Find My Heart - Chapter 15: Chapter 15

Cole
One second Percy was next to me, the next he was gone, and the only clue I had as to where he had gone were the screams now coming from behind me.
I slowly turned round and gaped at what I saw. In just a few seconds the whole room seemed to be full of brawling bodies. I saw fists flying, and heard glass smashing, and everywhere I looked I could see bruises and cuts appearing on people's faces.
I wanted to run. I needed to run. But something kept me rooted to the spot. I needed to know that Natalie and Percy were alright.
I couldn't see either of them in the chaos in front of me, but I knew I would have to move if I wanted to find them.
Slowly I edged my way into the mass of bodies. Ducking a flying chair and leaping over a pair wrestling on the floor, I eventually spotted Natalie cowering behind an armchair.
I quickly dove behind the chair next to her.
"Come one, we need to get out of here," I said.
I turned to look at Natalie and I could see the tears beginning to fall down her face.
"I'm sorry Cole," she said, as she began to sob.
"It's alright," I said, putting my arm around her. "Come on, let's make a run for it."
I pulled her up, then ran for the nearest door, which was the paito door, that led into the back garden.
"See if you can get round to the front, and meet me at the end of the road," I said, before turning to go back inside.
"Wait, where are you going?" Natalie asked, staring at me with wide eyes.
"I'm going to check that Percy's alright," I said, running back inside before she could try to change my mind.
I quickly scanned the room, and saw Percy punching and kicking as a group of around 4 or 5 guys ganged up on him.
He was holding his own well, but I knew it would only be a matter of time.
I reached for my phone in my pocket. Should I call the police?
No, that was a bad idea. My dad was bound to find out.
Then an idea suddenly hit me.
I scrolled through my contacts until I found his name.
I wasn't comfortable with ringing so I sent a quick text.
To Nathan : Quick please, I need your help. 102 Beech Drive. Cole.
I put my phone back in my pocket.
What if he wasn't near his phone? What if he was but ignored it? What made me think he would come for me anyway? Maybe I should have said Percy was in trouble.
I debated on whether I should send another text when I saw that they had managed to apprehend Percy. Each of his four limbs was being held by a different guy, and even then I could see that they were having trouble keeping him still.
I watched as the redhead started pacing back and forth in front of Percy. Clearly taunting him.
Shit, I needed to do something.
I watched as Aaron picked up a beer bottle and smashed it against a table, brandishing the now jagged glass like a weapon.
I felt my stomach churning at the thought of what could happen. I swallowed, willing the contents of my stomach to stay where it was.
I edged closer, not sure of what I was going to do, but knowing that I couldn't do anything from this distance.
As I moved closer, my foot hit something solid, and I looked down to see what looked like a table leg on the floor. I picked it up, remembering the shattered table from earlier, and felt the weight of it in my hand.
Yes, I could probably do some damage with this.
I skirted round the furniture towards Aaron, who was holding the broken bottle scarily close to Percy's throat.
"I think a scar across your pretty face would be a good reminder not to step foot in my house again," he was saying.
I knew I only had one shot at this.
What the hell was I doing?
I didn't even know anymore.
I stepped forward, and with my eyes closed I swung the wooden leg towards the redhead with all my might.
And I missed.
The momentum carried me forward and I body checked him, sending him sprawling into the guy holding one of Percy's arms, while I ended up in a heap in the floor.
The guy holding Percy stumbled, letting go, leaving Percy to swing out at the guy holding his other arm.
I sat, dazed on the floor, watching the scene before me.
As the remaining guys clung onto Percy with all their might, I watched as Percy swung round and sunk his teeth into the arm of one of the guys.
I froze, and blinked rapidly.
Did I just see what I thought I saw? Percy's face seemed to change shape as he opened his mouth to bite the guy's arm, and I definitely caught sight of a pretty impressive set of canine teeth.
I shook my head. Had I drunk more than I thought?
"For fuck's sake Cole, get out of here!" Percy screamed at me.
My body jolted in shock and I quickly stood up before I was sent crashing down again by a fist to my face.
Youzers that stung.
I suddenly felt myself being dragged back onto my feet, and I braced myself for another hit.
"Come one," the guy said, and I looked over to see that it was Percy who had hold of my arm and was pulling me towards the door.
I didn't need to be asked again, and I quickly ran for the exit.
We both shot out of the front door like the place was on fire and set off running down the street.
"Quick follow me," Percy said, and I ran after him into a small park, and into the protection of a group of trees.
We both stopped, panting to catch our breath. Or at least I was panting. Percy looked like he had just taken a brisk walk.
"Are you ok?" he asked me, moving close to me and lifting a hand to my face.
I instinctively took a step back, but found myself backed up against a tree.
I felt my breath hitch as he took hold of my chin in his hand and turned my head slightly to the left.
"That's going to be a lovely shade of purple in the morning," he said.
"Shit!" I moaned, knowing that my dad was going to have my balls for breakfast.
But to be honest, right now I didn't care. All I could focus on was Percy's body which was stood just centimeters from my own. Close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off him. It made me feel a little lightheaded.
"Don't worry," he said with a slight smile, "it gives you a 'don't mess with me' look that suits you."
