Rivals?

Chapter 23

Mikayla's POV

Joey is out with Mike and Mom is at work. Of course, Dad isn't home. I called him and tried to apologize, but he won't budge. However, he sounded sad. He was drunk too, so I don't feel bad.

I'm still in my softball uniform, but I don't feel like changing.

I grab an apple, sit down in the living room, and put on the show Friends. I have no homework. It's a Friday. Also, Thanksgiving break is now on! No school next week. 

I have just taken a bite out of my apple and settled when I hear a damn knock on the door. 

It's unlocked, Joey. Damn. I think to myself, thinking I might not even get up to open it. Of course, I do anyway.

I get up walk towards to door, and swing it open.

"Daniel?" I ask, freaking out. His leg is bleeding and his face is all beaten up. He looks sad and tired. His eyes create a sharp pain in my stomach. Nobody else is home at the moment, so I quickly pull him inside and sit him down at the kitchen island. 

"Mikayla.. please..." He looks like he is struggling to breathe. "I'm... shot. Just get me some gauze and wound cleanser, please." 

Instead of asking questions, I nod nervously and rush to the bathroom to grab what he asked for out of the medicine cabinet. I also grab a red towel and rush back. I hand him the towel. 

He pulls his shorts up a little and I look at the bandana wrapped around his leg. 

"Oh my god.." I look away and wince. 

He unwraps the bandana and hold the towel on it for a bit longer.

"You have to get the bullet out, Mikayla." He pants out. 

"What?!" I yell. I practiced stuff like this in a medical class I am taking for fun, but now my mind is glitching. This is all too much for me.

His face is red and tired. I nod and examine the wound. It wasn't very deep. It must've been a weak gun because it didn't even go straight through his leg. I could practically see the bullet. I go get tweezers and when he sees them, his eyes widen. 

"It's all I have, unless... I call the ambulance!" I say, rushing over to grab my phone.

"No!" He weakly shouts. "Please. Just use the stupid tweezers." He says.

I nod and walk over. I bend down and gently enter the tweezers and grab the little, circular bullet. No wonder it didn't do much damage. 

He winces and chuckles a little once I show him the bullet.

I grab some wrap and come back again. He's cleaning out the wound himself and wipes around it, cleaning off the dry blood. I then wrap his leg gently, layering it pretty thick and tight to stop the bleeding. 

I sigh and wipe the nervous sweat off my forehead. 

"Can I have some ice for my nose?" He asks quietly, holding his leg as he gets off the kitchen stool.

"Uh, yeah," I say, walking over to grab a baggie and fill it up with ice. As I feel his eyes on me, I ask him the things I need to know before he leaves. "What happened, Daniel? Who shot you and why?" I look bag at him with the ice-filled bag.

He looks at me and doesn't respond right away.

"I'll call the damn cops myself if-" I start but he cuts me off.

"No," he says, desperately. 

"Then what happened?" I ask, handing him the bag.

He hesitates. "I got shot by a dad." He nods at his own words. 

"Why?" I ask with sympathetic eyes.

"Why is it just you here?" He asks, looking around, looking a little relieved. 

"Answer my question," I say, reaching to touch his nose. 

He grabs my wrist gently and looks into my eyes. 

"I do bets." He says, letting go of me.

"Wait... like... how?" I ask, curious. I look at his leg again to make sure it's not bleeding through the wrap. It's not.

He lets out a long sigh. "I bet on games. The game today was one of them. It wasn't that big of a deal because it was just a high school game, but my boss would kill me if I didn't get the money from him when I won a bet. So, I hunted down the dad, but he was armed and had guys to back him up and..." He gestures to his leg.

My mouth hangs open, I blink at him dumbly. I scan his face, his wounds, and his red knuckles.

Daniel... is an illegal gambler?

"You... do... illegal shit?" I ask, shaking my head slowly. Why am I surprised?

"You don't understand, Mikayla. I was dragged into it and my boss threatens to kill me all the time, I am scared to even tell the man no." He says, looking straight into my eyes.

"Oh..." I say, blinking back tears. 

Why am I crying for him? He looks so tough and strong but in his eyes, I can tell he's hurt.

"I'm sorry, Mikayla. I just needed help without going straight home or to the hospital. So, the closest house was here, so I came here. I know it was unexpected and nerve-racking, but I am okay now. All because of you." He flashes me a sweet smile.

Is this Daniel or an alien pretending to be him?

I walk to a certain drawer in the kitchen and pull out five-hundred dollars. I walk back and hand it to him.

"That should pay for the bet, right?" I ask, sniffling.

"Mikayla, I don't need your pity money. I promise you, I can handle it." He says, trying to hand it back.

I back up and refuse to take the money back. "No. Take it. If you want to prove to me you are really sorry for all those times, take the damn money." I grin, my eyes still watering from the pain on the inside.

He sighs and flips the money around in his hands before looking back up at me.

"Okay." He says, nodding and hugging me tightly, shocking me, before walking towards the door and leaving.