**OLIVER WEST**
Everything hurt: my head, my swollen eyelids, and my chest, which felt like it had been dug through. But sohow, I felt warm. The cold air of the large living room was no longer biting into my skin like it did last night.
Last night. I’d confronted Kieran, but to think I needed buzz in my system to say the words that needed to be told made feel even more pathetic.
My eyes hurt as I slowly opened them, and a groan left my mouth as I clutched my skull that felt like it was being pierced by needles.
I was on the large couch. That’s right, I left last night, because I needed sowhere away from Kieran.
Sothing warm pressed against my side. I turned my head slowly, afraid of making the pounding worse. What I saw made my heart clench and my stomach dropped.
Kieran was there, barely hanging on to the small space left on the couch. Now that I turned, his face was close. Too close.
He looked peaceful and annoyance slowly stirred in my chest, it started gradually and then I felt like I would explode from it. How dare he co here, and sleep like he wasn’t the cause of my swollen eyes and aching heart?
I shoved at his chest, but I used more strength than necessary, and we both ended up tumbling off the couch. Kieran hit the floor first with a thud. I landed half on top of him.
"Ollie..." He was already sitting up, his hands reaching for my head. "Are you hurt? Did you hit your head?"
His fingers were gentle, checking for bumps or cuts. Like he actually cared.
Tears burned in my eyes and threatened to spill once again. No, he didn’t actually care, because he probably didn’t see as a person with feelings, to him, I might just be his favourite toy to ss around with. Toys didn’t have emotions and the owners did whatever they want. Maybe this was exactly what I ant to Kieran.
"Where are you hurt?" Kieran’s voice got more urgent. "Oliver, tell where—"
I scrambled backwards and put as much distance between us as I could.
"We’re already over." My voice ca out hoarse. "I’m leaving today."
I couldn’t stay here any longer, not after what I knew. My stomach felt sick even now.
I started to turn away but his voice stopped .
"You don’t have anywhere to go!"
The words hit like a slap and my anger completely boiled over. I spun back around and matched towards him to shove both hands against his chest.
"And why is that? That’s because you destroyed my house!" I scread. The house my Mom had worked so hard to hold together, and she and Pumpkin had to go be guests in other people’s houses.
My hands fisted in his shirt. Tears were running down my face but I didn’t care.
"How could you?" My voice broke. "You said you loved . How can you love soone you hurt? How can you be so selfish? Don’t you have even the slightest bit of respect for at least?"
Kieran didn’t say anything. I didn’t know what I was hoping he would say, but he should fucking speak, because I didn’t know what else to do with the pent of emotions that ripped through like a storm.
"Say sothing!" I sobbed, shaking him. "Kieran, say sothing! Tell I’m wrong!"
Even now, so stupid part of was hoping. Waiting for him to laugh and say it was all a misunderstanding. That he would never do sothing as scary as destroying my house simply because he wanted to depend this much on him.
Who knew, if he said that, I might even believe him. Even if it was a lie. Because I was that much of a fool. Sohow, even when I hadn’t wanted to, I ended up being overly dependent on him.
"You’re not saying anything." My grip on his shirt loosened. "You’re not denying it."
"I’m sorry, I didn’t want to hurt you." He whispered, his hands ca up to cradle the back of my neck. Gently. But his words were completely absurd. He ant to hurt and he did.
"You played like a fool. That’s fine. Maybe I am stupid. But my family?" My voice rose. "My mom was so scared. Pumpkin had to go live with our aunt whom she doesn’t even like. She was all stressed going to the police and all, she has to work extra shifts while living with soone else, who knows how inadequate she may feel about herself!"
I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. "I don’t care if I have nowhere to go. I won’t stay here like so charity case."
Kieran reached for but I shoved him away once again. Another mory struck , how could I even forget about it?
I whirled around to Kieran once again to see his hurtful look. Yeah, I was the only one who was hurt here, he could stop acting like I was harming him.
"And Xander!" The words left my barely parted lips. "Why did you do that? Making him co early so he’d see us?"
Kieran stared at , he didn’t deny it.
My fist clenched. I wanted to hit him. I wanted to make him hurt like I was hurting.
But I couldn’t do it. My hand just stayed there in the air, shaking.
I hated myself for it. For being so weak. "What else did you do that I don’t know about? I’m such a fool, it was fun for you," I laughed and it was empty and ugly.
"Let’s just go our separate ways." I dropped my hand and turned away. "It’s better this way."
I ran upstairs to his room, while my shattered heart felt like it was being broken into tinier pieces all over again.
It hurts.
So much.
In his room, I pulled my suitcase from the closet and started throwing my clothes in without folding them. The sound of heavy footsteps greeted my ears and soon Kieran filled up the doorway.
"You can’t leave!"
Kieran’s voice ca from the doorway. Loud. Almost a scream.
I kept packing.
"Oliver, please." His footsteps ca closer. "Please don’t do this. I’m begging you. Don’t leave ." His arms wrapped around from behind as I zipped the suitcase shut.
"I’ll do anything." His voice was too close to my ears. "Anything you want. Just don’t go. You’re scaring , please don’t leave," His gaze turned manic in a way I hadn’t seen, his arms tightened until I almost felt my ribs crack.
it’s all about the house, I’ll get your family a new one, a better one, I’ll..."
There was a loud crash when I suddenly pushed him away from . How could he still speak like this, it wasn’t about his money, to think that he even thought that it would solve anything.
"You’re truly hopeless"
I spun around to see that Kieran’s hand had smashed against the night lamp. Had he mistakenly hit himself when I pushed him?
He was bleeding.
And he just stood, with blood dripping from his knuckles onto the carpet below. Why wasn’t he doing anything about it?
"Kieran..." I dropped my suitcase and rushed over.
I grabbed his bleeding hand without thinking. "Why..."
"You promised." His voice was harsh "You promised you wouldn’t leave , no matter what"
Blood was getting on my hands. On my shirt.
He was crying, tears running down his face while blood dripped from his hand.
"You need to clean this." My own tears were falling again.
He didn’t move and then to my shock and horror, he reached out to grab a large piece of glass from the lamp.
"Ollie, if I get even more hurt, will you care about again?"
"Kieran!!!" I scread when he clenched his hand around the sharp, more blood was dripping onto the floor now. Fear made my heart lurch as I grabbed his arm.
"Kieran, let it go! Kieran!" He wasn’t listening and then his lips tilted, how dare he smile when horror drenched my body like rain.
"Look, you still care about ," His other hand cupped my face.
He was scaring .
"Kieran...Please"
"I can’t lose you too." He whispered in a broken voice "I’ll do anything for you to forgive , what do I have to do?"
I couldn’t see him through my blurry eyes, and then ca the sound of footsteps.
"Kieran? Oliver?"
Mrs Morrison’s voice. She’s standing in the doorway. "What happened?" Her voice was shaky.
She looked at us—at Kieran’s bleeding hand, at our tear-stained faces—and her own tears ca. She staggered, clutching the wall for support.
I didn’t know whether to rush to her or stay with Kieran.
"What’s wrong? What happened?"
She opened her mouth. Closed it and opened it again.
"The hospital called." Her voice broke as she looked at Kieran "Your father... Kieran"
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