I felt myself blush and looked down.
"Ah, see now you spoiled it," he said, teasing me, "as cute as it is when you blush, it kind of spoils the whole bad boy image."
"C-Cute?" I repeated, like some sort of parrot, then immediately snapped my mouth shut as I realised what I'd said.
"Sure," Percy said with a shrug.
I don't know if it was my new bad boy look, or just the fuzziness that came with being this close to Percy, but I suddenly found the confidence to ask what I'd wanted to know.
"Then why didn't you kiss me earlier when the bottle landed on me?"
His eyebrows raised a fraction and I could see he hadn't expected me to ask that.
He took a step back and turned away from me slightly, his whole body language screaming that he wasn't comfortable with his answer.
"I don't know," he replied, "you are cute but I guess you're just not my type or something."
He almost muttered that last bit and I only just caught what he said.
I nodded absentmindedly. I could see that. I was nothing like Percy. He was wild and rebellious. I was mundane and predictable. I guess I was just hoping that that saying was true - that opposites attract.
In my disappointment, I found the courage to ask something else.
"Can I see your teeth?"
"What?" he said, and I could see that this question shocked him even more than the last.
"Your teeth," I said. "When you bit that guy in there, you looked like you had really pointy canine teeth. I just wanted to see them."
He laughed, but I could tell it was slightly forced. My request obviously made him uncomfortable. Was it a weird thing to ask? Possibly. And I guess he also might be embarrassed by them.
"I won't laugh or anything," I tried to reassure him, "I thought they were really cool."
He quickly opened his mouth and I was disappointed to see that his teeth looked perfectly normal.
"You must have been seeing things," he said, still with that forced laughter.
He was hiding something from me. Did he have a set of false teeth he used to bite people with? No, that would be crazy right?
"I know what I saw." I mumbled.
He stopped smiling and frowned instead. "Yeah, well maybe next time, just keep your eyes closed. In fact next time stay away. I didn't need your help in there."
The air around us suddenly dropped by a few degrees.
"From where I was standing, you definitely needed help," I shot right back.
"I've been in worse situations before and survived. Believe me, I would have been fine."
"Yeah, keep telling yourself that," I said, getting rather annoyed at how ungrateful he was that I risked my neck to help him out.
I felt my phone buzz in my pocket and I pulled it out to see a text message had arrived.
From Nathan: Don't move, I'm on my way.
"Oh shit!"
"What?" Percy asked curiously.
"Erm, I may have done something stupid," I replied, not sure quite how to break it to him.
"I know. I was there, remember?" he said, then promptly laughed at his own joke.
I rolled my eyes and laughed nervously.
"Well, you know when the fight was going on, I didn't know what to do, so I thought I'd text someone for some help."
"And...?" he urged me to continue.
I tensed up ready.
"And so I texted Nathan."
"Fuck, Cole!"
"I know, I know, I'm sorry," I quickly grovelled. "Shall I text him back to tell him not to come?"
Percy shook his head and laughed. The kind of laugh that you do when you can't quite believe the situation you're in.
"There's no way he'll not come now."
"I'm sorry," I said again, "although I told him the address to the house we were at, so he won't find us anyway."
"Oh no, he'll find us."
"What?"
"He'll find us."
"But how?"
"You can have that conversation with him."
"What?"
This time he didn't answer, he just shook his head.
After a short silence, Percy looked over to me and his eyes widened slightly. "Oh shit, he's going to flip when he sees your eye!"
I felt my eyebrows shoot up. Or at least one of them. The other was definitely feeling considerably heavier than it used to.
"Why? It's not like you did it."
"It doesn't matter!" he said, still looking slightly alarmed. Which if I'm honest was not doing anything for my levels of anxiety at the moment.
"Cole, you have to promise me something."
"What?" I asked.
"Promise me you'll not tell him who did that to you."
"Why?"
"Just trust me ok? You have to promise."
"Sure," I said, nodding like my life depended on it.
Percy leaned back against a tree in defeat. "Fuck, he's going to kill me."
I wanted to ask why, but I knew he wouldn't answer.
Suddenly a thought came to me.
"You know, I never told him that you were at the party."
His head snapped round to look at me. "Really?"
"Yes," I said nodding.
"I'm outta here then!" he said, moving away from the tree.
"Wait! You can't leave me!" I shouted in panic.
"Why?" he asked, looking faintly amused.
"I don't know. The guy is kind of scary. What if he.....I don't know...gets mad or something?"
Percy smirked at me. "Oh, he's definitely going to get mad alright..."
He must have seen my horrified expression as he quickly added, "but he wouldn't do anything to hurt you."
"How can you know that?" I asked.
"Trust me, I know that," he replied.
"You keep saying that!" I said in frustration, "but you're not giving me any reason to trust you."
Percy let out a huge sigh. "Ok, I'll tell you one thing. Nathan has the answer to all your questions. Just ask him. And don't take no for an answer."
Before I could say anything else, Percy began to jog away, pausing briefly, before jumping over a wall and disappearing out of sight.
Great. The solution was to ask the fit, scary guy. Fat lot of good that was going to do.