Blood // Water by grandson

Beg me for mercy, admit you were toxic. You poisoned me just for another dollar in your pocket.

It's over. 

All of this.

For what?

I was dangled upside down from a bridge one slip and I would've died, Avery was shot at, all of this pain and fear caused by this cruel old man I never even knew. At least Avery got an apology letter. What do I get?

"I'm sorry. It's not Jameson's fault he's like this. It's not Jameson's fault it ended like this" Grayson says, his voice raw with emotion. 

"I should go" I say. As I turn my arm is tugged lightly by Grayson "Paris.." he starts. "I just need to think" I say. He watches me go. 

This isn't about you Paris. 

The boys are suffering, Avery is probably heartbroken the game is over.

I breathe in the cold air. I sort of feel glad in a sense that it's finally over. It's over but why am I not happy. I have mixed feelings. This was never about me so why am I so affected? 

I don't know where I am but I know where I'm going. My feet keep moving towards the house despite not having a clue where it is. My phone pings. I look down at the bright screen. 

Alcoholic: I need you.

I start typing urgently.

Me: Where are you?

Alcoholic: Beach. 

Alcoholic: Quick.

I don't hesitate to start running. I make it to the house pretty quickly after i abandoned my heels. I know where I'm going now that I'm outside the house. I bolt towards the beach not caring about the seashells that half stab my feet to death. 

I reach a figure wearing the suit Jameson was wearing at the water, he is facing the ocean. I speed up until I reach him. "Jamie" I sigh struggling to catch my breath. I place a hand on his back. 

He turns and I stumble back at the face staring back at me. Fucking Danny. "You're not Jamie" I breathe. "I'm better" he smirks. My face twists into one disgusted one. "Jamie didn't send it"

"What do you want?" I roll my eyes. "I want you back" he grins, "I made a deal with a certain Virgo I would do something but I'm willing to let you go in exchange for one thing" 

"What are my choices then foe?" I grin. "I want you to fuck me." My face changes from an amused expression all the way back to disgusted. "Right here in the sand. And i want you to tell me you love me. And I want you back. For good." He offers. "Absolutely not. What's my other choice?" I ask with a joking smile. "I kill you" 

This makes me let out a chuckle feeling no threat, that is until he reaches into his tuxedo, he removes a pistol. My mouth is agape ever so slightly, I begin moving back slowly. 

"Danny.. don't do something you'll regret" I warn. "Last chance.. take that ridiculous dress off and let me fuck you until you can't walk or close your eyes and prepare for the sweet merciful death" he smiles as if he is at his birthday party, looking far too happy for the occasion. 

"Who's putting you up to this? Just tell me and I'll get them locked up before they can hurt you" I try. "I'm not being forced to do shit. She told me I just had to send a warning to Avery by hurting you but I chose to kill you. You're a side piece. You always have been. You think those boys care about you? They don't that was proved tonight when that Jameson kid left the second it was over. God I hated that kid" he says. One word sticks out. 

"Hated?" I quote my heart throbbing. "I shot him dead sweetheart." I shake my head stepping back even further. "No.. no you didn't" I shake with tears brimming in my eyes. "How else do you think I got his phone?" He asks. 

"I'm going to fucking kill you" i spit, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but.. aren't I the one with the gun?" He asks cocking it. 

I take that as my queue to start running. Far away. Nobody inside the house would hear me if I screamed so i need to hope to god someone is outside. I start screaming for help as I make my way to the house.

Thankfully the house is close to the beach so I'm not running for too long before I see the house. I'm running through the clearing in the woods when I hear the first shot. It hits a tree near me and I flinch at the loud piercing sound that rings in my ears. 

Surely someone has heard me. "HELP!" I beg. Another shot. I keep running. I'm not too far from the house. I'm halfway through the woods that I cut through. I see a familiar face in front of me. Jameson. 

"You're alive?" I yell in his direction, moves towards me and grabs me stopping me from moving any further. "Hey. Hey" he tries to calm my nerves, "What's wrong?" He asks tucking a piece of hair behind my ear and holding my face in his hands.

"He's got a gun... I- I don't know how close he is but he's following me and we need to go" I rush. "Slow down Paris, who has a gun" he speaks to me with dead seriousness, he hasn't used my real name in a while. "Danny. He said someone sent him to hurt me to get to Ave or something and- he would either do it or let me go if i hooked up with him" I shake. He wraps his arm around me and pulls me into him.

"There's nobody out there Paris" he says as if I'm crazy, "what?" I separate from him slowly, "you don't believe me?" I ask feeling betrayed. "I do but I think if he was out there he's gone now" he replies. "If?" I quote.

He opens his mouth to say something but is cut off by a gunshot. The sound echos through my ears and my eyes flinch closed. "I told you" i say. He grabs me around the shoulder and runs making sure to keep me safe. 

More gunshots.

I keep running but then I feel it. The cold numbness of my body is stabbed by a crushing pain in my lower abdominal. It's at that point I let out the most ear piercing, soul sinking scream.

Jameson stops when he hears me and turns to me, he gives a worried but confused look before noticing how pale my skin has became. My knees start to give away, my eyes get heavy as I start to slip. Jameson catches me before i can hit the ground and picks me up bridal style running for dear life. 

When we get back to the house after a minute he hurriedly opens a door and walks us inside. "Someone help!" He yells through the house, his voice raw and hoarse as if he'd been crying. He screams for help until I see a blurry figure run down the staircase followed by a girl wearing my dress from earlier. Oren and Avery. I see a cowboy figure exit the kitchen as well as a blue haired girl. Nash and Libby. Following Avery down the staircase is a well dressed male. Grayson. I also make out a couple up the staircase looking down at the display. Zara and her husband. My eyes leak tears as I watch Jameson sob over me. He places me on a couch after instructions from Oren to do so.

