Crush Culture [M.Wheeler]

[58] I FORGIVE YOU

"El, just hold my hand. Hold my hand." Nori says softly as the girl screams. "What is that?" Erica asks in disgust.

"There's something in there." Mike points out. "El, you're gonna be okay." Nori assures, feeling as her hand goes numb from how tight El was holding onto it.

"Keep her talking. Keep her awake, okay?" Johnathan instructs, before running off. "Jesus Christ." Dustin shouts.

"El, just stay awake, alright? We're gonna help you. Just breathe." Nori says calmly, though she was definitely not calm.

"Let's get her on this side." She nods to the others as they all help move her. "You know, it's not actually that bad. There was a... The goalie on my soccer team, Beth Wildfire, this other girl slid into her leg, and, like, the whole bone came out of her knee, six inches or something, it was insane." Robin rambles on, trying to make the situation less worse.

"Robin." Steve stops her. "Yeah?" She asks. "You're not helping."

"I'm sorry." She sighs. Just after, Johnathan returns with a knife and a wooden spoon. "Okay. Alright, El? This is gonna hurt like hell, okay?" He informs.

"Okay." She sobs. "I need you to stay real still." He puts on some gloves, then reaches for the wooden spoon. "Here, you're gonna want to bite down on this, okay?" Johnathan hands the spoon to Nori, who places it in El's mouth, the girl biting down on it.

"What are you doing?" Nori asks as he begins to lower the knife to her leg. "Stop it, you're scaring her." Mike nudges the girl beside him.

"Well I'm scared for her!" She argues. "Won't you two just shut up?" Dustin asks in annoyance. "Do it." Mike says.

"Mike!" Nori throws her hands up in frustration. "We have to do it sooner or later!" He yells.

"Mike, Eleanor, quit arguing, and let Johnathan focus." Nancy orders, silencing the two. Johnathan takes in a nervous breath, then slowly begins to cut open the wound.

El immediately lets out a scream, tightening her grip on Nori's hand. Nori closes her eyes, a tear rolling down as she fears to look at what was happening.

Johnathan sets down the knife, then hesitantly reaches his fingers inside. They all exclaim in disgust and worry, Nori already crying almost as much as El.

"Johnathan!" Nancy shouts, having had enough. "Stop talking!" He responds. He quickly reaches his hand deeper, earning a loud cry.

"No! Stop it!" El spits out the spoon. "Stop! Stop!" She sobs. Johnathan takes out his hand, breathing heavily.

"I can do it." El whimpers. "I can do it." She sits up, leaning up against Nori. She lets go of her hand, then holds hers out over the wound.

She wails in pain, slowly pulling it out. She screams, using the rest of her strength to pull it out faster. Suddenly, the glass behind them shatters flying in all directions. Nori crouches down, covering her head.

El finally manges to pull it out, then throw it off to the side, where it tries to crawl away. Before it does, it is brutally stepped on.

They all look up to see who it was, finding out that Jim, Joyce, And Murray had just arrived, and were ready to help.

***