My Bubblegum King - Chapter 29: Chapter 29

I don't really know when I finally fell asleep that morning but I was awake for quite a while from that 3am. I had to stop Diego from feeling bad and I made him narrate how he found me in the first place. According to him he changed his mind about letting me go alone in the last minute and decided to at least make sure I got to my dorm safely.
When he was halfway through without siting me on the road at all, he called and lo and behold he could hear my phone ringing from a distance. I could only imagine the shock he was in or the fear at wondering what had happened to me. According to him, he started searching for me like a mad man and the rest is history. I was so thankful, I don't think I have ever been that thankful towards a human being since my highschool drama days when I was kidnapped. Then I was really thankful to Sebastian for being alive and then Barry for saving us. Now Diego was up in the list too. I wonder what exactly would have happened to me if he didn't find me. Honestly the whole thing that happened was completely woozy to me, I couldn't remember the details and it was just the Jared incident coming to my mind.
Did they even want to rape me or was I imagining things? Were they after attacking me or was I just an unfortunate random person that fell into their trap? I really thought I was over that whole Jared thing but I guess not. Turns out my biggest fear is being taken advantage of again. I was grown past that, right? Right?
I woke up with a jolt that morning. I wasn't exactly dreaming just really disturbed. I was soaked with sweat and my heart was fucking pounding. My eyes found the time and it was eleven am already. Diego wasn't beside the bed anymore but I could hear utensils hiting against each other.
"Diego?" I called, pulling myself off the bed. My body hurt all over.
The noise stopped and before I knew it a crying Ryder raced towards me, enveloping my entire aching body with a hug. "Paxton Flynn you fucking goat!"
"Ow Ry!" I yelled and she immediately let go of me with wide eyes.
"What, what? Where hurts?"
"Everywhere!" I whined, rubbing my arms together. Damn it. It's been a while since I've been hit or beaten.
I didn't know what I was expecting after saying that but it's was definitely not a bawling Ryder. She burst out in tears, burying her head on my legs. "Oh my gosh, Pax. Oh my..."
I rolled my eyes, "stop crying. I am alive aren't I?"
"You almost died. I almost died. Sim called in the morning to ask if you stayed over at mine and how my roommate allowed it. Imagine his shock when I told him you just dropped me off and left. We started calling everybody, I almost called the police... I- I was so s-scared oh my heart. Where the fuck would I start from?"
I started crying too. "I was so scared too."
Ryder cupped my face and I cupped hers too, wiping away her tears. "How could they do that to you? I swear we'd find them and kill them."
I chuckled, "with what a gun or a knife?"
She paused to think, "me and you, a knife. Seb, maybe a gun."
"Seb?" My eyes widen questioning as my heart skipped. "Did you tell him?"
"Not yet."
"Don't," I sighed. "I don't want him knowing yet. He'd just worry for nothing and it hasn't been that long since he came over here."
"Pax, you keep forgetting he's bloody rich. There's nothing he wouldn't do for you."
I pinched her cheek. "And you keep forgetting he's not using his daddy's money yet."
She rolled her eyes, "whatever. Diego would just use the gun then."
"How did you find me?"
"Diego finally picked your phone up and directed me here. Sim has a test if not he would have been here. I told him already though."
"Oh," I looked around. "Then where's Diego?"
"He stepped out after I arrived. He kept looking at you worriedly. I bet he cried before I came."
I blushed, remembering the moment in the night where he had cried. "Did he?"
Ryder wiggled her brows teasing at me. "Our knight in shining armor."
"Get out."
She laughed, "did he carry you all the here? Bridal style or piggyback?"
"I'd go with ca-" I got cut off when an unpleasant smell reached my nostrils. Burning food. "Ry, did you put anything on the fire?"
"Oh shit!" She jumped off, running back to the kitchen.
I burst out laughing even though my rib cage hurt. "I don't think Diego would be forgiving when you burn down his house."
*
I didn't get to see Diego for a long while. Ryder spent basically all day with me in his house until she had to go take care of some things. I slept a lot mostly because Ry made it her job to overfeed me before she left and after I woke up I spent time looking around Diego's room. I was so tempted to call Seb but I didn't. He would be very busy at work and I didn't want to bother him at all. Plus what happened wasn't necessary a big deal, I'm alive afterall.
