Darker Than Sin (BoyxBoy) Book 2

Chapter 1

James (TW: blood)

My vision blurred from the immense amount of pain that coursed throughout my whole body. I could hear the sound of Billy screaming at the cop in the background, gun shots firing behind me as I tried to crawl away from the scene.

The pool of blood that crowded around me was growing bigger with every second. I knew that he didn't only shoot me down from my calf to stop me from running away... I guess he shot me in my stomach too. How was I alive? How can you feel this much pain?

It hurts!

I tried to call out for my Papa with everything I had left in me. I tried to tell him that he was right. That he had a right to keep me under such a tight watch. People like us... we have to be careful. Not only because of our family name. Because of our skin color. I know that now.

...nothing came out of my mouth. I didn't have a voice. I tried again. Not even a sound.

I heard the cop behind me approaching. The clicks of his shoes with every step he took filled my ears as I desperately tried to get away, trying to crawl with the tips of my fingers now. The pain in my body was so immense now that I couldn't move my legs. I couldn't move my torso to try to slide away.

I heard the click of a gun near my head, his hands making its way around the curls of my hair and pulling my head up to meet it.

"JAMES?"

I couldn't cry out. He couldn't save me this time.

"JAMES, WAKE UP!"

I woke up with the sound of my own scream ringing in my ears, my Papa's arms wrapped tightly around me as I flew up from the bed. I began wheezing immediately as I held on tightly to him, the tears beginning to well up in my eyes as I heard my dad running in the room too.

"Did he have another nightmare?" He asked my Papa, falling to the ground in front of my bed and placing a hand on my back. He began rubbing my back in a comforting motion as he looked at me with a terrified look in his eyes.

"Yeah. Just give him a second to breathe. Go and start to get Julia ready for me, okay?" He told him. He slowly began nodding his head, pulling himself off of the ground before placing a kiss onto my forehead. He left the room without another word, a shaky sigh escaping his throat as he did so.

"James, are you alright?"

I slowly pulled myself away from my Papa's tight embrace, breaking my gaze from his eyes as I wiped the sweat from my forehead. I wanted to tell him I was fine, but...

He knows I'm not okay.

"I'm going to be okay. It was just another nightmare."

"They aren't as bad as they used to be, right?" He asked me. I met his eyes, his worried eyes meeting my own.

"Yeah, they are getting a little better. Don't worry about me, alright?"

"Why don't you stay home? I don't want you to going to school if you're not okay." He told me. I shrugged my shoulders at the statement, pulling my eyes away from him again.

"I've been doing that a lot lately. It isn't doing anything to benefit me. I'm fine, I promise."

I got myself ready after about ten minutes of staring at the wall blankly with my dad. He eventually pulled himself off of my bed without a word, giving me a pat on the shoulder before leaving the room.

I decided to wear whatever I found on the ground that didn't really smell that bad. Usually I'm all about cleaning my room and wearing something I haven't worn for the past few days... but today just isn't the day. If Harper and Amber want to give me shit for it... that's fine. I know It's pretty bad.