Third Person.
T W E L V E H O U R S E A R L I E R
The air grew colder, dark clouds flittered around the blackened sky line as rain pelleted against the glass windshield. It was strange to Alex, strange how the rain always appeared when his fear was heightened. It rained when Jack and Lily got shot. It rained when Leo jumped from the bridge. And now it's raining again.
It's raining again-
Was it a tell? Did God pour water from the sky just to taunt him, or was darkness, bitter winds and dampened clouds just what he associated with the worst moments in his life? It was chilling how an aesthetic could shape you into a ball of pure terror.
Alex was never one to fret over what ifs in the way most of his siblings did. He somehow managed to remain calm in stressful situations, never allowing his thoughts to edge him closer and closer to a self made nightmare. But this was different, this was terrifying. He had a feeling in his gut, one that ran from his torso to his chest as his heart clenched painfully behind his rib cage. Like an iron-clasped fist had wrapped it's self around him, squeezing every seldom of hope from his soul. Cat calling him, egging him on, telling him to stop being so naïve and remove the childish wool from his eyes.
He fought against his feelings, fighting a useless battle, struggling as he willed himself to remain calm. To refrain from submitting himself to the panic that wanted nothing more than to consume him.
Callan's voice reached his ears, and Alex couldn't help but exhale a breathe of relief. This is what he needs: a distraction. If he just focused on Callan, on his words, then everything would be okay. He could hold off just a little bit longer and by the time he was ready to crack, they'd have found Ace safe and well, and everything would be fine. Just fine.
"When's the last time Ace actually drove a car?"
Alex looked at him, lips pursed, eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Ehm," he paused, dread coursing through him at his own realisation. "Last year," Alex gulped, wetting his dry lips as he added. "When I gave him lessons."
"Shit!" Callan choked out, whispering the curse to himself. Inhaling a long breath, his fingers tightened around the steering wheel as his eyes cast a glance at Alex. "How was he?" He asked, before clarifying. "At driving I mean?"
Alex didn't quite know how to respond. He didn't want to add to Callan's worry by telling him how incompetent Ace was as a driver. It was a well known fact to them all that Ace struggled with learning new things. With how anxious he got, Ace liked to stick with things that felt familiar to him. For example; he liked to read the same book over and over again because he knew exactly what to expect next. Which was the same case for netflix shows and movies, rewatching to the point he could recite them word for word. Alex often had to push him a little in order for Ace to try something new, and even then it was still a clear struggle. But, persuading Ace to watch a new movie was nothing in comparison to teaching him how to drive a car.
The unfamiliar roads, learning road signs, angry drivers, impatient drivers, stop lights, New York traffic. So many sounds, so many unpredictable and unavoidable scenarios. If driving for Ace came down to sink or swim, he'd drown.
"He's... something." Alex responded cryptically, unable to come up with any better phrasing than that.
"So he's terrible?" Callan raised an eyebrow, glancing back at the road before kissing his teeth. "That's just great, isn't that great, Al?" He continued, not giving Alex the chance to respond as he laughed humourlessly. "God, how could he be so fucking stupid." His hands slammed against the steering wheel.
"Cal, calm down. He'll be fine." Alex said far too calmly, keeping his facade as he lied through his teeth. He had no idea where Ace was, let alone how he was. But neither of them could afford to crack, not right now.
"We don't know that Alex! He could be dead in a ditch somewhere and we'd be none the wiser." Callan's voice remained steady, never rising or falling. He blew out a breath and slummed deeper into the drivers seat, avoiding eye contact with Alex.
"Weren't you the one that wanted to prove to Zac that he didn't have to handle them on his own?" Alex began, his voice a mixture of soft and stern. "You don't get to say that and give Zac some sort of false hope, only for you to freak out the first chance you get, Callan. Pull yourself together and let's focus on where Ace could be, rather than letting your mind run wild. Sì?"
"Fine," Callan grumbled, a slight huff in his tone that momentarily had Alex comparing his mannerisms to Carters. Before Alex could annoy Callan by voicing such thoughts, the older boy gasped. "Alex..." he gulped, voice shaking. "Is that- is that your car?" He gestured with a nod to the scene less than ten meters ahead.
