The Last Chance Book 2

Chapter 16

TW: Mentions of Animal & human blood

He slowly looks down at his hands and immediately becomes terrified. His hands are covered in animal blood. He closes his eyes trying to stay calm but it's not working. He opens his eyes and looks back down at his blood covered arms and hands. He starts to get flashbacks from when he was covered in his own blood. He shakes his head. He's starting to have a hard time telling the past from the present. He tries to wipe the blood off of his hands but it doesn't work. He starts to cry. " Get it off. Get it off of me. It's like it's my own blood. It's like what happened the first day of junior year. Get it off of me. I don't want to see these images in my head " he says loudly. He looks around at everyone and they are all staring at him. Some even look at him with pity. Several of them are taking pictures.
He's so terrified and he doesn't know what to do. He looks down at his hands again and watches as they start to shake. His breath quickens. He wants everything to stop. Why do people do this to him. " NuNew. Let's go inside " he hears Max say as he touches him. He immediately backs away from him. Tripping and falling to the ground when he does. " I can't do this. I can't do this. To much is happening. First Nate tried to attack me and how I'm covered in blood. I can't do this " he shouts loudly. Making everyone become silent. He turns to the media. " I told you I don't want to have anyone here! I said I was afraid and now look. I'm covered in animal blood and the only thing I can think of is picturing myself in my own blood " he shouts again. " This is all Noah's fault! He started everything! He even leaked my address even though he lives close " he says shouting. He hits the ground hard. He only stops when he hears Zee's voice. " New, baby look at me. Don't do that ok. Remember what happened when you did that last time ". He slowly turns to where his voice was. When he does he sees Zee. he looks down at his hands before looking back up. " Hia. Im scared. I can't do this. I just want to have a peaceful day. Just one day " he says crying. Zee slowly walks up to him and grabs his hands gently. He tries to get his hands out of his grasp but Zee's to strong. " Hia it's dirty. Don't ". Zee just shakes his head. " I'm not going to let go baby. You are scared. We're going to fix this and get you all cleaned up ok. In order to do that I need you to come inside. Everyone's waiting inside for you " Zee says gently. It takes a while but he eventually nods his head slowly as Zee helps him stand up before pulling him inside.
As soon as he gets inside they close the door. He just continues to look at his shaking bloody hands. " NuNew let's have you go take a shower ok " he hears his mother say from next to him. Making him flinch a little. He just nods before walking towards his room and into his bathroom. His mother hands Zee a pair of pajamas for him to change into after he showers " I'll be right outside of the bathroom while you shower ok baby " Zee says. He nods before closing the bathroom door. When he gets inside he looks into the mirror. It's all over his head and chest. He's upset that the blood is on Zee's now ruined hoodie. He quickly takes it off and sets it on the counter. He then turns on the shower before taking the rest of his bloody clothes off.
He then gets into the shower and immediately starts to wash the blood off of his hands and arms before he washes the blood out of his hair. He scrubs harshly at his skin several times to make sure it's off of his skin. However no matter how clean his body is. He still feels like it's dirty.
He's in the shower for a little over 20 minutes just trying to make himself feel clean. He eventually gives up. He dries himself off before putting on the pajamas. When he opens the door Zee immediately comes over to him. He notices Zee's hands are now cleaned. He can feel himself wanting to cry by he stops himself. He doesn't want to cry anymore today. He just watches as Zee slowly pulls him into a hug. " Are you a little better after the shower " Zee asked. " I still feel dirty. Why would someone do that. Why would they through blood on me " he says as a few tears fall from his eyes. Zee pulls away from the hug and wipes away the tears. " I don't know why they would. I only know that I will be here and help you go through anything that happens. If you want you can even reveal that I'm your boyfriend. So you won't go through this alone ". Zee says. His eyes widen and he quickly shakes his head. " No. I don't want Hia to go through this. Please don't make yourself go through this Hia " he says quickly. Zee just gently caresses his cheek. " Ok I won't. Don't worry I won't do anything you don't want me to " he says in a quiet and gentle tone. Making him relax a little more. Zee then grabs his hands and looks at them. They're a little bruised but luckily not scratched up like last time. " I'm sorry Hia. I don't know how to control myself and not hit the ground. I've never been like this and I " Zee interrupts him. " It's ok baby. We can work on finding ways to help you. As for now we can have your mother put some ointment to help with the swelling ok ". He just nods while Zee gently guides him into the living room with everyone else. When they get there he hears Max's dad say into his phone " I want a lot of security here immediately so nothing like this will happen again. We don't have enough at the house ". He watches at Max's father hangs up the phone a little angry. It makes him nervous. However he sees the anger immediately disappear as they make eye contact. He immediately looks down. " NuNew I'm going to have as many people here as I can to help keep the house safe. The person who did that to you is in police custody
