ââââ ID SEND THE PAIN BELOW
part one
âËê©ïœĄâ ( !!$ ) JAMES cortis! highschool au , slow burn , enemies to lovers , toxic proximity
word count # 7.5k
⏠there he was lurking in the shadows, watching you softly seeing your every movement. but when confronted he gets heated, angry that somehow would call him out on his actions. he wants to know more, you seem so interesting, shy and awkward. âŹ
it was late, late enough for logan to whisper softly that she wanted to sleep. you nodded letting her peacefully doze off, your mind was still on your brother. his body tense when his father told him they needed to speak privately, why now would your dad need him? you snap out of your train of thought by a soft creak in the hallway causing you to jolt. after drinking almost all the soda in logans house you desperately need to use the bathroom. you sneak off quickly hoping to not wake her, the bathroom door halfway open. you go in softly closing the door behind you, locking it in a swift motion. another creak in the stairs as you were washing your hands, the creaks getting louder by the door. you hoped you wouldnât be met with james, he is too scary to engage with. you wipe your hands and open the door to be met with james, who was only in a pair of loose sweatpants. you look up but itâs too dark to make out all his features, he tilts his head slightly blinking slowly. his lips curved upwards, he looks you up and down his eyes feel like there burning your skin. you feel yourself getting redder.
âexcuse meâ you say looking at him directly hoping he will move, but he stays there leaning his arm over the door frame, his face inches from yours. you feel his breathe on your neck, his nose tracing your jawline. his hands reaching your waist, then he wiped you around so you were outside the bathroom door, he slammed it behind you. you hear his laugh from the bathroom before making your way back to logans room. you tiptoe to her bed trying to not make a sound while getting in it, pulling the covers over you trying to forget about what just happened. what a weirdo, who even does some strange shit like that to a person they just met.
the next morning was cold and gloomy, rain coming throughout the day. as you woke, thunder stuck causing you to gasp quietly making logan turn over to you. she gave you light smile before moving a few stands of hair from your face.
âhey letâs go to Waffle House, im fucking starvingâ logan says quickly getting out of bed, her hair tangled and eyes droopy. you follow behind her both of you wearing sweatpants and tshirts. you brush your hair out and throw a hoodie on before leaving her room, so you would look decent. âlet me ask James for a ride since my bum ass canât drive yetâ
you physically recoil, you would offer to drive but the problem is you donât have a car and the only car in this equation is james. you nod your head letting her go over to his room a door down, you lean against the wall, going into your phone to see if your brother had texted you at all. nothing, a gmail notification and a message from a spam number. you open your messages looking for his contact, hoping to text him asking if he was okay, but his location was across town. a random shopping strip youâve never seen before, it almost 30 minutes away. what the hell is he doing over there he canât even drive yet. you look up your eyes met with James, who was arguing with logan telling her he wasnât going to drive us anywhere. but in the end he grabbed his keys and stomped to the car. it was 11am, but he was still complaining how early it was for him, how he could be peacefully sleeping and not dealing with his sister and tag along buddy.
all three of you lazily get out of the car rain pouring down. you put your hoodie up quickly reaching for your pockets in your large sweatpants, you feel around and find your glasses. you forgot to put on your contacts this morning so your glasses will have to do. after taking cover in the Waffle House your met with a taller blonde boy around your age, who quickly greets james.
âjamesss, did you miss me so much you have to come into my workplaceâ the boy jokes giving him puppy eyes, making james scoff. he handed us menus at the table, then tapped his fingers near yours. you hummed looking up at him, his Adamâs apple quiet prominent.
âso logan whoâs your new friend?â he asks giving her a slight wink, she scoffs putting her arm over your chest her head poking through. you look at him closer, a few piercings on his ears and bleached hair. his face pale, but what stood out was a small tattoo on his wrist. it looked similar to a skull but you couldnât quite make it out.
âwhy do you care, mar-tinâ she asks giving him a dirty look before smacking her menu at his chest causing you to let out a slight chuckle. james looks up seeing you lightly smile, your cheeks flushed and ears hot.
