Chapter Five

Victory. I said to myself. Pure victory. I had finally taken revenge on what Daniel did to me. And I felt good. Really good. There Daniel was clutching his stomach and moaning out cries of pain and here I stood standing over the pathetic weakling and just laughed. What a loser; can’t even take a hit from a girl.

That’s when I heard footsteps coming my way and Lucas came into view from behind the branches. “Lucas!” He walked forward and then stopped short, viewing the scene before him. “I can explain!” I started right when his eyes moved over to the crippled Blake. When his eyes rolled down to the pitiful looking Daniel, however, he smiled. His eyes came back up and met mine, “Its about time, Raine.” I quickly smiled back, “Mind if we hurry and get Blake to a doctor?”

Cautiously, Lucas and I managed to pick up Blake from his little pile of leaves and toppled back to Lucas’s car. When we had snugly put Blake in the back seat and buckled him in I asked, “What about Blake’s car? We can’t just leave it here.” Lucas thought for a moment, “I’ll drive it. The keys are probably in his pockets somewhere. You’ll drive my car. Drive straight to the hospital, okay? I’ll be right behind you.” I nodded and prodded through Blake’s pockets until I pulled out two keys on a ring. I handed them to Lucas, and just as he was walking off I called him back, “Lucas! What about Daniel?”

“What about him?” Lucas asked, a smug grin on his face. I awkwardly returned the grin and go into the red pick up. My thoughts were really overpowering my brain, but the roar of the engine from the old beaten truck was just what I needed to drown all my contemplations out. And before I knew it I was pulling up into the parking lot of the Redberry Hospital.

I swerved into a parking spot and quickly got out of the car to check on Blake. Before I even had the door open, Lucas drove in. I pulled open the door and ducked my head in, “Blake?” A soft reply came from him and I guessed that meant that he was okay. Lucas was at the other door with a wheelchair that he had gotten from the office. I went around to the other side and gently pulled Blake into the chair.

“I’m going to go back to the park, okay? Here are Blake’s keys. You can drive him home in his car.” Lucas said once we had reached the entrance to the hospital. I reached back to him and grabbed the sleeve of his shirt, “Why?” Lucas sighed and looked down, ashamed. “What? What is it?” I asked, worried. “You won’t be proud of me.” I shook my head, “You weren’t proud of me either when I wouldn’t do anything about Daniel. We all have our moments.” Lucas nodded, agreeing. “I’m going back there to teach him a lesson.”

My hand instantly let go of his shirt; shock riding through my body. Lucas apparently took that as a go ahead. So he walked out the doors and got in his car and left. “W-wait.” I said to the air. My mind was so jumbled I could barely think straight. What if Daniel hurt Lucas? I couldn’t survive without my Lucas...No. Never. I decided I would follow after him as soon as I could.

I rolled Blake over to the front desk. The short, blonde Barbie doll nurse told me to sign in with my name and last name, the patient’s name and last name, and an emergency number. When I had finished, she told me to go sit in a chair and wait. Wait?? How was I supposed to wait if Blake could be dead any minute? I didn’t know the damages...I didn’t know what Daniel had done to him. He could by dying right now as I sat. But did the nurse care? Did the nurses ever care? 

 

After about 15 minutes of non patiently waiting for some f*****g doctor to show up, the nurse walked up to me and said that Dr. Clark would see me now. Now? About time...I stood up and rolled Blake with me as we followed the Barbie down a hallway and into a room labeled 8. She ushered us in and then swiftly closed the door, happy to be rid of us it seemed.

Dr. Clark was a squat little man who had thinning hair and a gray beard that looked like a soft shade of light green. It looked like mold. He stood there calmly with a small clipboard in his hand and peered over his glasses and Blake and I. I glanced down at Blake to make sure he didn’t look dead. His eyes were closed, but his chest was rising and falling. I let out a sigh of relief and then focused my attention to Dr. Clark.

“So, what seems to be the problem?” He asked. What kind of question is that? Here’s my friend in a wheelchair who I found half conscious in the woods with blood coming out of him. Well let me just ask him what seems to be the problem. “I think my friend is bleeding” I replied after some time.

