Their bickering was stirring me from the deep slumber I was in. My body felt like it had been run over several times. Not to mention the pounding in my head. Everything hurt. Listening to them going back and forth was not helping.
I struggled to open my eyes.
“This is exactly why Will always shuts us out. His friends have no respect for us,” Tabitha snootily butted in.
“Tabitha, eat a dick.”
After hearing a few gasps around the room, I became more determined to wake up before World War III broke out.
I shifted my body as best as I could. It felt like my limbs were about to fall off, causing me to groan like a wounded animal. Someone gently placed their hand on my arm.
“Bestie? Try not to move too much. Can you open your eyes?”
After a few moments, my eyes fluttered open. I scanned the room and saw Oscar, my mother, Elliot, Tabitha… and Jeff! It didn’t take long for me to realize I was in a hospital bed.
My mom and Oscar were the only two watching me with concern. Elliot, Tabitha, and Jeff had scowls on their faces. I turned to the left, focusing on Oscar. I was in too much pain to deal with the other four people in the room. I didn’t know why they came. It was clear that three of them couldn’t care less about my well-being.
“What happened?” I questioned before I started coughing.
That caused a sharp pain in my ribs. I cried out. I attempted to lift my right arm to clutch my side and hissed. I looked down at my arm. It was covered in a blue cast.
What the fuck happened to me?
“Don’t do too much, Will. You have a broken arm, bruised ribs, and a concussion.” Oscar placed his hand on my shoulder. His eyes filled with unshed tears.
“Who did this to me?”
Oscar sighed, dropping his head. “We don’t know. Someone attacked you after you walked to your car. An employee from the club was taking out the trash and saw a group of men beating you. When he shouted that he was calling the police, they ran off. You don’t remember anything?”
I gulped, trying to rack my brain for anything. I was coming up empty. The last thing I could recall was dancing with Oscar on the dance floor. I frowned, becoming annoyed. I needed to figure out who was responsible for this.
“The last thing I remember is us dancing. Why would someone do something like this?”
Oscar opened his mouth, but Elliot cut him off. “Probably because of the way you’re living.”
“Exactly,” Tabitha chimed in. “We've been telling you for years your lifestyle was going to catch up with you.” Her voice was filled with mock concern. I knew better. This miserable bitch had to kick me at any given chance, even while I was already down.
I didn’t bother looking to my mother for backup. It would never come. I would just end up angry and disappointed.
“Yeah, Will. I think you probably should reevaluate some things. This could have turned out worse than some bruised ribs and whatnot.” Jeff held a taunting smirk while staring at me.
If I weren’t in so much pain, I swear I would unleash hell right now. But I was too weak to fuss with them.
“Red… Roof… Motel,” Oscar said through some coughs.
I grinned back at Jeff as his face dropped in horror. Leave it to Oscar to effortlessly shut him up. That motel was where Jeff spent many hours fuckin’ any man around town who was okay keeping his secret.
Tabitha looked between Jeff, and Oscar, who had his brow raised in challenge. When Jeff said nothing else, Oscar rolled his eyes, focusing on Elliot and Tabitha. “And what the fuck are you two talking about? He lives a normal life. He goes to work and occasionally goes out on the weekend. You make him sound like a drug dealer or a pimp.”
Finally, my mother decided to step in. I guess since Elliot and Tabitha were on the receiving end of some harsh words,she could now speak up. “Now, hold on, Oscar. We’re all just concerned about Will.”
I bit the inside of my jaw, resisting the urge to blow up. At the end of the day, I didn’t want to disrespect my mother, but I was at my wits' end with all this bullshit. I didn’t know how she could possibly defend them like they weren’t standing here, blaming me for some deranged lunatics.
No matter how many times this happened, it always chipped away at my heart. I just wanted her to choose me one time. Was that too much to ask for? Memories of my mother before Elliot were the only thing that kept me around. With time, I was starting to accept that the woman no longer existed. If I wanted her to be a part of my life, it meant accepting being a constant verbal punching bag to Elliot and Tabitha. As reality set in, I realized that things were coming to an end with my mother and me.
I couldn’t take this anymore.
Before I could kindly ask them all to leave, the hospital door flung open. Alice and Tech were leading the group. Cara, Sara, Big Red, Bear, and Viper were right behind them. My eyes bulged as they stormed in like they were ready for war.
