Sarah's POV
I let out a heavy sigh as I looked past Jack's head and watched an equally angry and broken Kai walk into his house.
The second his door closed Jack leaned his head back against his seat, strongly gripping the wheel in front of him.
We sat silently in the parking lot, both still shocked from the semi-final fight. It doesn't make sense. None of this makes sense.
The street lamp illuminated our faces, creating a shadow on the bottom of our facial features. My thick eyeliner made my eyes look like a raccoon in the dark lighting. I moved the sleeves of my soft pink sweatshirt toward my chin, resting my head as my eyebrows creased.
"You don't think this is right either," I stated rather than asking Jack.
He removed one hand from the wheel and pushed it through his thick blonde locks, "No. From the very beginning, I knew something was off. When I saw Kai crying for the first time, I had no choice but to side with him. Trying to pry and figure out what actually happened when he was that emotional would've just made things worse."
I chewed my lip, thinking back to the sobbing Kai, "Me too. I wanted to say something to him, but it's like he doesn't even want to listen. He's so wrapped up in his own world he can't see what's really going on."
"For fucks sake, we don't even know what Lucas actually said to him. All we got is that Lucas told him he wasn't actually gay, but there had to have been something else. Like context or something," Jack looked through his windshield up at Kai's door.
"I want to talk to them. Both of them," I spoke in a worried tone.
"Me too, and shit did you see Lucas at school? He looked so fucking sad, and he looked beaten up too, badly."
"I know, I saw. I wanted to talk to him but I kept getting the feeling he doesn't like me so I hesitated. And I know you also wanted to talk to him, but Kai and Zay were avoiding him so much we only saw him once this morning."
"And shit, what was up with that fight-" Jack didn't get to finish his sentence as his phone began to ring in the pocket of his light blue denim jeans.
He pulled it out and looked at the home screen. He looked surprised and turned it toward me. The caller ID read as Lucas.
I gestured my hands urgently, motioning for him to pick up. Jack quickly changed the call to speakerphone and held it in between us, just above the middle console.
"Hey, Lucas," Jack was surprised at the call.
We could hear lots of voices in the background, "H-hey Jack," Lucas stuttered. "I uh, I know we aren't friends, but I don't have anyone else I can call." His voice sounded weak and hurt.
Jack gave me a questioning glance, mouthing the words, What's he talking about? "It's no problem. Are you okay?"
"Um, no. Not really," Lucas' voice was shaky; he sounded as if he was on the verge of tears. "Do-do you think you could pick me up? I don't think I can drive right now," his voice was quiet.
"Huh? Yeah, yeah. Of course, I can pick you up. Are you still at Mad Dog?" Jack and I exchanged several worried and confused glances.
Surprised by Kai's plea, Jack started his engine and began driving to Mad Dog before Kai could even reply.
"Yeah," Lucas groaned as loud cheering echoed in the background. "I'm still at Mad Dog."
"Okay, I'm with Sarah. I'll be there in about 15."
"Thank you," Lucas hung up.
Jack was speeding and I clutched onto the bottom of my seat below my short black skirt, "Holy shit Jack, why are you going so fast?"
He turned his head to his left looking in his rearview mirror while biting his lip and changing lanes. "I don't know. I haven't known Lucas for that long but something just didn't sound right with his voice. Plus he drove so there must be something going on for him to need a ride."
We pulled into the Fighters Only parking lot and pulled into a spot next to Lucas' car.
The second I got out of the car I could help but take in my surroundings. There were at least six cop cars as well as an ambulance. Each vehicle's lights were flashing as some officers stood by their cars, some were filling out paperwork, and some cars were completely unattended.
"What's all this shit about?" Jack looked around as we walked toward the door.
"You two aren't fighters. You can't enter through here," The man in sunglasses spoke as he stood in front of the door with his arms crossed.
The security guard looked like a douche. His suit was three sizes too small and it was clearly cheap material. My guesses are that it's either a hand-me-down or he got it cheap at a thrift store.
"My friend fights here. His name's Lucas, he asked us to help him with something," Jack told the man.
The chubby man didn't waver.
I rolled my eyes. Here we go again.
I flipped my strawberry hair to the side revealing my neck. I plastered on a seductive smile and sauntered up to the chubby man. I stared into his eyes that were hidden behind sunglasses and winked at him.
"You know, I don't think I've ever seen a man look so dashing in a suit before." I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and leaned toward the man's ear, breathlessly whispering, "Maybe after your shift," I placed a delicate finger on his chest and slowly dragged it down, "we can get out of here." I moved my eyes back up to his and gave him a seductive smile as I lightly bit my lower lip.