And just like that, whatever composure Alex had managed to maintain crumbled in less than a second at the scene before him. His car wrapped around a tree. The smell of fumes lingering in the air as hues of amber orange uplifted the darkness as the bonnet of the car ignited.
—
The smell of hot rain and acrid smoke filtered through the car vents. The engine, surprisingly, still running as the hood of the vehicle merged with the curves of the trees. Fallen branches bunched up at the base of the imploded windshield. Fragments of glass scattered over the dash board and leather seats, some tainted with blood as they embedded themselves into Ace's skin.
Moments passed silently before the sound of the engine roared in the air as it took its final breath. Like a war cry, it spluttered and shuddered before stopping all together. It was silent again, the eerie type of still silence that you'd find in horror movies just before you'd see the killer strike their latest victim.
Ace was drifting in and out of consciousness. His bleeding head was pressed firmly against the centre of the deflated air bag. His left arm bent at a very awkward angle, with his shoulder aching; a dull ache from where the seat belt no doubt saved his life. His eyes fluttered, both bloodshot red, watering as the stinging sensation intensified. He stared directly ahead, fluorescent amber trapping his blues in place as flames overtook his sight.
Ace coughed and groaned as the oily taste of smoke evaded his lungs. Each cough got stuck in the back of his throat, short, panting gasps escaping him as the smoke grew thicker.
"Shit," He pathetically wheezed, a hint of defeat in his tone as he gazed at his arm. "Shit, shit, shit, fucking shit!" His voice grew panicked, his functioning arm struggling to free the seatbelt from it's clip.
He gazed around the car searching for something that could help him. His eyes found his mangled cellphone which lay at the passenger side footwell, a hiss passing through his clenched teeth as he stared at the shattered screen. There goes his plan to call for help.
Moving his eyes ahead, squinting to see through the thickened clouds of near black smoke, his gaze lingered on a large shard of splintered glass. Gritting his teeth, Ace ignored the pain that soared through his shoulder as he forced himself forward and grabbed a hold of the shard.
The glass sunk into the palm of his hand as he wrapped his fingers tightly around the jagged edge. The pain was almost unbearable but Ace knew he had no other options, he was running out of time. The air in the car was growing hotter by the second as the fire began to spread. The amber flames drawing closer and closer to the smashed windshield; right in front of Ace's face. His shock was dying down, his eyes growing heavier as each second passed, leaving him to feel weak and somewhat nauseous.
"Come on Ace," He mumbled to himself, voice filled with terror. "You can do it, think of them."
Clenching his eyes shut, he pictured his siblings and fought back the sob that threatened to leave him. "Come on, get it together." He choked out.
Ducking his head, Ace gripped the seatbelt between his teeth, holding it firmly as he began to almost saw through the fabric with the sharp edge of the glass shard.
It wasn't working. The glass did little-to-nothing, only shattering further with each and every stroke, fraying the edge of the fabric by less than an inch. "Fuck!" Ace yelled hoarsely, throwing the useless broken shard into the flames.
This was it. This was how he'd die. Burnt alive because he was stupid enough to drink and drive. "I'm so sorry," Ace whimpered, his body sagging against the leather seat as fatigue overwhelmed him. "I'm so fucking sorry." He repeated, wanting nothing more than to turn back time. Back to Leo, back to Atlas, back to Callan, to Alex, to Zac, heck, even back to Grey.
Just as Ace began to succumb to what he assumed was the inevitable, screams reached his ears. Screams that weren't coming from him. He could hear his name being called, the shouts and screams sounding frantic and plagued with fear. Hope filled him, but that hope couldn't stop his eyes from drooping. Less than ten seconds passed from the time he heard the first scream, to Callan's face appearing to the left of him. The last thing Ace seen through the smoke was his two brothers pulling the driver door from his hinges before he gave in to his exhaustion and closed his eyes.
—
Callan swerved the car to the left as he stepped on the break a little too eagerly. Not bothering to pull the key from the ignition, he unclipped his seatbelt and exited the car. Running towards the scene without a second thought.
