RUIN » Young Leonardo DiCaprio [discontinued]

"Yeah, that's what I need to do"

Everything was happening in a flurry: Trevor was long gone, Jo was busy ringing 911, Dani's hands were red from blood as she held them over Rex's wound to help stop him loosing as much blood, Mlak spoke to him to try and keep him conscious and Amelie came rushing from the bathroom with a towel.

I stood there helplessly crying, I turned around but Leo had gone. I felt someone tap my arm and I jumped but it was only Kendrick.
"Go find Leo," he said softly.

"I can't, my car's at his apartment," I said, Kendrick stopped and thought for a moment.

"Ok, I'll drive you there, just find him and make sure he's ok," he said, grabbing his jacket and going to the door before turning around, "I'll meet you guys at the hospital!" Only Mlak looked up and nodded, the others too busy with what they were doing to hear.

Kendrick drove me to Leo's quickly, I'm pretty sure he was going over the speed limit, but neither of us cared. He pulled to a sudden halt outside of Leo's building and I got out.
"I'll see you at the hospital, ok?" Kendrick said and I nodded, still crying as I got in my car.

Leo's mustang was nowhere in sight so I drove to where I thought he was most likely to be, his dads place.

To my luck, I saw his car parked on the driveway so I quickly got out, not bothering to lock the doors and dashed to the house. The front door was flung open and I could here Leo yelling.

"You know dad, I'm sick of you comparing me to him!" He shouted, turning around briefly when he saw me come in, his face red from crying. His focus snapped back to his dad, "and you wanna know why? Because he's psycho, ok! And I'm not just saying that! He drugged her at a party and was going to take advantage of her! He yet again assaulted her last night and you know what he just did? He fucking shot Rex!"

Leo's dad stood there helplessly, in complete disbelief of what Leo was saying, "and you know what dad," Leo began again, "I'm sick of it." He brushed past me and left out the door and just before I could follow him, Leo's dad lightly tapped my arm.

"Nina, wait," he said, and I turned back around. He gestured over to a couch and I sat down, before he sat down next to me. He put his head in his hands and sighed, "jeez, I'm a terrible father, I really am." He looked up to me and asked, "do you know how Leo used to be?"

I nodded, there's a reason Leo had such a bad reputation; he used to skip school practically every week, never listen in class, get into fights, smoke behind the tool shed, he slept around too and once him and Rex even set fire to a trash can.

"Almost every week I'd have phone calls during junior year and it wasn't much better during freshman and sophomore year either. I grew sick of it; I felt as though I'd lost control," he explained to me, "but this year I don't get calls anymore, he no longer has more detentions than you can count on your hand," he clucked a little at the last part, "But yet I'm still treating him like he's a deviant. Nina I just want to thank you. Leo's really changed for the better and yes, I think it's because of you."

I smiled a little and said, "he's really great."

"I know, I feel as though I've let him down," he smiled sadly, looking down at his hands.

"You know, you can still apologise to him, make things right," I suggested.

"Yeah, that's what I need to do."

I smiled once more and stood up, "well, I should go see if Leo's feeling ok."

"Of course," Leo's dad said, getting up from the couch too, "also Nina, I'm very sorry for what Trevor's done to you. If it weren't illegal I'd whack him across the wrists with a cane, what the teachers used to do at school back in my day."