Chapter Four
Corey's POV
It's been almost a week since the dinner party and I was getting very worried. First, there was the tense and cold atmosphere at home, with Father glaring at me and Mother blatantly ignoring me or casting cold looks in my direction. I overheard them talking one night and it seems like there was a high probability that they won't be getting the contract they so desperately wanted from Mr...Hayden, and guess who they felt deserved the blame? Yeah, yours truly.
The second thing that was worrying me, was the wounds caused by father's belt buckle. The day after the party I was barely able to leave my bed and Susan had to bring me food in bed the entire day. She knew what had happened and I saw her lips thin into a straight line in anger towards Father, but she never said anything. She just set my tray down and went to my bathroom, where I kept a first-aid kit and when she came back, she quietly sat next to me, cleaning all the cuts and bandaging them for me.
I kept hearing her noises of disapproval while doing it, but neither one of us said a word. It was a silent agreement between the two of us, that she would always look after me when Father did this. If she tried to do anything more, then she would get fired, which would leave me completely alone in this hellhole. As soon as she was done, she gently kissed my forehead and got up to leave the room, but I saw the silent tears running down her cheeks. I lowered my head in shame at how weak and pathetic I was, but she gently lifted it by the chin. "You are a lot stronger than you think sweetheart, don't ever doubt that." and with those words, she left the room.
I ate my breakfast in silence, my mind going back to the handsome face of Hayden. I quickly remembered his card and searched for it through my bedding and sighed in relief when I found it, clutching it to my chest. He might not be mine, but a boy could dream, couldn't he?
Now it's been almost a week, but the wounds weren't healing like they should. Between myself and Susan, we have been trying to keep them clean, but somehow, infection had set in and I didn't know what to do. Last night, during dinner, my head started aching and I felt slightly nauseous, but I pushed through and managed to finish most of my food.
I went to my room almost immediately after and took off the bandages, looking at the wounds I could see. I turned in front of the mirror in the bathroom to have a look at the ones on my back as well, and that's when I saw it. Some of the cuts on my back was really deep and now they looked angry and red, swollen and there was something leaking out of them.
There was a quiet knock on the door and I hurriedly pulled my t-shirt over my head, groaning as the wounds stretched and burned. I went to my door, dreading that it might be Father behind the door, but as I opened it, I saw Susan standing there.
"I came to help with the bandages real quick." She whispered, she probably snuck up here, not wanting Father to know she was helping me. So I quickly motion her to come in and close my door behind her. As we get back into the bathroom, I take my shirt off again, but this time Susan has to help me, because the wounds were hurting even more.
I heard Susan gasp loudly behind me and know she has seen what the cuts on my back look like. "Oh my dear boy, we need to get you proper medical care. These really don't look good at all." She cries out and I have to shush her. I didn't want Father to know what was going on. She quickly slaps a hand over her mouth and nods at me.
"I'm serious though Corey, these wounds are beyond my help. You need proper care otherwise it's only going to get worse." She whispers and I sigh, knowing that she is only telling me something I already know, but also knowing that I can't go to a doctor without my parents finding out.
"Let's just get this over and done with Susan. I'm sure they will get better on their own eventually." I tell her quietly and she just sniffles, before turning me to face the mirror, so she can work on my back.
She spends the next half hour, meticulously cleaning each cut and wrapping bandages around me, before she says goodnight and leaves my room. I went to lie on my bed, but the headache that started during dinner was getting worse and worse.
I eventually fell asleep in the early hours of the morning, but by then I was sure I was developing a fever.
This morning I woke up when my alarm went off, but the sickening headache was still throbbing away in my head and my stomach turned as I sat up, but I pushed it down and went to do my morning routine, before getting ready for school.
So far I had managed to keep my injuries from Tana, but with the way I was feeling right now, I didn't know how much longer that was going to last. I will just have to push through it and try to get some more rest when I got back from school.
