Chapter 57- Taunting White Lights

Who wants a cast list for this book :D

Also, song for the chapter is 'Safe Inside' by James Arthur ❤

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[] A N D R E []

I wondered how Amelia did it.

How she was able to watch her best friend be taken away on a stretcher, paramedics surrounding her, the yelling, the sirens-

Because it hurt like a bitch for me.

Watching Leo be taken away in an ambulance had been the worst experience of my life. Waiting for him in the hospital right outside of the emergency room, as I had been the one to call his family and Gemma, all of it was an absolute whirlwind of downward emotions for me.

I don't remember crying at all. I was so traumatized, that nothing was functioning right. I should be crying right now as I waited for him.

But crying would mean he's going to die, wouldn't it?

I didn't want him to do die.

It was when I got up to go to the bathroom to wash my hands, that I got a look at myself since we found Leo near his apartment. What I saw finally cracked me.

I was covered in blood.

My shirt, my hands, even my pants.

All tainted with my best friend's blood.

That was when I finally cried. Tears fell down my cheeks as I tried to scrub away the blood on my hands. And even long after my hands were scrubbed clean, the crying never seized.

* * *

[] J A M A L []

Unlike Andre, I cried the moment I saw Leo on the ground, covered in his own blood.

Andre and I were on our way to his apartment to make sure he had only gone home when we found him. On the way, we saw a group of guys, who were mostly limping or holding various body parts in pain, as they tried to quickly get away from something. We followed where they were coming from, only to see someone sprawled out in the snow-covered sidewalk, nearly a hundred meters away. We had stopped to help out the person, and imagine our reaction when we saw Leo on the ground, his head bleeding profusely, bruises covering his visual body parts.

It looked like he was barely breathing.

Andre was first to reach him, calling an ambulance as he did so.

And I just stood there, crying like a damn baby, just watching him.

None of the guys who did this were caught either. But when the police questioned us and asked if we thought anyone could be a suspect, Andre and I had immediately thought of Jackson. The police had taken our testimonies and then we set off for the hospital, where we've been for the last little while.

I ran a hand over my face, trying to get the image of Leo on the sidewalk out of my head, but nothing worked. I only saw his face flashing before my eyes over and over again.

We had been waiting in the ER for over 3 hours. The doctor hadn't told us anything yet, making my worry increase with every passing moment.

A few moments later, I heard a few frantic footsteps heading my way. I looked to the source of them, nearly crying again when I saw Laura's tear-stained face. Clara was behind her, James guiding her with his arm around her shoulder. They made their way to me, and I stood up shakily. Laura's eyes instantly latched onto mine, and she broke out in another heartbreaking cry. She immediately jogged over to me, wrapping her arms around me.

I hugged her back, trying my best to look stronger than I felt in this moment. I saw Clara and James still making their way over to us, Clara moving as fast she could. Once they made their way over, James instantly set Clara down in the chair I had just been occupying and made his way over to where Laura and I stood. Laura finally pulled away from me, strongly wiping her tears as she stared at me.

"What happened Jamal?" James asked, coming up to put his hands on Laura's shoulders.

I explained what happened to the two of them, loud enough so Clara could hear what I was saying too. I started from how we went to a party just two nights ago and how Leo had gotten into a fight with someone. Then, I vaguely explained how Andre and I had found him tonight, not wanting to go over the gruesome details. After I was done explaining, Laura grabbed my arm in depseration.

"Why did he get into a fight Jamal? He swore to never fight again," Laura said, her lip trembling.

"It was for someone else," I mumbled.

"Who?" James pressed.

I sighed, unsure of whether or not I should tell them. But one look at Laura, the mother of my best friend, who was looking at me with such hope and desperation, I knew I had to.

"For Amelia."

Their eyes widened in confusion. I continued, not being able to leave it at that.

"The guy was Brittany's brother. He bullied and tortured Amelia after Brittany died. At the party, he cornered her and told everyone how Brittany's death was her fault," I explained.

If possible, Laura looked like she was gutted even more. She stumbled back a few steps, and James wrapped his arms tighter around her to secure her.

"That's horrible. Goodness, who would do that?" She mumbled, her eyes watering even more.

"I know. Which is why Leo fought him. Andre and I think he did this to him. The police took our testimonies and are looking for him now," I ended.

Laura swallowed thickly. She took a quick look around the hallway before her eyes settled on me again.

"Where is Amelia now? And where's Andre?"

"Andre's in the bathroom, and Amelia... she is back at her parents house."

I then quickly explained how Amelia left for her house yesterday becuase of an emergency. I didn't give them more details than that, and simply ignored their curious gazes. I shouldn't share more than I have. Thankfully, before Laura could pry more, the sound of the ER doors opening caught our attention. We all snapped our heads that way, and found a nurse coming out of there. He stopped in front of us immediately, his face passive.

"Leo Kennedy?" The nurse called out.

"Yes," James instantly answered, coming to the front to get the news.

"Are you his father?" The nurse asked.

For a moment, all was silent. I saw the nervousness in James' eyes, but it diminished as quick as it came, and he answered with a strong, 'Yes I am.'

The nurse nodded and turned to the rest of us.

"We're all family," I answered.

The nurse nodded. He then looked down to his clipboard. We all held our breaths in anticipation, and just then, I felt another presence beside me. I turned in time to see Andre coming up beside me. The nurse spoke then, making me snap my head back to his.

"Leo is out of the operation."

I guessed as much.