right now ". All he can do is just nod. " Can someone help out ointment onto NuNew's hands. They're a little swollen. He watches as his mother grabs the first aid kit. " Come sit on the couch NuNew ". He goes to walk to her but stops when Zee doesn't follow him. So he quickly walks back to him and grabs his arm. " Do you want me to stay with you ". He nods. " Please " he says quietly. Zee nods before guiding him over to the couch and sitting next to him. His mother kneels down in front of him. " Can I grab your hands NuNew " his mother asked. He nods and lets her grab them. " Thank you for asking mom " he says quietly. His mother just gives him a gentle smile before she looks at his knuckles. When his mother lets go of his hands she grabs a green tube of ointment. " This should help with the swelling and help reduce any pain if you have any. Ok " his mother says. He nods before watching her put the ointment on his hands. However he hates the feeling. It's reminding him on the blood. When his mother is done putting the ointment on his hands she lets go. He immediately grips onto his pants. Telling himself that it's medicine to help his hands. He closes his eyes and bites his lip. " NuNew what's wrong. Are you in pain ". When he opens his eyes he looks down at his hands and he sees the blood again. He knows it's not real but he quickly stands up before rushing into the hallway bathroom. He turns on the sink and scrubs at his hands harshly trying to get the ointment off of his hands. Trying to stop imagining the blood on his hands. No matter how hard he tried not to he starts to cry. He's so frustrated. He just wants to get the feeling off of him. No matter how hard he scrubs at his skin it just won't go away.
Zee has to pull his hands away from the sink. He tries to get away from him to continue to scrub at his skins. " Let me go " he shouts. He struggles for a while before he eventually stops struggling. When he does he falls to the floor. Luckily Zee catches him and helps him gently sit down. " It won't come off. It's dirty. No matter how hard I scrub it doesn't come off. I keep seeing myself covered in my own blood. I don't want to see these images anymore " he says angrily while crying. Zee just holds him against his chest while rubbing his back. Trying to comfort him. His parents are standing at the bathroom door in tears. Everyone is in tears. Even Max's father is in tears.
It takes him nearly an hour to calm down. The entire time Zee was comforting him on the ground. " Do you want to go lay down until dinner is ready " Zee asked gently. He just nods his head. Zee helps him stand up before helping him walk towards his room. He then lays down in the bed. His mother follows them into the room. " NuNew. Is there something that you want me to make for dinner. Anything that you miss me cooking for you " His mother asks. He thinks for a while before saying. " Can you make Tom Yum Soup " he asked quietly. She nods before heading out of the room and closing the door. Zee lays down on the bed next to him. He then pulls him onto his chest. He listens to Zee's heartbeat. It helps him calm down.
Zee gently plays with his hair. Making him smile a little. They stay in a peaceful quiet for a long time. Just enjoying each other's company. He knows Zee is giving him time to completely calm down and to feel peaceful like he's said he wanted for a long time.
He's incredibly grateful to have Zee by his side to support him. He's been constantly supporting him since the day they met. He's helped him in so many ways. Zee constantly cheers him up whenever he's not doing well and he's incredibly patient with him.
" What are you thinking so hard about " Zee asked quietly. He takes a couple of deep breaths and says " About us " he says quietly. " What about us " Zee asked still gently playing with his hair. He looks up at him. " It's embarrassing to say it to you " he says. Earning a laugh from Zee. " Come on you can say it. I won't make fun of you " Zee says. He moves off of Zee's chest and sits up. Zee sits up as well. " I'm thinking about how lucky and grateful I am to have you as my boyfriend " he says quietly as his face turns a bright shade of red. " Since the first day we met you have constantly helped me. You've been patient and understanding. You love me even with how much Trauma I have. You make me feel safe just by being with me. When I lay down on your chest and listen to your heartbeat It calms me down " he says quietly looking down at his hands. He only looks up when he feels the bed moving. Zee is now really close to him. Making his heart skip a beat. Zee brings up one of his hands and places it on his cheek. He gently caresses his cheek with his thumb. " I love you so much NuNew. I love you for who you are and who you will become. I am grateful for you liking me back. You have brought so much joy in to my life and you've shown me love " Zee says. He smiles and he doesn't know how he got the courage to do it. But he leans in and kisses Zee on the lips. It's a short and sweet kiss but it's one filled with so much love. It's one that shows him that there's something worth continuing this fight against Nate and the others.