This all brings me to the present, where I was at my locker with Tana, who had greeted me with the usual hug and kiss on my cheek. I had to hold in a gasp of pain when she hugged me though, that shit fucking hurt like a bitch.
"So, any more dreams of the hot hunk of flesh that is Hayden Lawson?" She asked with a sly smile on her face. I had made the mistake of telling her about Hayden coming to the dinner party at my house, and how hot I thought he was and she has been teasing me about it every chance she got.
I knew the man was quite a bit older than me, but I honestly didn't give a shit. He was hot as hell and I couldn't seem to get him out of my mind. I even carried his card around with me, even though I had absolutely no intention of calling him, which she also knew about, because she saw it fall out my book yesterday.
I blush bright red at her teasing tone and gently nudge her away with my hip. "I don't dream of him, you idiot. I just said he was hot."I scoff, trying to hide my burning face, by turning away from her to dig in my locker for my books I will be needing.
"Yeah, you don't dream about him, but I bet you that his card is in your bed with you every single night."She says sarcastically, the grin on her face letting me know she wasn't being mean about it though.
I sigh and turn back to her, looking down at my shoes. "It doesn't matter how I feel about the man Tana. He will never look at me as anything other than a child."I sigh, feeling despondent.
"Oh please, if I had a dick, I would have ripped your innocence away from you a long time ago. You're too cute for your own good Corey and I bet you that man was drooling over you the entire night." She says in a teasing tone.
I burst out laughing, but the action caused a sharp flash of pain to shoot through my head and I gasp loudly, grabbing my head in both hands.
"Hey, are you okay, love?" Tana asks as she grabs my hands in hers, looking at me in concern. I try to smile, but even that seems to cause me pain. Tana seems to be thinking about something, before she grabs my hands and starts dragging me down the hall and I know she is taking me to the nurse.
"N-no Tana, I don't want to go to the nurse and I don't need it either."I quickly say, my mind starting to spiral as panic sets in. If I go there, then they will phone my parents to let them know that I'm sick and it will just cause more issues.
I try to pull my hand away from my friend, but she seems to have it in a death grip. I pull harder and eventually I manage to free my hand and I stop walking. She turns to me, looking annoyed and I hate that I'm upsetting her, but I can't go to the nurse's office.
"What the hell Corey, you are in pain and in need of help. Let's just go to the nurse and see if she can give you some headache tablets." She huffs, but I just shake my head, refusing to go.
I don't know if she picks up on my fear, but she quickly drops the scowl and pull me into her arms. "Okay, I'll leave it for now Boo, but if you get any worse, I swear, I will knock you the fuck out and drag you to her by your hair, understood?" She eventually exclaims and I'm quick to agree.
Tana knew how hard it was for me at home and she knew what my parents were like and what they were capable of. But I haven't told her about this latest incident. Don't ask me why, because usually we don't keep secrets from each other. But this time is different and I knew that if I told her, or even showed her what was hidden under my shirt, then she would go ballistic.
She also knew why I didn't want to go to the nurse's office. She knew what would happen if the school phoned my parents about anything, even if I am sick and getting worse by the minute.
I made it through the first few periods, right up till lunch, by then I was feeling like a truck had run me over a few dozen times. I was getting bad dizzy spells, my head was pounding and my stomach was turning so badly that I had to run to the nearest bathroom, on the way to the cafeteria.
I just made it into a stall, before everything came up, and I was a retching, heaving mess for the next few minutes. My stomach finally calms down and I sit on the floor next to the toilet bowl, trying to regain some energy.
Eventually I feel a bit better and I get up from the floor, opening the stall door and make my way to the basin to wash my face. I had just rinsed the bad taste out of my mouth and splashed some cold water over my heated face, when Jason and his hooligan squad walked in and my heart dropped down to my feet. Please God, not right now, please, I prayed, but it seemed like the big guy had better things to do today, than to listen to me.
