Everything was happening in a flurry: Trevor was long gone, Jo was busy ringing 911, Dani's hands were red from blood as she held them over Rex's wound to help stop him loosing as much blood, Mlak spoke to him to try and keep him conscious and Amelie came rushing from the bathroom with a towel.
I stood there helplessly crying, I turned around but Leo had gone. I felt someone tap my arm and I jumped but it was only Kendrick.
"Go find Leo," he said softly.
"I can't, my car's at his apartment," I said, Kendrick stopped and thought for a moment.
"Ok, I'll drive you there, just find him and make sure he's ok," he said, grabbing his jacket and going to the door before turning around, "I'll meet you guys at the hospital!" Only Mlak looked up and nodded, the others too busy with what they were doing to hear.
Kendrick drove me to Leo's quickly, I'm pretty sure he was going over the speed limit, but neither of us cared. He pulled to a sudden halt outside of Leo's building and I got out.
"I'll see you at the hospital, ok?" Kendrick said and I nodded, still crying as I got in my car.
Leo's mustang was nowhere in sight so I drove to where I thought he was most likely to be, his dads place.
To my luck, I saw his car parked on the driveway so I quickly got out, not bothering to lock the doors and dashed to the house. The front door was flung open and I could here Leo yelling.
"You know dad, I'm sick of you comparing me to him!" He shouted, turning around briefly when he saw me come in, his face red from crying. His focus snapped back to his dad, "and you wanna know why? Because he's psycho, ok! And I'm not just saying that! He drugged her at a party and was going to take advantage of her! He yet again assaulted her last night and you know what he just did? He fucking shot Rex!"
Leo's dad stood there helplessly, in complete disbelief of what Leo was saying, "and you know what dad," Leo began again, "I'm sick of it." He brushed past me and left out the door and just before I could follow him, Leo's dad lightly tapped my arm.
"Nina, wait," he said, and I turned back around. He gestured over to a couch and I sat down, before he sat down next to me. He put his head in his hands and sighed, "jeez, I'm a terrible father, I really am." He looked up to me and asked, "do you know how Leo used to be?"
I nodded, there's a reason Leo had such a bad reputation; he used to skip school practically every week, never listen in class, get into fights, smoke behind the tool shed, he slept around too and once him and Rex even set fire to a trash can.
"Almost every week I'd have phone calls during junior year and it wasn't much better during freshman and sophomore year either. I grew sick of it; I felt as though I'd lost control," he explained to me, "but this year I don't get calls anymore, he no longer has more detentions than you can count on your hand," he clucked a little at the last part, "But yet I'm still treating him like he's a deviant. Nina I just want to thank you. Leo's really changed for the better and yes, I think it's because of you."
I smiled a little and said, "he's really great."
"I know, I feel as though I've let him down," he smiled sadly, looking down at his hands.
"You know, you can still apologise to him, make things right," I suggested.
"Yeah, that's what I need to do."
I smiled once more and stood up, "well, I should go see if Leo's feeling ok."
"Of course," Leo's dad said, getting up from the couch too, "also Nina, I'm very sorry for what Trevor's done to you. If it weren't illegal I'd whack him across the wrists with a cane, what the teachers used to do at school back in my day."
I laughed a little, "thanks." I then left the house, closing the front door gently behind me. I saw that Leo was sat in his car, his head resting on his steering wheel. I tapped the window on the passengers side lightly to get his attention before getting in.
"Hey," I said softly.
"What'd he say to you?" Leo asked, barely lifting his head up from the steering wheel.
"He just said how he thinks he's a terrible father and that he needs to apologise to you," I summarised.
Leo took a large breath in, lifting his head up off the steering wheel, "it's my fault what happened to Rex, I shouldn't of fucked up Trevor's room, I was just so mad about what he did to you," he said, sounding distraught.
"No it's not Leo, it's not your fault, it's no ones fault but Trevor's," I reassured him.
He looked up at me, "it just all feels so unreal, you know? I guess I'm expecting for it all to be a dream and that I'll just wake up, it just seems so crazy."
"I know what you mean," I said before kissing him long and hard on the lips, "come on, let's go to the hospital, I'm sure Rex is going to be ok."
•
We sat in the hospital for hours, waiting to hear good news. Rex was currently in surgery, he was shot in the lower abdomen meaning he lost a lot of blood. I was beginning to panic that they wouldn't be able to revive him, especially as it got later.
I had called Cyrus to let him know I wouldn't be home tonight, I told him Leo needed to be with someone right now, of course Cyrus being the angel he is, said it was fine.
I sat with my head rested on Leo's shoulder, it'd been a long day and I was trying hard to not fall asleep and just as my eyelids began to close I snapped my head up abruptly as a nurse came from the operating room.
"We have managed to stabilise Mr Collins, he will live," she said in a serious tone.
"Oh thank God!" Leo said, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Well done for calling quickly, had you left it any longer, Mr Collins would've lost too much blood," she said and we all smiled, "You kids should get home now."
Leo and I both stood up from our seats and I looked up to him, "didn't I tell you he'd be ok?" I said with a small smile.
"Yeah," he said in a hushed voice before wrapping his arms around me and holding me in a tight embrace.
"Hey, we're gonna head off now you guys," we heard Kendrick say and we both turned around to face him and Mlak.
"Yeah we're probably going to go now too," Leo said, draping an arm over my shoulder.
We said our goodbyes to the group and drove back to Leo's place, luckily he didn't live too far from the hospital. I got out of the car sluggishly and walked up the stairs of the apartment building.
"Thanks for being there for me today," Leo said when we got to the door of his apartment.
I swivelled around to face him and smiled, "that's alright, it's been a long day."
he allowed himself to smile in return and said, "God, I love you so damn much." Just those words made me melt, the words I'd waited for what feels like forever to hear. Man, who would've thought back in October we'd end up like this.
The next thing I knew his lips were on mine as he lightly pushing me up against the door behind me. He fumbled around with his keys before finally getting them into the lock, opening up the door behind me and we stepped into the apartment.
Leo tossed his keys down onto the couch and pulled me in, closing the gap between our bodies. Our lips only parted for a brief moment whilst he took off his jacket, throwing it down onto the floor before reattaching his lips with mine again in an amorous kiss.
He then lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his torso before he carried me into his room, I could see exactly where this was going. He helped me pull my shirt off over my head and tossed it to the side before placing me down on the bed, he too pulled his shirt off over his head before coming onto me.
His lips trailed across my neck and all the way down to my torso, causing me to tug his hair and lightly moan from the pleasure. He brought his lips back up to my neck and mumbled breathlessly, "Nina?"
"Hm?" I simply responded, not wanting him to stop.
"You don't have to do this," he said, bringing his gaze up to mine.
"No, trust me, I want to," I said truthfully, biting my lip.
"Okay, but if you ever want me to stop, just tell me."
I didn't reply, I just simply nodded before his lips are on mine again.
Uhhhh I'm not writing that shit. Also I know this is trash but oh well.
ALSO I AM SO SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG TO UPDATE I LITERALLY HAD MOST OF THIS CHAPTER WRITTEN THE SAME NIGHT I POSTED THE LAST ONE.
I've just had major writer's block and didn't finish school till this friggin Friday, plus tests ew.
Anyway hope you've had a wonderful Christmas to any who've celebrated or Hanukkah if you're Jewish, I can't believe December is almost over! Also thank you for 28k it really means a lot!!!