My life, as it turns out, is one unrelated obstacle after the next.
I mean, in all seriousness I couldn't think of anyone with as much rotten luck as me.
It seemed like as soon as one problem was resolved, I barely had time to blink before the next impending doom was knocking on my doorstep. Well, more like barging in through the walls with a monster truck.
I could barely remember all the other teenage crises I had undergone this year, because there were just too damn many.
But while I attempted to comfort Conner, and possibly myself, snuggling close against his chest all the while paying close caution to his broken collar bone, I looked up into two eyes of green and realized something important.
Every coincidence, every mistake, every little mishap of bad luck that I would curse about under my breath for days, had lead me directly to this moment.
If that one girl from that fateful middle school party hadn't shown up that night, if she had suddenly gone ill or decided to study for a test instead, then she never would have dared me to kiss Conner in an embarrassingly immature game of truth or dare.
If Conner and I had never kissed, we would have never become best friends with benefits, and I would never have accidentally gotten pregnant and eventually go on to have a miscarriage.
And if I hadn't had that miscarriage, as much as it breaks my heart thinking about it, I would have never ended up in the hospital the night that Conner confessed his love to me.
And without a doubt, I would have never realized my true feelings towards him either.
If that had never happened, then I would not have gotten mad at Conner in such a manner that Alex and Jerry would feel obligated to drag me to that god forsaken night club, and we wouldn't be in this mess right now.
So in conclusion, my life is pretty much a soap opera with teenagers.
But taking in the sight of Conner's eyes scouring my face to make sure that I was okay, selflessly to the point of being ridiculous, I realized that I wouldn't have changed it anyways.
"How are we gonna get out of this one, Con?" I finally rose up the courage to ask.
He looked down at me for the first time in my life, with hopeless uncertainty. The type of expression that people had before they finaly gave up. I shivered. "I don't know, S."
"Hey! Love birds! What did I tell you about keeping your mouths shut?" Mike scowled.
I opened my mouth to speak, most likely a sarcastic and entirely impulsive comeback that I would right after regret, but as soon as my lips parted a fiery burst of pain exploded in my jaw.
My mouth slammed shut, and my ears began to ring as wave after wave of relentless agony flooded over me. No doubt the adrenaline of nearly dying had worn off, and the pain was returning at full force.
Conner, of course, noticed the sudden change. The concern in his eyes quickly morphed into downright panic. "Selena? Are you all right?"
I nodded slightly, knowing better than to try speaking. Tears were burned in the brim of my eyes, so with my face turned towards the ground, I slowly scooted myself away from Conner. The last thing he needed was a helpless crying girlfriend to deal with.
I could practically hear the frown on his face as I distanced myself from him. "Ummmm, what are you doing?"
"Noth-" A hot sear of pain reminded me that I couldn't speak. Nice going, idiot. I shook my head instead and pretended to be survey our surroundings, as if I was actually capable of planning an ingenious escape.
Mike caught my eyes and then rolled his, having no trouble realizing what was transpiring. But thankfully, he kept his mouth shut.
"Stubborn-ass teenagers."
Well, mostly shut.
When I was finally satisfied glaring daggers at him, I curled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around myself, seeking comfort but unsurprisingly finding none. I rested my forehead on my knees, finally allowing the tears in my eyes to drop, now that no one could witness it.
The sheer pain itself was nearly to the point of being unbearable, and the pain was gradually but undoubtedly intensifying.
For those of you who have never had your jawbone shattered, it's a bit like biting through solid steel. Now, the average person is incapable of biting through solid plastic, let alone solid steel. (Well, hopefully. If not, seek help immediately.) So the pain was like an intense pressure that wouldn't go away, no matter how much you wanted to stop chewing on metal.
Great, the pain is making me delirious too.
"S?" His voice said softly, and for a moment I remembered that I wasn't alone.
I didn't respond, praying that he would think that I was sleeping or unconscious. Or something.
After a short silence, he sighed. I coudn't find it in me to protest as one of his arms curled under my knees, the other gently wrapping around my back. He lifted me up like I was minuscule, which I certainly felt, and gently placed me back on my original position on his lap.
I didn't look up when he kissed the top of my head, knowing that my face was now soaked with tears.
"You know, you have this really annoying martyr complex. One of these days it's going to drive me insane." He murmured in my ear, and at that I couldn't help but break down in his arms.
