10. TRUST

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I am really trying to update fast because I'm starting college already. Also, you're going to find out some juicy stuff about Sam today!!!

Okay, onto this chapter now!

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"I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN still handle this!" Mom threw her hands up in the air, tears falling down her cheek.

Dad had greeted us at the living room as soon as we got inside and had a look at me. He lost his shit, as usual, and started screaming at me. He continued to talk about how I wasn't careful enough and how if I wasn't such a loser, I wouldn't be beaten to shit like this. Sean tried to defend me as much as he could; but, we both knew that even if he didn't want to admit it, it wouldn't matter because this gave him another reason to be disappointed at me and he took it.

Of course, because of the yelling, mom had heard and ran downstairs, her thin, bony hands on the railing, balancing herself. When she saw the bruises, sling, and tons of bandages on my face and around my hand, she started crying and walked out on us but not before shouting.

Dad turned to me with a glare. "Great, now see what you did to your mother?" Then, walked back upstairs and followed mom, calling out her name.

Soon, I heard the door open and close with a bang.

Sean walked to the fridge, grabbing a bottled water. "You're going to have to fix this shit tomorrow with mom. You know well enough that she hates seeing you like you've been battered with a meat cleaver."

Ever since I was kid, every bruise and wound I attained from our father's cruelty, she would tear up or burst out cry in front of me while tending to my wounds. She never really heard from me directly that it was from my father, but I knew that she already had known about it a long time ago.

She had a soft, kind heart and no one deserved her. Especially my dad. He has never deserved her ever since from the start. And yet, she still married him and turned her eyes away from the reality that was happening around her.

I guess that's also why she could never really see Sean and I hurt. She sheltered herself around the idea that nothing would go wrong so when it did, she couldn't handle it.

"I'm going to my room and sleep the pain off," I told him.

Soon as I got to my room and closed the door, I went to the window, opening it with my free hand.

I sat down on my bed, waiting for Alex to come and feel him 'unleash his wrath on me' but I ended up having to fall asleep on my back.


After a few hours of good sleep (thank you, sleeping pills!), I was suddenly being shaken awake, a hand on my shoulder. "Sam, wake up, I need to lift up your shirt," he whispered, his breath that smelled of mints fanned on my cheek.

My brows knitted together immediately but I didn't open my eyes, knowing it was Alex. "I'm injured, and you want me to show you what's under my shirt?" There was a slight pause. "Do you want me to kill you?"

"I bought my medical kit, dumbass," he chuckled, pulling my shoulder up. "Come on, I need to take a look to make sure you're not bleeding internally."

I moaned, shaking my head, finally opening my eyes. "Can you just take my word for it when I say that I'm not."

Even his eyes were scolding at me, I could easily tell. He was also definitely mad at me for some reason and I already knew why—because I didn't fight them off when I could. He and I knew that I could have easily taken the three of them easily. Why? The same reason that everything I said about returning the wounds they gave me were merely empty threats.

I needed to protect myself and the people I care about from anyone knowing who I was which included the fact that I couldn't punch or kick anyone.

Jesus, talk about having a line of a bad superhero character.

"Come on, Sam."

Rolling my eyes, I held out my hand to him and he took it, pulling me up to sit. He, then, helped me take off the sling, and I raised both arms up as he grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled it off of me.

He tilted his head, clicking his tongue at me. "Well," he paused, taking a look at my bandaged abdomen. "at least, they had the common sense to wrap you up."

I removed the small clips on the bandage and he did the rest—taking it off of me and then observing the red blotched that had formed by my ribs. When he decided that there weren't any injuries that could blead internally, he bandaged me up again.

As he observed my hand—which looked exactly to what happened to my ribs, I heard him inhale sharply.

Alex was used to me having a couple of bruises and wounds, but I knew that this was a new level for him. I had never been hurt this badly except from the time when I was starting out as an underground fighter and we were still dating back then.

He had the same look like now—like he was going to throw up with the sight of me like this. God, I remember how mad he was that I didn't use being faster than my opponent and just went straight for the kicking and the punching.

"Hey," I tugged on his pale pink, V-neck shirt and smiled. "I'm okay, see? I still have my two front teeth."

He shook his head. "That isn't the point. You could have fought them off or you could have run!"

"You know that I don't ever run," I pressed my lips into a thin line. "and please, keep your voice down if you want to stay here any longer."

He clenched his jaw, teeth grinding together. He could have yelled at me but he didn't. Instead, the look of anger in his eyes slowly disappeared. "do you want to tell me what happened to you?"

I could always trust Alex. So I told him what happened.

He wasn't really happy but at least, he still held me and made me feel safe.

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IT WAS TOO COLD.

