No! [18]

I jolted up screaming to see the whole squad in front of me. again.

"No, what, Sara?"Chris asked, concerned.

"And who is sir?" Asher demanded.

Oh no.

"Umm n-nothing, it was a nightmare," I stuttered, still in shock state from the nightmare.

They looked at me like they were seeing right through me. I don't like this.

"Anyways, Chris, for how long have I been asleep, and why didn't you guys wake me up?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"For about an hour or two, and you looked so tired," Alex answered.

An hour or two!! No no no this can't happen. I stood quickly and took my phone.

No, no, no!! It is 1:03. It is literally after midnight.

"No, no! Can someone please drop me at my house?" I asked. Dad would be beyond mad, and if he found I was at a boy's house, he would kill me.

"Um. I don't know if it is worth it?"Alex mocked.

"Guys, please, I'm grounded. Any minute will make him more mad, " I explained. I don't care if I'm begging. I'm so tired of a new beating today.

"I will get used to you begging like this, Sara," Asher said with a smirk. What a jerk!

"Will you apologize to me in front of the whole cafeteria tomorrow if I drive you?" Alex asked. In your dreams.

"In your dreams jerk!"I said and started collecting my stuff. I will not apologise to this brick.

I gave Chris his iPad back before murmuring a thank you and continued packing.

I finished packing and headed to the door. They are true jerks. Why can't they just drop me off? It will not kill any of them, but it may kill me!

"Don't forget to email me the project I have to prepare the PowerPoint. Don't. Forget." I fumed opening the door and slamming it behind me.

I started walking through the cold streets. What a day to forget your jacket, Sara.

It was a long, painful journey to my house but I finally arrived. Dad's car wasn't in the driveway, and I let out a sigh of relief.

I opened the door of my house and entered. I went directly to my room. He can come back at any moment. I locked my door and lay on my bed.

I can feel every mark on my body. They all just suddenly started to hurt at the same time.

Today was such a long day that I just wanna sleep. Why can't my life be easier?

Asher

We finished our food and started chatting as usual. love these boys. They are my family.

I would die for them.

Literally.

After some time, we realised we got a bit carried away with the conversation and we totally forgot we should be doing the project with Sara.

"Guys, the project," I said matter-of-factly.

"Shit, man, I forgot about that!" Alex said, standing up.

"Right, bro we got a bit carried out. It's been like an hour," said Chris. "And where is Sara?" He asked. We just shrugged.

We put our plates on the sink and went to search for Sara.

"Sara," Chris called. No one answered. "Sara," he said a bit louder. No answer again.

We went to the living room. And we found her just sitting there sleeping! God, for how long were we away?

It was only about an hour or something.

"Should we wake her up?" Alex asked. Well, she looked pretty tired for the past couple of days, but still. I don't want her sleeping here.

"It is your house, Alex, you decide," said Chris. And I agree. It is his house, after all.

"Well, I for sure don't want her sleeping on my coach. But if Mum found out I woke someone who slept in her house, she would kill me! No joke!" Alex said, and I just laughed.

I remember a couple of years ago, I accidentally slept here, and he woke me up. Let's just say his mum wasn't happy.

"Okay then, it is decided to let her sleep while we continue our work," Chris said, and we nodded in agreement.

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

A couple of hours passed, and we already finished working. We were just on our phones scrolling mindlessly.

Suddenly, Sara started moving, murmuring things under her breath. We all turned our gazes to her.

She was sweating like crazy. She looks like she is having a nightmare.

"Sir no please I swear I will never do anything without your permission," she suddenly screamed and tried pushing something away from her.

We all jolted up from our seats and went toward her. Chris went toward her and tried waking her up, but she just started pushing him away, hot tears streaming down her face.

"No please No Dad!" She screamed, punching and pushing Chris away. She is not aware of her surroundings.

"Sara! Hey hey, it is me" Chris said waking her up. She jolted up from her sleep. She was breathing heavily, and I bet she couldn't even see us.

