Colors

Lost

“Which one is it?” I ask as we pass through a neighborhood close to mine 

Benny points out the Grey house with the uneven paint and messy plants “that one” 

I think back to the time where I heard the shouting and things breaking in that house, I had run away. This time I get out of the car before it even stopped and I speed walk towards the house. 

I run up to the door and am about to knock when I hear familiar yelling coming from within. 

“I get a f*****g call from your school about you getting in fights! That's how you f*****g repay me? You’re a f*****g f**k up!”

“Like you’re any better!” I hear Alex for sure this time say

“You little s**t!” the voice yells 

I rush around the side of the house, looking for a way to see what’s happening, do I need to call someone? 

Around the back, I look through a window at the back of who seems to be a middle-aged man, mostly bald on his head and large in frame. I don’t see Alex but the man knocks over a whole table of vases and books as he stomps around. 

“You get out here boy before I get your precious brother to come home” he yells 

I’m suddenly terrified as I watch Alex come to stand in front of the man. His eyes are full of anger and emotion I don’t regularly associate with Alex, fear. 

“You will stay the hell away from Justin” Alex hissed venomously to the man

A scream, terrified and disbelieving jumps from my throat as if I were just met with my worst nightmare as I watch Alex’s head snap back with the force of the man’s fist, blood rushes out and he flies across the room as the man hits him once again in the stomach. 

I can’t seem to get the air inside my lungs. My body is trembling and fear rockets through me over and over as I watch Alex scramble backward. His head is down for a moment before looking up at the window to meet my eyes. 

His eyes widen with a million emotions, fear, panic, shock, terror, sadness, confusion. “No!” he shouts and I don’t realize why he does so until I come back to reality, where I can see normally and sounds become no longer muffled. 

My hand is already holding one of the potted plants from the garden and I don't seem to think as I toss the plant at the window, making everything shatter. 

Glass rains onto the yard and the man’s eyes snap over to me in confusion. It soon turns to rage as he takes in the situation. 

Benny is running over to me saying something but I just can't hear him. He reaches me but I’m just a foot from his grasp as I run up to the window, I scramble inside, getting cuts on me from the edges of the glass. People say they can’t feel the pain when something else is clouding your mind, they are wrong. The burning from the cuts makes me hiss and clench my teeth, it hurts and it’s probably deep, but I don’t take my eyes from the man who has his face twisted in a nasty snarl. 

“You little b***h!” he screams at me. I’m ready for him to come at me, hit me, do something, but his attention is diverted and the panic hits me hard. 

“Stay the f**k away from her!” Alex shouts as he stands in an offensive position, as if ready to fight, and the man stomps towards him. 

No, not Alex. That’s all I can think as I rush forward and throw myself at the man. He doesn’t fall over like I hoped, but instead I fall to the side onto the floor, sharp glass cuts into me and I cry out from the pain. I try to roll over to get up but Alex rushes for me and the man blocks his way with a punch to his face, making a loud sound under his fist which makes a scream rip from me once again. 

Alex is doubled over, clutching his nose while the man stomps toward me. “This your little w***e, boy?” he asks, chuckling darkly. 

“f**k you” Alex moans out, most likely not able to do much more because of the pain he’s in. 

“Wrong answer” the man growls out. The action was too quick for me to do anything about it. His fist flies through the air and hits my face. My head smashes into the ground from its slightly tilted up position and it feels like an explosion. 

It feels like fire, or metal, or rocks. It hurts. I’m not sure how to breathe. I’ve never gotten punched before, how does it usually feel? Should I feel like this? 

I don’t think anything is broken, but what do I know? I’ve never gotten punched. I may have a concussion. It hurts a lot. 

I can hear noise above me, lots of it. There’s more noise than there was before and most certainly more people. 

I close my eyes a moment and I open them slightly at the fuzzy faces above me. 

People are suddenly picking me up and I’m not sure if I winced or not at the feeling of my arms being touched. I remember the glass, that’s for sure. The stinging only intensified as the world settles a little more.

But just as the world settles, my eyes close and it goes blank.

-*-

My breath stutters a moment as I come awake. My eyes open and for a moment everything is fine, I’m in my bed and I just woke up for school. 

Then I try to move and a stinging sensation comes from my arms, making me hiss. This then triggers the memories of everything that happened. The suspension, the fight, Alex’s house. Alex

My breathing picks up and this time I move past the stinging in my arms, only glancing at the white gauze surrounding it for a moment before moving to get up. 

My door suddenly opens and flashes of the man from Alex’s house enter my mind, making a scream escape me. 

“Thea! Thea, it’s just me, it’s just Benny” my scream dies down as I watch Benny stand in the doorway with his hands up. “It’s alright, you’re alright” he soothes 

I take a deep breath and wave him in, a little more curious about the gauze. 

Benny must notice my lingering eyes because he takes a deep breath and looks at me worriedly “you cut yourself pretty bad, you bled quite a bit and the cuts needed to be cleaned and stitched” 

I furrow my eyebrows. “But, you need hospitals to do that” 

He nods slowly “yeah, you went there” 

My breath pauses. I went to the hospital, they called my nonexistent parents, I have money I need to pay. 

Benny once again notices my distress as he explains “you went there and they fixed you up. When they were done I paid the bill and brought you back” 

I'm both grateful and guilty “you didn’t need to do that, I can pay you back” 

Not super easily, but I can. 

He smiles halfheartedly “no worries, I didn’t need to, but I wanted to. Got a gentleman image to uphold you know?” he attempts to joke and it gets a little giggle from me. 

His eyes then dull and he closes them, breathing harshly as it comes out stuttered. “Thea,” he swallows “I don’t think you understand how scared I was when I saw you go in there,” 

“You were inches away and I missed you. I was frozen watching you go in there. I mean, what was I supposed to do when I saw my one of my best friends get abused and then you run in after him only to get hit yourself and pass out for a plethora of reasons” 

He begins counting them on his fingers and I’m not sure if he’s lecturing me, reminding me, or trying to sort it all out for himself. “Blood loss, Concussion, shock, adrenaline crash” 

“How long was I in the hospital?” I ask.

Bennys shoulders fall “hours, Thea” 

He tilts his head up and closes his eyes “when I had finally snapped out of my panic I called the police. I had called the guys and they were doing about as good as I was. We all ran in with the police and to find you unconscious, Alex’s dad in cuffs, and Alex in a pretty bad condition, well it was enough to haunt me for the rest of my life” 

“I’m sorry” I whisper. I wish I hadn’t caused so many problems, I made everyone worry, I was impulsive, I didn't think, I may have even made things worse. 

Bennys eyes burn into me “I never want to hear you say that Thea. This was not your fault and I never want you to think that” 

“But-” I’m cut off with a sharp look from Benny. 

“Nope, no buts. Now, you are meant to rest, eat, drink water, stay away from loud noise, light, television, books, and anything that hurts your brain” he smiles slightly in my direction “and no sports” 

“Is everyone okay?” I ask 

He nods “Alex’s dad is in custody, you and I are here, some of the guys are home and the rest are looking for Alex since the police won’t because he’s eighteen” he rolls his eyes 

I hold up a hand “wait, what happened to Alex?” 

Bennys face falls “Thea, Alex is gone”