"Well, well, well, look what we have here boys." Jason said, the evil smirk on his face making me shiver in fear. I close my eyes and wish with all my might that they would just leave me alone, but my luck was dust at my feet at that moment. "I'm talking to you, you little fucktard" Jason said, leaning closer to me and I felt his breath on the back of my neck.
"P-p-please J-Jason..." I tried, but Jason wasn't hearing anything. He shoved me hard in the back, his hand landing square on one of my open wounds. I grunted in pain and tried to twist away from him, but he grabbed a handful of my hair and pulled my head back. I slowly open my eyes and look into his dark brown eyes, reflected in the mirror. Brown eyes are supposed to be warm, but his looked so cold and closed off and he looked at me and I felt bile rise up at the vicious glint in his eyes. The pure hatred, leaving me with an icy feeling in the pit of my stomach.
"Where's your little girlfriend now, bitch." He snarls into my ear and I close my eyes tightly, not wanting to say anything to aggravate him even more. But that seems to set him off even more, and the next thing I know, I feel a blow to my ribs as he punches me, knocking the air out of my lungs.
He steps back as my legs turn to rubber under me and I fall to the ground, hitting my head on the side of the basin. I lay on the floor, dazed and trying to get my eyes to work properly, but then it starts. I feel feet hit my back and stomp my sides and abdomen. Jason and his friends were surrounding me, kicking at me, shouting insults at me and I tried my best to curl into a ball to fend off some of the blows, but that only caused one of them to kick my arm and I heard the distinct snap of the bone as white hot pain shot through my arm.
I don't know how long it all lasted, but I could feel myself fading fast and the voices were now coming from a distance, a dull echo that just sent out indistinct sounds. I think I heard someone shouting, sounding like a girl, but I couldn't be sure and my eyelids felt too heavy to open, so I just ignored it, hoping that everything will stop and maybe this time will be the last time. Maybe this time, I will finally not wake up, leaving me to live eternally in peace.
Then a sudden thought brought me back to reality. I couldn't die, I wanted to see Hayden again. I wanted to get to know the man behind the mask that he wears for other's benefit. I pushed the incoming darkness away as hard as I could and realised that I was no longer being kicked and that the bathroom was empty, except for someone holding my head and shouting for help.
"Hayden..." I tried to say, but his name was barely a whisper on my cut lips. I tried to say it again, but nothing would leave my throat.
'It's okay sweetie, help is coming, please just hold on Corey. Please..." That was Tana, and she was sobbing. I wonder how she found me, I thought to myself, my thoughts getting hazy again.
"Hayden..." I tried to say again, and it finally caught Tana's attention.
"Do you want Hayden, where's his number, I can call him." She rushes out through her sobs. I try to say no, but the words keep getting stuck in my throat. In truth, I really wanted Hayden here, because he made me feel safe and warm, but I barely knew the man and he probably didn't even remember me.
I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and left it, but then it did it again, and again. I didn't quite understand, because no one ever phoned me except for Tana, who was right next to me. Tana must have heard the vibration sound against the floor, and she dug my phone out, her eyes widening in surprise. She turned the screen to me and I had to squint my eyes to make out what it said. I tried to smile, but my lips and face hurt so badly and I ended up grimacing in pain.
"Hayden..." I whispered out, immediately feeling my chest lightening. My mind was starting to wander again and I couldn't focus on anything, but then I heard Tana say a tentative hello. Who was she talking to? I wondered, but even that thought kept slipping away. I wanted Hayden here with me. I heard frantic talking, before something was placed next to my face, then I heard the one voice that had been haunting my dreams for almost a week.
"Hold on Corey, the ambulance is on it's way and I will be waiting for you at the hospital." He rushed out, sounding frantic. I didn't know what he was talking about, but I was so happy to hear his voice again. We had barely spoken to each other, but I knew that he was what I wanted and needed.
"Hayden..." slipped out of my mouth one last time, before everything went black and I felt nothing. The last thing I heard, was Hayden frantically shouting my name through the phone, mixing with Tana's screams and sobs, the phone clattering to the floor next to me.