After some time, she got her breathing rate to normal and started to brush off her tears.

"No, what, Sara?"Chris asked, concerned.

"And who is sir?" I demanded.

Nobody just screams like that. Something is off.

"Umm n-nothing, it was a nightmare," She stuttered.

Does she think we are dumb? What does she mean? Nothing!

Anyways, Chris, for how long have I been asleep, and why didn't you guys wake me up?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

What are you hiding, Sara Hopes?

"For about an hour or two, and you looked so tired," Alex answered.

Well, it has been about 3 or 4 hours, but whatever.

"No, no! Can someone please drop me at my house?"She panicked.

Why is she so worried about being late?

"Um. I don't know if it is worth it?"Alex mocked. And I smirked at him. Yes, make her beg for it.

I bet she never begged for something in her life.

"Guys, please, I'm grounded. Any minute will make him more mad, " she pleaded. I almost felt bad for her. The key word here is almost.

"I will get used to you begging like this, Sara," I teased with a smirk. And her face turned from helpless to angry. She is so easy to anger.

"Will you apologise to me in front of the whole cafeteria tomorrow if I drive you?" Alex asked.

He is pushing his luck right now. But honestly, I like it. She so amusing when she is mad.

"In your dreams jerk!" She spat at him. Before leaving us and starting to collect her stuff.

She gave Chris his iPad back and finished packing up before heading to the door and slamming it behind her not before saying (screaming).

"Don't forget to email me the project I have to prepare the PowerPoint. Don't. Forget."

Woah, this was tense, I guess.

"Why didn't you just drop her off Alex you know it wouldn't affect you. It will take about a 10-minute drive," Chris said.

"No, thank you. I'm not gonna be stuck in a car with that weirdo," Alex said before jumping to the coach.

We just sat for a couple of minutes consumed in our thoughts.

Honestly, I want to know what got Sara so scared. That for sure didn't look like a nightmare. It was like she was reliving something. But what could it be?

She was screaming for someone to stop and calling her dad. She looks like she always seeks help from him.

She must have an amazing father. I wish I had that.

"Aren't you guys curious about what she was dreaming of?" Chris asked.

"Nope, she just had a nightmare," Alex answered, not even caring to look up from his phone.

Chris looked at me, and I just shrugged. I was not gonna tell him I was thinking about that. He will understand it tge wrong way and will not stop joking about it.

"Don't forget to email her the project I don't wanna fail" Alex reminded. We nodded doing exactly that.

"Anyways, I have to tell you guys something," Chris announced.

We nodded, telling him to continue. He fixed his posture and took a deep breath.

"I'm not coming to school tomorrow," he revealed. "And why is that?" I asked.

"My dad, he is..." Chris trailed. "Yeah, what about him?" Alex said, getting a bit impatient.

"He is having surgery tomorrow, so I will not be able to come," he blurted.

"Surgery? What do you mean by surgery? What happened?" I asked in a harsh tone. Furious about the fact he didn't tell us this sooner.

"He has cancer, and they need to do surgery because the tumour is deadly if it isn't rem-oved" he revealed his voice cracking at the end.

"Cancer! Mr King has cancer, and you didn't care to tell us till now!" I shouted. Aren't we best friends? Doesn't he know how we value his father? He is like our family.

"How can you hide this from us, Chris? Don't you know how much we value Mr King? " Alex shouted at Chris.

Chris just nervously comped his hand through his hair. He does this when he is anxious.

Omg. What is wrong with me? His father has cancer, and I'm fu**ing screaming at him. That is exactly why he didn't tell us.

I'm such a bad friend. Why can't I just control my fu**ing mouth?

I took a breath and took a seat next to him. "Look, man, I'm sorry for screaming, but why didn't you tell us? We could have helped you through it, " I apologised.

"You know Dad, Asher! He never wants anyone to see him weak. He told me not to tell anyone, but this surgery is so risky! I would not be able to forgive myself if something happened to him without you guys knowing, " he revealed. His eyes were watering, but he never let the tears fall.