âbecause whatever friend of yours⊠is a friend of mine, as they sayâ
âmartin. get lostâ james blurts out shooing him away. martin rolls his eyes before leaving.
youâve been to Waffle House a few times, you knew what to order and luckily you brought your wallet. you hated when people tried paying for your stuff, especially food it makes you feel like your limited ti what you can and canât get. martin comes back taking your orders, and touching your hand when you hand him all the menus making you blush slightly. you werenât exactly âa pretty girlâ at your old school almost the opposite, now one looked your way whatsoever. you had a few friends but they werenât close with you in a personal way, the only thing going for you was your grades.
ây/n/n you excited for halloween, itâs like in a week I thinkâ logan asks dropping a few sugars into her black coffee her spoon clinking the sides of the mug.
âum i havenât really thought about it much⊠what are you going to dress up as?â you ask buttering your waffle, you cut it up slowly watching Loganâs face drop. to her halloween was one of the most important times of the year plus itâs the only time your school really allows you to wear free dress.
ây/n/n! how have you NOT thought about it?!⊠well i was going to be a voodoo doll but james said i would look stupid so now im really out of ideas⊠OH MY GOD WE SHOULD TOTALLY MATCH!â she screams hands in the air, she pulls out her phone quickly going to Pinterest. she starts ramblings on ideas you could be, she didnât ask if you wanted to match but to you that was the best part it seemed like you and logan had been friends for years even though you had just met a few days ago.
âi have an idea but i donât really know if your a big fan of themâ you say shoving a piece of waffle into your mouth, logan turns her head to you but before she could ask martin slams down in the booth seating next to james.
âladies ladies ladies whatâs going on?â he says slyly spreading his legs wide, the tip of his shoe overlapping yours, he lightly taps it seeing your face start to heat up.
âplanning a halloween costumeâ logan replies dryly, she isnât the biggest fan of martin because of his large ego and how he was always at her house.
âthatâs coolâŠâ he turns over to you sticking his hand out âim martin whatâs your name?â he asks giving a wide smile making your heart beat a little faster.
âim y/n/n, n-nice to meet youâ you say returning the bright smile he gave you.
âso what are you guys dressing up as? gotta look good for mr hotshots party next weekendâ martin jokes lightly hitting james, for the first time James cracked a smile even letting out a small giggle. you turn to Logan looking confused, mouthing âwho is mr hotshot?â
âhis name is Sean, total asshole. they used to be super close with him till his daddy got a little moneyâ logan scoffs, both james and martin roll their eyes. clearly they hate him so why are they going to his party?
âso why are you guys going to his party?â you ask giving them a confused look. martin laughs his head slinging back, his shakes his head and look at you directly in the eyes.
âfree drinks and weed dumbass. he supplies everything⊠of course im going to kiss his ass a little bitâ
âmartin donât be rude she doesnât even know who sean is, she didnât even know halloween was this weekend till a few minutes agoâ logan says, she throws a piece of waffle at his face, butter sticking to his nose. he quickly throws it back making her whine. âstop it sasquatch!â she hisses.
âokay so whatâs your idea y/n/n?â she turns over to you ignoring martins comments. the two boys slowly go into their own conversation.
âwe could be kellin and vic from king for a day? that would kind of be easy to doâ you say shyly looking up at logan. her eyes light up going wide, like you just discovered a cure for an illness.
ây/n/n! your a fucking genius bro!â Logan slaps from upper arm almost jumping out of the booth. martin gets up flinging his arms above his head, stretching slightly.
âso what are you guys going as?â martin asks moving his hips from side to side, putting his Waffle House hat back on his head lazily.
âyouâll see at the party⊠better than whatever fucksss idea you two haveâ logan jokes making martin groan. they both argued like siblings, i mean he basically lived at there house, she was surprised he wasnât there the other day.
you all three got up from the booth heading to pay for your meal, you pull out a crumpled 20 dollars bill from your wallet. you stand at the front your hand reaching out to martin, 20 in hand. james comes behind you, his breath hitched. he smacks martins hand and grabs the 20 handing it back to you, confused you try to give it back to Martin which makes james move closer to you.