Diego was right afterall, he did have a pet hamster in his room. It was in a little cute glass cage at a corner and I couldn't stop smiling when I saw it. You'd never think his room was like this when you see him outside looking all macho and Simba like. He didn't have a single picture of him but he had one of Jordy and he had one of a dog and his hamster. It made me laugh.
My phone rang and my heart skipped thinking it was Sebastian. There was no way I could hide what happened and lie to him even though it's through the phone. Sometimes I think he has super powers, he knows me too well. But then, thankfully, it wasn't Sebastian. It was Percy.
"Wow," I started immediately I picked up. "To what do I owe this honor."
"Shut up, I call you all the time."
"Liar liar pants on fire."
He clicked his tongue, "well, you don't call me either, so..."
I nodded even though he couldn't see me. "My point exactly. Why are you breaking out the script?"
"Ry said I should call you."
I mentally sighed and rolled my eyes. "Oh yeah?"
"Yup, what did you get into this time?"
"Nothing. I don't know why she told you to call."
"Now who's a liar with his pants on fire?"
I sighed, "I'm fine. Really."
"Did you get punched? Or did you punch someone and get your hand broken again?"
"Um..."
"Paxton, we talked about this. You can't fight, don't bother. Call me instead."
"How would I call you when you're miles away?"
"So a fight did happen."
"Um, nope. No fight."
"Tsk tsk, are you coming home or should I come?"
I sighed, smiling to myself. My brother is really something else, you'd think he adores me like this in person. "Nope of the above."
"How bad is it?"
Apparently there's no need lying, he's not buying it. "Not that bad."
"You poked first?"
"No, I don't even know them."
"Them?!"
"No, no, I'm fine really."
"I'm coming. I can drive, no biggie."
"Percy Flynn listen to me." I yelled. "I'm fine, physically at least. I think I'm mentally scarred and you can't help with that, can you?"
"How do you mean?"
I swallowed, Percy had always been my semi confidant when it came to things like this. So it's fine. "Um, well, during the whole not fight thing... I kept getting flashes of a bad memory that happened a long time ago. I actually thought I was over it but I guess not and it's kind of scary. Like, why won't it just go?"
"What memory?"
I shook my head to myself. "Secret. Can't tell you."
"How long ago?"
"Sophomore year ish?"
"Hm, well if it's still there then you've obviously not healed."
I sighed, "that's just so sad."
"Not really. Scars take time to heal."
"It's probably never going to go then."
"Probably. But I think therapy might help deal with it better."
"Therapy?" I scoffed. "That's like intense and this is not that intense."
"It is if it wouldn't go. And therapy is not as intense as you think. It's actually quite easy, I started attending one back then with Spence and I'm still going . Helps you discover things about yourself you never thought about."
"You're attending therapy?" I was surprised to hear that.
"Yeah, Spencer couldn't really go alone and after the first day, I liked it. And now I guess I'm still not done with my shit."
I smiled, "Spencer." I chuckled. "I can't believe my brother went to therapy because of a guy."
I could feel Percy blushing from the screen. "He's not just any guy, it's Spencer. The love of my life."
"Awwn!"
"Get out!"
"I can't stop smiling. It's crazy."
"Yup, very crazy. Like how can someone love another person this much? It's crazy. I just want to hug him and protect him from everything and it sucks now that I can't do that."
"Mushy, you want to do that to everybody."
"Eh, more to Spencer. Like way more to Spencer."
"More to Spencer than me?"
"Duh, who the fuck are you?"
"Ouch! Get out my phone!"
"Well, I've called you. Brother duty done, bye."
"Bye." Before I could hang up though, he called my name.
"Pax?"
"What?!"
"Take of yourself okay?"
I softened, "yeah, you too. And you know where to find Spencer if you miss him that much."
"I do." He agreed. "But if I go, I know I'm not coming back and I can't do that to Cal."
I nodded, I still found it hard to believe that my kid brother was already so mature and with a son. "Mm at least you have Cal."
"Yeah, he's growing really big it's scary."
"Awwn."
"Get out my phone."
"You're the one who called!"
"Whatever bye. Don't get killed." Before I could reply he cut the call.
