Solangelo in High School

Ten

// Will's pov \\

Nico's scream was punishment enough for my stupid mistake of kissing him in front of Octavian. Nico couldn't help but cry out in pain with every blow Octavian threw at him. I couldn't look at him as Octavian beat my poor little Nico.

I was on all-fours, staring at the tiled bathroom floor as it was happening, not strong enough - mentally or physically - to do much more than that. After a few minutes, Nico's blood ran across the floor so I could see it out of the corner of my eye.

Another few minutes - silence. Octavian was finished.

I waited, my body tense, for him to do something to me but nothing happened. After the realisation that Octavian wasn't going to hit me, I looked up and saw him leaving, his bodyguards behind him. "Enjoy, you little fags, while you still can." He didn't even turn around as he threw the door open and left.

I stayed on the bathroom floor, staring at the now-closed door. No one came in. Nico and I were completely alone in here.

Finally, I let myself look over at Nico. After laying eyes on the broken body that was Nico di Angelo, I crawled over to him and took him into my arms. "N-Nico?" I shook him gently but he didn't answer me, his eyes didn't even flutter. He was unconscious. Shit!

I gently lay him back down, his head resting on my knees as I grabbed my phone from my back pocket. These injuries were too severe for me to handle and the school nurse couldn't fix broken bones, not with the limited resources in the building. Ambulance it was.

When the paramedics arrived and took the unconscious Nico to the ambulance I felt the worst I had felt in my life. I felt weak, pathetic, hopeless and just down-right awful. Nico looked so fragile and helpless as he was carried away on a stretcher.

I sat beside Nico in the ambulance and held his hand the whole time. After a few minutes of sitting next to him, I broke down into tears. I couldn't help it. Nico looked like a broken china doll and I hadn't done anything to save him. I just sat there. I could've saved him. But instead, I stared at the ground and pretended that nothing was happening.

// Nico's pov \\

I opened my eyes and the whole scene had changed. There was no Octavian beating the crap out of me, no cold bathroom tiles, no grimy ceiling. Instead, I was laying on a bed. Beeps and other sounds rung out, filling the room I was in. The ceiling was a pristine white. I tried to sit up but I was hit with a wave a nausea. I let my head fall back against the oft pillow.

Then I heard his voice - "Nico?" It was croaky as if he hadn't spoken in a while. "Nico? You're awake. Oh thank god!" Will sounded over the moon that I was awake. But I didn't remember going to sleep.

Then it hit me. Octavian had beaten me to the point of unconsciousness. I'd passed out on the bathroom floor and I was now in hospital. That explained the beeping and the weird feelings in my arms - needles that hooked me up to various machines.

I turned my head to the left, the direction Will's voice had come from. The looked a mess. This usually flawless blond hair was knotted like he hadn't brushed or even washed it in ages; his eyes were blood shot, (when was the last time he slept?); he was wearing the same clothes from the Octavian incident but what day was it now? Will couldn't be in such a state if it was still that day, or even the day after.

"H-hey, w-what day is it?" It hurt like hell to talk.

My eyes widened when he told me the date. I was unconscious for two weeks!

I felt so weak and pathetic that Octavian had the power to beat me so badly that I didn't wake up for two whole weeks. I was never going to live this down. Not with Octavian and his bodyguards.

--time lapse--

I spent another few days in the hospital, Will only leaving my side to go to the bathroom or grab some food from the vending machine in the hallway outside my room. It was nice, just Will and I. We got to talk a lot, about random things. I got to know a lot about him and I got to get a lot off my chest. But I never gave too much away. I didn't want to scare him off.

When I was finally dispatched from the hospital, my dad was there to pick Will and I up. Typical. My dad didn't come to the hospital. To his defence, he had told me he didn't like going to hospitals after losing my mom. But that is no excuse, I am his son after all.

// Will's pov \\

Nico's dad picked us up from the hospital. I was pretty mad that he hadn't showed up in the three weeks Nico had been in hospital to check on him. I was sure Nico was mad at him too, as he should be.

The car ride was long. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife. I had never felt so uncomfortable in my life.

When we finally pulled up outside my house, I was reluctant to leave. I didn't want to leave Nico, not after three weeks together. However, I did get out of the car as Nico's father glared at me in the rear-view mirror. I smiled at Nico encouragingly then slid out of the car.

My mother opened the door before Nico's dad's car had even pulled away. "William Solace!" She yelled at me from the threshold. I was in trouble.

I bit my lip and mentally prepared myself for my mom's anger as I stepped inside the house.