âIâll pay for my food, itâs okayâ you say giving him a small smile, which he doesnât return. he just pushes you out of the way which causes you to bump into logan. she laughs loudly catching you before you trip over her.
âhey im going to bathroom i will be backâ logan whispers to you, great now your by yourself with james who still freaks you the fuck out. when you two leave he walks a little ahead of you, but before you could get it the car he grabs the back of your arm bringing you closer.
âdonât pull some shit like that again, you got that?â he scoffs his nose a few inches from yours. what is he even talking about?
âdonât try and act like you wanted to pay, you know i would. donât play some card like that infront of me. understood?â he cocks his head to the side, his arm trapping you so your back is on the car. you nod your head, not trying to argue with a guy known for being hotheaded. he brings his face closer to your jawline, one hand holding you down by your waist the other pinning you against the older car. you hear him sniffing make you shiver, causing his hand on your waist to tighten. he then clears his throat, letting go of you harshly causing you to trip on your own feet. he gets into the car and slams the door shut behind him, just in time to see logan coming out of the Waffle House, martin tagging along with her. both of them giving you a large smile and wave.
all four of you cram into the car, body heat almost steaming the car windows. logan telling you how the car has no ac, so you better hold your breathe if one of them farts causing you to slightly laugh. you had texted your brother hours ago but still no answer, luckily his location was back at your house so you decided to not bater him on where he was. you return to logans house not wanting to go home and the time only being 2 oâclock. you are greeted with a fat black cat as you walk in the door, logan slightly squealing.
âohhh my gawd! rama! my angel where have you beenâ logan says in a baby voice grabbing the fat cat hugging it close to her chest, the cat puts softly her heckle nuzzling into logans chest. you and Logan sit on the couch flipping through random channels, hoping to find something amusing. you lean your head back hoping to pop it till it hits something boney causing you to gasp. you turn your head around, you are met with martin who has a cheeky smile plastered on his face.
âso miss y/n/n what are you doing in amerson falls? if ya donât me asking?â he jumps over the couch falling into the cushion next to you. you shift slightly making you a little closer to logan.
âoh um my dad got a new job, they built a new office out here i guess..â you say softly fidgeting with your hands. small talk wasnât something you really loved, rather a cry for help.
âthatâs cool⊠so you going to ledge creek? or um dechaser?â he asks his arm hugging the back of the couch almost in closing you two together. you look up at him giving a small smile trying to not make things awkward. before you could answer the question, james comes behind you two leaning forward towards the tv making you slightly nervous.
âdechaser! i start tomorrowâ
âoh thank god! thought i wouldnât be seeing you around much! you got any siblings or is it just you?â martin questions he shifts into his seat, james looking down at him, a look you havenât seen before. like how an animal looks before catching its prey, like he was watching every move Martin makes.
âi have two younger brothers. matt is a sophomore so he is going to dechaser with me too⊠he is pretty good at basketball so he is hoping to at least make a jv spot since he is coming later in the yearâ Matt was amazing at basketball, voted number 5 in your state. made varsity his freshmen year and won nationals for his club team, he breathed the sport so when he heard he would be moving to some dinky small town, their team not even ranked he was disappointed to say the least. you just didnât like given him an ego boost, so you never hyped up his skills to others, plus he doesnât like bragging about his talents either way. martin nods his head before getting up from the couch, not by choice. James had a hold of his upper underarm making martin cough, he gave you a quick bye and jokily hit logan making her punch him way harder⊠both boys disappeared into the large staircase, make you sign in relief.
now you could finally relax, you didnât hate talking to people itâs just that James gave you the chills. his piercing eyes always finding yours somehow, he was very handsome no denying it but he seemed very violent for a young man, too violent.
his actions almost reminding you of your father when he was upset, the grip being tight and his breath hitching down your neck. usually that would be followed by getting hit or screamed at in the face. a few hours later your brother finally texted you, saying how dad needed you home now our he would beat your ass. you quickly packed your overnight bag up and gave logan a quick hug goodbye, even kissing rama goodbye. you hurry home, met with elio playing in the front yard with another neighborhood kid, probably the only child his age on this block. you give a quick hello before rushing to the front door, before you could open it matt shoves you further outside, closing the door behind you.
