Stained

Chapter 142

"Erm, this is Sebastian, Amanda's cousin. You dropped your sister off at mine a couple of minutes ago."

"Oh."A blush crawls up my neck. I'm so mortified I've forgotten how to speak. Not only because Hannah isn't on the other side of the line but because I just shouted all that in front of Damien.

A question prods the back of my mind but my mortification seems to evade it from me.

"Who is it?" Damien asks.

That helps jog my memory. I was going to ask why he rang since it's obvious where he got my number from. I'm about to do just that but he somehow reads my mind. "There's been a little accident."

My heart sinks into my stomach, fear coiling inside of it, making bile rise up my throat. I suddenly have a really bad feeling in my gut. And I've learnt the hard way to never undermine my gut. I try to remain vigilant in order to mentally prepare myself for whatever he's about to say, but my voice betrays my strong forefront. "What do you mean there's been a little accident."

"Y-your sister... erm she fell off the bouncy castle," he stutters.

"What!" I shriek, eyes wide. On autopilot, I push out of Damien's embrace. "Oh my gosh, how badly is she hurt? Have you rang the ambulance? Is she conscious? Is she breathing? How did she fall? Where did she fall?" I run down the stairs, somewhere in the back of my head I curse myself for wearing heels but I don't stop, not even when my foot skids a little and I almost fall down the flight of stairs.

"Chill, she didn't hurt herself badly."

I halt on the last step, grab the railing to break a potential fall. She didn't hurt herself badly. That helps calm me a little but I won't be reassured until I see her with my own eyes.

Hannah drops the box and rushes toward me, her face wild with panic. "Woah, what's wrong?"

I hold up a finger, an indication for her to wait. "Did someone push her? She was pushed wasn't she?" It didn't cross my mind before but now that I've said it, I'm beginning to think that is the case.

I shouldn't have taken her, I'm so stupid. I should have done what Hannah said and talked things out with my mum, that way I could have talked her out of letting Sierra go to the party. But no, I didn't because I'm too much of a coward. If I did this wouldn't have happened.

"No no." He shocks me by laughing. "Some fat kid jumped next to her and the momentum caused her to fly off it. Luckily she landed on the grass."

He did not just say that! Fury rushes over me. "That's not funny. Regardless of it being on purpose or not, you're fat-shaming and worst of all, a child."

"What on earth is going on?" Hannah drawls angrily.

I cover the mic and whisper. "Sierra fell off a bouncy castle."

"Shit you're right, I'm sorry," he apologises but I'm barely paying him any attention. Sorry doesn't change what he said anyway.

Hannah gasps. "Fuck off, you're lying."

I sigh and descend the last step. "I wish I was."

Hannah's eyes turn into slits. "Did Sierra tell you she fell or the bullies mother?"

"Hello," he calls when I don't say anything.

"How is she now? Is she crying? Is she in a lot of pain? Can she walk? Did she hit her head?" I'm going to have to get my mum to take her to the hospital since I can't take her myself due to my stupid PTSD.

"Naa she caught herself on her hands and knees but she's struggling to put weight on her right leg. We've given her an ice pack to put on it to decrease any potential swelling." His voice is kind, but I can't get his cruel words out of my head.

"Is she crying?"

"Hasn't cried once, she's very brave. Must have gotten it from her sister."

"Let her know I'll be there in five minutes," and with that final note, I cut the call. I feel bad for being so cold but he didn't before he fat-shamed a child, only when I called him out on it.

"Is everything okay?" I'm startled by the sound of Damien's voice. My head whips to my right, in the direction of the sound. I'm surprised to see he's standing beside me. I was so worried I hadn't heard him follow me.

Our moment before I got the disturbing phone call floods my memory. And I hate myself for it because my sister just hurt herself and I need to be rushing to her aid, regardless of her injury not being brutal.

He raises a pierced brow and I realise he's waiting for the response to the question he asked.

I shake my head to rid myself of any thoughts other than my sister. "My little sister fell off a bouncy castle. She's at a friends birthday party." Feeling awkward and unbalanced I whip my gaze to Hannah. "Are you done packing?"

"I've got a few comics left and I have to finish off upstairs." She nervously bites her bottom lip. "How bad is the injury?"

"She isn't able to put weight on her right leg." I seriously hope she didn't break anything.

"I—." Hannahs snaps her lips shut, seeming to catch something behind me. I follow her gaze and find bloodshot eyed Hayden standing on the staircase platform.

"Could you give me a minute, I just need to get two more comics." Her eyes are desperate as she tares them off, Hayden.

I'm nodding my head yes before I can fully process the question. A minute won't do anything. I hope. I'm torn between my sister and Hannah. The reason we're here is because Hannah needed to get her things but I have to leave in the middle of it because I was too much of a weakling to resolve things with my mum, and then because of which my sister was hurt.

'Long story short, you're a plague in everyone's life.'  I think that's the most correct thing they've ever said to me, considering they've said many correct, cruel things throughout my life.

"I'll be quick," Hannah whirls and practically runs toward the bookshelf, Dariel trails after her saying something I can't hear.

I'm about to go tell Hannah I'm going to wait in the car for her but as I'm turning my eyes land on Damien and I freeze. All the emotions I was holding back hit me like a ton of bricks. The unspoken words between us feel like smoke, blocking oxygen from my lungs and creating a makeshift border between us.