"Hmm?" I asked him.
I could see Jack out of the corner of my eye, a shocked expression on his face.
The security guard gulped, his adams apple bobbing up and down.
"S-s-sure thing pretty lady," He moved to the side and opened the door for us. Jack walked in first and as I followed I could feel the man's gaze resting on my ass.
After we had gone through the door the guard closed the door and I let out a breath, mumbling, "Fucking disgusting piece of pedophile shit! And why was he wearing sunglasses in the middle of the night?? It makes him look like a dumbass! Ugh people like him give me goosebumps, I feel like throwing up," I stuck my tongue out in disgust.
Jack just laughed at my reaction, "I'm impressed. I definitely didn't expect that from you."
We walked down a hallway and came toward a fight room with the names Kai and Lucas on it, "Do you think he's in there?" I asked.
Jack shrugged his shoulders and knocked on the door. There was no reply so he opened the door and peeked inside, "I see Lucas' bag but no one's in here." Jack walked into the room and grabbed all of Lucas' stuff, slinging the bag over his shoulder.
Right as we were about to leave a security guard walked into the room, "What are ya doing in here! This is a fight room, only the fighters can be here."
I was startled by his yell, "Sorry, we were just looking for our friend."
"Are ya lookin' for Lucas by any chance?" The man in the suit questioned.
"Yeah," I replied.
The man rubbed his hand on his forehead, "I'm real happy ya both are here, I think something's wrong with the boy. He was acting weird when he first got here, I didn't think it was anything serious even though he looked a little banged up. But then that happened during his fight and now... well come on, I'll bring ya to him."
Jack and I shared questioning looks as we followed the guy down a dimly lit hallway. We passed several cops and a guy in handcuffs, swearing at the people restraining him.
The man in cuffs had a small gash in his abdomen that appeared to be some sort of stab wound. His dark brown hair was ragged and drenched in sweat and he had a nasty expression on his face. Two paramedics were attending to the man as we walked past, both Jack and I craned our heads to get a better look.
"The fuck happened here?" Jack muttered to himself.
The man led us around a corner to a more isolated hallway. Toward the end I could see Lucas crouched against the wall, his head leaning back and his eyes tightly screwed shut.
I turned to Jack with an alarmed look in my eyes as we both quickly jogged over to him, leaving the man in a suit behind.
I squatted next to Lucas, lightly tapping on his shoulder, "Lucas," He lifted his head up at the feeling. "Hey, what's wrong?" I questioned.
He pulled his hand up to his ear and gripped the side of his head as his face contorted in pain.
"Lucas, what's wrong?" I pressed, growing more and more concerned.
He clenched his teeth, "It's ringing... inside my head. And it hurts," he grunted out.
"Jack help me get him up," I instructed the blonde boy who was equally as worried as me.
Jack reached over and pulled Lucas' arm over his shoulder, pulling the large boy up onto his feel.
Lucas closed his eyes once again and his mouth started twitching as Jack readjusted his arm to help with balance.
All of a sudden Lucas turned to the side and a large amount of bile came out of his mouth along with horrid retching noises.
I had to jump back to avoid having chunks of food and liquid fall on my black lace stockings and boots.
"Fuck," Jack spoke as Lucas sluggishly wiped his mouth with his bare arm. "Is this why you needed a ride?" Jack remarked.
"I-its because I don't think I can drive right now, I barely managed to get here. I'm really nauseous and I can't keep my balance," The second the hoarse words came out of Lucas' mouth he lost his balance and nearly took both Jack and himself down.
Before he could fall I placed myself under his other arm, too short for it to rest around my neck, and instead, settling by gripping his sides to hold him up.
Jack and I carried Lucas down the halls, passing the policemen once again. After we were out the door Jack and I gently put Lucas in the passenger seat.
Jack huffed, "He's a lot heavier than he looks."
"So, you wanna get out of here?" We were interrupted by the sleazy pedophile guarding the door with a drooly smirk on his face.
"Get lost, you fucking pervert! I'm underage, if you keep talking to me I'm gonna call the cops over here!" I gestured toward the men currently sitting in one of the many police cars littering the lot.
"Fuckign bitch," the man murmured as he walked back to his post.
Jack moved back up to the driver's seat, glaring at the guard, I heard him whisper to himself, "Disgusting."
I hopped in the back of the truck and slid open the small window so I could talk to Lucas and Jack.
"So, do you want us to take you home or..." Jack trailed off.
"Can you take me to the hospital, I think I have a concussion," Lucas grunted, leaning back against the seat and closing his eyes.
