Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Four
Hellish
"I hope that son of a bitch doesn't live to see another day. God, I wish I fucked him up some more, Christ sake I've never been this fucking angry."
"Ezra," Jade's soft voice spoke in a calm manner. "Please, calm down. You're fuming and it's perfectly understandable but you put the kid in a hospital already. He could press charges."
"Like hell, he'll press charges!" Ezra's voice was loud and angry as he snapped at Jade. "I already called the cops and reported what he fucking did and if they don't press charges I swear to God I will fuck him up much worse than we already did."
"Ez, man," Charlie spoke softly, calmly. "Look, you roughed him up and we already reported him but there's nothing more we can do. Jade is right. The last thing we need right now is you being arrested."
Ezra grunted in response but didn't say anything.
It took me another five minutes after that until I was fully conscious and able to open my eyes. My eyes fluttered open and I blinked a few times to adjust to the bright lights and figure out where I was.
I was in the hospital.
That was ironic because this place is loaded with medications but my whole entire body was throbbing in pain. My head was pounding like someone was hammering it, one side of my face hurt when I blinked, and my stomach was throbbing in pain from the punch. My arms also hurt a bit and when I looked down I noticed that they were bruised from where Taylor held onto me.
"Tiff," I looked up to see Charlie come up to the bed with a small smile. "You're awake," he exhaled. "Thank God. How are you feeling?"
I blinked, my throat dry.
I didn't respond as I looked around the room. Ezra was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed as he looked down at his feet but then looked up at me when Charlie had spoke. Jade was sitting on the couch that was in one corner of the room, Luke standing beside the chair. Noah leaned against a wall on the opposite side of the small room in the same stance as Ezra.
I shut my eyes, taking a few deep breaths.
I cannot believe this happened.
I wanted to throw up as I felt sick to my stomach, pictures of Taylor flashing through my mind. I wanted to rip off my own skin because I kept remembering his touch, his hold on me.
At the same time, I wanted to scream and throw a brick at Taylor but I never wanted to see his face again - ever. I knew the memory of him that was burnt into my head was far more than enough.
"Tiff," I instantly flinched away when Charlie placed his hand on top of mine. It was supposed to be comforting but felt anything but. "I'm sorry," Charlie said quickly, taking a step back and looking at me sheepishly.
"C-can you just... I'm sorry," I looked away, turning my head away and looking at the wall on the other side of the room.
"Let's give her some room, guys." Jade said so softly, her voice practically a whisper. With that, everyone slowly made their way out of the room and I didn't stop them.
My mind was spinning with thoughts and flashbacks and the headache that was stabbing my skull wasn't helping.
A few minutes later a nurse came in, "Hi, sweetie. You're awake. How are you feeling?"
"Hellish." I muttered dryly, not looking at her. My face was blank and void of any emotion, a hard exterior put up. "Everything... hurts."
"How is your head feeling?" Her voice was soft and filled with sympathy. She must've asked what happened since I came in all roughed up.
"I have a bad headache," I told her.
"Okay. I'm going to get you some pain medications. In the meantime, you get some rest. We're just waiting on the CT and x-ray results."
I nodded. A few minutes later she left and I fell asleep.
I fluttered my eyes open, squinting until I got used to the light. I looked around the empty room until my eyes fell on Ezra who was lost in thought as he stared at the ground with his hands folded in his laps.
He must've felt my gaze because he looked at me, his eyes softening as he came over.
"Hey," he whispered. "How are you? Need me to dim the lights?"
I shook my head, "I'm okay."
"Hard to believe." he mumbled, raising his eyebrows.
I turned away from him and stared at the ceiling, my face completely straight and blank. "Any news?"
"Concussion," Ezra answered, his eyes scanning my face with concern as he tried to figure out why I was acting this way. We knew why but he wanted to figure out how I was really feeling. "It's minor but... still, you have a concussion. Aside from-"
"The concussion is worse than it could've been because my previous concussion." I noted dully, connecting the dots on my own. "Right?"
Ezra sighed as he took a seat on the bed, "Yes. Aside from that, you're bruised pretty badly but your ribs look okay."
I nodded but didn't say anything.
"Tiff-"
"I don't want to talk about it." I cut him off, my voice cold and distant. I still didn't look at him, "I'm fine and don't want to talk."
Ezra sighed. "I'm here, if you want to talk. Or if you don't. Whatever you need, I'm here." Ezra looked at me for another long moment before he went back to sitting on the chair, his gaze not leaving me.
Nothing else happened at the hospital.
The doctor came in, talked to me briefly to let me know what was wrong with me although I already knew because Ezra told me. He gave me a prescription and said I was free to go.
Everyone tried to talk to me.
Everyone expect for Noah.
Charlie couldn't stop staring at me with worry all over his face. Luke and him kept asking me if I was okay to which I would nod my head and say "I'm fine".
Jade and Joy helped me changed but I didn't say a word because I felt pathetic but needed help changing because my whole body felt sore and it hurt when I moved a muscle even slightly. They didn't ask me if I was okay because they knew it was a dumb question.
Ezra kept grumbling curses for Taylor and went off about how he wanted to kill him until Leo and Kai calmed him down. Leo tried to joke around about beer pong to lighten the mood. Kai asked me if I needed anything - food, a blanket, coffee.
Noah just looked at me, his eyes soft and face straight. He was worried and sad and clearly afraid to say anything because he wasn't sure what the right thing to say was.
To be honest, I preferred what Noah was doing because I didn't want to talk to anyone.
Ezra drove me home with Jade, Charlie, and Luke also riding in his car because we all carpooled earlier. The car ride was silent and awkward and I couldn't be happier when Ezra had barley stopped the car on the driveway and I bolted out, rushing into my house and up to my room.
I knew everyone was talking about me downstairs, feeling bad and wondering how to talk to me. I didn't care.
I popped an extra sleeping pill because it was the only way I was going to get my mind to shut up.
Then, I hugged a pillow to my chest and cried until I fell asleep.