He laughed and set down his clipboard. His eyes twinkled as they met with mine, “Yes, I can see that. Your not sure what caused it?” Was this guy really going to spend time asking me these questions or get help for Blake? “I believe my friend-sorry. A guy I know stabbed him” The twinkle of jolliness in Dr. Clark’s eyes disappeared as once. “That’s a serious assumption, miss-” He glanced down at his board, “Raina?” I agreed, but what could I say? I knew it was Daniel who had hurt Blake; it couldn’t have been anyone else.

“Dr. Clark?” I asked, hesitant. “Yes, my dear, what is it?” The twinkle had returned. “I have to go...um get my brother. I kind of left him at the park when I drove over here in his car.” I quickly improvised. “Oh sure. Sure. I’ll get this boy bandaged up nice and well while your gone. He’ll be just fine.” I bobbed my head up and down, not really sure if I should believe him or not. I’d only be gone for about ten minutes. Fifteen at the most. “Okay, I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Dr. Clark replied with a non-caring sway of his hand, “Take your time.”

I ran out of the little room, and into the main lobby area. The automatic doors pulled back, releasing me into a breezy wind. Blake’s car door was a little tough to open but I managed and slid into the driver’s seat. The engine was hungry and immediately started up the second I turned on the ignition. It was about a three-minute drive from the hospital to the park. But it seemed like the longest three minutes of my life because my whole entire body was filled to the brim with worry for Lucas and Blake.

When I reached the park I yanked the keys out and jumped out of the car. I ran as fast as I could, not even stopping to catch my breath, to the spot where I had left Daniel curled into a ball. When I reached the area, no one was there. It looked like nothing at all had been there in the past year. Leaves were rumpled and blowing in the wind, and the woods around me were completely silent. Not even a bird made a noise. It made the place seem even spookier then when I had come here to find Blake.

I jogged out from the woods and started to run around the park looking for any traces of Lucas or Daniel. Most everyone that had been here earlier were gone. It was probably around six or six thirty. Once I had finished two circles around the whole park I decided to make one more run around in case I had missed something. When I reached the area with the sandboxes and benches I spotted something behind a bench; something you wouldn’t have seen unless you were purposely looking for it.

It was a strip of blue. The same exact color of the shirt that Lucas had been wearing. I walked over to it and took it off the edge of the bench. It was definitely a part of his shirt because I recognized the logo in the corner. What could they have been doing that might have caused a part of Lucas’s shirt to tear off?

I looked behind the bench and some of the grass lay unplanted on the surface. They must have been wrestling at this spot. Then that was when I heard a voice yell. It sounded like Lucas’s but I couldn’t be sure. It came from behind one of the hills. I trotted over to the place where the sound had come from. I peered over the hill and there were Daniel and Lucas on the waterfront grabbing each other’s arms and shouting at each other.

I nearly tumbled down the hill but when I got to the bottom and both boys spotted me they let go of one another at once. I stomped closer to them and screamed, “What the hell is going on?!” Lucas turned to me with a grimace side glance toward Daniel and said, “This bozo here is a maniac!” I rolled my eyes, “We already knew that, Lucas.” Then I turned to Daniel and said, “What I mean is what are you doing to my brother??” Daniel’s face flushed a little. No matter how psychotic the boy was, he still got embarrassed. 

“I’m waiting!” I said, getting more impatient as the time grew between my question and his answer. “Well...He walked up and started accusing me of murdering your little friend-” “Oh shut up, Daniel! I didn’t say murder! If you listened to what people told you then you would know that I said-” Lucas cut in. “Oh both of you shut up!” I yelled. I could not deal with this mess anymore. “Now, we are going to calmly, and I mean CALMY, discuss this crap that has been going on for the past who knows how long!” That silenced them. Proves that girls have a thing or two to say when they get pissed.

We walked back up to one of the benches in the main park area and sat down. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on breathing correctly. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. “Raina?” Lucas’s voice interrupted. I slowly opened my eyes and stared over at him. “Yes?” “I’m sorry...I thought that you might have wanted me to beat the crap out of Daniel...” He eyed him before he continued, “Because of what he has done to you.” “B*****d.” Daniel whispered under his breath.

