SAVED ☆ Bang Chan [COMPLETED]

25

“You ready?” Chan looks grim but determined as he turns to face me, his trolley case leaning against line infront of our school’s gate.

I nod once, taking a deep breath which falters and comes out shaky, reflecting the tight coil of nerves in the pit of my stomach. Chan slips his hand into mine and squeezes my fingers gently as if to ease my anxiety, and I smile up at him gratefully as he pulls his phone out of his pocket. His thumb hovers over the screen and he pauses to look at me.

“You know they’re probably going to ask to speak to you?” Chan asks softly, a gentle smile on his bare face. “Is that okay? 

“Yeah. I can do it. It’s the only way out,” I reply, squeezing his hand back. His smile growing, Chan leans forward and presses a kiss to my temple before his thumb deftly dances over the screen and he raises it to his ear, his favourite silver arrow dangling from his lobe.

A short moment later, Chan hands the phone to me and I gulp down my nerves before answering the officer’s questions. Surprisingly, the man on the other end is very gentle and understanding, and I find myself spilling out everything, feeling a huge burden that I didn’t even know I had, softly lifting itself from my shoulders.

“Okay, love. We’re going to get the social services to come around to your house in a short while. Make sure you stay out of the house until then if your mother is home, and we’ll call you again to tell you that they’ve arrived. Can you do that for me?” The man asks me with his gentle voice. “Oh, I’m Dominic, by the way.”

“I can do that. Thank you so much,” I say before he hangs up and I pass the phone back to Chan.

I sink against the gate, breathing heavily as Chan comes to stand infront of me. I look up at him, smiling faintly at his familiar figure; the all black outfit, his huge hoodie engulfing his body, his cap casting a dark shadow over his face. He looks so ... so homely , that I almost tear up.

“What did he say?” Chan asks me, cupping my face in his hands. I lean into his touch as his thumbs caress my cheeks, sending waves of heat through my body.

“He told me that the social services will be down in a bit. And that I shouldn’t go into the house unless she’s not home,” I say. “Can we go and get the last of my things though? Mother shouldn’t be back until later.”

"But sweetie he said not to go back there until they're there … "

"Please? It'll only take five minutes. And then I won't have to go back after, I can get out quickly."

Chan sighs and then nods, sliding a hand down my body to hold my hand. “Okay. But I’m coming in with you.”

I smile in response and he shakes his head softly at me, squeezing my hand again.

Together, we walk down the streets and reach my house, my mother's familiar, battered car nowhere to be seen. I breathe a sigh of relief. I unlock the door and head inside, covering my nose as the stale, smoky stench hits me. From Chan’s polite attempt at covering his aghast expression it's evident the haze has reached him aswell.

“Shit,” Chan murmurs, tripping over an empty vodka bottle.

I reach out a hand to steady him, his hoodie soft beneath my fingers. “Be careful. There are hazards all over the place. Apart from my room,” I add, grimacing.

Chan frowns, his heartbroken eyes glistening as they take in the dingy surroundings. “I just … this is worse than I imagined.”

I raise his hand to my face and kiss it. “Don’t feel bad. It’s not like this is your fault."

He smiles sadly and places his other hand on top of mine. “Come on. Let’s go get your things."

Nodding, I pull him up to my bedroom, collecting the left over clothes and art pieces before shoving them into my suitcase. I take a look around the room and I'm startled at how the cold room looks even more bare than before, and how little my belongings are. I swallow. I didn't realise just how depressing the room is; even the lighting is a dull shade of grey.