raises the other to hit me. My throat runs dry, and my skin breaks into cold sweat; the only essence of warmth flows out from my palm in red, as I cling onto the littlest fragment of hope that I might get out of this alive.
He lands a hit across my face. And then another.
And then another.
"Did that hurt?" He hisses under his breath. "Did that fucking hurt? Imagine how much Hayden was hurting while you cunts kept quiet about it."
Three hits turn into four and I'm seeing stars. At first all I felt was coldness, but now my body is feverish warm and it's hard to keep up with these abrupt changes in my temperature. I can hear Addison say something, but the words are faint, easily as faint as my vision. My legs are already giving up on me and my arms are weak. I've lost a lot of blood and a sudden lightheadedness overtakes me, causing me to surrender in my predator's arms.
The ache in my bones, the pain that runs in my blood faster than adrenaline ever could, tricks me into thinking that my body is willingly falling under the spell of this sweet surrender and while my body is weak, I know damn well on my mind that I want to continue fighting. I refuse to let myself crumble in pieces. I refuse to hand myself over, to let someone bend my morals just like Elijah did. I refuse to let someone dictate the way I live and my beliefs, but I also want to hurt him as much as he hurt me.
But I know my limits and I know I'm weak.
For now, I need to escape him.
"Little bitch, did you actually think that hurt?" He barks out, his spit spraying all over my face. "Look at me when I'm talking to you. Did that hurt?"
He then drives a punt into my stomach, and I drop down on my knees feeling my gut bruise from the inside out. The shard falls out of my hand landing on the dirty ground with a sharp sound; it breaks in half, and he kicks away the last remaining flickers of hope.
Or so he thinks.
"You think you're so smart, so tough, but all you are is cunt. You hear me?"
He says in a dangerously low tone before turning to Addison. "You are so going to fucking regret this later baby." His neck is slightly tilted, his attention finally averted; this small window of an opportunity is only going to be open for so long; I need to think and act quickly-
I hold onto the small shard I gathered from earlier then dig the sharp object straight into his thigh. A yelp escapes his mouth, and he finally releases his hold on my hair when he drops down on his knees. Addison gasps in shock as I finally lift my weight from the floor and stand up.
Seeing that another window of an opportunity has opened, I push him away from me and clenching my fist I gather up all the strength I can muster before landing a hit across his face.
"Did that hurt?" I yell. "Did that fucking hurt asshole? Answer me!"
A slap lands across his face and his cheek turns bloody red from how hard I hit him. I slap him with the same relentless pace he was hitting me a few seconds ago until his face swells and bruises. I can physically feel his skin change from healthily smooth texture to a raw and sweaty one. Violence feeds into violence and in this moment I'm grateful having allowed my instincts to take possession over me.
He's overly distracted by the pain on his thigh and all those excruciating sensations running through his body at the same time, so I just leave him be. Pulling the shard from his leg is going to result in him losing more blood and that can be detrimental to both of us. Meanwhile, Addison is just standing there as she always has on the sidelines. Watching from a safe distance. Observing.
I give her a nod and she doesn't say anything back, so I pick up the medicine bag from the floor and limp on my way out of the men's room.
Everybody is busy drinking and having a good time, so thankfully nobody is paying any attention to me. Nobody notices the blood running from my cut on the back of my thigh, leaving a small trail on the floors. Also, Carson is too busy talking to her boyfriend, so she doesn't notice me leaving through the front door.
The air is refreshingly cold as it cools down the fever that has been torching my entire body. I can feel the adrenaline starting to wear off and that's a bad sign because that only means the pain will settle in soon. Suddenly, it feels as though everything is spinning and a jittery feel has overtaken my limbs yet somehow, I'm as alert as a hawk; my blood pressure must be over the roof.
I'm pacing right across the street where I notice the lights are on in a payphone. It's not until I rip the door open that I finally realize that somebody is already using it.
"Sorry," I mutter under my breath then turn around when a strong arm grabs mine. I focus my gaze on the person inside only to see a black-eyed Yoongi.
"What are you doing here?" He puts an arm on the door to keep it open when his gaze falls on my injured leg. "What the hell happened to you? Your hair—"
"Yoongi," His name leaves my mouth in a weary gasp before I wrap my arms around him. "I'm so happy you're okay."