Alex sat for a moment, allowing his terror to break his calm exterior. He took a deep breath, and another, and another, until finally the pain in his chest eased even if only a little. He spent twenty seconds more in the car before following after Callan, piecing together a plan that he knew they would need.
His skin stung as he got closer to the flame entrapped car, his mind moving at one hundred miles a minute as he moved towards Callan, helping him jam open the door to free their younger brother.
"The seat belt is stuck," Callan grunted in fear, trying to pull an unconscious Ace into his arms. "Fuck, Al, I can't get him out!" He said, tears pooling in his eyes as he looked at Ace's pale and blood coated face.
"Hold on," Alex told him, pulling a lighter from his pocket, flicking his thumb over the end, he moved the flame closer to the fabric belt.
Callan's eyes widened and he moved himself in front of his younger brother to protect him from the lighter flame. "What the fuck are you going to do with that?"
"Just hold him still and fucking move out my way!" Alex ordered, pulling the fabric away from Ace before burning the ends, effectively fraying the seams. "Got it," he pulled the frayed end, ripping the seat belt apart. "Lift him out, NOW!"
Callan done as told and pulled Ace from the car, dragging him through the mud towards the main road before turning to check on Alex. "Alex, get away from there it's going to blow! ALEX!" He screamed in panic, watching in horror as Alex moved further into the burning vehicle.
"Shit!" Callan gently laid Ace on the cold concrete. Pulling off his sweater, he lay it over his younger brothers trembling frame in hopes that the fabric would somewhat keep him safe from the heavy down pour. "Ace, I'll be right back bambino," he said softly, running his hand through the unconscious boys hair. "Hang in there for me, okay? Just hold on."
Casting Ace one last worried glance, Callan ran back towards the flames.
—
Alex could barely see, barely breath, as he frantically tried to reach for Ace's cellphone that was wedged between the seats. The flames were getting closer, so close he could smell burning rubber as the steering wheel ignited. "Come on," he grunted, huffing as he tried to squeeze his fingers through the small gap.
"Alex, what the fuck are you doing?" Callan had reached the car now, his eyes widening in horror as the fire continued to spread. They were dangerously close to Alex's face now. "Get out of there!"
"I've almost got it." Alex's fingers brushed the side of the phone. Pinching it between his middle and forefinger, he slipped it free. "Phew," he exhaled, jumping slightly as Callan's hand wrapped around his bicep.
Callan pulled him from the car and up to the edge of the road where Ace lay unmoving. "Are you fucking stupid!" He yelled, grabbing Alex's other bicep before shaking him. "What the fuck was that Alexander. You went back for a phone? A fucking phone?"
"There's always a reason for chaos, Cal." Alex said, his voice so nonchalant that Callan gaped at him. "Go take Ace home, there's something I need to do."
"Take him home?" Callan repeated dumbfounded. "He needs to go to a fucking hospital, not home."
"Callan," Alex would've rolled his eyes, but he was almost certain that his elder brother would not appreciate that. "Just trust me on this, okay?"
"No," Callan objected, pulling his phone from the pocket of his sweatpants. "I'm calling an ambulance."
Alex grabbed the phone from Callan's grip before he could even blink. His eyes remained on the older boys as he dropped the phone to the concrete and dug his heel into the centre of the screen. Callan's mouth opened and closed as if he'd lost all the words he wanted to say. He stared at Alex in shock as the boy calmly retrieved the smashed phone, handing it to him without blinking before moving to check on Ace.
"Alex!" Callan all but gasped after a short ten second silence. "What-why-what the fuck?"
"Why don't you do something useful Cal and come check if he's okay?" Alex rolled his eyes as he held his fingers against the pulse point on Ace's neck. "He's got a strong pulse as far as I can tell. But unlike you, I'm not a medical student so I really wouldn't trust my judgement."
Callan grit his teeth and shoved Alex out of the way as he knelt down beside his younger brothers unconscious body. Copying Alex's actions, he placed his fingers to Ace's neck.
"Pulse is strong." He stated, moving his hand to check the gash on Ace's forehead. "This might need stitches, I can't tell how deep it is until I clean it. Everything else looks fine but I can't tell until I properly examine him."
"Well," Alex paused, gesturing his hand to Callan's car. "Better get him home and check him over, right?"
