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evangeline blackwood

"He-"

Apollo's arms wrap around my shoulders and he pulls me into his chest. I don't know how long he's hugging me for but all I know is, everyone is fucking staring.

"'Lo?"

"You're amazing, E, absolutely incredible." He mumbled into my shoulder before finally releasing me. We sit at the nearest empty table.

"I didn't do anything that anybody else wouldn't have done." I try to tell him but he just shakes his head.

"You've done it more than once. When you've found him throwing up, having seizures and stuff. If you hadn't have acted as quick as you did, he might've been a lot worse and I'll never be able to repay you for doing that for me but I can try."

"Apo-"

"Nah, E, I need you to understand what you did." He signs, lips tugging up sadly. "My 15 year old brother is being put into a children's residential thing so they can try and get him better. He's really fucking ill, and we've only just realised how severe his case truly is. He hadn't eaten properly for months."

Fuck.

"Donnie said to me that he told you about S-, my little sister." He corrects himself, "Phoenix is the baby, he's the one who was spoilt the most and the soft one. Donnie and I never had that luxury. I'm the eldest and the idea of any of them getting hurt ruins me, her dying ruined me. Because you acted before the ambulance even showed, you gave Phoe a chance. You...You got my brother breathing again." His voice cracks and I really don't want to hear this. "Donnie said you wouldn't accept any thanks for it and as much as I understand that, you need to understand how that made us feel. Just think if that was your little brother, E, you'd be the exact same as us. You know that pain, you know that fear."

After a moment's pause, I nod my head. Because I do know that fear, that pain. I know that I'd never stop being grateful for someone saving Atlas. He's everything to me.

-------------

"Hey, Dee."

His blue eyes drift up to mine, containing that glassy glimmer that I've seen all too many times.

He's drunk.

"Adonis, we're in college." I shake my head but sit a few seats away from him.

He just shrugs, not even bothering to hide the bottle of Jack Daniels he's drinking from.

"How come you drink so much?" I ask softly, our knuckles brushing together.

Adonis stares at our hands, heat creeps up my neck at the way his touch ignites my skin.

"Started when Scarlett died and my Mum left. Never really managed to stop." He whispers, blinking. His gaze doesn't leave our hands.

I place mine over his, squeezing gently.

"Does it help?" I question purposely, already knowing his answer.

"No." He says the word so softly that I almost miss it. "But it helps me forget, just for a while."

Of course it does.

Until you don't see your family. Until you can't go through the day with having just a little bit more.

It's always about the person, with so much disregard for those who it affects.

So much of my childhood was consumed with my Mums hiding Jace's addition. But Jonah and I saw it. We saw the relapse, we saw the drunken arguments.

I've seen first hand just how toxic alcohol could be. How it can wreck parent and child relationships, how it can petrify partners.

How anyone would ever put someone they love through that is beyond me.

"It's worth it until you end up in hospital with liver failure. Or when your Dad finds you choking on your own vomit. Or when you can't see your kid for months because you've been sectioned. Yeah, it's definitely worth it then."

The worst thing, with even a shred of doubt, is watching someone you love drown in a tsunami that they caused and not being able to convince them that they will survive if they just hold their breath.

"Eva-"

A loud crash could be heard from across the pitch, cutting Adonis off. Our entire attention is drawn to it.

Rory is stood screaming at some boy, the chair thrown halfway across the grass. All his friends are sat there, half laughing and half completely emotionless. Karis is there too, with Michael and Mohammed. She steps forward and begins speaking to Rory, I watch as Adonis' little sister's gaze flickers and her mouth shuts.

Ashanti and Morgan are stood back from her but after a few seconds, Ashanti's beside her screaming too.

I stand up and go to pass Adonis, who's hand shoots out and grabs my wrist. "Don't go over there."

"She's my mate," I snatch my wrist back, moving away from him. "I'm going to back her."

"You're going to get dragged into her stupid drama."

"I don't give a fuck."

I stroll straight up the commotion, pulling Rory to the side.

"Are you okay?" I lower my voice, searching her face for any signs of her being upset.

Her head is held high and all I can see is resilience and tenacity. It sends waves of pride throughout my entire being.

"Let's get out of here."

She nods silently. I hold her forearm as we walk through the crowd of people. But, without warning, Rory falls into me as some bitch pushes her over.

"Who the fuck did that?" I glare around until my eyes land on Karis Crookes, Michael's girl. Shutting down any shred of fear, my jaw locks. "Have you got a problem?"

She looks me up and down with a cocked eyebrow, "Am I supposed to know who you are?"

Despite her words, I can see the realisation in her eyes as she actually looks at me. She knows who I am.

And she knows I know who she is.

"You'll know who the fuck I am, bitch, when I break your n-"

Rory grabs my arm and tugs me away before I have the chance to finish. "I thought Morgan said they were the people you don't mess with."

"I don't give a fuck, she's got 5 years on you so she shouldn't be putting hands on you."

"You fucking what?" Karis growls and lashed forward, punching me across the face. I didn't see it coming and pain exploded from the point of contact, the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth as my tongue brushes out to wipe the blood away from my lips.

She smirks as she sees the split in my lip but I keep my mouth shut.

"Logan said you were a little bitch, guess I never believed him until now." The girl taunts.

My stomach cramped...Logan?

But in disregard of the flames encasing my skin, I burst out laughing. Her jaw drops, eyes widening as if I did something completely and utterly foreign to her.

