ℤ𝕒𝕟𝕖
I've let this arsehole live for too long.
"What... what are you doing here?" Ava asks.
Mike steps further toward her but I insert my body in between them.
"That's a good bloody question, mate," I say, clenching my fists tightly at my sides.
"The hospital called me. I'm her emergency contact," he says, puffing out his chest. "They told me she has amnesia, is that true?"
"No," I snap, at almost the precise moment that Ava says yes.
Fuck.
"Wow," he says, his narrowed eyes staring me down. "You're lying to my face right now?"
Like this prick has a right to Ava's personal information anyway.
He looks Ava up and down as Kami and Kieran appear in the doorway behind him, clearly unsure of what to do.
"Jesus Christ, Ava, what the hell happened? Did he do this?" he asked, gesturing to me. "Did he hurt you?"
The suggestion alone sends bile up my throat.
"Mike," Ava says softly, sitting up more in her bed. "I'm fine, okay?"
"You son of a bitch!" Mike screams, his fist launching toward me.
My first thought is to grab his arm and snap it off. I glance behind him as his arm flies through the air, catching an expression on Kami's face that I've come to recognize as her "don't be an idiot" look.
Fuck.
She's got a point. If this is Ava's new first impression of me, I don't want it to involve me snapping this douchebag like a twig.
Fine.
I smirk as I allow Mike's fist to connect with my face. He lets out a pained shriek, pulling his hand back in a rapid motion. He stumbles back, cradling one hand in the other as he hisses and curses under his breath.
I try my best not to laugh, though I hear a small chuckle from Kieran.
"I need to talk to Ava," he says. "Alone."
"Fuck no," I say, taking another step toward him.
"It's okay, Zane," Ava says. Her voice is soft and concerned.
No. It's the exact fucking opposite of okay.
"Yeah, like she says," he spits. "It's okay."
"Uh, Z-Man?" Kieran calls, wide eyed. "Why don't you let them talk?"
I shoot him a deadly glare.
"You have no bloody idea what you're talking about, mate. Stay out of this."
"No, Z, he's right," Kami chimes in. "You need a smoke break. NOW."
"The bloody hell are y-"
"Now, Z," she says, stepping around Mike and pulling me out of the room by my elbow.
What is she talking about? I don't smoke.
"Take him outside," she says to Kieran. "I'll keep an eye on Ava."
*****
"You better bloody explain yourself," I hiss at Kieran as he pulls me outside into the cold air.
"Smoke is coming out of your eyes, dumbass," he says with a smirk.
"What?" I ask, looking at my reflection in a nearby window. My irises are clouded with black and deep grey smoke is seeping from the corners of my eyes. "Fuck! The Fury smoke is still in my system."
"I think your anger is triggering it," he says, sitting down on a bench and patting the seat next to him.
I roll my eyes and reluctantly sit down.
"That fucker is in there with her right now," I grumble, tugging at a lock of my hair. "How would you bloody expect me to feel?"
"What's he gonna do, Z-Man?" Kieran asks. "You think he's gonna talk to her and they're gonna walk out of there madly in love?"
I growl at him and narrow my eyes.
"From what I've gathered, the guy is a total dick and they've already broken up once. She made the right call before, she'll do it again. Plus, you've got a much better ass than that guy."
"You have a point there," I say with a smirk.
"She was awfully surprised to see him," he says, tossing his hair to the side. "To me, that was the face of a girl who isn't used to someone showing up for her."
I nod, thinking it over.
"I don't know why he did," I say with a sigh. "Whatever the hospital staff told him, he must've seen this as his chance to get back with her. What is he saying to her right now?"
"If I promise you she'll be leaving here with you, will you calm the heck down?"
"How could you promise that?"
"Just answer the question, crabby pants."
"Yeah, sure."
"Your wish is my command, Z-Man," he says with a sly smile.
What have I just signed up for?
𝔸𝕧𝕒
Well that was awkward.
"Hey," I say to Mike and he takes a few cautious steps toward me.
"I'll be just outside the door," Kami says, staring intently at Mike. "Call if you need anything, Ava."
Mike sits himself at the foot of my bed, his shoulders slumped and his hands on his lap. He looks different, a little older, and his nose seems a little strange—thinner and straighter.
"Is your hand okay?" I ask.