“Did I not say that we were going to talk about this calmly? Or is someone’s anger management not going to be able to cooperate?” Daniel huffed out a sigh of surrender and leaned back onto the bench. I turned to Lucas, “You’re forgiven, Lucas. Even though there wasn’t really anything for you to be forgiven of since you were only trying to protect me. DANIEL on the other hand...” I turned the conversation back to him.

“What?” He asked, playing the innocent role. I didn’t buy it, “Oh you know exactly what, boy. Don’t give me any crap that you don’t.” Daniel didn’t answer; he just rolled his eyes and looked the other way. “Hey! I’m talking to you!” His rudeness to me was really getting on my nerves, and I was sick of it. “Yeah? Well, I’m done talking to you.” And with that Daniel got up and walked away. “That little...” I said, but before I could finish the statement Lucas got up and jogged after Daniel. He tapped him on the shoulder and just as Daniel turned his head to him, Lucas punched him straight in the face.

Instantly, I saw red drip down and out of Daniel’s nose. I covered my mouth to keep from laughing with no prevail. I snort laughed and got up and ran over to where Lucas stood towering over Daniel. He was keeled over on his knees holding his nose. “Basberd!” Daniel yelled, sounding like he had a bad cold. Lucas chuckled and grabbed my hand pulling me along with him as he started to run.

We ran all the way back to the parking lot. We collapsed onto the asphalt, out of breath from running and laughing at the same time. Daniel had gotten his butt kicked twice today. It was his turn to take the medicine. I laid my head down on the ground, the asphalt cool against my warm face. “Lucas?” “Yeah?” He asked, still a little out of breath.

“Have I ever told you how much I love you?” He choked out a laugh and said, “Love you too, Sis.” I smiled. “Thank you.” I whispered, closing my eyes. I heard him shift his weight, “Your welcome” He whispered in my ear and then kissed me lightly on my forehead. Which was something he used to always do to me before I went to sleep. He used to tell me that a kiss of love would scare all the nightmares away because they didn’t have any love. Daniel sounded like my nightmare.

 

After only a couple of minutes laying there motionless thinking about my horrible past, Lucas gently nudged me and told me that we should probably go get Blake from the hospital. I agreed and we headed to the car in silence, thoughts of the past action swarming through both our heads.

The car ride over was pretty silent too. I could tell that Lucas was thinking hard about something because he always furrows his eyebrows back and forth when he is really focused on figuring something out. After awhile I decided to ask him what was up. “Lucas, you okay?” He didn’t answer for a long time, and I was about to ask again when he sighed and then spoke. “Yeah I’m fine. I guess. I don’t know, Raine. I really don’t know. I kind of feel bad for beaten on Daniel. He does have anger management, and it isn’t exactly his fault that he is so hard to control.”

I thought deeply into what Lucas said. I didn’t talk for the rest of the ride I was so deep into thought. As we were getting out of the car I finally turned and said to him, “Even if he does have anger management, his mum got him pills, didn’t she? He was the one who refused to take them. So he had an option to not have the problem. He just refused to deal with it.” Lucas nodded and didn’t say anything else on the matter as we walked into the hospital.

“This way.” I muttered and pulled on his sleeve. We turned left and walked down the same hallway I had walked down only an hour ago. It seemed like ages. We reached room 8 and Lucas grabbed the doorknob and swung the door open. I peered around Lucas to see if Blake was in the room. Sure enough, there he was lying on that bed with the annoying crackling paper sheet on it. And there was Dr. Clark, sitting on his little chair filing some papers in a folder.

No one moved. I don’t even think the doctor knew of our presence. “Ahem.” Lucas said, ever so softly, but loud enough to stir the quiet room. Dr. Clark glanced up and said with surprise, “Oh! Miss Raina, you have returned so soon!” What am I? A princess? What was with the whole “miss” stuff? “Yeah...So is Blake okay or does he need an emergency operation or something?” I asked, glancing at Blake lying fast asleep on the bed.

Dr. Clark snorted at my apparent ignorance. I tried to raise one of my eyebrows in a disapproving stance, but since I can’t do that, I probably looked stupid. “Oh no of course not, miss! Sure, he needed some quick stitches put in him. But now he is good as new! Just a little drowsy from all the medicine we pumped into him. The worry and agony just flooded out of my body and mind. I dropped my shoulders and closed my eyes, letting the relief run into my nose and clog up my head. I breathed out and couldn’t even speak I was so happy.