I think he's caught off guard at my sudden hug, because his arms are hanging midair for a while, but then he hugs me tightly and the door shuts behind me.
"I brought you some medicine." I finally say as I hand him the paper bag. "Carson told me you were in a bad shape."
"You should see your boyfriend," he grins.
My hands find his and I raise it up to my view only to earn a pained groan from his side. His knuckles are covered in purple and blue hues. There's a scratch on his left eyebrow and a small cut on his jaw that will leave a permanent mark. Soon enough, he withdraws his hands from my hold, and he brings down an ice pack that was sitting right on top of the payphone.
"I'm alright." He mumbles as he spins me around to examine the wound on my thigh. His grip tightens on my arms. "I'll fucking kill him."
"No, it wasn't Elijah."
"Who the fuck was it then?"
"His friend, Cam. He and Addison ambushed me in the bathroom earlier, because they wanted to know about your whereabouts." I explain to him. "Yoongi, they think you're keeping Hayden away. She's been missing for over twenty-four hours."
"Shit, you need to go to the emergency room." He urges. "Let's go now."
"Do you know where she is?" I ask him.
"I haven't seen her since Christmas Eve." He replies curtly.
I sigh tiredly. "Yoongi, if you know where she is, you need to tell me. Things are not looking good for you. Elijah and his friends are looking for you and they will call the cops if they don't get any further answers."
Yoongi doesn't answer my question and his evasion is only making me worry even more. He kicks open the door and waits for me to exit with him.
"Yoongi, it hurts. I-I can't move." I manage.
"I'll help you."
I hold my ground, crossing my arms across my chest. "Answer my question first."
"Are you really going to do this when you're bleeding out?" He fires. "I told you, I haven't seen her since Christmas Eve. I've been looking for her everywhere; the only reason I even came down here is because I thought she'd show up to find her shitface of a brother."
"Why is she running away from home?" I ask. "Did something happen?"
"Nox, I'm begging you let's just get in my car and get you to a hospital. I'll tell you everything, I promise, but please let's just get out of here." He says in a soothing tone as he takes out the gauze from the medicine bag. "I'll wrap this up around your thigh so that you don't lose more blood, okay?" I nod gently and he slowly wraps the gauze around my thigh, careful to not cause me more pain. "Just hold onto my shoulders if I'm hurting you. I'm almost done."
"I'm fine."
"You know it in your heart I'm not that kind of man, right?" He asks lowly as he pins the gauze in place and then he starts fixing up my hand. There's a long cut in my palm from how tightly I was holding the mirror shard.
"I would never hurt Hayden in any way shape or form. Only fuckers who are asking for it." A laugh leaves my lips at the way he phrased it when he continues. "I'm worried about her too. She hasn't answered my texts and I don't know where to find her. I've been searching everywhere."
"I need to know what happened Yoongi." I croak. "If her mom calls the police and they get here before she shows up, you'll be the first they'll suspect. Elijah knows you've been sneaking in their house and so does Cam and Addison."
"Let's get you in the car first and I'll tell you what I know on the way to the hospital."
"Wait, I forgot my jacket in the bar." I suddenly remember. "I'll go get it first."
"Screw that, we're going to the hospital." He snaps.
"My phone's in there and I can't afford another one."
Yoongi groans in disbelief as he runs a hand through his black hair. "I'll go get it for you. Where did you leave it?"
"It's on Carson's chair."
"I'll be back in a minute." He tells me, tossing me a bundle of keys. "Get in the car and wait for me. It's parked on Pearlaide Street."
We take our separate ways and while Yoongi jogs his way to the Blue, I'm hobbling across the street to get to his Jeep. I spot it pretty easily since it's the only vehicle with freaking tinted windows. A relieved sigh leaves my lips as I stiffly limp towards Yoongi's car when somebody suddenly grabs my arm.
"Nox." The voice is all too familiar that it causes shivers to rain down my spine. I slowly turn around to face the person I once loved with every fiber of my being only to end up being someone I fear and dread to look in the eye. He's got a black eye and marks cover his skin. There's dried blood on his nose and his hair is all unruly. He's a total mess.