"It's fine..." he says. Of course, I know that this is his definitely-not-fine voice.
Poor Mike, odds are good he broke his hand in that punch and Zane barely moved.
"So..." I say, deciding to change the subject. "This is weird."
"No shit," he says. "How are you?"
"I'm okay," I say. "Minus the whole amnesia stuff—which is pretty weird."
"How much did you forget?"
"They told me about a year and a half."
"Wow," he says with a deep breath in. "So you don't remember... what happened?"
"Between us? No."
"Damn. What happened? Are you safe? Did he hurt you?"
His questions catch me off guard.
Is it possible Zane was the one who did this and his friends are covering for him?
I mean, I don't really know this Zane guy, but he seemed nice enough. Then again, everyone seems nice until they're not.
"I... I don't know," I say. "Do you think he would?"
"Of course I do," he says. "You don't remember this, but he threatened me constantly when I would try to talk to you. The guy's a total nut job."
Kami pokes her head in for a second.
"Heyyy guys, just letting you know that I'm still right outside," she says. "Ava, let me know if I can help you with anything. I'll be just outside the door. Just right here."
She shoots Mike a quick glare before popping back out. Mike rolls his eyes.
It occurs to me she might be listening in, so I pick up a pen and pad from the stand beside the bed and write him a quick note.
Do you think they're dangerous?
I hand him the paper and he nods in response.
Of course they are. I mean, I end up in a practical war zone with a broken leg and the three of them are covered in blood. What good excuse is there for that?
First rule of any horror movie: never trust the suspiciously attractive guy.
"Zane said that he and I live together," I whisper. "What am I supposed to do?"
Second rule of the horror movie: definitely don't go back to the suspiciously attractive guy's murder lair. You do and next thing you know, you're being sacrificed to the gods by frat boys in the woods.
That is not how you get final-girl status.
"I don't know, Ava," he says with a frustrated sigh. "Why do you ask me this kind of stuff?"
He looks down at his hands and closes his eyes.
"Maybe you can stay with me," he says. "We'll see how it goes."
He always makes me feel bad for asking him anything, like I'm the world's neediest girlfriend.
Or, I guess ex-girlfriend.
Then again, maybe that's exactly why there's an ex in that word. Maybe he got sick of me being a burden. Maybe I got sick of feeling like one.
"Why did we break up?" I ask, before I have time to decide whether or not I really want the answer.
Mike looks at me and chuckles.
"I'm not sure we should get into that right now," he says, gesturing with his head toward the door.
"Oh. Um, Kami?" I call.
In a second, she appears in the doorway.
"Yeah, girl?" she says.
"Would you mind closing the door and giving us some privacy?" I ask.
"Oh, uh... yeah, sure..." She reluctantly steps back, closing the door behind her.
"There," I say. "Can you tell me now? What happened between us?"
"What do you think?" he asks, shrugging his shoulders.
"That's a trap of a question if I've ever heard one."
"Fair enough," he says with a bit of a laugh. His smile slowly fades into a soft frown as his head drops and he focuses his eyes on the floor. "You cheated on me with him."
"What?" I ask, gasping at the idea. "Wha-, I... Why?"
I can't believe that I would do that to Mike.
"I don't know why, Ava. You didn't exactly give me specifics, not that I wanted them."
"When did this happen?"
"A little over a year ago," he says. "I'm not sure how long you two were—you know—behind my back. But yeah..."
"I'm so sorry, Mike."
I don't even know what else to say. I mean, I know our relationship has been tumultuous, but I can't imagine how it got to that point.
"Why would you even come to see me?" I ask. "I mean, if I cheated on you and you have this bitter relationship with Zane, why are you here?"
He sighs before scooting closer to me on the bed.
"Because I miss you," he says, brushing my cheek with his hand. "When the person on the phone said you were experiencing long-term memory loss, I thought... maybe this is our second chance. This guy is bad for you and he poisoned you against me. Maybe this is fate's way of bringing us back together."
He takes a deep breath in and winces slightly when he attempt to lean on his injured hand.
"You are special. Nobody has ever made me as mad as you do—but no one has ever made me as happy either. I know you made a mistake, and I can forgive you."
He strokes my face with his good hand before leaning in for a kiss.
Before I have a chance to respond, my body reacts for me and I lurch forward, throwing up right in Mike's face.