I knew I should be scared, that I should get Rory as far away from people like her as soon as possible, but I can't find it within myself to back away. Because contrary to Morgan's belief, I wasn't silent on her and her friends role in my brothers death because I was scared of them.

"You're crazy." Karis kisses her teeth, fury consuming her eyes as she stares at my amused expression.

"Oh I know, Hun. So why don't you just walk away before I break something?" I cock my head, biting on the cut on my lip for emphasis.

My stare meets Morgan's as he stands in the crowd surrounding us. That small sense of comfort that comes from only his presence encases me, but I know at this moment that I don't need his protection.

I don't need anyone's protection.

"Where's your brother, Evan? How sad would you be if your boyfriend accidentally ended up in the same ditch? All I have to do is snap my fingers and you and all your pathetic family will be burnt to the ground."

She takes a step forward, gripping my jaw as the crowd consumed with deadly silence watched without a peep. "Where's your darling boyfriend now? Your knight in shining armour can't look after you now."

Is she taking about Adonis?

And then I realise.

She's threatening to have a hit put on him.

I release a small laugh, shaking my head.

Big mistake.

Adonis, my 'knight in shining armour'?

Fuck that.

I was my own hero. My own protector. My own god-damn saviour.

I don't need anybody to save me. Who picked me up when I was at my lowest? Me. Who survived their own suicide attempt? Me. Who doesn't need no one because, when it comes down to it, no one will ever have them like them themselves do?

Me. It's always fucking me.

Morgan told me once that so many people underestimated me and, until this point, I never knew the true extent of his words.

I slam my forehead into her nose, driving my fist upwards into her jaw. Hard.

She doesn't scream, I don't expect her too. Regardless of the cowardice that comes with carrying a knife, I knew Karis Crookes was strong.

Her body stumbles back and she holds her nose, blood seeping through her fingers as she leaves me with a harsh glare.

"I ain't scared of you, Kaitlyn." I spit, the name rolling off my tongue in my last attempt to provoke her.

I know for a fact that she knows I know who she is, that I know her name. But I ain't fucking giving her the satisfaction of having a reputation, I ain't giving her that satisfaction of thinking she's well known.

She's nothing to me. Scum.

Not bothering to look at anyone else, knowing whole-heartedly that I'd only be greeted with shock or amazement, I grab Rory's hand and walk away from the scene with my head held high and my pride intact.

----------

"Fucking stupid ass laws in this stupid ass country." Some girl down the street raises her voice, the American accent going through me, shaking her head as a boy walks beside her with his arms enclosed around her waist. "I can't believe you dragged me here."

Rory walks beside me in silence. The impact of Karis' threat still looming over us.

The wry silence was broken as we got closer and closer to this weird American couple, whose accent was practically foreign to our South London streets. 

"Motherfucking dickhe-" My eyes meet the girls's sharp brown and she completely stops walking. Her boyfriend (I assume) halts as he looks at her expression.

Her gaze runs over me, taking in my appearance and presumably my busted lip or the marks on my jaw.

He seems to know what she was going to do before she did as his arms wrap completely around her as she goes to move towards me. 

"Are you okay?" She shouts, her stare studying Rory too. "Who the fuc- Let go of me, Kenzie- What happened to you?"

My eyebrows furrow at the stranger, "I'm fine, thanks." I reply bluntly.

"Are you sure? I know you don't know me but I'll drop kick a bit-"

"Rae, calm down. They're alright." The boy, Kenzie, speaks lowly. But, despite his words, I notice how his own stare scans over us as if he was looking for more pressing injuries. 

She nods her head at his words but the concern in her eyes is unmissable. A part of me truly appreciates the worry, especially because I don't know her at all, but I just don't want to waste anther second thinking about the repercussions of that entire ordeal.

We get to Rory's house as the American couple walk past us. I kiss her forehead before ushering her into her home and walking off.

"Eva!"

My steps halt as I hear Adonis' voice, eyebrows furrowing as he sounds eerily sober.

"What the fuck, E?" He calls out and I turn around to see him running towards me.

"What?" I fire back, watching as his front door slams shut. I was dropping Rory home to her door, ignoring and disregarding the way she kept apologising for what had happened.

As if it was her fault that our area is full of dickheads.

"What happened?" He asked, his voice low and leaving no room for me to make a joke.

"I'm surprised you couldn't see it from where you sat, front row tickets and all that." I reply slyly, only stopping scowling when his fingers run along the fingerprint bruises on my jaw.

"That's what Logan meant." He hisses under his breath, "I'm going to fucking kill him."

For the second time today, my blood runs cold at hearing his name. "What?"

"Logan said.." He inhales deeply, gritting his teeth. "He said that my girlfriend needs someone to protect her, he meant you."

"Karis said that too. She said they could hurt you. And then she said I needed you to protect me." I whisper, "So I broke her nose and hopefully her jaw."

"That's my girl." He praised, running his fingers through my hair and tucking it behind my ear. "Thank you for protecting my sister too. I didn't realise who was there."

"She's my best mate and I ain't scared of Karis Crookes."

"Morgan's told me what sort of people they are."

Shrugging, I act as if I don't care. Anxiety may be rising within my throat but I'm not going to show him.

I won't let him see me weak.

But at my words, Adonis just sends me a half-hearted smile but I didn't miss the worry lacing his ocean eyes.

Confession: Whatever payback I get for that, it'll never replace the satisfaction of watching Karis Crookes bleed.