Mended (Bellmare High #2)

Chapter 1 Heath

HEATH

What the fuck?

Sebastian is messing with me. It has to be a joke. There’s no way he meant the words that left his mouth.

“What did you just say?” I ask again, to be certain that my hearing hasn’t gone impaired recently.

My best friend stands across the cell, shoulders drawn in tension and his face a mask of seriousness. There’s not a microscopic hint of amusement on his facial expression—which is a rarity for him. He’s always smiling and teasing me.

“Your dad is flying down from Toronto with a lawyer.” He chews his bottom lip before continuing, “He said he’ll be here soon. Your mother is coming too.”

I grip the metal bars tightly. No fucking way.

My parents are coming to Bellmare. After more than a year I’ll get to see them.

The last time they were here it was Emery’s funeral.

My mom wept herself a waterfall of tears until she didn’t have any left.

Soon afterwards, she fell into depression and Dad thought it’d be wise for them to leave.

Well, there were also the everyday fights between the three of us.

They were—I don’t know what they were feeling, but I was raging at them.

I blamed them for Emery’s death—I still do.

The three of us were mourning in our own way because that was all there was left to do anyway.

Emery, a daughter and sister, was gone after a fierce battle with cancer. She lost. We all did.

“You shouldn’t have called him,” I murmur, thinking about all the ways it will go. Almost every possibility ends with a big fight and them leaving. Something I’m used to. They never stay.

“I know,” he says quietly. “But it was the only way. I talked to the officer and he told me that Alex Hanson pressed some serious charges against you—by the way, hold your tongue and don’t speak to anyone here.

Also, don’t you dare raise your fists. We don’t want to make this situation any worse than it already is. You hear me, Heath?”

I’m not a fool. I know the gravity of the situation. As much as I hate to admit it, I am in a fucking mess—which I’m fine with because I don’t regret hitting Hope’s shitty father. Not one bit. Given the chance I’ll attack him again and this time I’ll do permanent damage.

“I’m fucking serious!” Sebastian gets in my face—as much as he can with the bars between us. “Don’t do it. Please.”

We stare at each other and the realization slowly sinks in.

I can’t fuck up.

I have to wait for my father dearest.

“I won’t do anything. I promise.” I tell him to put his worry at ease.

“Please don’t. I don’t want you to—” Agony flickers through his green eyes at the mere prospect of me getting into more shit.

In this moment, I understand just how personally he feels my emotions. My anger, pain, and frustration is mirrored in him, and while I know that, it’s my first time fully understanding it. I’ve always thought Sebastian knows I’m sad but he won’t understand. Apparently, I’ve been wrong all along.

“I won’t go to prison. Relax.” I glare at him to erase the ripples of tension between us.

He shakes his head, a confident smile taking over his face. “Like hell I’d let you.”

I smirk. “You’ll pull me out from the depths of hell?”

“I will, because you’re my best friend.”

I nod, which is equivalent to ‘You’re my best friend too.’ Sebastian grins and I feel content that he knows how I feel about him.

Without him I wouldn’t have made it this far. Without him I’d be all alone. Without him life would be a canvas of darkness and boredom.

An officer rounds the corner and stops next to him. He casts a displeased scowl my way before addressing Sebastian. “You’re his buddy?”

Sebastian nods.

“Then it won’t be long before you’re sharing the cell with him. It’s been a long time coming with how this one—” he points his thumb in my direction “—has been wreaking havoc since last year. I thought changing schools would knock some sense into him, but his ways haven’t changed.”

I glare at the office but Sebastian pins me with a glare of his own. Keep your mouth shut.

“Is there any way I can spend a few more minutes with him?” Sebastian asks politely, dismissing all the previous nonsense even though his nose is flaring.

The officer sends him a wicked smile. “I can throw you in with him. Would you like that?”

Before Sebastian can agree to it, I grab him by the collar of his shirt and pull him to me. “You need to fucking go. Now!”

“Heath—”

“I’ll be fine. Just go.”

