Everglow

Chapter Seventeen: "What's Done is Done."

A/N: Just a quick note to say, if you've not noticed yet, I've changed up the character aesthetics a little bit and added some new ones to the extra characters too - so lemme know what you think!
(I've also changed the casting for
Adam Blakesley).

Anyway, enough from me.
Enjoy!!

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Rowan's POV

I averted my eyes from my eldest brother before he could see that I'd even acknowledged him walking through the door of the teacher's lounge, and instead I focused on pulling at the small thread that was hanging from the rip in my jeans.

It was all becoming a bit too overwhelming, from the throbbing pain in my face and the start of a headache lingering in the back of my skull along with Melissa's words echoing in my mind.

'Your dad and brothers are in some sort of gang.'

'They threaten, torture and kill people.'

'They're narcissistic misogynists. No wonder they've kept you in the dark about all this.'

I guess I was afraid that I'd look at my brother and suddenly see the very things Melissa was talking about. I didn't want to believe a word of hers, but something was itching at me, making me doubt my own beliefs. I let her get to me.

My thoughts came to a sudden end when a cold hand cupped my chin, forcing me to look up at the person who it belonged to. My green eyes locked with Aaron's concerned ones and a wave of relief washed over me when nothing about him seemed different. He was just my usual, slightly overbearing, older brother.

He leaned over me a little and turned my head to the side to get a closer look at the fresh stitches across my eyebrow.

My eyes flickered to Adam who was stood off-side behind Aaron, arms crossed over his chest and a hint of a concerned frown was showing on his face too.

"She did quite the number on you, huh?" Aaron muttered.

"Aaron.." I grabbed onto his wrist and pulled my head away, feeling self-conscious by the attention that was on me.

"I'm just making sure you're okay." He reached out again, this time brushing his thumb over the nasty looking bruise on my jaw.

"How'd that happen?" He tilted my head back a little more to get a better view of it.

"Knocked it on the edge of the sink."

He nodded in thought. "We'll put some ice on it when we get home."

"Can we go now?" I pushed his hand away from me again before he could see the tears pooling in my eyes.

The lingering headache I had was building up and all I wanted to do was go home and go to bed. Thankfully I was no longer feeling dizzy or shaky after the initial shock of everything that happened, but the word 'exhausted' was truly an understatement. Today turned out to be a complete shit show.

"Yeah." He straightened up, standing next to my English teacher. "Grab your things, I just need to chat to your principal quick."