Nick's Guide to Surviving High School

Chapter 21

Nick's POV

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I looked over at my dad, who was sitting across from King and I on the couch in our room. As soon as we had gotten back, King had held a pack meeting. It was basically him just saying that I was okay and the vampires were dead. Everyone rejoiced, happy that the threat was gone.

Me? Not so much.

I shook my head in the negative. King had asked me the same thing, and gotten the same reply.

"Not really."

I didn't want to talk about it now. Maybe not ever. King could answer some of Dad's questions, especially since he seemed to know Charlotte. I bit my lip and pushed that thought out of my mind before I could dwell on it.

King had his arms around my stomach as he sat behind me. I traced over the tattoos on his arms as we all sat in silence for a bit.

My dad sighed after a while, seeming to realize that he wasn't going to get anything from me. He got up and made his way over to us on the bed. King's chest started vibrating as he growled low, so low that I probably wouldn't have heard it if I wasn't pressed against him. I rubbed his arm soothingly. He stopped growling.

I untangled myself from King and gave my dad a brief hug. He kissed the top of my head and squeezed me before he let me go. I sat back and King immediately wrapped his arms back around me.

"Well, Nick...you know where to find me. I love you, son. I'm glad you're back safe and sound," my dad said softly, a small smile on his lips. I smiled back at him, but I knew it didn't reach my eyes.

"I love you too dad."

He took another glance at me and King before he sighed and walked out of our room. Neither of us said anything until we heard the front door close. I shifted in King's arms, turning around so that I was facing him. His green eyes studied my face and I studied his back.

He had a silver stud in his nose and large bags under his eyes. I squinted, noticing that his cheeks seemed more sunken in. His eyes were dull and a beard was starting to grow on his face. King hated having a beard.

"Have you been eating?"

The question caught him off guard and he flinched, averting his eyes. I grabbed his face and turned it back to me, forcing him to look at me.

"King."

He blinked a couple of times before shaking his head. My eyes widened as a gasp left my lips. He groaned.

"Babe-"

"No! Don't fucking 'babe' me. Why haven't you been eating? When was the last time you ate?"

"...the day I came back and you got taken."

I scoffed. I mean sure, I hadn't really eaten since then either, but I'd at least had a couple things that those vamps so graciously decided to throw at me. But King? King loved food! What was this?

"King...that was three days ago. You need to eat."

"So do you."

"Well let's go eat, then."

And boy, did we eat. I ate so much that I ended up throwing most of it up later because my stomach wasn't used to me eating that much in one sitting. Worth it though. I love food.

Now, King and I were sitting in our room with the TV on in the background while we made out. How this happened? I don't know but I am not complaining at all.

Hard to believe I'd just been held in captivity for three days. I don't know if there was a certain way I was supposed to be acting or something, but I did know that I needed King. I needed to be close to him, feel his affection. It validated me. It reminded me that I was okay, alive. I needed the distraction before I spiraled into a pit I could never climb out of.