Finding Amity

Chapter 28

"Isaac... look I just, we have to go. I need you to come with me, you're probably the only person who can talk some sense into him." Pippa rambled

"What?" I stumbled. "What do you mean? I'm not even friends with him."

"Amity, please!" She shrieked.

I nodded, quickly grabbing a jacket while Pippa changed. We both headed down to her white car in the parking lot.

"Can you please tell me what this is about?" I asked quietly as she pulled out of the parking spot and headed towards Isaac's house. I felt like I was unknowingly stepping into a disaster.

"He's just in a situation and he just doesn't know how to fucking handle it." She stuttered as her grip turned her knuckles white on the steering wheel.

"This situation, is it... illegal." I whispered. "I really can't be involving myself in anything like that. I don't want to lose my scholarship."

"Do you trust me?" She demanded.

"I want to be a doctor, I can't-"

"Do you trust me?!" She repeated.

"Yes." I shot back instinctively.

"Then just trust that right now we need to help Isaac."

I nodded, my mind racing with the possible scene I was about to walk into as we pulled into Isaac's driveway. We filed into the foyer where a few of the boys Isaac lived with were sitting around, more annoyed than concerned. Cruise, however, was holding his head in his hands and mumbling to himself.

"Where is he?" Pippa asked. A blond boy looked up to her and pointed up.

Pippa grabbed my hand and pulled me with her up the staircase to a long hallway with doors lining the left wall. Right at the end, the last door was open and noises of destruction echoed out.

"Pippa, I don't think this is a good idea-" I started.

"Look, Amity. I'm not stupid." She sighed. "I know something was going on between you two. If you care about him, even a little bit, you will just talk to him. Okay, just talk to him."

I had never seen Pippa serious before. She could find a joke in anything and everything. Something was chilling about her stone cold gaze. I could feel I wasn't just stepping into regular young adult drama. Something was going on, and right now I had the choice to turn around and walk away or to step up help. My heartbeat rang in my ears, synchronising with the sounds of crashing and banging coming from Isaac's room.

I stepped into the door way and looked over Isaac in his room. He was wearing only sweatpants and no shirt. I could see sweat dripping down his back as he repeatedly punched a standing mirror. His hair was tousled and ragged cuts lined his arms from his acts of destruction. I knocked lightly on the open door.

Isaac unclenched his fist, his chest moving up and down from his heavy breaths. He raised his head, his dark eyes meeting mine through the reflection of a single remaining shard of mirror glass.

"Isaac?" My voice wobbled. He turned his head just over his shoulder.

"Go away, Amity." His voice was soft and sad, my heart slowed in my chest as any fear I had washed away. He wasn't angry with me.

I took that as an invitation, and stepped forward into his room. I could imagine what it looked like before his tantrum. A large black bed sat askew in the middle of the room. A bedside table had been knocked over and a lamp and some photo frames were smashed against the floor. A chest of drawers was on its side, with a couple drawers hanging out of the unit, the others scattered across the room. I leant down to pick up a book, a hardback copy of Lord of the Flies. I smoothed out the wrinkled pages and set it atop the window sill, the only remaining surface.

"Why are you here?" He grumbled, his back still turned to me.

"I don't know." I admitted. "Pippa thinks I might be able to calm you down."

His head dipped as he surveyed the room.

"You don't know what I'm dealing with, and I doubt you could help."

I lightly tugged at the ends of my ponytail. "Tell me what you're dealing with, and then we can decide if I can help."

"This doesn't concern you."

"As much as I hate to admit it," I growled. "Even though you think kissing me was a mistake, I still care about you."

My stomach ached from admitting it. I was giving him my heart to stomp on, beat to oblivion like he did the rest of his belongings.

"Then don't blame me when you get hurt." He hissed.

I tried to answer, but my throat just seemed to be closing in on itself. His words sounded oh so familiar to the line Pippa told me he used: "You're asking to get hurt".

"Pippa! I know you're in the hallway. Come in." Isaac called out, but his eyes remained trained on me. Pippa followed in, worry written across her pierced face. "Did you get any interesting messages today?"

I furrowed my eyebrows as I looked between the two of them. Was Pippa involved too? She nodded, glancing at me hesitantly.

"Tell little Miss Perfect over here, let's see if she can help us."

Pippa bit her lip, trying to figure out how I'd react.

"We... We're in a bit of a situation. Isaac, Cruise and I."

"Well, what's the situation?" I asked. "Surely there's a solution you just haven't thought of."

"Oh, we know the solution." Isaac spat. I nodded, awaiting for an explanation. "We need 25 grand."

"And we need it by Friday."