Blake was conscious enough to walk, but he was a little tipsy, so Lucas and I each had one of his arms and balanced him all the way to Lucas’s car. Once we had him strapped in nice and tight I realized that we had left Blake’s car at the park. “Lucas...we left Blake’s-” “Yeah I know. We’re going to drive over there and then we’ll put Blake in his car, and then you’re going to drive him home. I’ll be following behind you that way I can drive us home after we drop him and his car off.” I nodded, “Sounds like a plan.”

So for about the third or fourth time that day I was making my way over to the park. I was really getting sick of that place. The only good thing that had come out of it was that I had met Blake. Was it really only a couple of days ago that I had met him? I thought I was in love with him. Even though we hadn’t had much time to really talk and get to know each other, I knew he was a great guy. And as soon as he got better, I was going to spend as much time as I could to get to know him. The whole way to the park I was smiling.

When we reached the park, Daniel nor his car were in sight anywhere. Lucas, Blake and I were the only ones at the park because it was long after dusk and everyone had gone home. We helped Blake out of Lucas’s car, but by now, most of the painkillers had worn off and he was almost back to his proper self. He sat in the passenger seat as I drove him home, Lucas following behind as he had promised.

I pulled in Blake’s driveway and turned off the engine. The night was almost silent without the constant purr of the car in the back of my head. It was nearly dark, but my eyes soon adjusted and I could see most of Blake sitting in the space next to me. “Raina, I know I haven’t known you for long. And even in this short time of our friendship, we’ve already been through a lot. And I know that there is a lot more to come, and I don’t want to complicate things or anything when you already probably have enough problems on your mind, but I really do like you and I think you’re a great person and-” I leaned over and kissed him just to make him stop babbling. I could tell from the way he had just kept talking that he was really nervous. Might as well help the poor kid out.

His lips were warm against mine. And I had only known him for the most of five days, and this was already our second kiss. Though I wasn’t sure if that first one counted, because it was only a cause for an effect that was sure to come eventually. But I didn’t care. He was a marvelous kisser, and the anticipation leading up to it made it even more magnificent. It was like the whole world had fallen beneath me as his lips brushed against mine.

It wasn’t a make out or a French kiss. It was just a nice long peck that left me feeling breathless and alive. The second we pulled away I felt the urge to kiss him again, but I restrained myself, knowing that wasn’t something I should do. I opened my eyes to see his emerald green eyes staring back at me. I smiled shyly and stuttered, “M-my mom is uh, probably waiting. Yeah, waiting for me to um. Get back home, you know?” Blake chuckled and looking down, “Yeah, mine too. See you at school tomorrow?”

“Sure.” I smiled and leaned over to unlock his door. He stumbled out and walked up to his door. He turned back to look and me and waved once then turned the doorknob and walked in. I could feel my cheeks running red, but I honestly didn’t care because Blake liked me and I liked him. I just hoped that at school he wouldn’t find some preppy blonde to go bonkers over. Man, I hated those preppy, fake blondes. Bugged the crap out of me.

 

I was still thinking about school and the long day that had already occurred as I got out of the car and laid the keys on the driver’s seat. Lucas was waiting in the car behind me. My feet walked over there and my hands numbly opened the door. I felt lost for some reason. There were so many thoughts strumming through my head. Blake. Daniel. School. I uneasily settled into the passenger seat and tried to remember how to breathe. “You alright?” Lucas asked, worry in his voice. The engine started and I thought deeply into his question. Well, despite the fact that my whole world was falling apart but at the same time everything was going stupendous, I was okay. So I softly replied, “Yes. I’m fine.”

For the next five minutes, neither of us spoke. The silence grew awkward and I knew that I had to say something soon or I would certainly go insane. “Lucas?” I asked, cautious of breaking the silent space between us. He nodded my way. He seemed scared of breaking the silence wall as well. “This morning when I ran up and hugged you...” Lucas turned to me with a confused look upon his face. I continued, “Well, that was because there was blood on the mirror this morning that said ‘If I can’t have you no one can’ and it scared me. I had thought that for certain hat Daniel had killed you and used your blood to write that message.” I let it all out in one breath.

