Checkmate || OUAT Fanfic || DISCONTINUED

Chapter 21; Bad Choices

"In the end it was the choice you made, and it doesn't matter how hard it was to make it. It matters that you did."

~ Cassandra Clare

-

Will's P.O.V

-

    The boy staring at me scares me. His hair is disheveled, littered with twigs and leaves. He stares back at me with red, emotionless eyes. He has a black eye and his jawline shows signs of bruising. No doubt that'll hurt for him tomorrow. Unfortunately for him, his lips aren't spared from the brutality as it is split. The blood seems to have stopped flowing but the wound still looks fairly new.

    I look down at his shirt, spotting a gaping tear in the fabric near his chest. His shirt is stained with blood, and it looks fresh, but the boy doesn't seem fazed by it. My eyes continue traveling down his torso, stopping at his hands. They're covered in blood. His knuckles are bloody and bruised like he's been in a fight recently. I bring my hand up to my lips, the boy mirrors my actions. The harshness of reality hits me like a blow to the face.

    I'm the boy standing in the grime-covered mirror.

    I reach to the side, grabbing a handful of paper towels from the nearby dispenser. Closing my eyes, I bring the paper towels to my face to dry it. I then crumple the damp towels up, dropping them into the dustbin under the skin. I grip onto the the sides of the dirty sink, forcing myself to look up.

    I groan, bringing my hand towards my jaw. I wince as I rub my jaw in an attempt to ease the pain. It just makes the pain worse.
    "You should've just stayed at home, William," I mumble to myself. "None of this would've happened if you just stayed put."
   My hands begin to shake. "What have I done?"

    The boy in the mirror doesn't respond. Why would he? He's a reflection. I bend over the sink, gripping the edge of the sink again. I take a deep breath, closing my eyes as I exhale. The toilet cubicle is silent, save the sound of the ceiling lights buzzing every few seconds. I wish I weren't so stupid. I wish I hadn't followed him into the parking lot that day. I wish-

    "Are you alright in there?"
   I jerk my head up at the sound of my partner's voice. "Yeah- Yeah, I'll be out in a minute."
   "I'll be heading back now. It might be suspicious if we arrived back in town at the same time," he continues. "You remember what I told you, right?"
   "Yeah, don't say a word to the others."

   "Especially your family. Family must never be involved."
    I nod. "I know."
   "Remember, not a word."
   I guess he must've taken my silence as an answer as I hear him walk away from the toilet. I close my eyes again, counting the seconds as they pass by. I'm in no rush to get back anyway. Seconds turn into minutes and minutes turn into hours.

    I'm jarred out of my trance-like state at the sound of my phone vibrating in my pocket. I reach into my pocket, pulling out my phone. My hand shoot up as the bright light from my phone screen shines into my eyes.
    Fifty missed calls. A hundred and forty-two messages.
    I quickly type in my password, my eyes skimming over the various messages that my family sent me.

    But only one of them catches my attention. It's a text that Alice sent me a few hours ago.

    "Cas is missing."

    My eyes widen when I read those words. It can't be Rodriguez he- I stop as my phone vibrates yet again. It's another text from Alice. But the message is different this time. I immediately grab my bag as soon as my eyes skim over the words, rushing out of the toilet. I sprinting towards the motorcycle, not bothering to take my helmet out of my backpack.