People weren’t lying when they said hospital food was disgusting. Unable to handle it, I pushed my plate away from me, shaking my head. “If I eat anymore, I’ll throw up.”

            Aaron shot me a dirty look. “At least you can go home and eat something different afterward.”

            “I’ll bring you Subway or something next time,” I told him, leaning back in my chair and letting out a sigh. “Now can we talk about what just happened?”

            Frowning, he leaned back onto his bed, gazing up at the ceiling lazily. “There’s nothing really to talk about…”

            “Yes there is! Why did they suddenly come after you? In a hospital, nonetheless! A public place! And it was so random too!”

            He shook his head. “It wasn’t random.”

            I stared at him flatly. “It wasn’t? You’ve been in here for about a week and you’re telling me showing up at of the blue today isn’t random?”

            “It’s not,” he pressed, rolling his eyes at me. “A few days ago I got a letter from Shawn saying I should expect this—”

            “You what?”

            Aaron blinked at me. “I got a letter from Shawn and—”

            “And you didn’t think to tell me?” I demanded, my eyes as round as saucers. “Aaron! That was dangerous! You could’ve died! Why didn’t you think to mention it when you got the letter? Usually threatening letters means danger!”

            He glowered at me. “I told you I don’t need your help—”

            “That’s why when I walked in you had everyone knocked out on the floor with your foot on Mikey’s back, right?” I asked sarcastically.

            “W-whatever!”

            “You’re handicapped right now, Aaron. Remember that. Even if you don’t want my help, you do need it.”

            He crossed his arms. “But you’re a girl. I don’t want—”

            “Help from a girl?”

            “No, you getting hurt.”

            His words threw me off guard for a moment. “Huh?”

            An embarrassed expression crossed his face and he glared at the floor, avoiding all eye contact with me. “I’ve done enough to you. Stupidly. I don’t want to involve you in anything else. I owe you that much.”

            “I don’t mind,” I responded, my gaze softening. “I’m sure I’ve said this a hundred times, but I’ve been on the receiving end of Shawn’s craziness. That and apparently I’m too nice…”

            He snorted. “Too nice? That’s the understatement of the century.”

            I puffed out my chest defiantly. “There should be more people like me in the world. It’d make it a better place.”

            “I s’pose so,” he agreed quietly. Then, realizing what he said, he froze up. “N-never mind. Get out.”

            “I’m not leaving.”

After a moment of silence he sighed. “Fine.”

            “What else did the letter say?”

            He shrugged. “Not much. Shawn said I could redeem myself if I did him a favor, but I’m done doing him favors.”

            I tilted my head to the side curiously. “What favor’s that?”

            Half smiling, he brought up his right hand, hooking up his thumb and pointing his pointer finger at me. “Pew, pew.”

            “Oh.”

            “Yeah.”

            “You don’t even have a gun,” I stated, furrowing my eyebrows. “How can he expect you to do that?”

            Aaron shrugged again. “Don’t know, don’t care. I told you I’m done with him.”

            “That’s good… but if you’re done with him, why won’t you let me go to the police about this?”

            “I still… you know, love him,” he muttered, clenching his fists tightly. “I don’t want to. I want to hate him, but I can’t. Not yet. So for now, I don’t want to do anything to him.”

            Pursing my lips, I glanced out the hospital window. The rain was falling harder now, giving me a sense of unease. It was easy to understand Aaron’s feelings because of Chris, but there was also the fact Shawn tried to kill Aaron— twice now. How could he still want to protect Shawn? I tried imagining Chris attempting to murder me, but that was an impossible idea, so I couldn’t picture it.

            “Why would Shawn send Mikey to kill you in a public place though?” I finally asked, feeling exhausted all of a sudden.

            “Well obviously because I’m pretty defenseless right now,” Aaron explained, gesturing to his body. “Wouldn’t it be easier just to come here and suffocate me quietly, than to try and murder me on the streets where I can run and cause a disturbance.”

            I narrowed my eyes at him. “You can cause disturbance here. Why didn’t you do that?”

            Sheepishness washed over his face. “I was asleep.”