“But—”

“Please,” I grumble.

Giving me a stiff nod, he backs up.

“Let’s go.” The officer leads him out and he looks over his shoulder to make sure I’m okay. I roll my eyes and flip him the finger. He laughs and disappears around the corner.

When he’s gone, it’s then the reality of the situation dawns on me.

I’m locked in a fucking cell.

For the first time, I’m facing the consequences of my actions.

My parents donate money to the school so it hasn’t held me accountable for all of my inexcusable actions. I get into fights, miss classes and talk rudely to every teacher. They let me get away with a lot, when deep down I know I don’t deserve it.

I should be punished, and maybe this is my punishment. I deserve it.

Pulling away from the bars, I sit down on the cement floor, and lean my head against the wall. The cold surface permeates chills through my body. It cools down my anger and rationality starts to whirl into my thoughts.

There’s an eerie quietness around me, which should haunt me, but instead, I feel calm. Very dim light from the outside sheds into the little room and I soak in it.

It’s cold, silent and dark here.

With my head leaned back, I stare at the ceiling. I think about the person who’s been living in every corner of my mind since the first time I met her.

Hope Hanson.

Is she okay?

Fuck. I can’t help but worry about her.

I’m always worried about her.

I wonder if she’s safe.

My heart squeezes tightly as if someone has plunged their hand into my chest and has that damn organ in their fist. I’m in agony just because I can’t envision her in pain, let alone watch her bear it in real life.

Every emotion that she feels, I feel it ten times more.

In the silence, it’s my heart that speaks first.

I want that girl.

In a way that I want her to be all mine.

After the fair, the kiss, the ferry ride and everything else that happened wasn’t enough, I decided to go up to her room and spend some time with her. Okay fine. The real reason was, I wanted to ask her out. Like guys do in her romance books.

So imagine my surprise when I was about to ask her on a date and tell her about my feelings, and her dad knocked on the door in a way that made me confused and angry. I was going to fling the door open and pummel his face, but Hope asked me to hide. So I did.

While listening to their conversation, every piece of the puzzle fell into its place. I saw the full picture that she had been hiding from me at every instance despite the number of times I asked her or assured her.

Like a switch being turned on, my brain put together everything and I knew without a doubt that the man—her father—was her tormentor. He was the one who was hurting her mentally and physically. He was breaking her piece by piece as if she wasn’t his own flesh and blood.

I know parents are shitty, considering I have such a brilliant pair as an example. But the fact some are so fucked in their head that they abuse their own kid is something even I can’t understand.

When her dad hit her, my mind went blank with rage. I didn’t wait or think, I acted.

My fist hit his face in the darkness of my thoughts and anger.

I don’t remember much other than fighting him, and Hope getting worried for me.

She was terrified of what he’d do to me.

I finally understood why she didn’t tell me about him.

She wasn’t worried about herself but me.

She didn’t want me to go to jail, which is exactly what happened.

In my defense, I don’t regret it one bit. I’m glad I got to hit him.

However, I’m also not sure how I’ll get out of this problem.

I never wanted a record and now I have one.

My reputation is already bad, and now it just took another hit.

Despite these thoughts, I’m more worried about Hope. I can’t imagine what hell she’s going through. Her pathetic shit of dad must be taking out his frustration on her, or maybe he’s left her alone. Whatever the case is, I feel helpless and useless that I can’t save her.

I hate it.

I want to be there with her and not here.

Time passes long when you’re trapped in your head. Seconds take minutes and minutes take hours to slip away.

At some point my eyes close and exhaustion weighs on me thick. The adrenaline rush finally disappearing. But my mind can’t stop worrying about Hope.

I just want to make sure she’s okay. I don’t even care if I get to ask her on a date or tell her about my feelings. I just want to see for myself that she isn’t hurt or crying right now. I want to… there’s so much I want to do.

My thoughts crumble and unconsciousness tickles my head. Before I can fight it off I’m already falling through the darkness.