"Sure," Jack spoke as he looked my way, asking me with his eyes what happened to Lucas. All I could do was shrug.
When we pulled into the parking lot of the ER I hopped out of the truck and opened the side door, helping Lucas out.
He still seemed extremely unbalanced and dizzy, I don't understand how this happened. I watched the entire fight and not once did I see Lucas get hit in the head. Sure I saw him take a couple of blows to his sides, but not a single one to his head.
How the fuck did he end up with a concussion?
We were in the waiting room for around two hours. Jack was on his phone and Lucas was fast asleep, a small frown adorning his face.
"Lucas?" A nursed called as she walked out of a door, clipboard in hand.
I raised my hand to get her attention and then moved to nudge Lucas awake. Jack took Lucas' arm once more and held up any weight Lucas couldn't support.
Jack and I sat in chairs along the wall as Lucas was sitting on the blue bed. The nurse took his blood pressure and temperature, asking him numerous questions, "The doctor will be in to see you soon," she explained as she exited the room and closed the door.
"It's so bright in here," Lucas groaned, attempting to shield his eyes from the harsh light.
There were three knocks on the door, as the handle turned a tall, tanned woman poked her head in and spoke in a perky tone, "Hello!"
She walked inside and closed the door behind her. She sat in her swivel chair and moved closer to Lucas while looking at the chart the nurse had filled out. Her clean white coat fell past the small circle cushion on her seat.
"Hi, it's so nice to meet you! I'm doctor Acharya," the woman reached out and shook Lucas' hand, then turning and shaking both Jack and mine's.
"So, Lucas Beck," she started. "What's brought you here today?"
"I think I have a concussion," Lucas spoke firmly.
"Hmm," Dr. Acharya mumbled and she examined the bruises on Lucas' face. The same ones he had gone to school with this morning.
She turned his head to the side and noticed the large white bandage tucked under his messy brown hair.
"May I?" She asked for permission to remove it. Lucas just nodded his head.
"Oh my," the dark-haired doctor gasped as she stood up, slowly removing the sheet.
"You have quite the nasty cut back here," Lucas shifted so that she could directly look at his head.
She prodded at the edges, checking to see if the cut had dried or if there was still blood coming out. "It looks like it got cleaned up a little bit, that's good in helping to prevent infection. But you will probably need a couple of stitches."
When the doctor went to numb the area, Lucas didn't flinch at all. "How did you end up with such a nasty cut back here?" She made small talk as her hands quickly worked on him.
"Oh, I just got into a fight..." Lucas trailed off.
"A fight? Oh! I think I may have seen you on TV before! What was the place called again?"
"Mad Dog?" Jack suggested.
"Yes! That was it, my daughter has suddenly become very interested in fighting so I decided to watch to see what all the fuss was about," she went on. "Okay, all done. It is just two stitches so it's not too bad. I'll give you bandages and disinfectant that you will need to change and reapply every day for a week, the stitches will dissolve on their own so there's no need to worry about that."
"Thanks," Lucas replied, holding all the materials he would need. I got up and took them from his hands and placed them in my lap as the doctor brought a flashlight up to his pupils.
"Now to check for a concussion," the doctor spoke. "Could you tell me about how you've been feeling the past couple of days?"
"Uhm, well last night I was super dizzy and I was on my phone before I went to bed at around 8:00 pm, but I passed out and woke up with the show I was watching still playing. I don't usually go to bed until the early hours of the morning so that was a little strange, although that may be due to emotional stress rather than physical," he murmured the last part to himself, but I still heard. "I've had this splitting headache all day and there's this ringing in my ears. I'm having trouble staying balanced because of dizziness and nausea. Oh, and I threw up earlier too..." Lucas rambled, it looked as if he was just realizing how serious his symptoms were.
Damnit, if he was this sick why did he go fight at Mad Dog today? He could have seriously hurt himself.
The doctor shined a flashlight into his eyes, telling him to follow it. "Well, Lucas. You have a concussion," she sighed. "You should be very careful. Your young brain is still developing and if you keep getting concussions you could end up with brain damage. From now on you need to be more careful when you fight. Also, don't participate in any strenuous activity for the next two weeks. That includes all forms of exercising," she cleared her throat awkwardly, "that includes sex. I'll prescribe you some pain medicine for you to take if your headaches ever get too bad. And If you take it easy and rest for two weeks while taking care of the wound you should be good as new!"
"Thank you."
"Of course," Dr. Acharya stood up and pumped sanitizer into her hands. "Well, no offense, but I hope to never see any of you ever again. Stay healthy!" She closed the door behind her.
"So you didn't throw the fight..." Jack stated.
