The Art of Love (TPN High School AU)

~Chapter 4~

Hey ya'll! I would like to say this chapter was made as a collab with Vera! Please check out her book, it is amazing.

WARNING: BLOOD AND GORE

Aiden's POV

THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING!

I took very deep breaths. There was no fucking way that was a shot... nevertheless a gun-shot! And... that sounded like a... shotgun...

What... if Ray is dead?

It would be VERY bad if Ray died. Probably one of the worst things that could ever happen in this short and pathetic life. I mean, he's such an amazing person. Probably the best ever since Alex, my first friend, and crush....

Alex was a year older than him. He lived a full life until he was twelve. I couldn't even handle my hormones until that fateful day when our school caught on fire and Emma was caught right in the middle of it! Alex took one look at me and Noah, and inhaled deeply. He was getting ready to run into the fire!

    "Alex, you can't sacrifice your life to save Emma's!"

Alex was obviously seen crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. He was a tough 12-year-old. He had been through hell and back. His long, chocolate hair waved in the wind as he crossed his arms, tears coming out of his emerald eyes.

And then, he ran into the fire. Right smack in the middle of it. He looked like he was gonna make it when he brought Emma right out. I sighed with relief, blushing at how tough he was. But then, fate had other plans. Just then, as it turned out, his best friend was also caught... He ran right back in and began running.

All of the sudden, a loud explosion was heard... and I cried out in horror, sobbing. Emma sensed what had happened, so she patted my back and snuggled up to me. I continued wailing and crying.

    Believe me, even two years later, I still ain't over it. I almost hanged myself that day.

I ran up to the door and quickly began attempting to knock on it. I was about to knock it down when suddenly, a presence was seen. I could see long, dark hair as a womanly figure stood in front of the door, her eyes filled with panic. She must've heard the gunshot.

    "Aiden, I know you're worried, but it's a really gruesome scene... are you sure you want to see it?"

I gulped. I was really worried, I could feel the sweat dripping from my chin onto my shirt.  I was that nervous... What if Ray's brains are everywhere? That is if Ray's head still exists. I really hope he survives.... Then, the woman's eyes perked up upon the sight of Norman. She smiled and said,

    "Ah, Norman! How are you doing?"

I could see the worry in his eyes. Of course he was the most worried out of all of us, and that was most sensible, as his best friend. However, I get this same feeling... that I felt for Alex when I looked at him.

What if Emma caught me staring?

"Can we come in to see if Ray's alive? And don't tell us, we must find out ourselves, Mama Isabella...."

Wait, is that the same person that Emma mentioned? The one that took care of her until she was 9? What if Norman, Emma, and Ray are from the same orphanage? That would be crazy!

    Isabella nodded her head and saw Emma run directly upstairs to where the noise had supposedly come from. Everyone else followed, but I stayed behind, scared that I would see the same scene as I did when I saw Alex's burnt and crushed body, crying as he held it up. One of the worst scenes and horrific. Isabella must've noticed my pause, however.....

    "What's wrong Aiden?"

    I began tearing up at the memory, so much that I stuttered....

    "Isabella, h-hearing the sh-shotgun reminds me of when I saw my former best friend's burnt up body...."

    Her eyes seemed to widen at the words but she knew better than to question it. I finally summoned the courage to walk up the stairs. I could hear my heart thumping as I quietly walked over to the room. I could see the blood in the hallways, and as I got closer, I saw a blood pool, slowly inching towards me... and as I held my hand onto the door, I took a deep breath.

Whatever is in there, don't panic, don't faint, even if it is Ray's headless body.

    When I opened the door, I gasped in shock at what was inside. Blood was splattered everywhere, and so was a headless body. But it wasn't Ray... he was tied up to a chair, being tended to by Emma. Her face was painted with horror, her fingers trembling.

    "Aiden, this is almost as bad as when we... saw Alex's.... burned body...but this is way worse. Ray's sister committed suicide inches from his face.... He must've thought his own brains were gonna be blown out by that very shotgun... I don't blame the others for leaving. Even Norman was left vomiting and gagging, and even he has seen his friends jump onto a train."

I sighed deeply. I, too, remembered that. Suddenly, I felt a sense of a foreboding in the form of chills, relating to my death. I shrugged it off, thinking nothing of it. Why death? After all, being with the others makes me happy, I would never wish to die.

"I know right... this is awful. Like really awful. What should we do with Ray? He doesn't need to see his dead sister when he wakes up from fainting."

    "Take him to your house. I'll tell his parents."

I hastily untied him and carried him on my back. With my 6'1 frame, I handled this with ease. I could tell that some of the blood got on my auburn hair. Not the biggest deal in the world, I can always clean it out. Suddenly, I got an unexpected flashback, from a year ago.

I was blushing my ass off. Today was the day I would confess to my best friend of 3 years. Maybe she can be my girlfriend. I had texted her earlier telling her what I wanted to do. I did confess, but she rejected me in the kindest way possible...

I finally arrived home. I took the sleeping Ray to the guest room. My, I would have a lot of explaining to tell my parents when they find out... I took a brisk shower and went to bed. I imagined I would have dreams of the fire or the shotgun incident. Oh well, I can handle that.

My eyes shuttered, my body entering a deep slumber. However, my mind had other plans.

I was laughing, walking alongside Ray and Emma, who appeared to be a couple. I was glad, but hey, I got me my best friend I have a huge crush on. I had kissed him earlier that morning, my cheeks tinted pink just thinking about it. Suddenly, I saw an unknown figure drag me away.

The scene changed to a few minutes later, when I was forcefully being held above the train tracks. I could sense a train coming. It was still far away, but I could hear it approaching.

    "Well, here I caught you, your bisexual ass."

    "No need to be homophobic! I am as good as you are as a person!"

    "People like you disgust me, you're a nuisance to the rest of society. Good fucking bye."

I could feel a knee smash into my groin, and it was a really hard kick. The last thing I saw before I was ripped to shreds by that train was the evil smile on the person's face, and the evil laughter.

I woke up, sweating heavily. I could see Ray looking at me, with sincere concern. He must've woken up. I checked the time....

2:30 AM

"Finally I woke you up. You were taking awhile, and you kept screaming, 'No don't kill me!' You must've been dreaming about if you were in my position."

    "Yeah, I am sorry you had to go through that..."

    A painful lie, but there was no way I was gonna share that dream. No way in living hell. He narrowed his eyes at me and rolled them. Of course, he caught me in my lie.

"Uh huh. Tell me about what happened in the dream..."

"Well... I got hit by a train.. I doubt it has to do anything with me."

    I could see the terror in Ray's eyes as he heard that....

huh?