"Just give me your fucking phone Alex, he needs a hospital!" Callan pushed himself to his feet and grabbed the collar of his brothers sweatshirt. "Why are you being so fucking difficult!?"
"Do you want him to go to juvie, Callan?" Alex asked, the calmness in his tone angering Callan further.
Shaking his head, Callan responded.
"What?"
"You heard me. Do you want him to go to juvie?" Alex drew out each and every syllable. "What do you think the hospital are going to do as soon as he's taken there?" He paused, staring at Callan expectantly. "Come on, Cal. You're a med student, you should know this one."
"Ask how he got injured."
"And once they find out he was in a one vehicle car wreck?"
"Run a tox screen."
"And what will they find out when those results come back?"
"His blood alcohol levels..." Callan closed his eyes. "Shit!"
"Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!" Alex huffed, shoving Callan's hand from his shirt. "So will you just listen to me and take him fucking home?"
Callan nodded slowly. He bent down gently lifting Ace from the ground before turning back to Alex. "What are you going to do?"
"Go home." Alex started walking back towards the flaming car.
Adjusting Ace in his hold, Callan moved and gripped Alex's wrist. "Alex,"
"Just trust me, Cal."
—
After eventually getting Callan to agree, Alex got started on his plan. He'd thought over it a little when they first arrived at the scene, but there were a few things he hadn't thought of. No one would come out of an accident like this scratch free.
Picking up a rock from the tree line, Alex stared at the object before mumbling to himself. "He really owes me for this." Gritting his teeth, Alex smashed the rock against his forehead, wincing as hot crimson leaked from his self inflicted wound.
Alex then picked up a broken shard of glass and began to make small slices on the edge of his check. "Ouch, shit." He hissed as the stinging sensation amplified with each and every scrape of skin.
After spending twenty seconds admiring his work in the front facing camera of his cell phone, Alex deemed there to be enough damage for him to begin the next phase of his plan. Scrolling through his contacts, he clicked on the number he needed to call before bringing the device to his ear.
"Hello?"
"Ryan, it's Alex. Listen, I've had a bit of an accident and I don't know what to do."
—
Zac had been pacing the living room for over an hour. He'd tried calling all three of his brothers multiple times in the last two hours, only for the call to ring out or send him straight to the stupid little automated voice of their voicemail service.
God, he never thought he'd see the day that he'd want to strangle a robot. A fucking robot-
"Zac, can you stop?" Grey groaned, rubbing his hand over his face before dropping his head back on the couch. "You're making me dizzy."
"Somethings wrong, Grey." Zac shook his head, his throat and eyes both burning as his emotions increased with each silent minute that passed. "I don't like this. Why aren't they answering me?"
"Maybe they're busy?" Grey suggested. "Stop thinking the worst. I'm sure everything's fine. Think about it, Cal and Alex would for sure call you if something was wrong. They could've taken Ace for ice cream or something."
Zac gave him a look. "Ice cream?" He all but tutted. "He's seventeen, Grey, not seven."
Grey shrugged, "You're never too old for ice cream."
"I second that."
"Same."
Jack and Carter said as they entered the living room. "You're meant to say you third it." The blonde corrected.
"Tomato, tamato." Carter shrugged, pursing his lips at Zac's pacing. "What's going on?"
"The boys have went 'missing' and Z is worried that somethings happened." Grey commentated.
"They took two cars, why the fuck would they take two cars?" Zac shook his head. "It just doesn't make sense."
"Have you tried calling them?" Carter suggested, all eyes turning to him with a look that screamed are you stupid.
"Of course they have." Jack rolled his eyes before pausing and glancing at the older men. "You have called them, haven't you?"
"Yes, Jack. We've called them. We've been calling them for two fucking hours."
Jack's mouth formed into an 'O' shape as he gave the boys a nod. Whilst Carter responded, "Well, that's good."
Jack turned to him, "How is it good if they're not answering dipshit?"
"Oh," Carter copied Jacks previous face. "Well, that's not good then."
Before anyone had the chance to respond, the sound of the front door slamming shut caught their attention. Seconds later, a fatigue ridden Callan entered the room with a bloodied, unconscious Ace in his arms.