I tried to guess what the nurse was about to say by his expression, but he gave nothing away. I felt a hand clamp on my shoulder, and I briefly glanced the way it came to see Andre holding my shoulder. I looked away from his teary gaze, scared that I'll start crying too.

"He has lost a lot of blood, as it seemed like he was in the snow for a good 15 minutes."

I clenched my jaw as I heard Clara let out a sob behind me. I couldn't look her way now.

I held my breath, waiting for the nurse to speak. After a few minutes of surveying the clipboard he held in his hands, I saw the nurse finally crack an emotion.

The nurse smiled.

"Thankfully, the hit he got to his head wasn't too severe. He only lost a lot of blood, and will most likely have a concussion fot the next few days. As for the bruises, no bones were broken, but his chest and face will take at least a few weeks to recover from the hits."

I had never felt such relief.

I sagged against the wall behind me, my head in my hands.

'Thank God. Leo's okay.'

* * *

[] L E O []

A blinding white light filled my vision. I could hear soft whispers around me, and someone stroking my head.

Was I in heaven?

That thought was gone as quick as it came when I slowly started to open my eyes.

My vision was blurry when I first came to my senses. I couldn't see anyone clearly. Only fuzzy blobs filled my vision, and it took a long time before my eyesight cleared up. When it finally did, I saw mama and Clara standing over me, their faces blotchy and red.

As soon as Clara saw me, she broke out into a sob, her face disappearing from my line of vision. Another face replaced hers, Andre's now coming into view.

It took a few more moments for me to regain full consciousness. When I did, a doctor had leaned over me, shining a bright light in my eyes. It hurt like a bitch when he did. But I used all my strength to keep them open. I needed to.

After what felt like hours, the doctor finally moved away from me. He settled me onto a sitting position on the bed, making me feel more comfortable. Then he left, and right away, I was tackled in a warm hug. I instantly recognized my mother's signature perfume and hugged her back lightly, my muscles still sore.

I wonder what happened after I blacked out.

With the way my body ached, I'm sure I was beaten horribly. Great.

One more thing to worry about before finals.

I sighed and pulled back slightly from my mother, her sobs still racking through her. She pulled away from me too, and started scanning my injuries from head to toe. Eventually, James came behind her and pulled her away from me to give me some breathing space. I was thankful for that. I finally looked away from the two to look around the room.

Andre and Jamal stood at the foot of my bed, both looking as if they'd been through hell and back. Andre was covered in red stains, and I nearly vomited seeing my own blood splattered over him.

How bad did the guys get me?

Clara sat at the foot of my bed, sobbing uncontrollably too. Andre had a hand on her shoulder to calm her down, but she only cried harder. Mom still sat beside me, James standing behind her.

No one spoke for a while. Finally, mama spoke, getting our attention.

"How are you feeling Leo?" she asked, patting my arm softly.

I nodded, not being able to say much more. Truth was, I felt like absolute shit.

And it wasn't helping that a certain brunette was nowhere in sight.

"What happened?" I croaked out.

"We found you by your apartment beaten up," Andre explained.

I felt fury at that.

It finally clicked in that I had blacked out after Brian had hit me over the head. That's probably when they beat me up. When I was fucking unconscious.

"What's my state right now?" I asked mom.

She bit her lip before answering.

"Concussion and you're horribly bruised. The doctor says at least a few weeks till your okay."

I nodded, groaning at the thought of having to write finals in this state.

I finally turned to Clara, who had slowly stopped bawling. She looked up at me, her eyes wide with fear. I frowned and patted the spot beside me for her.

"Come here, Lars," I softly called out. And that's when she burst into more tears and launched herself at me.

All the breath left my lungs as Clara hugged me, sobbing into my shoulder. Every body part ached, but I couldn't bring myself to move her away. After regaining my breath, I slowly wrapped my arms around her. Behind her shoulder, I saw mama reaching out to pull her back, but I caught my her eye and shook my head at her. I needed this too.

Hugging Clara reminded that I was still here, still breathing.

After a few minutes of hugging me, Clara finally pulled back, her sobs turning into hiccups now. She still sat beside me on the bed, facing me, her head downcast. She pulled herself completely away, her eyes scanning me over like mom did just a while back. I stared at her as she cried, not knowing what to do to ease her pain.

"I-I thought..." hiccup, "th-that y-you weren't going to make it."

Her next sob broke my heart.

I reached for her hand, giving it a strong squeeze. I then reached up with my free hand and ruffled her hair softly. This caused her to stop crying for a moment, and this caused me to smile.

"I'm here, Lars. I'm not going anywhere."

That was when she finally stopped crying. A small smile creeping onto her lips as she looked up at me.

"Alright kiddos," James finally said.

We all turned to him.

"I think we should let Leo rest. It's been a long night for all of us and especially him."

I couldn't be happier that he said the words.

"James, you can take my spare key to Leo's apartment," Andre said, reaching into his pocket to get my apartment keys.

He then handed them over to James, who took them with a soft smile on his face.

"Jeez, you boys never fail to amaze me. I didn't think you'd have each other's keys," James said with a low chuckle.

I grinned at that.

"Andre likes to watch me sleep," I said.

This caused the tension to ease up in the room. Mama and Clara let out soft laughs, as Andre rolled his eyes at me.

"And the asshole is back," Andre said.

That caused me to smirk. Just then, the door burst open. Two men, clad in dark navy uniforms came into the room. We all tensed as the officers made their way inside, not saying a word. One officer stepped forward.

"Leo Kennedy. We'd like to get a few words from you about the incident."