Trapped (Book 2 of Seaweed Brain and Ghost Girl)

If You Stay

Previously...

"Oh....ok. Well...if that's what you really want then ok. We'll do that, we can move in together but no relationships at all. I can live with that." Emery said and slowly backed away.
~~
Cammy saw the hurt and pain in Emery's eyes. She suddenly realized what she did wrong. She reached her hand out but saw how far away her now ex-girlfriend/best friend was.

Unknown to Cammy, Emery was crying. Emery walked into her cabin and walked passed Kyle, who was sleeping. She walked straight into the bathroom and locked the door.

Tears wouldn't stop flowing, her heart rate was so fast, she was having a panic attack. In and out, in and out, breath slowly, calm down. She kept telling herself.

But she couldn't. She was in a drunken state, everything was dizzy and hazey. She reached from under the cabinet and held her only true friend. A blade.

At least it will always stay with me. At all times, when has it failed me? Never. When I need it, it's always there for me.

Slice.

Was I not good enough for Cammy, or Nico?

Slice.

That's probably why they both don't want me anymore.

Slice.

It went on and on after that. Too many to count. And Kyle was getting worried. He had to use the bathroom and stopped when his sock covered feet touched something wet on the floor.

He looked down and saw red. Red, the color of roses. Red the color of blood. He shoved his shoulder into the door, trying oh so desperately to open the door.

Emery heard her big brother's cries from the other side of the door but did nothing. She laid her head back and bled out. Kyle finally bursted down the door with water and saw his sister at her worst.

"Shit. Fuck, fuck, fuck! Emery why the hell would you do this?!" Kyle said.

She gave no reply. Her eyes were droopy and bloodshot from tears. Kyle picked her up and ran. The infirmary was the first place on his mind.

No one was outside, which was great. No one would see what happened, Emery would have wanted it that way.

Downfall. Nico was talking to Will outside the infirmary. Kyle was going to take his chances anyway.

"Will! Help Emery please!" He yelled.

Will dropped everything and ran towards him. The son of Apollo grabbed onto Kyle's sister and ran off with her into the infirmary.

He set her on a bed and closed the curtain. Kyle and Nico stood outside waiting for Will to come out.

"What the hell happened to her, Jackson. Explain what happened to my- to Emery." Nico growled and corrected himself.

Kyle gave a sass face. "Great, so now you give two shits about my sister. You finally see what you missed when she's hurt. Newsflash, it's not gonna happen. I'm tired of her getting hurt. I don't know how or when she ever felt this way but she does. So just leave her alone." Kyle snapped.

"Look! You don't understand why I left her! I left her because I loved her, but I couldn't have her. I thought Cammy would do a better job at loving her the way I do but I guess not. I still love Emery, no matter what. So I'm sorry if I actually love your sister." Nico said and walked into the operation.

Will was done with the stitches and bumped into Nico. The blonde boy smiled weakly.

"You can see her now. She's just asleep." was all he said and walked out.

Nico walked to the bed and sat down. He brushed a few strands away out of Emery's face.

"Why would you do this to yourself?" he whispered.

".........because love sucks. I will never find love. I tried Nico, she left me and shattered me. I thought I was good enough for her. I wasn't. I didn't expect to be, and I hoped I was wrong. But my nightmare happened. I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough for you, or anyone Nico... I'm sorry."

Tears ran down the 14 year old girl's face. She didn't know it but Nico did. He kissed her forehead and decided not to leave. She rolled on her side and Nico curled up behind her.

The son of Hades whispered to Emery as she slept next to him.

"Don't worry. You'll always be enough for me. I just hope you see that I'm trying for you."

She stayed there unmoving. Nico was so scared that he would hurt her if he moved away. Like, if at any moment she would shatter. She was so fragile, so precious.
~~
The next day Emery sat there playing Mythomagic with Nico. She beat him twice, he beat her three times. It was fun nonetheless.

He smiled at her, she wasn't perfect, but she was better. He leaned his head on her legs, being at the foot of her bed, and talked.

"So when are you gonna start college?"

Emery froze. He knew? She thought. She toughened it out and shrugged.

"I'm going to Camp Jupiter to become a praetor until college starts. Frank will take my position if he stays during the school year, if not then I could take my classes there and still be praetor." The black-haired girl spoke shyly.

He nodded. "Do you know what you're going to study?"

She nodded. "Yeah uh, I'm studying marine biology, forensic science in deductions, and in my spare to to keep fit, swimming." She stared out of a nearby window and zoned out.

Nico shook her slightly. Emery flinched and relaxed. She smiled at him, knowing he had more questions.

"Did you, I don't know, ever consider staying at camp? And continue going to junior high through high school?" Nico asked with hope.

Emery saw the desperation in his eyes but didn't push it. She sighed and shook her head. "Cammy said that we should be counselors here, but I don't think it's for me. Kyle or Percy could do that and the kids would love them. Me? C'mon. I've lost my touch, I used to be so carefree. Now? Not so much." She wanted to be like the old days.

Nico shook his head and gave her some water. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and left.

She turned over and saw a bottle of red pills.

"The blue ones you take, you will wake up and believe whatever you want. Take the red pills, and you stay in your wonderland."

Nico surely didn't leave these for me, right? No he wouldn't, he doesn't even let me take painkillers.

I held the bottle in my hands. I opened it and took one. My eyes flashed and I was suddenly somewhere else.