âmatt! why didnât you answer me? what happened! why did dad need you yesterday, donât tell me mom has something to do-â before you could finish matt places his hand on your mouth, bringing his other finger to his lips shushing you. he shakes his head looking at the front door. he looked almost scared⊠like somehow would pop out and try to hurt him if he said a peep.
âyou cant say anything to mom okay?â he says worried, his reply shocked you. he told mom everything matter of fact he should be afraid of letting this so called âprivate secretâ out to her.
âMatthew what the hell are you talking about? did dad hurt you?â you put your hand in his shoulder rubbing it in comfort causing tears to prickle his doe eyes. he shakes his head slightly, then looks into the distance, maybe looking at elio.
âdad⊠wants to send mom to treatment again⊠he wants me to break the n-news to her⊠by the end of *hiccup* todayâ he manages to choke out, his eyes starting to now swell. you werenât shocked or upset, more sad that your brother was in pain. your mom did need help, terribly. considering that she was either doped out or drunk everyday. you hug him, your hand caressing his back letting him cry in your shoulder. matt for some reason felt drawn to mom, they had always been close but these past years their bond grew stronger as days past. dad was probably tired of bailing her out or seeing her neglect her kids terribly, enough though he wasnât any better.
âmatt this is whatâs for the best, mom really does need help⊠you know that, are they going to come get her or are you guys taking her?â you whisper into his ear slowly letting go. he was still the same little boy watching his mom overdoes for the first time, he tried to but on a strong façade but you knew. you knew he cried every time your mom came home worse than the day before, you knew when he would beg your dad to hurt him instead of her, you knew he did EVERYTHING in his power to take any pain from your mom.
âthey are taking her, tonight around 6. but dad wants me to tell her first so she doesnât freak out..â
you nod your head, your hand reaching the front door knobs opening it to find your mom in the same state you left. clearly drunk and high at the same time, her eyes crossed and her hands crossed into her lap. you greet her quietly before dropping your bags to prepare for dinner since you knew the treatment workers would take a long time to fully get her out of the house. your dad sat at the island working on his laptop with large headphones on. by the time dinner was ready it was around 5:30, everyone sitting at the dinner table, the first time in months. matt placed his napkin in his lap before clearing his throat, luckily elio was sitting at the tiny kids table in the kitchen. he didnât like the older wooden chairs saying they hurt his butt so he enjoyed eating his meal by himself most nights, iPad in hand. you look up your eyes met with your fathers, for some reason he had a bit of emotion. his eyes were glossy, his eyebrows furrowed and smile wiped from his face. some days you felt bad for him, his life did seem simple before your mom and children.
your grandparents would always tell you how happy your father was at first when he met your mom. he never let her go, even working together at a seafood restaurant for a few years. that was before the drug use unfortunately. he was top of his class at rice university while your mom went to the small community college a few blocks away. both polar opposites but still found love beneath the pain. when they had Giselle they were only 20, both too young to properly raise her so your grandparents took over, you followed slowly behind 5 years later, then Matt a few later. elio came much later he was seemed as a bandaid baby, hoping that a child would bring them together instead drifting them further apart.
âmom i need to tell you something, please listen to me carefullyâ matt instructs leaning slightly forward in the direction toward your mom.
âwhats a matter matty?â that nickname made your stomach sick, only your mother called him that. actually she only really called him that if she was under the influence, when sober it was strictly matthew, and you just y/n.