Before they can say anything else there is a knock at the door and he scoots away from Zee before the door opens. When the door opens he sees Nat holding July. " Your mom told me to come get the both of you for dinner " he says. His eyes widen. " How long has it been since we came in here ". He looks between Zee and Nat. " Around 3 hours ".
" I was thinking that long " he says. Making Zee laugh. " That's why I asked you what you were thinking about ". He puts his hands over his face. " That makes everything more embarrassing Hia. Why didn't you mention how long I was thinking ". Zee just laughs before getting off the bed. " Nat come sit here I wanna talk with you for a minute. Hia shut the door on your way out ". Zee laughs. " I know what you're going to talk about so why can't I just stay " Zee says teasing him. " Hia! You said you wouldn't make fun of me " he says pouting. Zee just laughs as he walks out of the room. Nat quickly walks over to him, letting July go to his lap. " What did you talk with him about that made your face this red " Nat asked. He covers his face with his hands. " I'm so embarrassed Nat! I was thinking about how I was grateful for Zee and apparently I was thinking about that for a long time cause he asked me and I said it's embarrassing and then he convinced me to tell him so I did. And then he said he loves me and he'd be here with me " he says quickly. " That's not all is it ". He bites his lip and nods. " You kissed him " Nat says. He quickly covers Nat's mouth with his hands. " Shhhh! They might hear you. I'm so embarrassed right now Nat! ". He slowly removes his hands off of Nat's mouth. Nat just starts laughing. " You might be embarrassed but he totally fell more in love with you because of how cute that was ". He jokingly shoved Nat. " Of course that's the only thing you take away from what I just said ". They both laugh until it becomes a little tense in the room. " How are you  doing NuNew. I wanted to rush over to you but the some of the guards dragged me inside of the house. They did the same with Max. All I could do was watch from the tv and hope that Zee could get you to focus on him. I got scared that you would start to look for me and need me ". He grabs Nat's hand. " I would have wanted the guards to do that even if I needed you. If I needed you and they said you were inside I would have rushed over to you " he says quietly. " How are you feeling though. And please be honest ". He looks down at his and Nat's hands. " I'm not doing good. I can still feel it on my hands and arms. When the ointment was out on my hands. It felt so similar to how the blood felt " he says smiling at Nat while holding tears back. He doesn't even know why he's trying to smile when Nat can see right through him. " I kept repeating in my head that it's just medicine and not the blood. I closed my eyes and when I opened them I just saw the blood. It was like it was still on me and I panicked " he starts to cry. Nat pulls him into a hug. " I'm so sorry. I wish I can help you but I don't know how to " Nat says as he cries. " You're already helping me a lot Nat. Just by listening to me talk about it you are helping ". He pulls away from the hug. He wipes away Nat's tears while Nat wipes away his. They both laugh a little bit. " We should go. Everyone's probably wondering what's taking to long " he says and as if on cue both Max and Zee walk into the room. Causing him and Nat to laugh. " What's taking so long. Dinner was " Max stops talking when he sees both him and Nat with puffy eyes. " Did you guys cry " Zee says. Zee and Max rush over to them and check on them. " We're fine. We just had a small talk about earlier ". He says. Both Zee and Max look at him not really believing him. He just stands up. " I'm really fine. Talking with Mat actually helped me feel a bit better " he says with a smile. Only then do Zee and Max relax. " Let's go eat dinner guys " he says before grabbing Nat's hand walking with him to the dining room table. Him and Nat sit down next to each other. Zee and Max them sit next to them. When he looks up he notices everyone staring at him and Nat. " We're ok. We just cried for a little bit when talking with each other about earlier. And before you say if I'm telling the truth. I am. We are really ok. Nat just helped me feel better ". Everyone nods before the pass the food out to everyone. Nat puts some of the soup into his bowl. So he thanks him. Everyone including Max's father is here eating dinner together.
