Meeting Me Halfway (HSMTMTS Fanfiction)

Chapter 38

Nini
   "You've been through this before..haven't you?" I ask, wary.
   "I-...Nini. Okay uhm." He stands up. "So in Chicago...I obviously had to have made some friends right?"
  "Mhm..."
  "And there was the one guy. Kent Woodson. And he was cool. He was an amazing guy. But it all sort of went downhill when he...well. He had caught us."
  "Caught you?"
"He caught me and his sister, skye, having sex. Okay?" Oh. That's...awkward. "And at that moment, I had no clue. Before that, I had no fucking clue. He threatened me. Saying he would kill me if I kept seeing her. Of course I didn't take it seriously. I kept going out with her. Went on dates, saw the sunset and what not. Then he caught us again. Pulled a gun to my head and I just....I froze? He gave me one last warning and...that's when I took it seriously."
"That doesn't explain why our room looks copied and pasted Richard."
"Did you just... never mind. Look. When I decided to stopped seeing her, Skye didn't. She kept knocking on my door, following me. It uh. It broke my heart, but me and my moms safety was more than her. When I told her that, she basically....became like her brother. Crazy."
I sit down next to him. It was uncomfortable hearing him talk about another girl but it's been years. I don't blame him. I didn't even realize that I missed him.
"So me and my mom..we ran. We brought her boyfriend of course and the first night we stayed at a hotel. Then the next day at a different hotel, it was the exact same. I wouldn't have noticed it to be honest, but the first hotel was better. It was wealthier, richer. The next one was beat down. It was disgusting from the outside. Then when we entered our room, it was a whole new dimension that I managed to see in my life. It happened again. And again. And when I was realized that someone or something was doing this. So I stayed up and watched the room while my mom and her boyfriend was sleeping. That's when I saw Skye. She was...looking into our window and all I remember was yelling. A lot of it."
"So...she's here?" I ask.
"Not just her Nini."
I chuck my head to the side in question.
"Her brother..her dad..her mom. God her moms a pain in the ass. And they bring guns..."
I swallow the lump in my throat.
"They're trying to kill you? Please tell me your joking. I really don't want to be in a spy movie right now." I say with hope.
"I need to leave Nini. We need to go back to UCLA. They won't find us there. I don't even know how the found me, let alone know where I live and...and when I left for college oh my fucking god.." he was shaking. It was serious this time.
"We can't just leave. We can leave tomorrow or we can go stay at Ashylns or Big Reds. We can go anywhere here. We don't have to just stay at a hotel or something." I explain.
"I don't want to drag them into this. I really don't."
"They won't." I take my phone out of my pocket and dial the first number I saw.
"Nini D-"
I hold up my finger, shushing him.
"Hello? Hey, yeah uhm. EJ. Can Ricky and I stay at your place for a couple of nights? Somethings come up.."
"Yeah. Of course sure." His voice cracks. As always.
"Great we'll be there in 10."
I hang up the phone and look at Ricky, who is still shaking like crazy.
"C'mon. Let's go. I'll drive."

I don't bring in the luggage but focus on keeping the blanket wrapped around Ricky. He was shaking and it was hard for him to speak. It was clear he was panicking. I knock on the door.
"Hey N-...oh shit. Is he alright?" EJ immediately asks, eyes wide open.
"Uhm. Yeah. There's a situation and Rickys just..not okay right now. Is there a room or couch we can stay on right now?"
"Yeah. Yeah of course come in."
I grab him by his hand and pull him in.
EJ leads us to this nice clean room. The bed was neatly made and it was overall flattering.
"It's our guest room. Uhm. If you need anything, just call my name or just head out and find me."
"Thanks EJ." I say reluctantly. He gives me an assuring nod before closing the door.
I turn back to Ricky who was sitting on the bed.
"Let's get you to sleep okay?" I say, taking the blanket off of his back and set it down before pulling out the blanket on the bed for him to sleep in. He lays down and lies there shaking. It's truly a terrifying sight. I pull the blanket over him and tuck him in before going to the other side and doing the same for myself. I don't lay down though. I just sit there on the edge of the bed.
It was hard to process everything he said but it must've been hard going through that. Knowing your life could end anywhere you go. It's just out of no where and I'm genuinely surprised that I'm not in that position.
"Nini..." he mumbles, causing me to turn around.
"Hey...you alright?" I ask quietly.
He nods, still shaky.
"Please...come..here?" He asks.
I grin and lay myself next to him, but unexpectedly, he turns and puts his whole body on mine. His face buried in my shoulder. I giggle before putting a hand on his back and the other on his head. My fingers running through his curly hair. But...he's still shaking.
"Feel better?" I ask, hugging him tightly.
"Yeah..." he mumbles. His voice muted from his head being face down. "I'm sorry.."
"For what?" My voice is quiet. He's next to me, there's no point of speaking louder than I am now.
"I just made you drag our luggage here, including me..." he pauses with almost every new word. His shaking stops him from speaking normally.
"It's okay. You should get some sleep okay? You seem shakin up from the people you were talking about. We can talk about it in the morning if you want."
"O-kay. Is it okay if I stay here? It feels..safer.."
"Yeah of course.."
We stop talking for a bit so eventually, I begin to close my eyes.
"Can you breathe?" The unexpected question causes me to stumble out a laugh.
"Yes. Yes I can."

Yup. I managed to post twice heh. I left you guys on a pretty annoying cliffhanger so I figured it was best to post another one.
Enjoy your night or day!