"Touching." A sharp voice made Conner's head snap up, and his grip around me tightened. I forced myself to peer out from behind my knees, making sure that my face was still mostly out of sight. No way was I giving him the satisfaction of tears.
Aaron smiled wickedly as us, and I let out a silent breath of relief when I saw that Alex and Jerry weren't with him.
"Did ya miss me?" He said humorously, and I dreading noticed the hot rage swirling in his eyes. "Of course not! No one ever misses me."
Even Mike looked mildly intrigued at his change in demeanor. "So blond superman and the ginger got away then?"
"Yes they got away!" Aaron snapped at Mike, who held up his hands in surrender and took a step back. "Fucking whore. I'll just have to get her another time."
My heart sunk when he turned back towards us, a mad gleam in his eyes as they locked on my gaze. "On the bright side though, I still have the pretty brunette one."
Conner's arms were clenched so tightly around me that it was nearly painful. Aaron's face lit up in triumph at our apparent fear, and he took a few eager steps toward us. He squatted down to my level and leaned in close, and Conner remained as rigid as stone around me.
Aaron tilted his head as he peered at me with a dazed smile that would surely haunt my nightmares. He reached a hand forward, as if he were going to stroke my face like I was his fucking cat, but Conner was quick to move on of his arms forward to shove him back.
Aaron fell back on his butt, clearly unprepared. When he finally regained his bearings, his eyes glared at Conner, as if he was just realizing that he was there with me. His fists clenched.
"Mike, restrain the boy." Aaron commanded.
There was a rustling sound, and all of us turned to see Mike shoving various belongings into a bag hanging off his shoulder. He must have ran inside to grab it while we were all distracted.
"Mike?" Aaron repeated. "What the hell are you doing?"
Mike looked up with an apologetic smile. "Sorry man, I'm getting out of here."
"Getting out of here?" Aaron echoed. "Why?"
"Ummmm, because Miss Alexandra and Jerry, got away." He emphasized, in a tone of voice that implied a sassy 'duhhhh'.
Aaron blinked, Conner and I momentarily forgotten. "Yes, and?"
"Annnnnnd," Mike rolled his eyes. "They've probably called the cops by now. Look, I needed the money, but I'd rather be broke than in prison."
"B-but you work for me! You can't just leave!"
"Watch me." Mike said bluntly, not saying another word as he turned and started jogging down the pathway towards the street.
"Wait!" Aaron scrambled to his feet and turned towards Mike's retreating figure. "Get back here!"
Mike lifted a hand in response, not looking back as he finally disappeared out of sight.
"Well, sucks for you."
In the blink of an eye Conner was on his feet and throwing a swing at the back of Aaron's head. Aaron's eyes widened comically as he turned to the sight of my hot-ass boyfriend's fist hurtling towards his face.
Aaron dropped like a sack of flour, (pun entirely intentional), but unfortunately it hadn't been enough to knock him out.
He scrambled to his feet again, but I could tell by the look in his eyes that without Mike, he was fighting a losing battle.
Conner stood a few feet in front of him, glowering and radiating anger in a way that made him go from model to Greek god.
For a few seconds, everything was still.
But when my eyes moved away from my striking boyfriend back to the crazy psychopath, I jolted when I saw that he was looking intently at me.
And before I could even open my mouth to shout, though it probably would have hurt like hell, he lunged at me.
"Selena!" Conner shouted, instantly springing into action just a split second too late.
I let out a bloodcurdling scream as his hands brutally gripped at my jaw, a move that's entire purpose was solely to cause me pain.
I don't know if Conner managed to pull him off of me, because as soon as the pain had reached my limits I was fading into blackness.
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Dun dun DUNNNNN!!!
And yes, the dramatically implied suspense music was necessary.
Sorry it took so long! To tell you the truth, I've taken up a nasty habit that is extremely time consuming and is probably going to ruin my life.
Doctor Who.
Now I know, unless you've watched it, it sounds like an entire overrated and nerdy show that people who think they're hipsters watch just for the sake of it, but man.
That show is bloody brilliant.
No really, I wish I was joking when I say that the voice that thinks thoughts inside my head now has a British accent.
It's sad, really.
Anyways, please, just tell me what you think! Not long now until the big finale! The excitement in the air is all around us now! If only I could pry myself away from that handsome British doctor, long enough to do something of relative productivity.
Also, check out the new cover! Awesome right? Special thanks!
Thanks!