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

Chapter Seven

Mike's POV

My mind seemed to race without stopping once I was asked to sit in the waiting room.

We sat quietly as I looked around the lonely room. We were really the only ones in here and it was really emphasizing my depression around the whole situation.

"What do you think happened?" Dave finally broke the silence.

I sighed. I knew it was probably my worst case scenario. "I...I don't know for sure, man."

Dave looked down with disappointment. "If only things weren't the way they are. Poor kid doesn't deserve to be the world's punching bag. Beaten to death everywhere he goes, hated, it seems, by everyone..."

I let Dave's words become unheard. Even though he was saying the truth, I didn't want to believe it. I didn't want to focus on what Chester couldn't help, I wanted to fixate on helping him.

Soon, (although it seemed like hours), a nurse came through the double doors.

"Mr. Shinoda?"

I instantly stood up with Dave and took a deep breath as the nurse motioned for us to come on back.

I shared a worried glance with Dave as we anxiously walked down the halls.

The nurse stopped in front of us. "Room 301, this is it. Also, Mr. Bennington doesn't seem to have any fatal injuries, so he just needs to heal. You may want to be quiet around him, he just woke a few minutes ago."

I thanked the nurse, then quickly went in and rushed to Chester's beside. Dave followed close behind.

"Hey, Chaz," I whispered quietly.

"Hi, Mike," I heard him utter softly. It was always reassuring to hear his voice, even if it was in pain.

He looked more frail than normal. Eyes barely open, badly bruised. I tried to gather my thoughts as for where to start first.

"How...how do you feel?"

"My stomach hurts. My whole body feels bad, actually, but the medicine makes me too tired to really feel it."

I already could feel my face heating up, longing to cry and make everything okay. I don't know why I was so enveloped in this boy, either. It just seemed as if we were supposed to meet, because I knew he needed me, and I sure as hell needed him.

I needed to stop his suffering.

I turned around and asked Dave to give us a few minutes and he excused himself from the room.

"Chester," I looked down.

"Yeah?"

"What happened to you?"

He was quiet for a bit with an ashamed look on his face. "I...d-don't want to tell you."

I could see the only confidence he had in his face begin to fall.

"It's okay...I won't judge you, and I won't tell anyone, either."

He raised his head and sighed. "...okay."

"Chester!" His dad yelled from upstairs.

"Where the fuck have you been?!" He screamed.

"I was j-just..hanging out with friends, Dad."

His dad sneered. "Friends?! You don't have any fucking friends, you expect me to believe that shit?!!"

The first hit comes. A hard slap across the face, jolting Chester causing him to lose his balance.

"You god damn faggot! Get up so I can teach you a fucking lesson!"

He picks Chester up by the collar and slams him up against the wall, to which he cries out, already regretting having made a sound.

"You don't just fucking lie to me and show up 3 fucking hours late!!"

The second hit. A punch to the jaw, causing Chester's mouth to bleed.

"P-please...s-stop.." Chester whimpered.

Another hit. Chester was pushed into a lamp and knocked onto the floor, the lamp crashing on the floor, glass then ricocheting into his skin.

"Fuck!" Chester screamed.

"Now look what you fucking did! You're always breaking everything I paid for, you ungrateful son of a bitch!!"

His dad grabs him by the arm, slinging his body hard into the door. "Don't think I didn't notice you taking from my stash either, you stupid idiot!"

Shaking, Chester barely is able to stay on his feet, but knowing if he moves, things will just be that much worse.

An unwarned deep punch to the stomach causes Chester to scream in pain, clenching his torso. The last hit.

"Go fuck up someone else's life, you worthless piece of shit!!"

He finally pushes Chester's beaten body out of the house and slams the door behind him as he lands on the ground.

I could no longer hold back my frustrations, tears running down my face as I flung my arms around Chester.

"...and, you never told anyone because..?"

"I knew, by the time my dad made me go back to school, I'd have no proof, and no one would believe me. That, or he would simply deny everything."

"Oh, Chester...there's no way I'm letting you go back there."

He gave a soft, defeated look.

"No, I mean it; you're not going back there if I have anything to say about it."

"How are you going to do that?"

"I'll find a way. Don't worry about it."

He smiled. "You must really like me, then."

I chuckled softly and grabbed his hand. "..More so than you think."

~~~~~