Burnt Out

☆Remember☆

Ray

"Fuck, are you okay?" Scar's voice echoed in the empty gym.

As Scar lifted me to my feet, concern etched deep lines into his usually stoic expression. I groaned as a fresh wave of nausea and dizziness washed over me, threatening to pull me back into the darkness.

With gentle hands, Scar guided me to his office, where I gratefully sank onto the couch, the cool leather a welcome relief against my clammy skin. Before Scar could voice his million questions, the door swung open, and Seren burst into the room, looking worried.

"Ray, what happened?" she demanded, her eyes scanning my body for any sign of injury.

Scar's hand found its way to Seren's waist, pulling her closer in a gesture of comfort that did not go unnoticed by me. My mind reeled at the sudden shift in their dynamic—had I been so consumed by my own troubles that I had failed to notice...This...Whatever it was that was going on between them.

As I lay there, I couldn't help but marvel at the sight before me. Before Scar went MIA, he and Seren were inseperable, which is understandable since they were childhood bestfriends. But upon his return, things had changed. Seren's anger towards Scar had been palpable.

Now that I think about it, Scar has been less grumpy lately. This must be the reason why. Seren must have forgave him.

I lifted my head up slightly fom the couch to speak, "I'm fine guys. I just forgot to eat today."

Scar glared at me and I knew what was coming next—the inevitable lecture.

With a resigned sigh, I let my head fall back onto the couch, tuning him out. But then, his next words caught my attention.

"Maybe I should talk to your parents."

Anger ignited within me. How dare he? He didn't know the details of what went on behind closed doors, but he knew that it wasn't good.

Before I could unleash the full force of my fury upon him, my phone rang, Hayden's name flashing across the screen.

His directness caught me off guard, "Where are you?"

I told him that I was at Scar's gym but then I mentally shook my head. How would he know which gym was Scar's, but before I could provide him with a clear location, he hung up abruptly.

Strange.

Turning my attention back to Scar, I fixed him with a steely glare of my own. "You are not talking to my parents," I stated firmly, the words laced with a warning that left no room for argument.

As Scar let out an exasperated groan and ran a hand down his face, my heart clenched with guilt. I didn't want him to be annoyed with me, but he had to understand to leave my parents out of this.

Besides, I did take care of myself, or at least I tried to. It's just that sometimes, it was hard to take care of myself when finding reasons to even keep going seemed like an impossible task.

"Scar..." Seren warned. 

I shot her a grateful look.

Even before, whenever Scar brought up the topic of my parents, Seren had always been quick to intervene if it got too much . She never pushed me to open up, never prodded too deeply into the wounds that I kept hidden beneath the surface.

In the beginning, she had tried to break through my walls, to coax me into sharing the burden of my pain. But as time passed, she had come to realize that some wounds ran too deep, that my silence was a fortress that even she couldn't get through. She learned to respect my boundaries, to offer her support in silent gestures rather than probing questions. 

"I do take care of myself, okay," I murmured, my voice tinged with a mixture of frustration and exhaustion. "It's just... sometimes..."

Scar's eyes softened and he opened his mouth to speak but he was cut off by the door flying open once again. This time it was Hayden walking in with a plastic bag in his hand.

His gaze fell on my hand, "What happened to your hand?"

He rushed to my side, concern etched deep lines into his usually composed expression. His gaze fixed on my battered knuckles, and a furrow formed between his eyebrows as he took in the damage.

Scar and Seren exchanged a glance, a silent acknowledgment of the oversight that had gone unnoticed amidst the chaos of the moment. I could see a hint of remorse in Scar's eyes, a realization dawning upon him that he had been too preoccupied with lecturing me to notice my injuries.

Without a word, Scar reached for the first aid kit, but before he could even grasp it, Hayden snatched it from his hand, surprising both Scar and myself with the suddenness of his action. Scar's mouth dropped open in disbelief, mirroring my own shock.

Meanwhile, Seren wore a thoughtful expression, her gaze fixed on Hayden with a curious intensity. "Isn't this that boy that you brought over when you were younger?" she asked, her voice laced with intrigue.

Scar absentmindedly nodded in agreement, his attention still fixated on Hayden's unexpected display of protectiveness.

What?

"Don't you remember? You used to call him angel boy," She continued.

Hayden who was sitting beside me tending to my injuries stiffened.

Angel?

My eyes widened in realization.

Fuck.

How could I forget him?

Now it all made sense. How he knew where to find me. It was because he had been here before.

I looked at Hayden only to find him already looking at me.

"Angel," I whispered under my breath.

He let out a breath, his gaze never leaving mine. "Hi," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Hi," I echoed.

Scar coughed loudly, making us turn our attention towards him. Seren and Scar offered to drop me home, but before I could respond, Hayden spoke up.

"I'll take her home," he stated firmly, his gaze unwavering as he met my eyes.

I nodded in agreement.

Scar's expression flickered with protest, but he held his tongue.

Once Hayden was done bandaging my hand he gave me the plastic he had brought with him. I peered inside the platic bag to find an assortment of my favourite drinks.

"How did you know that these were my favourite?" I asked.

"You always drink them at school," Hayden replied, his tone casual yet filled with warmth. "Also, one time I came over to your house when you threw a party, and your fridge was full of these."

I looked at him in awe. He had taken note of the small details about me. I never thought someone would do that.

As we made our way towards the door, I glanced back at Scar and Seren, offering them a small smile

"We'll talk about this later," I chuckled, gesturing between them, a playful glint in my eye.

Seren blushed, a shy smile gracing her lips, while Scar rolled his eyes in mock exasperation. But beneath his facade of indifference, I could see the flicker of a smile.

With Hayden by my side and the two people I loved most in the world being happy together, I felt a glimmer of hope stir within me. Maybe, just maybe, things could be okay.

I hope I'm not wrong...