Lucas looked back at the road and didn’t say anything. I inhaled once and held it there, uncertain whether or not to let it back out. “Raina, that wasn’t really blood, was it? I could have sworn that it was lipstick. When I had gotten my nosebleed about thirty minutes before you had woken up, I had walked into the bathroom and seen the message. I had thought to myself that maybe you had been bored the night before and were just drawing on the mirror with your lipstick. I had thought nothing of it at the time.” I let the air out; my mind trying to interpret all this messed up nonsense.

 

“It wasn’t lipstick, Lucas. In class Daniel even told me that he was the one who did it. He showed me the cuts on his arm.” I tried not to hide my fear, but it was hard hiding anything from Lucas. “So the dude cut himself just to leave you a creepy message on your mirror?” I nodded. Lucas didn’t say anything for a while but then said, “I wonder how he got into the house.” My body felt uneasy the moment his words flooded into my ears.

Lucas’s words were the last spoken the rest of the ride home. But my thoughts were overriding my brain. Even though it was silent, this time, the silence wasn’t awkward. It was filled with questions that overflowed the small space in the car. I felt claustrophobic in the stuffy car, but we were almost home, so I decided not to ask Lucas to roll down a window or turn on the air conditioner.

When Lucas pulled into our driveway and cut the engine, we both sat there mute until Lucas spoke up, “So, he kissed you?” His question took me so off guard I laughed just to hear some cheeriness in my voice. He laughed too for a little bit, but it seemed only to be polite. I felt the blood flood to my cheeks, but I ignored it and replied, “Yes. He did. Only a peck, but it was just as a goodbye. And technically, I kissed him.” “No need for explanations, Sis. Its okay.” I laughed and opened my door, stepping back into a worry full world.

 

As Lucas and I entered the house, our mum was sitting in the kitchen counting peanuts. She was a weird little woman but that was why we loved her. “Hey mom,” I told her. She looked up and gave one of her ‘You’re home late. Well, at least your home, right?’ smiles. I smiled back and then walked into the kitchen. “Did you already have dinner, mom?” Lucas asked, following behind me. She nodded then looked back down at the table, continuing to count her peanuts.

 

I walked to the fridge and pulled out some lettuce and Italian dressing. Might as well get some veggies in me, right? I placed them on the counter and began making my salad. My preparations seemed like the only sounds in the room besides my mum’s random whispers of the number she was on. Once again, silence flooded in. Did a silent ghost just follow me everywhere? We were a family; you would think that we would have something to talk about. But we never did.

 

After I had finished up my salad and waited for Lucas to finish up on his, we both walked up the stairs and into his room. I really loved having his as my brother because he was like my best friend. We could always talk to each other and never kept anything from one another. Plus, he was always there for me so I could constantly depend on him and expect him to be there when I really needed him.

 

Both of us sat down on his bed and let out a long sigh. “What am I going to do?” I asked, suddenly frightened of the next day at school. “You’re going to go to school, hang out with friends, talk to Blake, come home, do your homework, have dinner, and then go to bed. That is what you are going to do.” I had to laugh. Lucas was so subtly yet so funny at the same time. I had to give him credit for that. “Thanks. You are so much help, Lucas. What I meant was what am I supposed to do about Daniel? I have to work with him in my social studies project for the next two classes! I can’t face him after what happened today. Especially not since last class he grabbed me, put his hand over my mouth and then threatened me.”

 

Lucas’s mouth dropped, “He DID?” I nodded, looking away from his gaze. “When I see him again I’m going to beat him so badly that he…” “Lucas, violence isn’t the answer. I’m sure that if you just talk to him…” “TALK TO HIM?! Isn’t that what you’ve been trying to do for the past year? You keep telling him to stop and to stop, but does he ever listen? NO. So what makes you think he’s going to stop now if I just ‘talk’ to him?” I sat there, stunned. I knew Lucas cared about me but I had no idea he was so protective. “Well, maybe he’s…changed?” I sounded so unsure and pathetic that I didn’t even convince myself. “Yeah right, Raine. People don’t just change like that.”