            Now I sighed, my shoulders sagging as I slumped against the chair. “So now we have to keep an eye on you while you sleep?”

            “You don’t have to do anything,” he snapped at me.

            “Oh!” I cried, sitting up straight again.

            “What?” Aaron demanded in a startled voice.

            Excited, I jumped up to my feet. “We can tell the woman at the front desk to not allow Mikey back in! We can say that he’s too distracting for you or something! Or a bully from your high school! Ooh! This will work!”

            Aaron shook his head at me. “That sounds stupid.”

            “It’ll work though!”

            “I doubt it.”

            “It’s worth a try!”

            “It won’t work.”

            I glowered at him. “Stop being a negative Nelly! Geez!”

            He rolled his eyes. “Sorry.”

            “We’ll see what Chris says first then,” I decided, sinking back down into my chair glumly. My bruised side caught the edge of it, causing me to wince.

            Aaron peered at me worriedly. “Are you okay?”

            I waved him off, smiling. “I’ve had worse. It’s probably just a little bruise…” Curious now, I lifted up the side of my shirt, where an ugly purple bruise was starting to form on my pale skin. “Haha,” I laughed awkwardly, dropping my shirt to cover it from view when I noticed Aaron gaping at it. “It doesn’t hurt much…”

            “It looks like it hurts,” he stated flatly.

            “I’m fine!”

            He stared at me skeptically for a second. “You know, you don’t seem like the type of girl who’d just shrug off a bruise like that… Actually, I can’t quite comprehend how you managed to fight off Mikey and those other two brats. You seem like the type of girl who’d start crying during a situation like that. Or scream. Or probably both.”

            I scratched the back of my head sheepishly, remembering my past self. “I’ve grown up a lot over these past few months.”

            “What exactly happened between you and Shawn? Why does he hate you so much? And Mr. Heywood? He never told me…”

            Frowning, I hesitated. I couldn’t tell Aaron the reason why without giving Chris and I away to him. Although with him acting like this, I doubt he’d tattle on us, but still. I had to be careful. “It’s kind of a long story.”

            He gestured to his wounded body. “I have time.”

            “It’s mainly due to the fact I look like the other Holly,” I explained carefully. “That and I… Er… Well, you know, since I used to babysit Paul I knew Jeremy and Jeremy and Chris are friends, so we all had a friendship, and when Shawn came after me, Chris and Jeremy protected me and yeah. That’s why we’re all involved.”

            “Right…”

            An awkward silence feel between us and I mentally beat myself up. Why couldn’t I be a good liar? That wasn’t convincing at all! Even though it was part truth! Cursing myself, I stared out the window again, watching the rain pour from the sky relentlessly. Maybe not being good at lying was a good thing though… In some situations.

            “Holly?”

            “Hmm?”

            “Does Mr. Heywood hate me?”

            I glanced back at Aaron, surprised. “What?”

            He shifted uncomfortably, cupping his neck with his right hand. “You know, since you guys are friends wouldn’t he be angry with me for everything I’ve done?”

            “He was,” I respond honestly, “but I don’t think he is anymore. He’s just a naturally teasing person, which kind of makes him seem cold. But he’s not.”

            Aaron smirked a little bit. “I wonder if he likes guys…”

            Somehow I managed to choke on air. Tears sprung to my eyes as I hacked and heaved, trying to get air to my lungs. Aaron gazed at me in concern and a little bit of amusement. When I finally could breathe again, I gaped at him. “D-do you have a crush on him?”

            “Do you?” he countered slyly.

            I shook my head vehemently. “No way!”

            “Then maybe I do,” he said thoughtfully, tapping a finger to his chin. “He’s kind of cute… Very handsome. Rugged. A little bit aggressive, but that would be fun…” He grinned evilly. “If you know what I mean.”

            Unable to speak, I could only gawk at him. Was he serious? Or was he joking with me? Did he really have a crush on Chris? My boyfriend? Our teacher? Suddenly I felt dizzy and sick.

            “Though you’re pretty cute too,” he continued, his piercing gaze meeting mine again. “You’re single, right?”

            “I’m… I’m… Aren’t you gay?”