I've never seen Chris look this tired. We all noticed the change in his behaviour, but we just thought it was because of work.

"I'm sorry too, man," said Alex. "It is okay, I'm just glad I have you guys," Chris said, giving us a small smile.

I hugged Chris. Tight. I don't know how hard this must've been for him. "We will always be here for you," I said. "Hey, don't forget about me," Alex said, joining the hug.

After some time, we pulled away. "So tell us all of the details please," I said.

"We found out a month ago. He suddenly started feeling a burning sensation in his abdomen, " Chris started.

A month. They have known for a month. I can't imagine how Chris has been feeling.

"He didn't tell us about it nor went to a doctor. He thought it was just some regular stomach pain. Then he started feeling nauseous quite a lot. And when he vomited, he would vomit blood, so we went to the doctor, " Chris continued. He stopped to take a deep breath and continued.

"After the doctors ran up some tests, we found out that he has Adenocarcinoma stomach cancer." He finished.

"Is it curable?" I asked in a low voice, not sure if I wanted to know the answer.

"Yes, but it is risky," he answered, and I let out a sigh of relief. "Everything is going to be okay, man, I promise," Alex said, trying to reassure Chris.

"And are you going to be okay?" I asked. And he just nodded. I don't know how overwhelmed he must be.

Suddenly my phone started ringing. "Non adesso," I hissed. (Not now)

"ma è importante, signore," he said. (But it is important). "parla velocemente!" I ordered. (Speak fast!).

"Andrei Petrov. Sta progettando un altro rapimento. lascerà che qualcuno si intrufoli in una festa di compleanno di una ragazza e droghi il loro alcol. e quando tutti saranno oscurati, prenderà le ragazze. si stima che ci siano circa 50 ragazze lì" he said quickly. My blood boiled. How can someone be so sick.

(Andrei Petrov. is planning another kidnapping. he is going to let someone sneak into a girl's birthday party and drug their alcohol. and when everyone is blacked out, he will take the girls. it is estimated to be around 50 girls there.)

"mandami subito la posizione e prepara la squadra che ci incontreremo lì" I ordered closing the phone. (Send me the location now and prepare the team we will meet there)

"What happened?" Alex asked. "There is no time I'll explain to you guys in the car," I answered, getting up and walking to the door.

We arrived a couple of minutes later. "So, like I said, we are going to stop them before they can take anyone. And remember, no guns unless it is necessary we will be surrounded by a lot of innocent people, " I ordered. They all nodded.

We all entered the club where the party was held. Chris went directly to the alcohol bar. He was dressed as a bartender. He is going to make sure that everyone drinks so we can fight in peace.

Some moments later, a group of men entered the place. They are Andrei's men.

He is sick. Everyone here is around our age. How can someone be so pathetic?

A few moments later, everyone started blacking out. One after the other. We all acted like we were blacked out, too.

We fell to the ground, faking unconsciousness. Minutes later, we see some people coming in.

"Как долго они будут без сознания?" Someone said in a thick Russian accent.

(For how long are they going to be unconscious?)

I recognise this voice anywhere. It is Andrei Petrov.

"пять-шесть часов капо" one of his men answered and he just smirked. Bastard.

(five to six hours capo)

"хороший. Отведите любую девушку к грузовику. Я не хочу уродливых."he ordered them.

(good. Take any girl a point at to the truck. I don't want the ugly ones.)

He is even picking. It is like they are some sort of object.

He started walking around and pointing at girls while his men carried them away. We waited until he came close to me, and I stood up quickly, pointing my gun at his head.

"Long time no see Andrei," I smirked. All his man took out their guns and pointed them at me.

"Not so fast," Alex said, pointing his gun at one of the guys.

All of his men had guns held to their heads. He never thinks of bringing enough people with him because we easily outnumber them.

"Ohh, if it isn't the one and only Asher Black," Andrei said, moving his attention to me after scanning the room.

I pushed the gun to his head leading him to one of the chairs and seated him. Some of my men came and tied him up.