The call ended and I was left smiling to myself. I couldn't really tell why I was smiling. It could be because Percy had a way of making people feel special with his overprotective-ness and care or it could be because I was happy Percy had someone like Spencer in his life even though he wasn't physically there at the moment anybody could tell that he was Percy's driving force. I would never have guessed it ever. He wasn't like this with his ex girlfriend, and if anyone had told me he could ever be like this with someone, I would have called them a liar.
I was about to start browsing my phone about therapy and how to heal a scarred mind when the door opened and Diego walked in. I turned to him with a smile, putting my phone away but he looked startled to see, and I caught him with the corner of my eyes hiding his hands from view.
"Hey."
"Hey," he greeted back, looking me over like I was an alien.
"Um," I looked down my body to check and it's then I realize I'm wearing his clothes. My cheek immediately go hot and definitely red. Moses beard. I looked back up at him. "Sorry Ryder made me wear this." It was the truth. "I hope it's fine?"
Diego blinked, looking back at my eyes. "Yeah-- yeah sure, it's fine." He shook his head to himself. "Sorry, I wasn't expecting to see you."
"Oh," I blushed some more. "I felt it would be rude if I just left without saying goodbye." I shrugged. "You did save my life."
"Yeah, thanks."
I blinked, confused. "For what?"
"For not leaving."
"Oh." We stay there for some seconds in awkward silence until he decided to move from the door.
"I-I be right back," he started muttering, trying to maneuver his way past me. "Just heading to the bath-"
"What are you hiding?" I jumped out when he least expected it, grabbing his hand out from behind him. I didn't know what I was expecting to see but it definitely wasn't blood stained injured knuckles. "W-wha..."
Diego withdrew his hands back to himself, cussing to himself. I looked at him in askance and it's then I see that a side of his lip is injured and he has a cut under his eye bleeding. My eyes widened, "what the fuck?"
"Paxton-"
"You got into a fight?" I asked, unable to hold in my surprise. I spluttered for lack of words and utter confusion. "I- I don't understand."
Diego sighed, running his bloodied hands through his hair. "I couldn't just sit here and watch you lie injured without doing anything."
What?
My mind was working a mile for two seconds as I tried to understand what he just said. "You couldn't--- you know who attacked me?"
He sighed again. "I recognized the voice and the whole thing was kind of familiar."
"Then you should have called the police?"
"With what evidence? It would just be a total waste of time."
True.
"Wait," I paused. "What do you mean 'kind of familiar'?"
"Pax..."
"Stop it. Don't lie or try to hide anything."
He nodded to himself and I could see the uncomfortable, almost looking agonizing frown on his face. He didn't want to talk about it but was forcing himself for my sake. "It's a frat thing. The frat boys did this to you."
My mind spun for a minute. "What? Why?"
"No particular reason and it didn't have to be you. It's a freshman initiation thing. The guy was probably dared to steal from or do something to a passerby and he had to do it to get into the frat."
"Holy shit," I felt like cold water was poured on me from head to toe as a chill ran down my spine. Dared? A fucking dare? "J-just lik-e that?"
Diego green eyes looked completely dark and void of life as he nodded, the next words leaving his mouth like scythe was on his tongue cutting through. "It's tradition."
My knees got weak and I fell back to the chair I was on minutes ago, not feeling the hurt around the body. Tradition? Digging into people's worst fears? Traumatizing them? Attacking innocent oblivious people was a fucking dare game that was tradition? How on Earth...
"Paxton," Digeo crouched before me, hands on my legs. "I'm so sorry."
I nodded, "it's quite a lot to take in." I ran my hand through my hair, remember the night before and feeling my blood boil. "Like, I wasn't angry before. I was just thankful that I was alive and I don't know what other feeling but not anger. But now, now I'm angry." I could feel the tears pool in my eyes. How could they do that to me for just a dare? And it's tradition so it's been happening? Fuck, how can someone-
My eyes moved to Diego. "Wait, how do you know this again?"
I've never seen the look on Diego's face on anyone before. Fear, brokenness, shame, pain and apology all wrapped in one. He couldn't even look at me. "Pax..."
I didn't know when I reached for his hand, wrapping my small fingers around his bloodied ones. "Hey-"
"I was once in the frat. I did it and I saw it done a lot of times."
If someone could be punched by words, I just got punched.
I didn't know when my hand pulled away from his.