"Why would I throw the fight?" Lucas was offended. "Even if Kai hates me, I wouldn't do that to him," he paused. "I got really dizzy the second I tried to throw a punch and my vision got all blurry. I thought I was going to pass out so I leaned against the wall. The ringing was so loud I couldn't even think straight..." Lucas trailed off.
"Shit," I huffed, "Kai thinks you were trying to sabotage him."
"Is that why he was yelling at me after the fight?" Lucas was talking to himself. "The ringing was seriously so loud I don't even know what he said to me, all I know is that he was mad..."
Jack and I both sighed. Why was all this so complicated?
"Here, come on, Lucas. I'll give you a ride home," Jack told him as the three of us made our way back to Jack's car
"No, don't take me to my house. You can just drop me off at the park by school," Lucas told him.
"Why the fuck would we take a concussed person to a park this late at night?" I snapped. "Just let us take you home, please."
"No, It's not a place I want to be. My concussion will just get worse there," he explained.
"What do you mean?" Jack asked with his eyebrows furrowed.
"Yeah what do you mean it'll get worse? What's going on?" I asked, concerned about his well being.
Lucas sighed, "It's just, my house..." He was hesitant to continue.
"It's okay to talk to us, Lucas. We aren't the kind of people to judge someone based on their home situation," I persuaded him.
"It's just, my relationship with my mom has always been pretty bad, but it's gotten a lot worse lately. And one of my brothers is extremely homophobic so it's hard to be around him sometimes," the boy mumbled.
"Come to my house," the words flew out of my mouth.
Lucas turned to give me a weird look, "You know I'm gay right?" He asked.
"Yes, I know that you dumbass. You can stay at my house for the night, my parents won't mind if they know you're not into girls."
"Are you sure?" Lucas asked. "Won't Kai get mad at you if you let me stay?" Lucas looked at his lap, his eyes downcast.
I huffed, "I don't give a fuck if Kai is mad at me. That's his problem. And we," I pointed back and forth between the two of us, "have a lot of things to discuss."
"We do?" Lucas asked.
"Yes. We do."
The three of us sat in my room. I had changed into an oversized grey t-shirt and loose Nike shorts. Lucas had plopped himself into my red beanbag, Jack was sitting on the floor on a soft carpet near the edge of my bed, and I had placed myself on top of my lavender covers.
"Start from the beginning. Tell me literally everything, and don't you dare leave a thing out," I was being serious but in a playful way. I wanted Lucas to be comfortable talking to us even though we aren't close.
Lucas scratched the back of his neck, "It's kind of a long story though..."
"Well, it's a good thing we don't have to get up early for school tomorrow then," I crossed my arms.
"I have work tomorrow morning though," Lucas told me.
"What the fuck, no you don't. Call in sick," I demanded.
"Why are you telling me what to do-" Jack interrupted Lucas before he could continue.
"No, Lucas. She's right. You heard what the doctor said, no exercise. Call in sick. If you don't then I will," Jack stated.
"Fine, fine," Lucas pulled out his phone, defeated, and texted his boss.
"So, will you tell us what's going on between you and Kai? He barely told us anything yesterday and I don't know, something just doesn't seem right. The dots aren't connecting," I explained to him, trying to pry.
"I guess it started last week when you showed up," Lucas quickly gestured toward me.
"Me? What does any of this have to do with me?" I asked, astounded.
"Kai likes you doesn't he?" Lucas let out a dry, humorless laugh. "That's why he ignored me all week. Because he realized that he didn't actually want me and preferred girls."
"The fuck are you talking about?" I asked angrily.
Why am I getting dragged into this?
"You seem really nice, you're pretty, and Kai is always laughing and smiling around you. He seemed genuinely happy... He was never like that with me," Lucas' voice was barely audible. The sorrow in his voice reflected the despair displayed on his face. He truly believed what he was saying.
"And the second Kai started ignoring me, Jack and Zay did too..." It looked like tears were welling in his eyes, but my room was dimly lit so it was hard to tell. "Which just reminded me that I didn't actually have any friends."
I heard a sniffle. I stared at the boy, he looked so small and fragile despite his stature. I couldn't help but also feel the same emotions that were radiating off of him, making me emotional as well.
"I tried to text him and call him because I was so confused. I mean, he just stopped talking to me let alone even looking at me, all with no explanation. It was like I had never been a part of his or your life in the first place," he was referring to Jack.
Jack looked away guiltily.
"I thought I had finally found friends for the first time in my life, but the second Kai was gone so was everyone else. It was just one giant reality check..." His mouth quivered and his voice faltered.
