Saving Athena ✓

47) Heartbeat

A t h e n a
(Tw: mentions of sexual assault, physical fighting)

I've always hated hospitals.

My feet tap in anticipation against the marble flooring, I can't control my nerves. It's as if my brain is on overdrive. And all I can think about is the beeping of the machines, the tapping of feet as they walk by and pay me no mind. It's an endless cycle.

I'm tapped out of thought by a pair of storming footsteps coming my way, I peer up to see Oscar and Ronan, bloody and bruised knuckles as they storm my way, everyone looking terrified as they pass by them.

Ronan's first to pull me into a hug, a bone crushing one. He lets out a breath of relief and runs his hand down my hair. Then Oscar pushes him away and pulls me into him. Sighing and shaking his head.

I sit back down, they sit on either side of me. I bring my knees to my chest and nuzzle my head in between, ignoring everything.

"Are you okay?" Oscar asks.

"Are you fucking idiotic? No, she's not okay." Ronan interjects, shaking his head in a thick-witted motion to mock his words.

"Ronan, I sincerely hope you get slapped in the face... repeatedly." Oscar says, a small giggle slips past my lips. "Athena, are you alright?"

"I guess," I mumble, my eyes waging a war to stay awake.

Ronan makes me look up, he scowls at the bruises on me. "It's okay, Ronan-"

"No. Someone put their hands on you, that's not okay." He studies the look on my face before his brows furrow. "But you know who the person was, don't you?"

I stay silent.

"Oscar and I couldn't see who the guy was, he ran off before we could catch him. But you know who the guy was that assaulted you, who was it, Athena?"

I bite my lip and look away.

"Athena?" Oscar furrows his brows and looks between Ronan and I. "Athena, who was it?"

"I- I don't know-"

"Athena, cut the bullshit," Ronan snaps, catching me off guard. "Who assaulted you?"

I feel the vile rise to the top of my throat. I want to scream, cry, run. I blink away the blurriness and look up to him. "Just a random boy," I whisper, my voice cracks at the end. I'm not lying, I don't remember who it was, because I had never seen him before.

My eyes well up with tears. Oscar pulls me back to the chair. He lets me rest my head on his shoulder before he softly questions, "Can I ask what happened?"

"I saw this girl take Ace upstairs, and I got scared, so I-I tried to go to him, but this boy grabbed my hand and started taking me somewhere."

"What- What are you doing?" I furrow my brows, tugging harshly at his grip. "Let me go!"

"Oscar, I couldn't do anything. He just pulled me like I was a rag doll." I admit, shamefully, the shame spreads to my stomach and twists around my pain. "And he just stayed silent, he tried to grab me to shush me, and he tried to push me into a random room.

"But you guys came, and stopped him," I conclude, looking at the ground in embarrassment. "I'm sorry."

Oscar's brow raises. "Why are you apologizing?"

"It's my fault that Ace is in there, it's my fault that even happened to him."

"When are you going to realize that not everything is your fault?" He asks, tilting his head. "You haven't done anything, and it's not your fault. Do you hear me?" I nod, and he pulls me in for another hug.