âmom i love you very much i hope you know that⊠i think these last few months you have been more fragile, and failing into a worser state⊠y-you need to get help again⊠i really wish *sigh* you would be better, I need you to get better for me⊠for elio and y/n/nâ he says sipping his sweaty palms onto his jeans. âYou need to sober up momma, I donât want to see you in this pain anymore. i want you to be happy, and present. p-please donât make this harder than it has tooâ
your mom looks up from her plate her smile immediately dropping, her favorite person betrayed her. she knew deep down she needed help, deep down she wanted help. but the feeling of nothing weighed more than the feeling of bettering herself. she slowly got up from her chair, looking down at you and your father pointing her fingers between the two of you.
âdid you do this. YOU PUT HIM UP TO THIS!â she screams putting her hands in her hair, as soon as she tried to take off the treatment workers came knocking at her door. the same ones who had taken her from your hometown, they were apart of bigger organization to help people like your mom. people who didnât want to change, people you were mean and vile but couldnât help it. people who were heartless, leaving children behind for the use of a needle, seeing her reach her arms out to elio as she screamed causing you to finally feel some sort of pain. elio whimpering in your arms as matt and your dad helped put her bags into the back of the black SUV. her voice still ringing in your head, all the times she nursed you to health, or cleaned you up after a beating from your dad. you missed the mom you knew, the one who loved you unconditionally.
before you knew it tears started to fall onto your cheeks, your face bright red. you looked out the front door seeing them drive off, matt and your father sitting on the grass quietly almost out of defeat. one was worried for her hoping she would come back better the other not wanting her back at all.
the next morning came quicker than expected, usually when tragic circumstances happen you canât really sleep it away. you get up noticing the time, 6:30 pretty early. getting ready was a breeze since uniforms were enforced you didnât worry about wearing the right jeans or shirt, instead wore the required uniform. you felt your phone buzz looking down seeing logans contact.
loganđ : hey wanna get a ride w me?
you : omgg yes please i donât wanna take the big cheeseđđ
loganđ : okay see you at 8 đ
you and matt finshed getting ready both eating a bowl of cereal to kill time. matt seemed more quiet today but that was expected, i mean the only parent to really have his back just left and probably wonât be back for another 3 months. you give him a small smile putting your hand on top of his making him sigh.
âeverything will be okay, im still here matthewâ you tell him softly hoping to make him feel slightly at ease. you grab your bowls and clean them off before you hear a honk outside letting you know that logan and james were there.
as you head to the car you see a familiar face poke out from the passenger window, it being martin. he gives you a quick wave ushering you inside quickly. Matt introduces himself and finds out martin also plays basketball and was on varsity, strange how he didnât mention it but maybe he didnât want to seem cocky. both bond almost immediately, they seemed like the same person, same hobbies, same music taste it was perfect. you and logan talk about your schedule, luckily you had a few classes with her so you werenât worried as much. james pulled into the parking lot, driving like a manic his music blasting loudly out the windows.
a few people starred but nothing that bothered you, people giving looks to you was your norm. as you all got out of the car, a younger boy on a skateboard came, handing out thin paper with bold red letters on top. he handed you one before skating away. you look down and see the party martin was talking about, the biggest halloween party of the year it said on the top making you chuckle. a picture of the boy martin had mentioned was on the paper, his varsity lettermen throw over his shoulders and a few girls under his arms, he clearly looked like he was drunk. logan tested her chin on your shoulder pointing to the date joking how you halloween was this weekend and not next month. you and logan made your way to main building, matt saying how he was just going to hangout with martin and james which you didnât mind. she showed you all your classes since she wanted to get you here slightly earlier so you wouldnât be as lost.
the school week went by extremely fast and somehow it was already Halloween. you and logan decided that vic and kellin from king for a day music video would be so good and also not everyone would know so that makes it more cooler according to logan. you wore a suit jacket with a white shirt, a black mini shirt and tie that was matts. your almost black green converse on your feet, you looked to see what matt was dressing up as. he wore his old teams basketball jersey with shorts, âhow fucking boringâ you mutter. james picking you and Matt became your daily routine everyday, even though he complained every step of the way, martin always tagging along too. so when it was time to leave for school, you and matt already knew to wait outside your porch around 8:15 everyday.