"W-what happened last night?" I asked, my voice just as shaky as Lucas'.
"Kai showed up at my house to watch our opponents fight. After ignoring me all week, the only reason he decided to see me was because he needed my help. That's how it always is with him. And I tried to tell him how I felt... but he just ignored what I said and hit me instead." Lucas' voice broke and he let out a shaky breath, willing himself not to cry.
"Wait..." I paused for a second. "Was-was it Kai that gave you a concussion?" I choked on my words.
Lucas just nodded his head, pulling his legs against his chest and wrapping his arms around himself, "I didn't even do anything wrong, I guess he was just mad that I stopped being so naive."
"This isn't right," a tear slipped down my cheek. "I don't understand why Kai hit you. I, It's just, what you said," I was fumbling my words. "Lucas, you and Kai have so many misunderstandings," I couldn't help the stream of tears that fell down my face.
"Its okay, Sarah. You don't need to make excuses for him. He used me for what he wanted, and now that he's gotten it and found someone better... he doesn't need me anymore," the small smile Lucas gave me broke my heart. He truly full-heartedly believed everything he had just told me.
"Lucas, I'm going to tell you this, and even if you don't believe me, it's true. Kai cares about you. So fucking much. He hasn't replaced you with anyone," I spoke, trying to get through to him while knowing my words held no meaning with Lucas. We didn't know each other. He didn't trust me. And even if he did, the only person he needs to hear these words from is Kai.
"He replaced me with you, didn't he?" He wasn't asking a question.
"What? Me? Why, why would you think that?"
"I already told you, you're beautiful and kind, you make him smile more than anyone else can. He already picked you over me, Sarah. The second you got here he had already made his decision. Even though he didn't feel bothered enough to tell me, Kai made it obvious enough every time he walked past me in the halls as if I wasn't there. Ditched our plans as if I didn't exist. Pretended like we didn't have classes together. He simply and completely forgot about me," Lucas' voice was broken, completely and utterly broken.
I wiped my tear-stained face, "I don't want to be the one to tell you what we were doing that week. Kai should be the one to tell you. But I can tell you this, Kai did not pick me over you, not in the way you're thinking. He isn't interested in me at all, he's not interested in any girls at all. And you, Jack," I pointed at the blonde boy who has sat quietly through this entire conversation. "Why did you ignore Lucas? You guys are friends, why would you do that?"
"Its okay, Sarah. Jack. you don't need to answer her. I know that we aren't actually friends. You're Kai's friend, not mine. You don't need to explain yourself," Lucas had truly given up on everything, hadn't he...
"No. Jack, explain yourself. You wouldn't pretend to be Lucas' friend, so explain," I bored holes into Jack's face with my eyes.
"I always considered you a friend. Zay did too... I just didn't realize..." Jack trailed off.
"Selfish bastards," I muttered. "Did you not once think about him? If Lucas was your friends how could you forget about him like that!?" I was furious.
I just can't comprehend why everyone was taking Lucas for granted.
"It's not that I was ignoring him, I didn't hang out with Kai last week either. It was just me and Zay the whole time, I assumed Lucas was with Kai just like how they're always together! How was I supposed to know?" Jack defended himself.
"You and Zay weren't ignoring me?" Lucas asked, still skeptical.
"No! Not once, I seriously didn't know what was going on."
"Even if you didn't know... it still hurt," Lucas confessed. He was no longer crying, but the pain in his voice was still evident.
"Aren't you just being too sensitive, you're overthinking too much," Jack said nonchalantly. I knew he was trying to lighten the mood, but his choice of words was inconsiderate. It was something I would expect Zay to joke about, not Jack.
I glared daggers at the boy, "Oh my god, Jack! What the hell is wrong with you?" I snapped at him. "After everything Lucas has told us, you have the audacity to say that to him? You're the one who's partially at fault! Don't try to pin this back on Lucas, just take responsibility and apologize if you've done something wrong!"
Jack flinched, but Lucas butted in before he could respond. "Sarah, It's fine," Lucas turned to look at Jack. "Your right. I'm overly sensitive and overthink everything. But no ones cared enough to get to know me so of course you didn't know," Lucas' small smile was back. The same one that spoke a thousand words, all synonyms for hurt, pain, and understanding. He spoke as if being treated this way was completely normal.
My heart hurt for Lucas, just how my heart hurt for Kai all those years ago.
I'm done with this, tomorrow... tomorrow I'm going to fix this mess.
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Loll sorry for more angst, but do not fret, there will be peace real soon :)
How do you all feel about Sarah? She's bossy and headstrong, but I'm kinda in love with her.