"Ace! What the fuck happened?" Zac gasped, moving in front of Callan, he attempted to pull Ace from his arms only for the teenager to step back.
Callan held Ace a little tighter. He was on overprotective mama bear mode. He looked at Zac, then the rest of his brothers, who were now stood staring at Ace with their eyes wide in shock. He really didn't expect anyone to still be awake at this time, let alone staring at him as they waited for answers that he wasn't sure how to give. Opening and closing his mouth approximately three times, Callan then cleared his throat and said.
"There's been a bit of an accident."
—
Callan had managed to place Ace on the couch whilst Grey ran to fetch the first aid box. He hadn't spoken again in the last three minutes since stating there had been a bit of an accident. It was clear- very fucking clear, that this was much much more than a small bump.
Zac had been hovering over Ace the second Callan had entered the living room, even now Zac blocked Callan's way as he continued to mumble small reassuring words in the unconscious boys ear whilst running his hand through his blood stained hair.
"Zac, I need you to move." Callan pressed. "I need to check him over and I can't do that if you're in my way."
"No, we need to call an ambulance." Zac said, picking up his cellphone from the coffee table. "Why the fuck did you bring him here and not to a hospital? What happened Callan? Where's Alex? Is he okay?"
Callan grabbed the phone similar to how Alex had less than thirty minutes earlier. "You can't call anyone, not yet."
"What do you mean I can't, he needs help Callan!" Zac fumed, throwing his hands in the air as he glared at the teen. Ace was bleeding, he was unconscious, Zac needed to get him help.
"Is he okay?" Jack asked anxiously from behind Callan's back. "Where's Alex?"
"Alex is sorting things, he'll be back soon. I can't call for help until he's back." Callan answered the one question he could, his eyes never leaving Ace. "Just... trust me."
"Trust you- fucking trust you?" Zac scoffed bitterly. "Look at this aftermath of me trusting you, Cal! You better start fucking explaining or I swear-"
"Zac, stop it." Grey hissed at his brother as he reentered the room. Handing the first aid box to Callan, he turned his gaze back to Zac. "Let him speak. You're being unfair. None of this is Callan's fault."
"Not his fault, look-" Zac began rambling again until Grey cut him off. "Cal, what happened?"
"Ace stormed off during our chat earlier." Callan gulped, opening the first aid box with trembling fingers. "He-he took Alex's car and-"
"He drove-" Carter all but wheezed, his worried eyes narrowing on his stupid, idiotic, unconscious baby brother. "He was fucking wasted!" He moved closer to Ace. "I don't know if you can hear me you little shit, but you better be okay, Ace, because if you're not then I'm seriously going to beat a bitch. And if I wasn't clear, you are that bitch. But still, please be okay."
Jack stared at Carter lazily. "That was so touching. I'm sure he'll open his eyes right now after those heartfelt words."
Callan, being used to Carters ways, ignored his brothers stupid speech. Taking the scissors from the box, be began cutting off the top half of Ace's clothing. "We couldn't find him, he wouldn't answer our calls. I-I was freaking out because anything could've happened. And Alex, he-he was so calm. It was infuriating because how could he be so calm?"
"That's Alex for you." Grey added. "Then what happened?"
"We drove down the turn in before Bleecker street and that's when we saw it." Callan gulped as Ace's bruised torso came into view. "The car, it-it was burning. He'd wrapped the car around a tree and the hood- the hood was in flames. I thought- I thought he was dead."
All the boys took a sharp intake of breath at Callan's description. Their eyes glancing to Ace with a cocktail of emotions, worry, fear, relief, more worry.
"Oh my boy," Zac choked, caressing Ace's hair again, his warm tears dripping down onto the pale boys bloodied forehead. "You'll be okay, bambino. He will be okay, right?" He asked, his teary, apologetic eyes meeting Callan's.
"I don't know." Callan breathed. He really felt like crying — but he couldn't. He had to keep a clear head. He had to just focus. "I-I'm not a doctor, I-"
"Yet," Carter added, patting Callan's shoulder with a supportive, yet sad smile on his lips. "You're not a doctor yet. Don't talk yourself down, Cal. You've got this. I'm assuming Alex is dealing with the car?"
