Call it Fate, Call it Karma

Brutal

Nikolai came into view, waving frantically as Julian and I sprinted down the street. There was a group of people starting to thin out, revealing a sight I wasn't hoping to see. Albert was sat up against a wall with a black eye and a busted lip. There was blood dripping down from a gash on his forehead on the left side of his face and Fab was knelt down beside him trying to keep him alert.

I sped up and aggressively pushed past a few people, then practically falling onto my knees beside him. "Albert! Are you okay?! For fucks sake!" I started to panic as I turned to Nikolai. "Do we call an ambulance?!" 

"Shows over, motherfuckers!" Julian shouted quite aggressively at a few people who were staring, making them awkwardly jog away in response.

"I don't know!" exclaimed Nikolai, joining me on the ground.

Albert opened his eyes and looked up at me sorrowfully. "Hey, Jade, I'm drunk...sorry?"

"Yes, I can see that!" I cried, holding his head in my hands. I searched for anymore cuts and bruises, but he didn't seem to have any other than the ones I could already see. "Albert, did you hit your head? Did he punch your head? Are you concussed?!"

Albert lazily shook his head. "No." He reached an arm up to touch his wound, then flinching and retracting his hand. He looked at the blood on his fingertips, looking quite surprised. "Ha, shit."

"The guy slashed his forehead with some keys or some shit." Fab explained. "It was quite brutal. He fled after that. Fucking coward."

Nick rushed out of the bar. "Thank god you're here!" he said, looking at Julian and I. "We've gotta go right now or he's calling the cops!"

I nodded, motioning for Fab and Nikolai to help me lift Albert up.

Nick grabbed Julians arm. "Jules, lets go get them a cab."

"This is so much worse than when your stupid ass got beaten up." I mumbled as I elbowed Fab. "Don't think I've forgotten that."

Fab chuckled as we dragged Albert over to a cab that Julian and Nick had stopped for us.

"You guys look tired." I said. "Go home, okay? Jules and I have got this."

Nick looked at Albert, and then up at me. "You sure?"

"Yeah, go on." I nodded with a smile. "Come over tomorrow though!"

"Of course!"

After putting Albert in the back of the cab, we all hugged each other goodbye and Julian and I got in. As we drove off, I turned around to watch the other 3 load into a cab behind us.

I lay Albert down on my lap and looked down at him with a sigh. "Maybe this wouldn't have happened if we'd have gone. I'm sorry, Jules."

"There you go again with the 'ifs'!"

"It's true though." I sighed.

"Is it really?" Julian frowned. "This could've happened while you were in the bathroom or something."

I thought back to the conversation we had earlier and sighed. "Ugh, you're right."

"When am I not?"

I elbowed him. "No need to get cocky."

"I can't wait to lecture Albert on this tomorrow." I said with a mischievous grin. "I'm gonna give him absolute hell."

Julian cheered. "A taste of his own medicine!"

"Quit talking shit." Albert slurred, lazily lifting his head. "Where...where are we?"

I gently pushed his head back down. "We're going home, Albie."

"My head hurts." he groaned.

"It'll hurt a lot more tomorrow." Julian laughed to himself as he stared out the window.  

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that he just let himself get completely wasted after he gets mad at us for it all the time." I sighed. "But then again...he did say he hasn't had fun in a while."

Julian scoffed. "You call getting beaten up fun?"

"You know what I mean, asshole."

Twenty minutes later, we managed to drag Albert up to our apartment door. We walked him inside and sat him down so Julian could get him a glass of water and so I could fetch the first aid kit.

Once Albert had drank his water and had a couple painkillers, I sat beside him on the couch and gently dabbed at his wounds with a disinfectant coated wipe. He flinched quite a lot, which didn't make it too easy for me, but I got it done in the end.

"Time for bed." I said with a yawn as I helped him up.

"Sleep in my room." he slurred. "I wanna talk."

"Sure." I sighed, turning to Julian, who was in the kitchen smoking. "Jules, you get my bed to yourself tonight."

Julian said nothing and nodded, almost seeming like he was bothered by what I'd said. I shrugged it off and lead Albert to his room.

Once I'd helped him get his shoes, pants and jacket off, we climbed into his bed.

"What did you wanna talk about, Albert? It can wait 'till tomorrow, because you're really fucked up right now." 

"I got drunk because I thought I wanted to have fun...but it wasn't so fun."

"Oh, yeah?" I stifled a laugh, looking at his bruised eye.

"I'm sorry." He looked away, seeming genuinely remorseful. "I know I'm being a bit hypocritical."

"It's okay."

"It would've been more fun with you there."

"You think so?"

He lazily nodded. "We should all get fucked up together here. So that way, no one gets into any trouble and we're all together."

"Oh, Albert." I laughed to myself, sinking under the covers with a yawn. "Goodnight."

A few hours later, the sound of the door opening woke me up. I look up confusedly, squinting my eyes as they adjusted to the dark. I froze when I saw a figure standing in the doorway, giving me a mini heart attack.

"I can't sleep." Julian's soft voice quickly calmed my nerves.

I moved over closer to Albert and lifted up the covers. "Come on."

Julian smiled and tiptoed over, sliding in beside me.

"You okay?" I whispered as I turned on my side to face him.

"I've been thinking too much." he said.

"About what?"

He paused, chewing on his bottom lip anxiously. "Can't say."

"Awww, Jules." I pouted. "Don't leave me hangin'!"

"I'm gonna have to this time."

I sighed, nuzzling into his chest. "Night."

"Goodnight."