Masque (boyxboy)

38

🎻🎻🎻

My car screeched to a stop outside of Nico's trailer. I immediately put it in park, snatching my keys from the ignition and stumbling out the car like a drunk.

I was out of my mind. The drive here wasn't too kind either, but this was the only place I knew I was welcomed.

"Corbyn?" I lifted my head to find Nico out by his front step, smoking with none other than Jett. Of course. Just what I needed.

I strode out of the shadows of the evening as he put out his cigarette and approached me. "Oh my god... what happened to you?" It was the most emotional I'd ever heard his voice, and from the look on his face he was afraid for me.

"Who hurt you? He's bleeding-help me get him inside! Quick!" Jett's alarmed voice seeped through, and soon they were both rushing me indoors. For the third or fourth time tonight, I was in another world as they swarmed me, sitting me down and cleaning the blood that was on my hands.

It was only when Nico tried to remove my sweatshirt to check for the source of bleeding that I came back to myself. "It's not mine," I said, barely above a whisper.

"What're you talking about? There's blood all over your sweater!"

"Did someone do this to you?" Jett queried, running a warm towel across the side of my head, carefully cleaning the spots of blood that had managed to sleep on my skin. "Give me a name and I swear, I'll gut them."

"You and me both," Nico supported.

"No one hurt me," I hissed, squeezing my eyes shut. I wasn't accustomed to people fretting over me or my safety, so the discomfort of it made me push Jett's hands away. "Stop it!" I cried, feeling my face flush and my chest heave. "It's not mine!"

Silence.

Finally, the meaning of that statement clicked for them. If it wasn't my blood, it was someone else's. And if no one hurt me, then I did the hurting.

Nico's face grew blank as he looked to Jett for assistance. The gruff man slowly knelt down so he could stare right into my eyes. For the first time, I got a very good look at him. To see a father so concerned for me was an unfamiliar sight; I'd never forget it.

"How bad did you hurt 'em?" His tone was prudent and hesitant. Still, we didn't break eye contact.

"When I left... he was struggling to breathe."

I heard Nico curse under his breath, but he stayed quiet after that.

"Alright." Jett searched my face, but I was sure he was just trying to find some sort of solution. "Alright, well, that doesn't matter now. We need to make sure they can't find you. Starting with your car; it's a dead giveaway-"

"No," I refused. "I'm not hiding from this."

"Corbyn, whoever you hurt could be dead. I want to protect you!"

"There was once a time I needed protecting. It's much too late for that now."

He grunted in disagreement. "If the police find you... if he's dead and you're found guilty-Corbyn, you'd land yourself in jail. You don't want to be there."

Nico's hand grasped mine. Somehow, my entire body knew I needed that because I relaxed with a sigh. "I can't deal with this right now. Please, just... I'll just stay the night and figure it out in the morning."

"If they don't find you by then, you mean," Nico reminded.

"So be it," I accepted. I looked back at Jett, my eyebrows furrowing. "Thanks, but... I'd like to be alone with Nico."