you, logan and martin all had first period together, a AP history class that was a little too easy for your standards. the class was filled with popular kids who took it to boost their gpa, and quiet smart students who didnât dare to stare at someone for too long. behind you sat that kid sean, he was quite tall with shaggy hair that feel perfectly on his forehead. your brother didnât have a formal opinion on him, all three boys (martin, sean, and matt) playing on varsity together. sean talked your shoulder making you turn around, the desks in groups of three, he sat next to a popular girl you were guessing her name âJackieâ and a boy named âQuintonâ both didnât talk to sean much.
âhey, do you need something?â you say politely giving him a smile small. he looked at you like you were behind glass something he couldnât touch. you leaned slightly toward in his desk giving you small post it. you opened it to find his address written.
âthatâs for the party tonight. hope to see you there, prettyâ
logan quickly turned around grabbing the paper out of your hand, crumbling it and throwing it at his forehead. she scoffed before flipping her longer hair around, almost hitting the girl Jackie. sean laughed kicking Loganâs seat making her even more upset. martin giving him a slight stare hoping to give him the message to leave you alone. all three of you faced the front of the classroom trying to ignore seans annoying small talk. as soon as the bell rang, all three of you bolted to the door hoping to avoid the small crowed hallways.
the day passed by quick, it now being the end of the day. you promised elio to take him trunk or treating so you quickly got him and drove him to the church a few blocks over. the sad part was elio didnât ask about your mom one bit, he just knew she was gone to get help he didnât like talking either way. as you walked him to every car, your met with sean once again. he looked like he was with his younger sister around your brothers age, before you could try to go the opposite direction your brother calls out seans sister âyejinâ telling her to come over. the little girl dressed as a ladybug dragged sean with her, he looks up at you with a smirk one hand in his pocket other latched onto yejinâs. you both are now a few feet apart as the two kids start talking going to a car near you, saying how they will trade candy when they are done.
âwell hello, y/n⊠long time no seeâ he jokes rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. you lightly laugh since you had seen him this morning but you appreciated the dry joke.
âyeah *ha* long time no seeâ
âwell gotta do a good deed so i get the house tonight, so im taking yejin trick or treatingâ he tells you, his hands now stuffed down his trouser pockets. you nod your head before you feel a tug at your shirt making you look down being met with elio.
âhey buddy you ready to go home?â you ask him now putting him on your hip. he was quite tiny for a 6 year old, pretty light to carry. he nods his head before resting his eyes slowly. you give sean and the little girl a wave but before you fully tuned your back you hear your name being called.
âyour coming tonight right?!â sean shouts his hands surrounding his mouth hoping to make the sound echo throughout the parking lot. you shout back a yes giving him a thumbs up, quickly walking away. he seemed nice, just a friendly person who probably changed friends when he started to have more money in his pockets.
before you knew it, you were back at logans house sitting on her bed watching as she applied her eyeliner. music blaring through her room, the sound slipping through the cracks making it prone to hear in the hallway. scrolling through your phone you came across a tiktok, one about the halloween party today. you groaned quickly skipping it, not wanting to feel more nervous about it then you already are. youâve been to a few parties with matt because of the basketball team but nothing to crowded or loud, just a small gathering with beers and cigarettes. even though you would be with a group, your stomach still churned at the thought of getting lost or being too drunk to stand. you could hear laughing in the hallway, probably coming from martin or matt both too loud to care about their volume. logans door opens revealing martin who was dressed up as a zombie, his face lightly green and red contacts in. you handed you a small buzzball letting his fingers touch his for an uncomfortable amount of timeâŠ
âyou ever drank before y/n/n?â
you blurt out a small laugh coming straight from your throat. logan turns around to see you holding your stomach giving martin a look of âare you dumbâ
âshittt sorry! didnât know miss prissy drinks!â he jokes climbing into bed with you, he makes himself comfortable under the covers while you are just laying flat on the comforter. before you could say something back logan tell you to help her with her hair which you gladly do. her hair long and thick, it felt like silk in your hands despite her using no heat protection, and frying her hair off every morning with a flat iron. you curl the ends of her hair, making her hold different sections at a time. martin watches resting his elbows above his head, you could feel him slightly starting making you turn red. the door opens again to reveal james and matt, both slightly green with fake blood on their face.
