beetle | unedited ✔️

twenty six

Parker Elise Leon

"I don't know where to start." She sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. "The beginning would be nice." I chuckled, watching her relax at my joking tone.

"When I first met Aaron, he was sweet and nice and so caring. As our relationship progressed, he forced me to stop hanging out with you. He told me that he would hurt me if I kept hanging around you. I think it had something to do with wanting me all for himself." I listened attentively as she spoke. I frowned as she told blue about the toxicity of her relationship with Aaron.

"Honestly, the day that I told you I needed new friends was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I knew he was watching so I couldn't tell you the truth. He has ears and eyes everywhere and it scares me." She continues, "I texted you a million times because I wanted to let you know that I love you and I'll always be here for you, but J know you didn't see them." She closed her eyes as she leaned up against the wall.

"There's a lot of stuff about Aaron that nobody knows but me. Stuff that could get me killed, stuff that could get him landed in jail. If I was able to tell you, I so would. Sometimes, he would hit me because I would talk about you or talk about going to see you while you were still in a coma. He would blow up at me for wanting to see my best friend, the one who he hated for some reason. I don't know why he does, but I've tried to get out of the relationship so many times. He either threatens to do illegal stuff to other people I care about or he hits." My eyes were wide at this point.

"There's so much you need to know. So much dirt I have." I giggled as she used our regular line for when we wanted to vent to each other before she met the toxic boy. "I'd rather tell you when we're not in school, because anybody could be listening to us right now. He thinks I'm in the bathroom right now, actually, so I have to get back really soon." I nodded, sighing as I processed everything she's said.

"Thank you for talking with me, I appreciate you giving me your time. I'll see you another day when I can tell you everything." I nod and wave as she runs off back to the cafeteria.

"She's in an abusive relationship that she can't get out of. That's why she ended our friendship. God, I feel like such a horrible friend for not seeing it sooner." Gabriel shook his head at me.

"You're the best person on this planet. Not a bone in your body is capable of being horrible." He got me an orange soda from the vending machine. He remembered. I smiled as he opened the cap before handing it to me. "Do you think someone tried to do this to me? If you think about it, was stolen; I was just shot." I huffed, letting Gabe wheel me over to class after the bell rang. "I don't know. I hope that's not the case." He sighed pulled the chair out from under the table and
moving it so I could just sit in my wheelchair. My butt is numb.

"Me too." I leaned against the back of the chair and closed me eyes. "Parker, I'm glad to see you back and well." I heard Mr. Fibs voice and smiled, opening my eyes back up. "Yes, me too. How have you been?" He shrugged his shoulders sitting at his desk in the front of the room. "I've been good, just being a teacher." He grinned as more people walked in. I nodded before turning back to Gabe to see him already watching me.

"What?" I whisper, catching his smile. "I love you." He whispered back, making me heat up. I didn't think he'd say it in school. "And I love you." We we're whispering quietly with one another for almost the entire class before Gabe and I had to leave early before all the other students. It was just so my wheelchair wouldn't get in the way of other students.

"Did you get everything from my room when you went and picked stuff up?" He helped me out of my car and into the wheelchair. "Yeah, I think so. I basically emptied it." I nodded as he pushed me inside his house. Being immobile sucks.

"Why? Did I miss something?" I shook my head. I just wanted to know so if you did I could go with you. I've been awake for over a week, I should go and see the house. "I just thought I could go there to see if you got everything." His head snapped over to me as we did our homework at his kitchen table. "Do you want to go there? We can, if you want to." I nodded my head slightly.

"Yeah, I have to get over everything now before my parents come home for a day and see everything everywhere. It still puzzles me how they weren't contacted four weeks ago." I completed my homework a few minutes before Gabe did.

"We can go now and then get dinner after." I nodded, smiling as he rounded the table and helped me into my wheelchair. My phone starting vibrating in my lap as I sat in the passenger seat of my car on the way to my house.

"Why did we just get a giant hospital fee sent to us?" My mom's voice was venomous as she didn't even greet me. So she's not even worried for what might have happened? What the heck?

"It's a very long story." I quietly said, making her sigh of exasperation. "I've got a little bit of time." So when it comes to your money you have time, but not your daughter. "Well, the sum everything up. Someone broke into the house as month ago and I got shot and almost died. The hospital had to put me through a medically induced coma and I was there for four weeks." The line was silent after I explained the story in a short version.

"What? Why did they call us?" She sniffled and I heard rummaging on the other side of the phone. "I don't know, I didn't think you guys would make it back though because of work." She got silent again. "I'm so sorry, baby. Are you okay?" Could you classify being slightly paralyzed at the moment being okay?

"I can't walk on my right leg but other than that I'm doing fine. I've had friends to help me get around and whatever." Friends. I haven't even told my parents about Gabriel. "That's good, thats good. Listen, your dad and I have to get to a short meeting. I will call you when him and I are available again." She ended the call before evening saying 'I love you' or goodbye. I brought the phone from my ear with a sigh and noticed we were already sitting in the driveway of my house.