My friend, Demise

Chapter 23

"Wake up!"

I only mumbled in response, earning a slap to the face. "Ah- what?!" I shot up and glared at the woman standing beside me.

"Get up! We've gotta go!"

"Jasmine-"

"Right now! Get up!" She pulled me to my feet and shoved a pair of shoes in my hand.

"What's going on?" I rubbed my eyes, watching her pull me through the door and into the living room.

Once outside, I could hear a familiar voice yelling. I turned to the sound, flinching when I saw demise being held back by his father, aiming a gun at a man I didn't recognize and yelling nonsense I couldn't really understand. His suit was torn and blood splattered his face, which was busted up bad enough to deserve some heavy medical attention. "I can kill you just as well as I did him!"

"Demise!" I ran to him and quickly grabbed his face with both hands, tears filling my eyes at the sight of him hurt. "Are you okay?!"

He wrapped an arm around my waist and held me close to him, "I'm fine." He then let me go and shoved me to his father. "Get him in the car, Jasmine too."

"Demise-"

He cut him off with a sigh. "Let me handle this, okay? I'm an adult now."

For some reason, that seemed to calm him down. His father smiled softly and nodded, shoving me in the car and running to grab his daughter. Demise grinned in return, holding the gun a bit more confidently now. "You still want to mess with my family?"

The men he was fighting with eventually left and we did the same, Demise laying in the back seat with his head in my lap. I brushed my fingers through his hair, staring at his bruised face with a frown.

"We should take him to a hospital." I eyes his father in the mirror. He kept looking back at demise to make sure he was okay.

"I'll patch him up at the hotel."

"Explain what happened back there to me."

"I will once he's safe. I'm really proud of him after today."

"Proud of him?"

"I may have not wanted him to turn out like me but he's got the part of me that matter the most. No matter who he chooses to be, I'm happy he's my son."

I saw Demise smile, his eyes opening as he held a finger over his lips, telling me not to reveal that he wasn't actually asleep. "I assume you two have made up then?"

"I sure hope so. I should apologize for yesterday."

"Im glad you're my dad." Demise sat up and rubbed his eyes. "So leave the pity party, alright?"

"Are you okay?" I asked him, making him turn back toward me so I could keep looking at his face.

"You've been checking to make sure I am for the past hour of the drive." He pushed my hands away from him gently.

"Your eyebrow is busted open."

"I'm fine. Dad, take me to Caine's place."

"I thought you and Caine weren't on good terms." Jasmine turned around in her seat. "Didn't you two get in a fight once he could put you were dating Az?"

"Yeah, but we worked it out."

"Who's Caine?" I asked.

"My best friend before I met you. I called and let him know you and I would be going to his place. The reason I was wearing a suit today's because I went to his birthday party."

"You wear suit's to birthday parties?"

"For rich people, yeah." We arrived at a tall apartment building, though I had to help Demise into the elevator. He leaned against the wall to keep his balance as it began moving. "Caine seems like an asshole until you get to know him, so don't let it bother you."

"How long are we staying here?"

"He just wanted to make sure I'm okay, Dad will pick us up and take us to the hotel room in a few hours."

The elevator stopped and a man with black hair stood in front of the opening doors, arms crossed and a scowl on his face. "Follow me."

"Is that him?" I whispered to Demise as we did what we were told, to which he laughed.

"This is one of the guards, Lucas."

"I told you to call me Luke." The older man opened a door labeled D54 and helped Demise inside. "Call me if it's needed."

The apartment had a balcony, every single item of furniture being either black or white. A large Australian shepherd sat beside the couch, staring at both of us. "I see you two found your way just fine." A man that could've have been over twenty stepped over to the dog, resting a hand on its head as Demise ran to hug him.

"Caine!"

I eyed him up and down. He looks oddly put together. His hair is blonde and tied back into a loose bun at the back of his head. He wore a suit similar to Demise's but white.

"What did you do this time?"

"As if I'd tell you! All I'll get out of that is another lecture."

"Fair enough. Now get off of me and go grab the first aid kit from the bathroom."

"Wha-?! But I'm hurt! Shouldn't you get it?"

"If you have the strength to hang off of me like this then I'm sure you can walk ten feet down the hall."