âwow james. so creative, your costume is one of a kindâ Logan whispers making martin giggle before james gives him a death stare. after getting ready you all 5 cramp into the tiny red car, driving 20 minutes away just for a party.
you could tell immediately the difference in neighborhoods. this one with big white stone houses, windows from roof to floor, 3 park driveways and large backyards one almost the side of your house. seans house was the only one with dark grey brick, looking more older but still large. multiple cars flooded the streets since the party started about an hour ago, butterflyâs coat your stomach walking up to it. the large French doors unlocked and slightly open, music pooling the entryway. cups and burnt buds on the floor, you give a look to logan not scared but more so nervous. she holds your hand hiding you through the crowds till you get to the kitchen, flooding will different types of liquor and booze. cups scattered around, and ashtrays placed near the ends of the island. logan pours you a drink from a large bowl, itâs almost an aquatic blue color, ice cubs and small glitter speaks sparkling. you take a large gulp almost gagging at the strong taste, making logan laugh at your inability to handle hard liquor. throughout the night you saw matt, who was blasted off his ass wobbling around hugging martins upper arm. james no where but you didnât care, as long as the weirdo was far away form you and a bathroom you didnât mind. you grab another drink heading your way outside till a hand grabs your shoulder spinning you around, you see sean who is wearing a white button up, and black slacks. his hair dyed with green root spray and terrible joker makeup done on his face.
âhey, sean⊠nice to see youâ your eyes darting to the floor, eye contact freaked you out, why would I want to stare into someoneâs soul while talking about something so stupid. he places a finger above your chin lifting your head up towards him, before you could move away you feel a tall figure behind you. martin clears his throat making you jump suddenly, he grabs your shoulder pulling you toward him.
âyo back up sean, the fuck you think your doing?!â martin shouts over the house music. sean giving a look of question, to you he was just trying to make conversation not flirt but you didnât know him enough to make that assumption. ïżŒ
âmartin why are you always on my dick bro? canât ask a girl how her day is going? what scared another friend of urs is going to run away too?!â
you can see the shift of martins posture, his broad shoulder leaning toward sean, his hands pull you behind him his feet planted on the marble floor. you hear laughter and turn around to see matt, logan and james there eyes darting to Martin and sean both standing a few feet away form each other. james quickly pushes you out of the way, looking directly at sean who was now yelling about how Martin is overreacting.
âsean, stop fucking screaming. martin will leave you aloneâ james says calmly putting his hand over martins chest, trying to push him back towards the group. sean laughs to himself, looking up at james with a look of disgust.
âyou know james i really donât want to hear shit from your mouth right now? how about you mind your fucking business and stay outta-â before sean could finish james lands a quick punch to his jaw causing sean to stumble back into a pool table. James walking closer throwing more punches to his stomach and face, not caring where they landed. there he was, the james logan told you about the first day you met. sean bleeding from the mouth and nose, james bashing his head into seans, causing Sean to grown out of pain. martin pulled James off trying to navigate him to the door, since james already had an open wound to the cheek and his forehead. you, logan and Matt quickly follow behind them as the basketball team threw red solos cups towards their direction. you 5 ran to the car, standing outside it since james clearly was too wasted and high of his victory to drive.
âso who gon drive?â martin quickly says looking around, keys singling form his fingertips. you snatched them hopping into the front seat before anyone could say anything. james sitting in the passenger, begging to drive home saying how âyou are too reckless and dumb to drive them homeâ. you put the car in reverse hitting a basketball player in the process as a few of them threw empty glass beer bootlegs at the taillights. you looked to your right seeing james cheek bleed, the red ink dripping down his neck staining his shirt.