"Mhm," Callan hummed, nervously glancing between Zac and Grey. He wasn't so sure how they'd react to the next part. Heck, he wasn't so sure how he felt about it yet. "He told me I couldn't call for help, smashed my phone into pieces when I tried to, fucking little shit. He didn't tell me how he was going to fix this, he just told me to trust him and to treat Ace at home. So here I am."
Callan turned away from his brothers and began focusing his attention on Ace's wounds. First, he cleaned the cuts on his brothers cheek, ensuring there was no small glass fragments in the wounds before covering them with a small clear bandaid. Next, he gently wiped away the blood from his forehead, cursing under his breath as he seen the true depth of the wound.
"What is it?" Zac asked somewhat frantically, panicked eyes drifting between Callan's face and Ace's head. "Cal, what is it? What's wrong?"
"He needs stitches," Callan looked at Zac with a trembling lip. God he really wanted to fucking cry now. Between feeling like shit thanks to his cold, and now dealing with a forehead laceration so deep that it required stitches, Callan was one step away from the edge of crumbling. "I've never stitched a forehead before. I mean-I- they show you how but I've never actually done it. And-and he should be awake, why isn't he awake? Fuck, I don't know what I'm fucking doing! Fuck this I'm taking him to the hospital." He stood, reaching to lift Ace into his arms only to be stopped by Grey.
"Calm down, Cal." Grey placed a hand on his shoulder. "Take a breath. You're okay, there's no rush. Take your time and think, you know what you're doing."
You know what you're doing. Callan gulped, do I? "I need a sterile needle and some thread." With a hint of detectable pride in his eyes, Grey nodded and went to the kitchen to get what Callan needed. "Here," he said, returning after a short five minute search.
Callan inhaled shakily, "Okay, okay." He mumbled to himself. Threading the needle, which took a whole lot longer than it should have with his shaky hands, Callan brought the pointed tip to the edge of the wound. Just as the needle pierced the skin, Ace's eyes snapped open.
"What the fuck," Ace mumbled, still a little out of sorts. His blurry gaze locked on Callan's hand, or more so, the object in Callan's hand. Eyes wide with fear, he demanded. "Get that fucking thing away from me."
"Welp," Carter smacked his hands together in an almost clap as relief washed over him in waves. "Least we know he's not brain damaged."
"Fuck you." Ace spat, speech a little slurred. He glared, or, well, tried to glare at Carter before trying to push himself further from Callan's grasp. "Ow, ow, ow, fucking shit." He screamed in pain as he put pressure on his left arm.
"Hey bambino, calm down," Zac cooed, his eyes burning as he took in Ace's pained expression and teary eyes. Brushing his hands down Ace's neck, he asked softly. "Tell me what hurts?"
"My arm," Ace groaned, gasping as he stared at his awkwardly bent forearm. "Oh, God. I'm gonna throw up. I'm-I'm-"
He threw up.
"Oh shit." Callan's eyes widened as he examined his younger brothers arm. "I think- no. I'm sure it's broken. Car, go get him some pain meds." He ordered, turning to Zac. "I can't fix this, he might need it reset. We should-"
"ZAC?" A voice called from the hallway, cutting off whatever Callan's next words were going to be.
"Ryan?" Zac mumbled, turning to his brothers he placed a finger against his lips. "Be quiet, I'll be back in a sec." His gaze lingered on Ace, "You'll be okay bambino."
As the boys nodded, Zac hesitantly left the living room and went to greet his friend. "Ry," he forced a smile, "What are-" he cut himself off as Alex's bloodied face came into view. Didn't Callan say he was fine? More worry began to rise in Zac's chest. What the fuck did Alex do?
"He refused to go to the hospital, Z. I tried to make him go but he told me to bring him home." Ryan told him, his hand resting on Alex's shoulder. "One stubborn kid you got here."
Zac swallowed thickly, eyes narrowing slightly at Alex, who in-turn gave Zac a look, one that screamed for him to play along.
"What happened?" Zac asked, not needing to falsify his worry as he gripped Alex's chin between his thumb and forefinger to examine the wounds littering his skin.
