Our Beginning | Mickey Altieri

Chapter Forty-Five

"Paul drove over at the drugstore to pick me up. I was done with my shift and closed the store early for just that day. I only stayed inside the sorority house throughout the party. Not outside."

All of a sudden, just all of a sudden, I was somehow afraid for Ryan. I felt scared for him for what he's going to say. It's stupid I tell you. Stupid! But I brought up the idea of giving him a chance to change and be better.
Dewey listened throughout his story. Mick glances at Ryan. I looked down and started to fiddle with my fingers in worry.

"And what I did...What I fucking did is regret. As I saw Y/n on a sofa with her friend, I suddenly brought them to an empty room—and did shit that scared them."

I ignore Dewey's eyes aiming at me. My fingers begin to twitch for a slight moment and Mick took notice. His hand laces with mine to stop, making me relieve all that heavy weight I held in.

"After I saw them run away from the room, I immediately realized what I did. Regret was all around me and I wanted to go and apologize, but I saw Mickey from a few feet away. So I stayed in the room for a while until I heard sirens and noticed them around from part of the sorority house."

"And you didn't know Cici was there?"

"No, sir. I never had her number. As I said, I haven't talked to her as much. But she was still a friend to me."

"And what happened at the room you were in?"

"Paul just slapped me to get myself back to realization. He knows about it too, but I would still get in trouble. And he keeps trying his best to get me out of it. Got me to therapy a few years back, giving me pills to relieve pain. Yet it happened again which made him upset and pissed off.
I stayed in that room until the party was over. He took me back to my apartment and I spent the time regretting what I did. I took pills to stop my headaches and passed out on my bed several minutes later."

Ryan and I began to make eye contact. The look of regret still shows on his eyes. The whole time he was interviewed, they look tired and slightly red. I can even see bags under his eyes. More than I already had.
I can no longer think that it's stupid to feel sad for the blondie—well, previously blonde. He has terrible issues he's been dealing with for years.

Without thinking, I suddenly got up from my seat, embracing him in a hug. I can tell he's shocked. And I can feel from behind that Mick and Dewey are too.
"It's fine, honest. I can understand what you're going through." I felt his arms twitch. He's hesitant to hug back.

A while after he finally hugged back. It was only for a quick second though.
"Thank...you." I heard him choke out his words before we parted.

A small smile appeared on his face, and it lasted longer than the hug. Dewey got up from his seat, telling Ryan that he's able to go.
"I think that's enough information to know. You're good to go."

"But what I said—shouldn't I be in huge trouble?"

"Well, what you did caused trouble and would've gotten Y/n to file a report-"

"I'm not going to." I look at Dewey, then back at Ryan. "I'm going to let him change. Whatever Paul did to help, please go back there again." I give him a nod that he follows.
"We gotta go. Mick has class." I give Ryan's shoulder a gentle squeeze before I left. I told Dewey I'll see him soon and took Mick's wrist as we left.

—

"I'm surprised you're going to let him change," Mick told me when we started going back to campus.

"I just understood what he's going through, you know?"

—

Once we arrived, I give him a quick kiss on the cheek and let him go to class. Grabbing the keys, I left the car to go back inside the dorm.