"Now," I ordered as everyone blew up the person in front of their heads. Well, that was easy.

"That was easy," I chuckled as I saw Andrei's body stiffen.

"Haven't you learned from last time that you should bring more people with you Andrei?" I said.

"You were the person who ruined my deal last time," he fumed. "Of course it was me, Andrei," I laughed.

"You know you can't kill me, Asher," he smirked.

"Well, unfortunately, that's right, but it doesn't stop me from doing this," I said, shooting a bullet in his thigh.

He screamed. Loudly, I may add. "Hey, don't have all the fun. Let us help," said Adam as he approached us. "Be my guest," I said, moving a bit away, giving him access.

He came closer and punched Andrei square in the jaw. And again and again.

"Can I have my turn, please?" said Alex. He came closer and took out a knife from his pocket.

He started playing with it. You can see Andrei physically gulp. He took it and stapped it in Andrei's hand. He screamed again.

"This is because one of your men gave me a broken rib," Alex chuckled.

"Okay, guys, it is enough. we want him alive," Chris mentioned. What a party boomer.

"Treat his wounds and clean the place, I want when everyone to wake up so they just think they drank too much understood," I ordered my men, and they all nodded.

We left the bar, and all of the boys got in my car. "Can I know why you guys came without me earlier?" Adam said, annoyed.

"We were hanging at my house without you," Alex said, trying not to laugh.

"Okay, I didn't know I was that of a backup friend that you guys don't even invite me anymore," Adam said, clearly annoyed.

"Stop it, Alex," Chris warned. "We weren't. We were just doing the project with Sara. He is joking, " Chris cleared.

"Oh," Adam said, punching Alex's arm. "Ouch! That hurt man, " Alex dramatically shouted.

This boy will never grow up.

Sara

I woke up pretty early today as I recalled yesterday's events. Why is it necessary for me to embarrass myself like that in front of them?

My whole body was hurting. I guess walking wasn't that good of an idea. I took a pill hoping it will work quickly.

I got ready and quietly went down the stairs with my backpack on my shoulders.

I looked around to see no one in the living room. Well, it looks like I'm pretty lucky today. I really wasn't in the mood for making food.

I decided from now on I will just work on weekends because exams are near and I need to focus.

I called Lily this morning and told her about my condition, and she nicely agreed. She also sent me my weekly payment. Thank god.

I walked to school and went to the squad hanging spot. It really looks like I come there every day, but hey, it is not my problem that I was paired with them.

But to my surprise, no one is here. Well, that's confusing they are always here.

Okay, it doesn't matter. I will just tell them in class. I went to the class and sat on my seat.

The class was empty because there is still some more time left for the lesson. I just took out my phone as I started mindlessly scrolling.

Soon, the class started filling up with people, and the teacher came in. I noticed that the squad hadn't come, and their seats were empty.

They are probably ditching somewhere. Boys, never change.

The first and second lessons ended and still, there was no sign of the squad anywhere.

I was sitting on the benches around the football field. When I saw Chloe and her group approaching me. Ughhhh. Girl get a life.

"Well well well look who we have here" she said sarcasm obvious in her voice.

I ignored her comment and stood up to leave the field.

"Why up so fast babe? I missed talking to you" she snickered. Her minions laughing behind her.

"Chloe I don't have time for this," I said as calmly as possible. I don't want to get another suspension.

We all know what happened last time. And I for sure don't want that happening again.

"Ohh someone got scared! Don't worry I don't bite" she said a silly smile on her face. Ugly face to be exact.

"You don't but I certainly do Chloe so it is best if you avoid me" I replied already bored with this conversation.

"Oh don't act like this your little bodyguard isn't here today" she mimicked. This b*tch is really getting on my nerves.

"I don't need no one to kick your ass, Chloe. I guess I proved that last time, didn't I? Or do you just have a memory of a goldfish" I replied as I chuckled seeing her expression changing.

It is so easy to get under her skin. She is so immature.

