Traumatic

Traumatized - 5

!TW - Anxiety, Crying, Panic, Blood, Sexual Assault!

Nick's POV:
When Tori manages to get into Charlie's room, I decide to go downstairs to the kitchen instead. My heart is heavy with worry and helplessness while my thoughts spin in my head. I feel like I'm in the way if I stay upstairs, I don't have any superpowers to help Charlie right now. My frustration boils inside me. Once in the kitchen, I throw myself down on a chair at the kitchen table and put my head in my hands. Tears start to roll down my cheeks and I feel so inadequate right now. I just want to be able to be there for Charlie, be able to help him.

Charlie's POV:
Tori sits next to me on the bed. She is holding a bandage and I can see her eyes are filled with sadness as she looks at the bloody wounds on my arms.
"Charlie, you have to let me take care of your wounds," she says softly, stroking my back gently. I nod reluctantly and stretch out my arms, feeling scared and exposed. Tori gently cleans the wounds and applies the bandage around my arm, with an expertise that shows she's done this before. I try to hold back the tears of pain and shame, but they still spill out when I feel her touch my skin. When she's done, she looks me seriously in the eyes.
"What has happened?" She asks with a serious tone in her voice. Her gaze cuts into me, I know I should tell but I don't feel ready.
"I..I-c..can-not.. tell you" I sob while breaking eye contact with her. She accepts my answer and again gives me a hug. Tori knows how hard it is for me to share things and feelings, and she probably knows me better than I know myself. I mean, of course I feel safe with Nick, but with Tori it's a completely different matter. With her, I'm safe.

Nicks pov:
I suddenly hear someone walk down the stairs and I quickly wipe the tears from my cheeks. Tori walks into the kitchen and sees me sitting on the chair at the dinner table. She settles down across from me.
"How are you?" Tori asks me calmly. I look up at her to answer her question, but I can't. I can't get any words out of my mouth.
"I.. I don't know" I finally say, with a shaky voice.
"I feel so powerless, like I can't do anything to help him," I continue. I explain to Tori about how I found him in the shower room at school, how he panicked in his room before she got home, and about Charlie not wanting to tell me what happened.
"He didn't want to tell me either, but now that you're telling me the whole story, I'm get my suspicions of what happened," Tori says, looking at me with an undertone of concern. I see her thinking the same thing as me, but neither of us know for sure if it's true - if that's what really happened.
"He's up in his bed resting, maybe you should go see him" Tori suggests. But I feel differently. What if he doesn't want me there, what if I stressing him out, what if I just make things worse?
"Um, I don't think that's a good idea, what if I-"
"He needs you," Tori interrupts, looking deep into my eyes.
"Now more than ever".

A/N - hey, hope you liked this chapter! It's a shorter one, but I hope that's okay - I'm not really in a "writing mood" at the moment!