            He shrugged. “I can be bisexual. I’m not that picky. I like you though. I could see myself turning straight for you.” He winked suggestively.

            My cheeks flushed and I dropped my gaze to the floor. “S-sorry I don’t like you like that, Aaron.”

            “I bet,” he said with a laugh. “I’m kidding. You really are gullible.”

            “Were you kidding about having a crush on Chris?”

            He tilted his head to the side, furrowing his eyebrows. “Was I?”

            Before he could say anything else the door swung open and in sauntered Chris. Rain soaked his clothing and hair making his appearance resemble a drowned cat’s. Exhaustion was etched across his face and he collapsed into the nearest chair, shaking his head. “How do little kids have so much energy?”

            “They’re not old men like you,” Aaron responded simply.

            Chris scowled. “I wasn’t asking you.”

            “Oh? Then you should address the person you want to talk to when you want to specifically talk to someone.”

            “Whatever.”

            “Umm,” I interjected awkwardly, glancing at Chris. “I’m hungry. Care to accompany me to the vending machines?”

            He frowned at me. “But I just sat down…”

            “Too bad,” I told him, pushing myself to the edge of the chair. My side throbbed, but I clenched my teeth and ignored it. If it still hurt later, I’d ice it. After clambering to my feet, I gestured for him to follow me. “Let’s go.”

            “I want a package of barbeque potato chips,” Aaron requested.

            I paused, glancing at him over my shoulder. “Sure.”

            Chris narrowed his eyes as I walked by him, slowly standing up to accompany me. As soon as we were out of the room with the door shut, he started talking. “Did I interrupt something?”

            “Like what?”

            “Whatever you two were talking about before I got there.”

            Feeling my cheeks start to tingle again, I whipped my head back and forth. “No! Of course not! What makes you think that? Haha! We were just discussing, you know… shoes.”

            “Shoes?” Chris repeated skeptically.

            I nodded stiffly. There was no way I was mentioning Aaron’s could-be crush on him. No way.

            “Holly, you know you can’t lie to me.”

            “Yes, I know,” I muttered dryly. That was a line I hadn’t heard in awhile.

            He sighed dramatically. “I guess if you don’t want to tell me I can just assume you’re secretly cheating on me with him.”

            Freezing in my steps, I twirled around to stare at him, my mouth falling open. “That’s not true, Chris!”

            “Oh, is it not?” he replied with a smirk. “I guess I’ll never know.”

            Scowling, I crossed my arms. That wasn’t fair. I knew he just fooling around, but it was still annoying. “You’re a jerk.”

            He fell into step with me as I started moving again. “Why don’t you want to tell me?”

            “It’s embarrassing,” I confessed. “And awkward. And I’m not sure if you’re allowed to know.”

            His face hardened. “What’s it about?”

            “Nothing bad,” I assured him quickly. “It’s just… Never mind. I can’t say anything. I don’t even know if it’s true.”

             “That just makes me more curious,” he said glumly, holding open the door that led to the vending, coffee, and ice machines.

            I smiled at the tone of his voice. His curiosity was cute— but I wouldn’t let him know that. By now I was far aware that he didn’t like being called cute. “Curiosity killed the cat.”

            “I could force it out of you,” he whispered in my ear suddenly, his hands wrapping around my waist to hold me in place.

            “Ow!” I cried, jerking in surprise as his right hand landed directly on my bruise.

            He immediately pulled his hands away. “Sorry, I didn’t realize I grabbed you so hard.”

            Swallowing nervously, I shook my head. “You didn’t. You just, um, surprised me is all.”

            “Huh.”

            Ignoring the feeling that his gaze was on my back, I pressed my face against a vending machine, trying to decide on what I wanted. They didn’t have many choices, mainly just different types chips and cookies. Oreos sounded pretty good at the moment, but so did Chips Ahoy… “Ow!” My hand went to my side, slapping away Chris’s hand, which he’d slapped to my bruise again.

            “What’s wrong with you?” he demanded. “Lift up your shirt.”

            “No!”

            “Now, Holly,” he ordered, his face completely serious. “Or I’ll do it for you.”