"Remember this Sara the next time I meet you okay" she smirked. And I just stared at her blankly.

I'm so done with this conversation. I looked at her for a couple of seconds before taking my bag and leaving.

She scoffed as she stared at me leaving.

I went straight to the library. My next class is empty so I decided to start the PowerPoint because I have to hand it in today during the last period.

I went to the library computer and logged in. I opened my email and saw the boy's parts of the project. I sighed in relief.

The moment I finished the PowerPoint I started writing our names in them after I printed them. I sent the PowerPoint pdf to the trio emails. I waited for a reply but there was none until the bell rang.

I sigh logging out and walked to my next class. I had chemistry next. I sighed as entered the class and sat at the far corner.

Moments later the teacher walked in. "Hello class," he chimed. It really sickens me how happy he is. Maybe I'm just envious.

He started explaining as I took notes. He is one of the few teachers that really knows how to explain.

It is like they never take a look at their teacher's CVs before they hire them. I swear like half of them just read the damn textbook.

●●●●●●●

Chemistry ended and I headed to my next and final class history. There wasn't much to do the teacher just collected the projects. And due to a lot of people not finishing their projects he gave them the class as their last chance.

I just sat through the class mindlessly scrolling on my phone while swirling my pen in my hand.

My pen fell making a noise making the teacher look in my direction and giving me a harsh glare. I mouthed him a 'sorry' as I bend down to pick it up.

A harsh pain shot through my whole body. "Fu**" I cussed under my breath.

Was it really that necessary for you Dad to beat me up this badly? It really wasn't my fault that she died.

I was pulled from my thoughts by the voice my teacher. "You guys know that the people who gave me there projects are dismissed right?" He said matter-of-factly.

No, we didn't dumba**. Did you think if we had we would be staying here? I let out an angry breath as I collected my stuff exiting the room.

I went to the school parking and entered

my car. "I missed you girl" I said to my car as I rested my body on its leather seats.

I took a deep breath as I started driving to the nearest gas station. I fueled up and went home.

I parked in our driveway. Dad's spot was empty. Where is he? Not that I'm complaining but I'm worried about him. I don't like this. Something is off.

I locked my car and entered the house slowly. I really need to order bandages the one I have on is looking terrible.

I took out my phone and called the pharmacy ordering my medication as I lay on my bed studying as I waited.

Asher

I was just pacing around the waiting room as I looked at Chris. He was seated down with his head in his hands as his left leg kept going up and down anxiously.

Alex was standing next to Chris as he ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

Chris's Mum was here too. She was crying as Miss Hannah held her close drawing circles on her back and whispering reassuring words as she tried calming her down.

Alex's Father Mr.Carter sitting next to my Dad. He looked pretty normal when he isn't drunk or high.

When he drinks he just becomes a completely new person. He just becomes so. Violent.

I know everyone knows him as the merciless Mafia leader, but when he was at home. He was so different. He treated me and mum like we were some treasure. I read miss the old him.

When he sobers up he just returns to his old self. He doesn't remember anything he does when he sober up. And I decided not to tell him.

I know how it would break him if he knew. I can handle the beating but he will not be able to handle the truth.

It has been a couple of hours of us just waiting here. They said it will only take about 2 to 3 hours, but we've been waiting here for about 5 hours and no one it telling us anything.

I was interrupted by the waiting room opening revealing the doctor. We all jolted up and walked to him.

He looked scared as we all approached him with angry faces.

"Please tell us something good" Miss Carter pleaded with low voice looking into his eyes for answers.

"Are you his wife?" He asked and she nodded.

"We had some complications during surgery the tumour was more spread than we thought. It spread beyond the stomach's superficial layers..."

Author note

I hate to stop writing here but a writer gotta do what they need to keep the story going. Sorry 😔 (not really).

I know I haven't written in ages but I'm starting A level and I got busy with the preparations. I'm so sorry. And the Writer's block was not helping.

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to VOTE and COMMENT your opinion, please. Love you besties 🧸