You Don't Even Know Me... (Bennoda)

Chapter Three

Mike's POV

My heart collapsed. My mind raced with thoughts. I mean...what was I supposed to think?

"Oh, my God!" I yelled, which suddenly seemed to startle him.

The boy I'd met just hours before, who I know nothing about goes out of his way to avoid me, and everyone...then ends up on the ground, beaten to death? What the hell?

"Hey..hey," I said, softly, kneeling down to meet the boys' eyes. I wrapped my arms around him carefully in an attempt to pick him up. He tried to reciprocate by standing up quickly.

"Fuck..." I heard him wince in pain softly under his breath. He kept a clutched hand around his stomach.

"Hey, hey..it's okay..just take it slowly."

I studied him with sad eyes. Even though I came to him as fast as I could to help, I knew I was seconds too late. I wasn't there to spare him the pain.

The boy was silent, obviously pained, so I threw his arm around my shoulder and led him down the drenched sidewalk to the parking lot.

We took quiet steps for a few minutes. I looked over and attempted to fill the still silence. "So...I guess it'd be good if I introduced myself, so we're not just strangers." I forced a chuckle to lighten the mood.

He forced as much of a smile he could when I glanced over. "I'm Mike," I started.

"I'm Chester," he spoke softly. It was the first time I'd actually heard him speak. It was actually a little relieving to know there was a soul behind his broken exterior.

"I like that name. Nice to meet you, Chester." I smiled, as we made our way to my car.

He suddenly looked confused. "Um.. w-where are we g-going?"

I unlocked the car and opened the door. "I'm taking you home."

I felt him sink a little and regress with disappointment. He sat down in the passenger side seat. "What's wrong?"

He was silent for a second. "I-I don't..really..wanna go home."

I got in the driver's seat and adjusted the mirrors. "Well, your parents should know you've been beaten!"

He looked down at his shoes. "You don't understand. It's...not like that at home."

I was confused. "What do you mean?"

"My parents... they wouldn't care." His tone of voice got softer with every word.

"Why the hell would your parents not care that you just got the shit beat out of you at school?" I said, boldly.

"Because they fucking hate me! They don't give a shit about me, okay?!" Chester yelled aggressively, the air in the car becoming still.

I paused for a second, realizing I'd gone too far. I shouldn't have pushed him to explain himself.

"Chester..." I spoke delicately. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come on so strong. I just can't imagine why your parents would treat you like you don't matter."

Chester's anger dissipated. "It's because I don't. They couldn't care less about me. My mother moved out right after I was born because she 'couldn't handle everything,' apparently." He fiddled with the holes in his jeans.

"My dad spends everyday drinking to forget about the fact that she's gone and uses me to expell his regrets and frustrations."

I couldn't believe what I heard. What a horrible home to grow up in, suffocated to never be yourself, and on top everything, having to face everyone at school.

"I'm so sorry, Chester. No one should ever have to go through that." I rested my hand on his leg.

He responded nervously to my sudden touch. "It's okay..." he whispered.

"No, it's not," I spoke up.

He looked puzzled and defensively at me. "Why do you care? You never cared before, neither did anyone else!" He yelled again.

"Chester...I do care. I don't like it when anyone has to go through pain..believe me, I know it all too well."

His face softened. "...you..do?" He muttered.

I looked down, ashamed. "Of course. You can't just assume I'm like all the other jackasses at this school."

I heard Chester chuckle lightly. That kind of made me feel better...maybe he and I were beginning to be on the same level. Maybe we were finally understanding each other.

I smiled and turned on the car. "Come on, I'll just take you to my place, instead."

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Hey, guys. Sorry if the sudden change from third to first person POV seemed odd. But for introducing the characters, it just seemed fitting. Although, it will most likely just be first person from now on. Hope you're enjoying the story so far. 💕