"Wrapped his car round a tree." Ryan laughed a little in hopes to ease Zac's worry. "And here I though Carter would be the first to do that."
"Jesus, Alex." Zac 'reprimanded', still holding Alex's jaw as he turned back to his friend. "What happens now?"
"Nothing," Ryan dismissed with a wave. "We breathalysed him at the scene, he's sober, of course. Said an animal jumped out in front of the car and he swerved due to the water from the rain. I don't know how you'll do with the insurance claim but as for police, you've got no worries there."
"Thanks, Ry." Zac offered a grateful smile. "I'll handle it from here and let you get back to work."
"Okay, just call me if you need anything." Ryan said, nodding at Zac and patting Alex on the shoulder before taking his leave.
Alex brushed past Zac and made his way to the living room, eager to check on his brother. Quick on his heel, Zac turned to Callan as they entered the lounge, gesturing his hand towards Alex, he said. "I thought you said he wasn't hurt, Cal! What the fuck?" He accused, a slither of a hiss in his tone.
"He wasn't when I left him!" Callan turned to Alex, eyes roaming his bleeding face. He grit his teeth angrily, a bitter feeling of regret forming in his stomach, why the fuck did I leave him there alone? "What the fuck did you do?"
Alex merely shrugged as he sat on the couch next to Ace, feeling relieved that he was now conscious. Wrapping his arm around his younger brother, he told Callan. "I done what I needed to do to protect him." He touched his forehead and glanced at Ace, "And I don't regret a thing."
"Don't regret a thing?" Callan grit his teeth again. "You done that to yourself Alex! You should've told me what you had planned!"
"You done that to yourself?" Grey gapped at the teen. His anger, fear and worry all merging into one as he yelled. "What the fuck!"
"Why the hell didn't you call us Alexander!" Zac added, and even though he felt extremely angry at Alex for being so reckless, he couldn't stop his heart from aching at the thought of Alex hurting himself to protect Ace. In Zac's mind, he's still a child himself, it shouldn't be up to him to fix things. "We would've fixed this, you didn't need to harm yourself!"
Alex simply shrugged again. He didn't need anyones help, he sorted things. Couldn't they just say thank you and move on.
"No, no shrugging." Grey placed his hands on his hips, and it took all of Alex's willpower not to laugh at how sports mom he looked. "What the hell was going through your mind for you to be so fucking stupid?"
"Stupid?" Alex raised an eyebrow, tilting his head to the left a little. "The only stupid one here is Ace for driving drunk in the first place." He turned to Ace. "Idiot." He muttered, looking back to his older brother, he continued. "If Ace had been there when they arrived, he could've went to juvie for drunk driving, reckless driving, whatever else you name it. I happen to think my plan was rather smart. I needed to have wounds for it to be believable though, hence all of this." He used his forefinger to gesture to his face. "I've said it once and I'll say it again, I don't regret a thing."
Just as Grey went to pop off again, Carter spoke up. "I mean, I think it's a pretty rad plan." Grey made a face and Carter rolled his eyes. "Come on, G. You gotta admit it. He thought of this whole thing in what? A matter of minutes, it is a smart plan for the time he had."
"As much as it sickens me to say this, I agree with Carter." Jack added. "Alex done what he thought was right. Should he have called you guys? Yeah, probably. Can he turn back time? No. So why don't we just leave it at that and focus on Ace's injuries?"
"Jack's right." Callan moved to his feet. "Alex done his best, but now we need to figure out how to get Ace seen without the doctors asking questions."
Zac pursed his lips. He still was by no means happy with Alex, or Ace for that matter, but this wasn't the time to discuss those issues.
"Get him in the car, I'll call Dr Owens on the way."
—
End of chapter 57
Thoughts?
Was Alex smart or stupid?
Did you really think I'd kill Ace???
Sorry for the lack of Leo in this chapter, I'll make it up to you in the next one, I promise x
Speaking of the next chapter, what do we wanna see happen?
(small reminder, Leo somehow thinks Ace is dead)
Would we like an Ace and Le reunion?
Comment, vote and follow pretty please!
Lots of love x
5900 words