            Glowering at him, I seized the edge of my shirt and raised it just high enough so he could see the slowly forming bruise. “See?”

            His gaze softened and he stepped closer to me, his hand going to the un-bruised part of my hip. “Who did this?”

            “I did,” I mumbled, dropping my shirt in fear of someone walking in.

            “I know you’re clumsy, but I know you’re not this clumsy.”

            Sighing, I looked up at him. “Don’t get angry…”

            Now he sighed. “You always say that when you’re about to tell me something important.”

            “When we arrived at the hospital today, I kind of walked in on… um… Well Mikey trying to suffocate Aaron.”

            “You’re kidding.”

            “I’m not.”

            “In a public place?” Chris said skeptically. “How stupid can those guys get? Well, Mikey was never the brightest crayon in the box... But seriously? In a hospital?”

            I cupped my elbow, pressing my lips into a straight line. “That’s what I thought. They were really trying to murder Aaron…”

            “They?”

            “There were two others too.”

            He stared at me in disbelief. “This would happen the one time I’m not with you.”

            “I fended them off though! I hit the nurse’s button so they would leave.”

            “Why didn’t you just scream?” he inquired, running a hand through his hair.

            “That would’ve attracted unwanted attention…”

            He gave me a flat look. “You’d rather die?”

            I shook my head. “No! But I didn’t want to have to deal with the cops if I didn’t have to.”

            “Holly…”

            “Sorry…?” I apologized hesitantly.

            He flicked my nose, catching me off guard. “That was a stupid move, but I guess I can’t be angry with you for it. It’d been bad if I showed up back here looking for you and the cops were here. We both know I’m in way too much trouble as it is. The only reason I didn’t go back to jail last time when the cops were involved was because of you.”

            I laughed sheepishly. “Oh really? Good.”

            “But you do realize Aaron will have to go to the police about this, don’t you?”

            “Yes,” I confessed honestly. Chris and I couldn’t be involved. It had to be Aaron who went to tell the story. I could be a witness and that’s it. I couldn’t be any more involved in it. If Aaron wanted this to end, he’d have to go to the police about it. “But Chris, he still…” Slapping a hand to my mouth, I cut myself off. I couldn’t tell Chris Aaron had feelings for Shawn!

            Chris cocked his head to the side. “He still what?”

            “Never mind.”

            “No not never mind.”

            “I can’t tell you.”

            “You know I don’t like secrets.”

            I chewed on my bottom lip. “Let’s just say it won’t be easy convincing Aaron to go against Shawn.”

            “Why?”

            “I can’t tell you!”

            He groaned in frustration. “I can’t help if I don’t know what’s going on, Holly.”

            “And I can’t tell you! Aaron doesn’t want anyone knowing!”

            “Knowing what? That he’s head over heels in love with Shawn or something?” Chris responded with a snort.

            I gasped.

            His eyes widened. “Wait, are you serious?”

            “No! Aaron doesn’t feel like that!”

            “Oh my God,” Chris said, staring at me dumbly. I think that was the first time I’d ever heard him use that phrase. It made him seem younger in some weird way… and more attractive. “He’s gay?”

            Exasperated with myself, I kicked Chris. He gave me a what-the-hell look. “You can’t tell anyone!”

            “I won’t,” he told me, crossing his arms. “That makes it a lot easier to believe what you just told me. I guess that means this is up to you and me.”

            “What do you mean?”

            His eyes lit up in amusement. “We’re going to do something you’ve been wanting to do for awhile. I’ve thought about it and realized it might be useful.”

            “What’s that?”

            “We’re going to visit Shawn in jail.”

            My jaw dropped. We were going to visit Shawn?

____________________________________

Update, but I lost my glasses somewhere outside and won't be able to find them because I'm staying at Avarie's house throughout the hurricane ): I'm so sad. Normally I wouldn't care, but I can't drive without my glasses :s and I need to drive. SO IT SUCKS.

Everyone stay safe in the hurricane! If you live on the East Coast, haha. I'm kind of excited, yet scared for my house since it's over 120 years old...

Facebook link in external link, like always!

Today's song is... hmm... Under A Paper Moon by All Time Low