"Elijah." I say cooly. "What are you doing here?"
"You haven't answered any of my texts."
Probably because I blocked you from every social media platform asshole.
He scratches the nape of his neck, yet his other hand still remains on my arm. "I thought we'd spend the New Year together." His eyes fall on the white gauze wrapped around my thigh. "What happened to you? Are you hurt?"
"Elijah, please leave me alone." I rip my arm from his firm grip, then stealthily walk away from him. I will be just fine; Yoongi will probably show up any second now.
"Why are you avoiding me?"
I huff under my breath, as I stop moving, but I never turn around. He really has the nerve to play dumb under these circumstances.
"Because I don't want to ever see you again." I say honestly. Clutching Yoongi's keys in my hand, I continue to limp across the empty street. I make sure they stay hidden under the sleeve of my sweatshirt.
"What the hell does that mean?" He inquires.
"It means what I said." I finally turn to face him, keeping my voice cold. "I don't want to ever see you again. I don't want to ever talk to you again. I don't want you near me. It's over Elijah. We're over."
When I make my way to the Jeep, he rushes after me and grabs my arm once more.
"Is this about the junkie?" He growls. "You're leaving me for that piece of shit? Damn, I knew you were fucking him behind my back. All these tutoring sessions, all the times you were meeting him behind my back...it explains everything. You think I haven't seen you laying your eyes on him during lunch when he was alone or when he was with his sick fucking friends? I should have fucking guessed."
"Elijah, let me go-" I struggle against his hold. It's no use, he's too fucking strong.
"Answer me, Nox." He presses. "Were you fucking him while we were together?"
"No, so just leave me alone!" I shriek.
Where the hell are you, Yoongi?
"I should have listened to my fucking friends earlier. They warned me about you." He spits. "Cam told me what a little whore you are. I was just too blind to see it."
He digs his fingers into my arm; it doesn't hurt, but I want him off of me. The more I pull, the more resistance I show, the harder down his nails bite my skin.
"But little did you know, your little fuck buddy was also fucking my sister while everyone in my house was asleep."
"He never hurt Hayden." I scream. "Yoongi isn't like you, so shut your fucking mouth!" A harsh slap lands across my face, setting my cheek on fire and I look back at him dumbfounded. I don't know why, but for some reason I can't believe he hit me.
"You are so going to fucking pay for this." He warns.
"Even if I fucked him, you still have no fucking right to treat me this way!" I yell into his face, "Let me go Elijah or so help me, I will fucking kill you."
"Cam also updated me on the mark you just left on him, but we'll deal with that later." He mewls. "For now, tell me where he is."
"Suck my fucking dick asshole." I tighten my grip around Yoongi's keys then swing my fist right under his jaw. Mustering all of my remaining strength, I punt him in the knee, and I finally break free from his grip.
That one hit buys me enough time to sprint away from him and I fiddle with the keys in my hands. It's not hard to find the key for the Jeep, so I shove it in the hole and twist it only for the sweet sound of the door unlocking to give me a small serotonin boost. I try to open the door, but it doesn't budge, and he is starting to regain his senses.
Why the hell didn't Yoongi lock his damn car?
I twist the key once more and this time, I swing the door open and jump straight inside without looking back. Much to my luck, the automatic lock button in the driver' seat locks all the doors.
I sit still for a moment, trying to catch my breath when I hear slight movement from the backseat. My gaze falls at the mirror and a panicked gasp leaves my mouth at the sight of Hayden glaring back at me from the reflection. She pulls up her black hood when as I look at her bruised eye and torn lip.
Yoongi said he didn't know where she was, and she was with him all along. Anger quickly surges through me like adrenaline at the realization that he lied to me from the very beginning, but as I think to myself, this doesn't quite make sense. If Yoongi wanted to trap her in his Jeep, he would have locked the doors and when I tried to open the door the first time, I ended up locking it. That can only mean that she broke into his car.
"What the-Hayden what are you doing here?" I ask bewildered. "Are you okay? Everyone's looking for you. Your brother-"
"Please don't take me back to him." She begs. "I don't want to go back in that house."
"You don't understand, Yoongi is being blamed of statutory rape. Elijah knows that you two have been spending time together and so do his friends. Your mom will call the cops if you don't make an appearance soon and that will only make things worse for him."