I woke up trying to grasp the blankets but I couldn't feel them. Alex was asleep beside me, his arms wrapped around me as he slept soundly, unbothered by the cold breeze that was coming inside the room.

The window. It was still open. Alex must've forgotten to close it.

As I slowly, unraveled myself from his grasps, I stood up and walked slowly to the window, watching the curtains dance with the air. My hand pulled it down, careful not to slam it shut to wake up Alex.

I stopped mid-halfway when I saw a dark figure by the tree beside the lamppost that was at the back of the house.

There was somebody there. His tall figure exposed his cargo shorts and black shirt but the shadow of the tree covered his face. He was built and something about him sent goosebumps down my spine.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Alex whispered, waking up.

I gave him a soft smile, shaking my head. "Nothing, nothing," pushing down the window and locking it. When I looked back at the figure, there was nobody there anymore. "I thought I saw something. Did you leave the window open?"

He blinked. "No, why?"

Then, who could have opened it?

When I didn't answer, Alex tapped the empty space next to him. "Come on. We still have a couple of hours to sleep before I need to get out of here and not get punched by your brother too."

My brows furrowed. What? Too? "Wait, how did you know my brother punched someone?"

"What?" He scoffed. "I didn't say anything about your brother punching someone."

"You said 'not get punched by your brother too.' Keyword is too so which meant that you knew he punched someone. How did you know he did?"

Our eyes met for a second before I realized what the answer was. Of course, he would tell him.

"Travis called you, didn't he?" I pointed out, my hand running through my unwashed hair. "That's why you knew about what happened to me and you knew about my brother punching him. He called you and told you what happened."

"Okay, Sam, let's talk—"

"How long have you two been buddies?" I hissed. "I thought you fucking hated him!"

He stood up in a second, taking steps towards me but I held my palm up, stopping him. "Yes, I still hate him but after what happened to you hours ago, he somehow got a hold of me and he knew that I was the only one who would get you to talk about what happened—"

"You fucking told him?" Now, I'm yelling. At the moment, I didn't care about whether or not my family would hear the yelling because all I cared about how he just broke my trust. "Do you even know what he did to me for the past week?"

He shook his head. Typical.

"You don't understand, Sam, I just wanted to—"

I couldn't help but cross my arms defensively. "I want you to get out," His eyes flickered of hurt but I didn't care. "You specifically know why I don't trust a lot of people and you telling what I just told you to someone who I don't trust hurts, Alex. I don't like being lied to like this."

He nodded. "I know, I know, but I thought you two were friends. He wanted to know what happened so I told him."

"You knew, I hated him!"

His head hung low. "I did. I did know. I was just too focused on what happened to you. I wanted to help you."

"By spilling all this shit to someone I didn't trust?"

"I didn't know, okay!" He yelled back, and then whispering, "I'm sorry."

The door swung open suddenly, revealing my brother's bad looking bed-hair ad widened eyes that were full of alert. His eyes landed on me, then at Alex who was distanced from me. "Should have known you would come over right after what happened," he ran his hand through his hair, frustrated. "Could the both of you at least half-yelled and half-whispered, so that you don't wake up the whole neighborhood?"

Sean knew about Alex's rendezvous to my room when we were still together and he never really liked it so when he learned that we broke up, he was relieved to think that he wouldn't see Alex and I in bed sleeping with clothes on. He always disapproved of him and Alex knew about his opinion of him too.

He rolled his eyes and pointed at Alex, glaring at him. "You—get the hell away from my sister and get out. Now."

Alex, without protest, followed Sean's orders. He always respected my brother and understood why he was too protective of me and why he didn't approve of our relationship. I guess that's part of the reason why I loved him.

He looked back at me when he was at the doorway. "Sorry."

I turned away, not wanting to see the sad expression in his eyes.

"Look, Sam," I felt my brother's fingertips on my arm. "I know you don't like to talk about what happened but at least tell me why you got so mad at the one guy who has been by your side even if you aren't together anymore."

I circled my free arm around his waist and he circled both of his arms around my shoulders. "He told Travis what happened to me without my permission. Even if he meant well, I can't get over it."

Closing my eyes, I felt his lips on top of my head. "I love you, Sam, but sometimes you've got let people in to help you. You can't just think that the only people you can trust are your family. I know what happened with Max broke your trust with people but—"

I don't want to talk about this.

Pulling away from him, I walked over to my bed. "I think I'm going to sleep now. I'm not going to school tomorrow, okay?"

With a sigh, I felt him nod from behind me and walk back to the door. "Goodnight, Sam."

That night, I woke up sweaty with tears falling from my cheeks.

I dreamt about Max that night. And how I felt like I was going to die when I couldn't take any more of his fists.

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