Worst of You

Chapter 5: Someone to watch over me

People have secrets. I've never met someone who doesn't. Some people are good at hiding them. Some are not. He was good at hiding them. And that's why it all happened. That was the reason. The only one.

I waited for him that night. I ordered food. I waited for hours. I called him but he didn't answer me. I called Vanessa, maybe she knew something. She told once again that she didn't know about him. I don't know where he is but he's for sure hiding something. But why do I even bother? I don't know who he is. Why do I even care if he was coming that night? I looked at the window. Outside my door. Nothing.

I knew him for only two days or so, and yet I was waiting for him to arrive. Maybe he forgot about me. Yeah, that's more believable. It's normal. It's easy to forget someone like me. But why would he just help me out with my problem and just disappear? Just like that?

What would you do in my case? I'm sure you would just forget about him and keep going. But you see, I'm not like that.

Days passed. My parents visited me almost everyday. Leon and Vanessa would come here every night. Violette would come over to have some food. Angel and me would play some games.

One day my phone rang. I was so lazy to pick it up. I just saw it from the distance. Then it stopped ringing. I took it and saw the missed called. It was him. James. I called him back right away but he didn't answer. This is just getting weird.

I went upstairs to my room. I took my laptop and put his name in the search bar. Nothing appeared. I put his last name. Nothing. Nothing was appearing. I needed to know who he was. I took my phone and called Vanessa. She answered.

-Hi Avril.
-I need you to come right now.
-What? Are you feeling ok?
-Just come over. Please don't tell my brother.
-I don't quite follow.
-Please.
-Ok wait for me.

I waited for her in the living room. It took her 20 minutes to arrive. It was late. She knocked and I opened.

-Avril are you alright?
-I need you to tell me everything about James.
-James? I don't know who he is, really.
-Quit acting. I know you know him. I saw you guys talking.
-Why do you want to know him so bad?
-Because he's not answering my calls and I think something happened. But I need you to tell me who he is and why do you know him.
-Why are you so interested on his life?
-He's keeping something. I know. I need to know.

She took her eyes off me. I got closer to her.

-V he was whiling to help me out with my sickness and then he just disappeared. I know I don't know him enough. And I don't know how many days I'm going to live. Please.

She looked back at me. She went to the couch and sat. I sat next to her.

-Listen. After I tell you this, you will understand why is better him being away from you.
-V please.

She started to look at the infinite. Straight eyes like if she was watching TV.

-Back when I used to work at the cupcake stripe club, where I met your brother, a boy came up to me. He said he wanted to paid me a night in a hotel no far from there. I arrived at the Inc Hillary Hotel where he said he was staying. A very fancy hotel. I knocked. You know? When guys invite me over for a night, they just want to have sex right away. No hello. No talking. Just sex. But he told me to come in and offered me a glass of wine. I knew right away that he didn't invite me to have sex. He told me to sit in the couch. So I did and he sat next to me. He told me that he had an offer for me and that if I take it he would pay me a million dollars for it. I was very poor so I didn't think it twice. I said that I would do anything he want. After that two other guys came to the room. He showed me the picture of a guy and told me to search him up in the club where I work. I saw that guy coming over very often. My job was to offer him a night and to take him to this same hotel and in this same room. I agreed. They gave me five days. And I did. I took him there. I closed the door and the two guys of that night appeared. Next to him there was the boy who offered me the job and someone by his side. The man that I brought there saw him and got surprised. Then he said his name.
-His name? What's the name?

She looked at me.

-Nathan Wolfhard.
-Nathan? Wolfhard? Are you telling me that-
-That that's James brother? Yes.
-What?
-The guy took his gun out and started to shoot at Nathan and the other guys. All of them hid. I did too. Everyone was shooting. I was behind the table of the little kitchen. I was so scared you have no idea. More people came in. My eyes where closed and I could only hear the sound of the guns. The guy that was next to Nathan came to me. I though for a moment that he was going to kill me. But he told me to follow him. At this point I was in so much danger that I didn't care who he was. I just followed him. He led me to the door and kept shooting. I was just hiding behind his back while he was shooting. He took me to the door but then someone shot him. I was so closed to his back that I felt the vibration of his body when the bullet hit him. He told me to run and he felt on the ground. I ran out of there all the way to the elevator. Police where just going up to the place. One of them saw me and helped me out. They took me to the police post.
-Wait. The guy who got shot, was he part of Nathan's group?
-Maybe yes or maybe not. But he was there. And he helped me. He was Nathan's brother.
-James? James was the guy who help you? The guy who got shot?
-Yes.

My mind was in blank.

-Police told me who the Wolfhard's are. They kill people who don't pay them back their money. They robbed people and killed them. The police never captured them.
-I can't believe this.
-But I'm sure about of one thing. James didn't follow his father's orders that night. He's not a bad guy. I know that that day he was there to protected me. Why? I don't know. I always though he was dead and when I saw him by your side I got so scared. I need you to stay away from him.
-But you said he wasn't a bad guy.
-Still. I don't want you to be close to them.
-I need to find him.
-What did I just say?
-What if something happened to him?
-You just met him. It's not worth it.
-He helped me. Now I need to help him.
-I won't let you search him.
-I'm not asking for your permission.
-Then I'm telling your dad.
-Go ahead. I don't care. Are you afraid that I get killed?
-In fact, yes.
-I have a sickness that kills me everyday V.

She muted.

-I need to see that he's alive. –I said

She was there. Looking at me without saying a word. I know that she's just trying to protect me but I needed to find him.

-Avril, if you every try to reach him out I swear that I'll go to the police and he would go to jail.

I got mad at this point.

-Just go.
-Avril.
-GET OUT.

I couldn't sleep that day. I had so many things to process. I was worried for him. And mad for him hiding everything. But again, he just met me, why would he tell me that his family is composed by criminals? Does that make him a criminal?

Days passed. I tried so hard to forget about him. I wasn't even following my treatments right. I didn't care.

One day I had a doctor appointment. That day they did an check of my lungs. They found out that my ribs where getting closer and closer to them. It was so hard for me to breath. In better words, I was dying. There was only one solution, a surgery but it was very dangerous. I could either survive or die. But did I had a purpose to live? Not really.

After that day I didn't eat well. Didn't sleep. I didn't do anything.

But I did think a lot. Lot of things.

And I came up with a solution for my situation. Very clever.

I was going to end my suffering.