"Knowing my mother, she's already called the cops." She snorts. "Better yet, my stepdad has called them just so that he can play the worried parent when he's the one who's gotten me in this fucking mess."
"Hayden, I don't-" She turns around and I follow her gaze. Just when I thought, I was finally safe from him, I dare to look outside the window only to see Elijah headed my way holding a metal pipe.
"Fuck, where the hell are you, Yoongi?" I hiss under my breath.
The only driving experience I've had consists of all the times Elijah let me use his car, so I can't say I'm confident in my skills. However, this is a life-or-death type of situation, and I can't afford to sit still, waiting for Yoongi to show up. If Elijah breaks his way into the vehicle, I'm done for. I don't have my phone on me and Yoongi's still in the bar.
"Put on your seatbelt." Hayden mutters and I clip it on.
I start the ignition once I make sure the car is neutral and the engine roars to life. The car is starting to run, and I notice Elijah tailing me with the metal pipe in hand. Expletives are flowing from his mouth, but I don't quite hear what he's saying.
Thankfully, the streets are empty tonight because everyone is busy spending the last day of the year with their loved ones and here, I am driving away from my psychotic ex who's chasing after me with a fucking pipe with the intent of tormenting me.
I make a turn towards the bar's entrance where I notice a group of three people exiting the Blue. They look drunk as hell, their legs shaky and their smiles lit from how intoxicated they are. It's not the wisest idea for them to step inside a car in this state, but who am I to judge them? I don't even have a driver's license and I'm driving my friend's car.
Once the group of friends enters the gray Hyundai truck, Yoongi rushes outside with my jacket in hand. I lower down the window as I stop the car right in front of the entrance.
"Get in quick!" I yell.
Yoongi's gaze falls on me first and then he sees Elijah sprinting in our direction when he circles around and jumps inside.
"What the fuck? I thought you didn't have a license." He says as he straps himself to his seat. But then he sees Hayden chilling in the backseat and his eyes widen like plates. "How did you-"
"Anyway, just follow that car." He gestures at the Hyundai car with the drunk squad I saw earlier, before looking at her. "What the hell are you doing here? Why did you ignore my texts-"
"My stepdad is tracking my phone, so I had to get rid of it." She answers curtly and he just nods understandingly.
"I thought we were going to the hospital." I mumble.
"It's on our way, but just...please Nox." He pleads. "Tail that vehicle."
"Are you hurt?" Asks Hayden.
I do as he says and when I see that Elijah is still behind us, I hit the gas and accelerate, until his figure is indistinguishable in the cold of the night. Yoongi is on his phone, his fist clenched at his side while his eyes never leave the car in front of us.
"Pick it up Ian, pick it up you fucking-" He then slams his hand on the window before running his fingers through his hair, pulling at the roots. "Fuck!"
"What's going on?" I ask gently and he sighs.
"My friend is in that truck. The driver is under the influence and so is he."
"So, we're just going to follow them?" Hayden throws. "Let's just go to the hospital first since she needs it. You can't control everything Yoongi."
Yoongi breathes out exasperated. "I know..."
"I don't know where we're going though, so I'd appreciate it if someone gave me directions." I murmur, nervously tapping my fingers on the steering wheel.
"The closest hospital is twenty minutes away from our current location, so head towards Rolland Avenue and once you reach the intersection, make a right turn at Brimere Route." Yoongi explains.
I follow his instructions carefully and I must admit, driving on a wide-open road like this with a bunch of cars in every direction causes me anxiety, because this is the first time, I'm actually driving without Elijah supervising me. I've studied driving manuals before, because I was genuinely interested in taking the test once I saved some money, so I know the basics by heart.
"Okay, now you're about to turn." I can hear Yoongi say and I pull to a halt when we reach a red light. The car from earlier turned at Brimere Route, so I guess we will be tailing them whether we like it or not. "Once you reach the end of the road make another right turn and we'll be there in ten."
When the light turns green, I hit the gas and I take a deep breath. The roads here are slightly narrower. There's trees surrounding our left side and I breeze past them with ease. I keep my eyes straight ahead and I pay attention on every little thing going on, my mind set in hypervigilance. Hayden's no longer sitting in the middle, and she's settled comfortably right behind the driver's seat. I can feel Yoongi's gaze on me, on my hands wrapped tightly around the steering wheel, but he shrugs it off.
