Glass Hearts [BL] Chapter 9: Where It Hurts the Most

The ride was silent.

The kind of quiet that makes your thoughts louder. But I didn’t last long.

I must’ve knocked out the second my head leaned against the window. My body couldn’t take it anymore... the stress, the fear, the questions with no answers. I was floating in and out of sleep when I felt a gentle tap on my thigh.

"We’re here," Dominic said, glancing at .

My eyes snapped open. I blinked into the dark, trying to rember where I was.

"Thanks," I muttered quickly, already pulling the door handle and stepping out.

"Ash..." he started, but I didn’t let him finish. I didn’t have the energy. Not for whatever apology or explanation he had lined up. Not tonight.

I needed to find my mom.

I needed to see my sister.

I rushed through the sliding glass doors into the hospital. The fluorescent lights were too bright. The air slled like antiseptic. My shoes squeaked against the floor as I made a beeline toward the nurses’ station.

"My mom," I told the nurse at the counter. "Her na is Indiana Rivera. She was brought in last night."

The nurse didn’t waste ti, she glanced at the monitor. "Room 307. Turn left, then right."

"Thanks," I said and bolted.

My palms were sweaty, my chest was tight by the ti I reached. The second I turned the corner, I saw him....Marcus. My best friend. Sitting on a long gray hospital bench, hunched over, his white hoodie pulled down his face, his legs bouncing nervously. He looked up and stood the second he saw .

"Ash!" he called, hurrying toward . "Bro, what happened?"

I didn’t say anything at first. I just grabbed his shoulders. "Where’s Mom? Where’s Alia?"

"She’s in that room," he said, pointing behind him. "But Ash..."

Before he could respond, I noticed sothing.

People.

Other patients, visitors, even a couple nurses... whispering. Pointing.

There was even a woman with wide eyes nudging the person next to her. I followed their gazes...

They were staring at .

Like I was so animal at the zoo.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked Marcus, confused.

"I’m not totally sure," he said, glancing around uncomfortably. "But you should wear this."

He pulled a black facemask from his pocket and handed it to .

"Why?" I asked.

He didn’t answer, he just gave a nervous chuckle.

I slipped it on without thinking. I didn’t even want to be seen right now. I didn’t want to see myself.

That was when I saw it...The TV mounted above the waiting area flashed to a breaking news segnt.

The headline at the bottom said: Elite School Party Turns Deadly – Scholarship Student in Custody.

A reporter was at the scene: "—teenage suspect known as Ash Rivera arrested late tonight after an alleged altercation at a party led to the fall of twenty-year-old Liam Everhart..."

The screen showed footage of being shoved into the police car. My wrists cuffed. My face blank. Then Liam, pale and lifeless body, being carried into an ambulance. The hospital room seed to freeze. I guess nothing is ever a secret in Estrella.

"We saw them carry Liam in," Marcus said quietly, like he was still trying to process it himself. "They’re saying all kinds of stuff, man. On social dia too. Pls stay away from social dia for now."

"We have a lot to talk about," Marcus said, "but first...you need to see your mom." He continued, placing a hand on my shoulder.

He walked toward the window just outside the room.

The door was closed, but a small glass window let see inside. Machines beeped softly. IV lines ran down her arms. Tubes connected to her nose. Her face looked paler than I’d ever seen it.

No one was allowed in right now...probably because of the oxygen setup or monitoring. But I could see through the glass.

So I just stood there. Watching. I pressed my palm against the window like I could reach her that way. Like I could make her wake up.

A soft beeping ca from the monitor behind her. Tears ca fast, sliding down my cheeks and soaking the edge of the mask. I didn’t wipe them away.

"What did the doctors say? What happened?" I whispered.

Marcus stood beside . "They said the oxygen tank failed. The air ran out or sothing... and she couldn’t breathe for a while. It was really bad."

My chest caved.

I clenched my jaw. My fault. I should’ve been there. I should’ve stayed. None of this would’ve.....

"She’s stable now," Marcus added, like he could hear my thoughts. "They replaced the tank. The doctors say she just needs rest and monitoring."

So of the pressure in my chest eased....but not all.

I stayed there, standing like a statue, watching the rise and fall of her chest behind the glass.

I wanted to scream.

I wanted to run to hug her and tell her everything that happened today.

But I just stood there, holding it all in. Watching the only person who ever made feel like I wasn’t completely alone... sleep behind a glass wall.