Halfway through the dinner he quietly says " Can we tell them how each day of the trial will work so they're prepared. Or are we not allowed to talk about that ". Everyone looks at him. He just continues to move around the food in his bowl. " We can talk about what will happen each day. What we can't talk about is what we talked after Mrs.T explaining what happens each day ". He nods his head. " I mostly just want to let everyone know that they will be presenting all of the evidence they have. Which means there will be pictures and videos. As well as my journals. I want you guys to prepare to see that because I know it will be hard. I also want to say that I don't know how I will react tomorrow. Not only do I have to see and listen to everything. I have to do all of that with them in the same room as me. Which is terrifying as it is. But after what's happened today. With Nate rushing over to me saying he's going to kill me as well as ".
He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before continuing. " As well as the animal blood situation. I don't think I will react to everything in an ok way ". He looks up when he hears Max's father start to speak. " There will be a break half way through so you won't have to sit through everything in one go ". He nods " Tomorrow I'm going to pick up Max, Nat and NuNew around 10:30 am. The rest of you will be picked up at the same time in a van. As for NuNews parents they will be taken in a separate car to Mrs.Betty's house to pick her up. It's unknown if her daughter will be coming at all. We aren't going to have you guys take your own cars for safety reasons. Max Nat and NuNew will all have at least one guard with them at all times so no one can hurt them ". Everyone nods.
The rest of dinner is mainly his parents and Max's father talking. When dinner is over it's 8:00 pm. Feeling tired he says " I'm going to head to my room. I'm feeling tired. I'll see you tomorrow " he says the last part to Max's father. He puts his bowl into the kitchen sink before heading to his room. July follows him into his room. He closes the door to his room once she's inside. July immediately heads to his bed. He walks over to her and pets her for a little while. Saying " I got to prepare an outfit for court tomorrow. Will you help me choose July ". As if she understands him she replies back with a meow. He smiles before Heading over to his closet and opening it. He takes out two sweaters. One's a light purple while the other is a dark brown color. He sets both of them on the ground for July to choose. " Which one should I choose July " he says as July walks over to the sweaters. She's looking at them for a little while before she steps on to the dark brown sweater. At the same time she does Zee comes into the room. Closing the door behind him. " What are you doing NuNew " Zee asked. He gives him a small smile before saying " Me and July are picking out my outfit for tomorrow " he says quietly. " That's really cute " Zee says. Successfully making him blush. He just try's to ignore the comment by picking up the light purple sweater. Putting it back into the closet. " Watch this Hia " he says to Zee before taking out to pair of pants. One is a black while the other one has a tan and light brown plaid design. He carefully sets them down. " Ok July which pants will look good with the brown sweater you chose ". July looks at the pants for a while before stepping on the pants with the plaid design. She then meows as if telling him this one. Both him and Zee laughs. " Ok that one it is then " he said as he picks up the black pants and puts them back into the closet before shutting it. He then looks over to see Zee filming him. Laughing he said " Hia why are you recording me ". He walks over to the camera and covers it. " It's because you're cute. You are picking out your outfit with the help of July " Zee says before ending the video. Zee then stands up and kisses him on the forehead before he walks over to his bag. He smiles before walking over to the sweater and grabbing it. He also grabs the pants once July walks off of them. He then walks over to his desk and sets it down. Zee walks over to him and sets down a pair of black jeans and a brown shirt. He smiles as he hears Zee say " We can match our outfits a little bit for tomorrow ". He nods. " I'd like that " he says quietly. Zee hugs him from behind, laying his head on NuNew's shoulder. " We should get some sleep for tomorrow. It's going to be a long day and hard day for you " Zee says. He nods his head. " I wish time could just stop. So we can stay like this for a long time " he says quietly. Zee responds by kissing his cheek. Making him giggle. Zee then pulls him over to the bed and has him lay down before he goes to turn off the lights.
He scoots towards the wall giving Zee some space to lay down in the bed. Once he sees that Zee is in a comfortable position he lays his head down onto Zee's chest. Listening to his heartbeat. Zee starts to gently play with his hair like he was doing before. He lets out a sigh of content. " Do you like when I mess with your hair like this " Zee quietly asked. " I do a lot. It's calming " he says before yawning. " Get some sleep NuNew. I'll wake you up when you need to get ready ". He just hums in response and closes his eyes. After about 15 minutes he falls asleep. Zee falls asleep not to long after him.

Word Count 4090

Wow longest chapter I wrote but I wanted to start off on the first court day in the next chapter. Which the next chapters will more than likely be really long.

Also for anyone wondering this is NuNews cat July. She doesn't really play with NuNew but I wanted to make her a emotional support animal