"I should be the one driving." He says. "You're injured."
Yeah, you probably should.
But we didn't have time to switch our seats when Elijah was hunting us down with murderous intent.
"Pull to a halt when you find the chance and I'll drive."
"I got this." I say, suddenly feeling a confident in my skills. "We're almost there."
"Nox, I'm serious. Stop the car when you find a pavement and when you sit, keep your leg elevated so that the glass doesn't go deeper than it already is." Yoongi insists. "I don't want the doctors to tell me they need to cut off your leg."
"Fine,"
"I need to see you win at Nationals." He adds in a low voice and that makes me smile with tears in my eyes.
"Okay," I utter, looking away for a moment to wipe away the tears from my eyes. By the time I look in front of me, we're approaching the Brimere crossroad and while I'm going at a steady pace, the truck Yoongi's friend is in, is running significantly faster than the rest of the vehicles. Our car is running on thirty miles per hour and they're probably running on sixty with a fifty-five-mph speed limit.
Yoongi is back on his phone, calling and texting his friend and I accelerate only slightly thinking I can make it past the green light before it turns red. I carefully watch the driver ahead of us when I notice a Chevrolet speeding from the left side of the crossroad with the same careless and aggressive pace as the guys ahead of us. The driver in the truck in front of me probably isn't aware of the guy headed toward him; his judgement of speed is impaired because of the alcohol and his vision is probably affected as well.
"Fucking finally," I can hear Yoongi groan. "You bastard, tell your friend to slow the fuck down or you'll-"
That's when the two cars ahead of us suddenly collide as I'm speeding towards them. The Hyundai truck has crashed straight onto the Chevrolet causing it to roll on its side. I'm having trouble controlling Yoongi's Jeep as I swallow down harshly. I'm trying my hardest to remain calm as I try to avoid having a third impact, but in the moment if feels as though I don't have enough time to process what is happening.
Flames are engulfing the vehicles up ahead and Yoongi's just sitting there watching as the fire eats up everything in its path. My body no longer feels like it's my own. My hands are holding onto the steering wheel out of habit, but my mind is blank.
"Take your foot off the accelerator!" Yoongi yells, snapping me back to reality, but it's too late. We're getting closer to the point of impact and I'm panicking internally. I don't know how to stop this. I'm not experienced enough. I should have let Yoongi drive when I had the chance. A cluster of thoughts invades my mind and it's louder than Yoongi and Hayden' screams. Louder than the commotion outside.
I'm focusing on the sight ahead of me and everything around it, starting from the fire encompassing both vehicles, to the people running and screaming, the cars running past us. The inconsiderate, shallow people that are filming everything instead of calling for help. My skin feels cold, clammy and I want to throw up. My mind is travelling everywhere at once, yet it avoids what is most important.
I feel Yoongi's arm taking the wheel and in one swift movement, our car turns abruptly, my foot still on the accelerator.
"Take your foot off!" He screams into my ear.
But by the time he removes my foot off of it we crash.
The force of the impact causes my body to abruptly jerk ahead. I don't even see if we collided with another vehicle or another stationary object. I feel my own car seat move back until a painstaking cry is all I can hear.
"Hayden!" Yoongi cries.
My head hits the steering wheel, and my left arm gets crushed between my own body and the car door. Pieces of glass are flying all around the place while smoke creeps its way through the broken windows. The ache in my leg is miraculously gone, but I'm feeling a far more excruciating pain in other legions of my body.
I can't seem to speak no matter what I do. I try to move, but everything hurts all at once and all I want to do is simply give in to the pain. Let it consume me.
Let it chew me up until there's nothing left.
My vision is blurry, and my head is pounding, but I try my best to focus my gaze on the slightly tilted mirror. I need to know if Hayden's okay.
"Hayden?" I call out. "Hayden, are you okay?"
It takes an incredible amount of strength for me to just stand up and look up at the mirror. When I finally look back, I gasp in horror when I see Hayden's legs crushed between the driver's seat and her own through the reflection of the broken rear-view mirror.