âhey im going to speed up, hold on to eachotherâ you say pressing your foot on the pedal the tires screaming as you drive off. matt who wasnât wearing a seatbelt almost flew out the back window, his hand grinning the car door knuckles almost turning white.
you pulled into their driveway quickly hopping out helping Martin with james who seemed like he was going to pass out from all the shots he took earlier. martin placed him on his bed grabbing a first aid kit from the bathroom handing it to you.
âwho said I was going to fix this mess?â you mutter still taking the red plastic container opening it up. matt and logan in the kitchen making food as they were too wasted to care about the situation upstairs.
âheâs okay right, seems like he just head butted him a little too hardâ Martin asks sitting on the edge of james bed, watching his friend groan at everyone touch. you shake your head, dabbing a cotton ball on the open wound on his left cheek.
âhe should be fine, just bleeding a lotâ you mumble back to him. james swatting your hand every time you were near him, tossing and turning as you cleaned the wound. martin got up from the bed saying he was going to check on logan and matt, just to make sure they werenât drinking. now it was just you and james, alone, in his bedroom, the door closed. while rubbing ointment to his forehead you heard a soft whimper from his mouth causing you to look down, his eyes closed shut and hands gripping his shirt in pain.
âi promise itâs almost done, then you can restâ
he grabs ahold of your arm squeezing it making your flesh turn pale. every touch he whimpered out in agony, begging you to stop hurting him even though this would help in the long run. you turn his face to you, hoping to quickly clean up the wound on his cheek which was far by the worst cut youâve seen. still a grip on your arm, he starts tracing objects into it. you hummed taking a wet cloth trying to clean up the dried blood on his neck and face. how did he even get this, it seemed like he had the upper handâŠ
âwhere⊠did you *whimper* learn how to-to do this?â you look down seeing his face in discomfort, eyebrows knitted and chest quickly rising and failing.
âmy mom, when she would come home blasted she always had a new injury that i would tend too..â
âthis is, really all your fault⊠i hope *huff* you know thatâ james says against his pillow, you drop the cotton ball on the floor, looking at him like he was crazy. how was this any of your fault, it was almost the opposite. this would have not happened if martin didnât intervene, if he had stayed back and gently told you to walk away not making a scene, or he could have just let you have a normal conversation with a guy you havenât gotten to know yet.
âyour fucking joking with me right?â
âno.â he says sternly letting go of your arm. âdonât even know *huff* why your here⊠helping meâ James turns his back to you, making himself into a ball. you slam down the first aid kit onto the floor, causing him to jolt.
âyou are such an asshole! i just cleaned your wounds! and fucking nursed you! and your asking why im. why im here!â you shout stomping your foot onto the carpet. you take off your blazer, hitting his side making him chuckle. he grabs the jacket flinging you toward, your body weight now on his side. he grabs your waist throwing you next to him, your back hitting the bed. he takes ahold of your chin, forcing your face to be aligned with his. he lightly pushes your head back causing you to almost bump into his wall, he scoffs at your sudden movements.
âyour such a hothead, canât take a joke can you?â
âim a hothead james? you just beat a guy up because of a simple misunderstanding! your a fucking hothead and a jokeâ his hands find your neck, not squeezing but holding you into place. you look up seeing his face, eyes angry and face full of blood. he cocks his head to the side looking you up and down before letting go.
âdonât fucking tell me what i am. you donât know shit about me y/nâ
âi could say the same thing to youâ he laughs at your statement grabbing a cigarette from his nightstand before lighting it. he blows the smoke into your face making your nose scrunch from the sudden ashy smell. âdonât blow smoke on me! what the fuck is your issue?â you say getting up from the bed slapping his arm making him groan. he doesnât say a word just looking at you in pleasure. your skirt riding up your legs, and bottom up almost undone. he licks his lips before you turn your back towards him grabbing your blazer and stomping away, slamming the door behind you in annoyance.
you hate james, and hate his ego even more. @daniirobinn !!