settle down // josh dun {2}

f i v e

IF THERE'S TWO EARTHS, IT COULD BE A DIFFERENT ME TOO.

Various people in my life wondered why I allowed myself to be walked all over and treated like shit, especially by Parker. The hockey team believed that I was just too weak to stand up for myself. Hayley believed that I was brainwashed by Parker to believe he was a saint. Neither one of those theories were true.

I knew Parker Axton had his faults. I did as well, but what nobody would ever understand was that if I stood up to Parker, hockey would be taken away from me. The one thing I adored in this entire world would be ripped from my grasp the moment Parker uttered the name Taylor in the locker room. Kids would run to their parents and then the parents would run to the school, resulting in Declan Gray getting kicked off the team.

Hockey was all I had in my life and I refused to lose it just by telling Parker Axton off; however, there were times where I spoke out of turn, causing me to get punished like a couple of days ago in the bathroom. Only this time, I was shoved into my locker.

"Will you please just get off my back?"

The words left my mouth before I could truly think about the consequences.

Normally, I just toned Parker's words out of my head whenever he tried to discuss my hockey performance. I was trying my best, so why did I have to listen to his harsh words when they weren't even going to help?

But the moment he suggested that maybe my performance was getting worse because I was getting too in touch with my "feminine side" I slammed my textbooks down onto the tile and turned to him with anger in my eyes. I uttered the words without hesitation and I could see Parker's eyes darken.

Next thing I knew, I was being shoved into my locker and the bell to be in class was ringing. Parker took off down the hallway quickly, not wanting to be caught for actions and leaving me on the verge of a panic attack as a result of me hating small spaces.

If my brain wasn't on overdrive, I probably would have thought of notifying one of the stray kids late for class that I was currently stuck in a tight prison. However, I could barely form a full thought as tries began to stream down my face.

It felt like something was crushing my chest and my breathing was coming out in short gasps although I knew I was getting enough oxygen.

I forced myself to take deep breaths, something my therapist used to always tell me, and tried to think my way out of the situation I managed to get myself into.

I only had two options. One involved hoping to god that my accounting teacher sent someone looking for me once she realized that I was missing from her class. The second option involved just making as much noise as possible until someone came and found me.

The second option was most likely to produce results quicker.

So I began to kick my foot against the locker door as hard as I could muster due to the tight space. Yelling would be the best noise, but my breathing had yet to return back to normal.

What if someone actually didn't find me until the next class? What if a teacher actually found me? That would involve coming up with a story about how I got into the locker without giving away Parker's role. What if Parker was the one who came back for me?

The what ifs instantly stopped as footsteps could be heard down the hallway.

Oh, thank God although I don't believe in you.

However, I definitely wasn't expecting my savior to have bright red hair.

"Get me out of here, please," I told him as our eyes made contact through the small gaps on the locker door.