Jameson's hands shake with fear as Libby, Grayson, Nash and Avery rush over. I wince as I'm placed down. "Sorry" he cries softly. "When was she shot?" Oren asks. "Just- like 2 minutes ago" Jameson stutters. 

"Ok I need someone to call for backup, 10 - 52 and 10 - 78." He orders throwing his radio towards one of the security guards. "Someone get her dress off enough to see the wound" he says. Jameson sits me up quickly and sits behind me trying to undo my zip however his hands shake uncontrollably. He takes a deep breath and reminds himself at the risks at hand. 

He unzips the dress and slides it down until my full abdominal is revealed. "Ok I need something to compress the wound with" he orders. Nash runs to get something and returns a moment later. Oren kneels beside me, "ok Paris this is going to hurt a lot" he warns, i nod. 

Jameson grabs my hand from next to Oren. I close my eyes underestimating just how painful it would be. Oren moves my dress down a little more and lifts my back up slightly and placing something around my waist. He ties the two parts together to put pressure on the wound. I squeeze Jameson's hand so hard i fear it might fall off, I yelp in pain. 

"Ambulance will be here in five" one security guard says. Oren makes his way to the other side of the foyer to talk across his radio. Jameson strokes his thumb back and forth across my cheekbone soothing me. 

Avery and Libby are holding each other both crying. Nash is rubbing Libby's back whilst Grayson leans over the couch with his eyes closed trying to keep it together. "Anyone care to share what happened?" Nash asks Jameson and I. I don't choose to answer.

I finally move my head down to take a look and feel even more sick. Blood is draining from the hole in my body. There is a thin bandage around my waist which is quickly being swallowed by the blood. 

It's only now that It occurs I am wearing nothing but a bra and underwear as well as my dress covering half of my legs. I don't have enough energy to be embarrassed right now.

"Danny happened. I lost my phone in the woods and he sent her a text asking to meet him. He was sent by someone to hurt her in order to send a message to Avery, he offered to not shoot her if she got back together with him. Then he chased her shooting at her and we ran into each other when I was searching for my phone." Jameson explains.

"Actually in his exact words 'I want you to fuck me. Right here in the sand. And i want you to tell me you love me. And I want you back. For good.. or I kill you' you know thinking back i probably should've just fucked him" I joke in a gravely voice. 

"You think he's working with the same person as Drake was?" Avery asks. "Well if he still has my phone we can find out" Jameson reminds. 

"Am I gonna die?" I ask out of nowhere. I am bleeding out. Sweating. My skin tone is literally white. I can't think straight and I am struggling to see. 

"What? No? That's just the adrenaline talking" Avery says. "Or maybe its my no longer existent heart beat" I suggest. Grayson places two fingers on my neck and looks down at his watch a moment later he removes his fingers. "Dangerously low. 20 beats per minute." He says. 

My eyes start to close slowly, a long awaited nap finally sneaking up on me. "Hey! Open your eyes Paris" Grayson clicks his fingers in front of my face making my eyes shoot open again. "I just need a minute" I sigh closing my eyes again. "Don't you dare" Grayson warns. He clicks in front of my face again this time doing nothing. 

He walks urgently around the couch and kneels beside me. "Paris! Listen to me!" He says, I open my eyes slowly struggling. "Ok. Breathe in and out ok, with me." He tells me, my eyes can't help but closing again. "Paris! Match my breathing ok?" He orders and brings my hand to his stomach so I can feel the breaths he takes. I start to match his breathing. In. Out. In. Out. 

"Good. Now tell us all about your first pet. Enchilada the fish, right?" He says. "Enchilada. Gold fish. Fed him.. enchilada. Killed him" i breathe speaking hesitantly due to the lack of air in my lungs. 

"And what about the first sport I ever played" he says making things more challenging. "Lacrosse... 15" I say between deep breathes. He grins, "wrong" he sighs. "What?" I ask angrily, "it's fifteen" i assure. "14" he corrects. "You told me it was 15" i argue. "No i didn't I was 14." He reminds, "shit you're right" I groan. 

He did a good job of keeping my eyes open but when the paramedics arrive it's game over. My eyes shut and I let myself slip into a nap. "Can you tell me your name?" A man asks, I can't move. I'm aware of what is happening but I can't speak or see. 

"We're losing her" he says as he touches my neck with two fingers. I hear a cry from Avery. I feel myself being picked up and placed onto a small bed. I feel a sharp pain in my bullet wound when I'm placed down. I feel something being strapped to my face around my mouth like a mask. Suddenly I'm aware of the air being somewhat hard to breathe. 

I can't breathe.

I feel my chest being pounded and air being blown into my lungs. I can hear Avery and Libby crying and sniffling. Jameson grabs my sweating hand with his own icy cold hands "Come on Paris," he whispers hoarsely.

But I'm alive. Why is everyone so worried? I can hear and feel everything. I'm alive? Aren't I?

I feel one last pound on my chest feeling as if it has cracked all my fragile ribs, A single breathe is sent down my throat and that's all it takes. 

I inhale feeling the purified air soothing my lungs. Cries of relief echo around the room when my eyes shoot open. I'm rushed into the ambulance with Oren, Nash, Libby and Avery. I close my eyes and breathe in the air being forced down my airways. 

The ambulance stops before I even noticed it starting. The bed I'm on is pulled out and through the hospital. The mask that was once helping me breathe has been abandoned as I can suddenly breathe on my own again. 

"Emergency surgery will be necessary to remove the bullet" a man says to Oren, My sisters and Nash. "Do what you need to do" Avery orders. 

The next thing I feel is a sharp needle being stabbed into my arm. And suddenly I'm out like a rock.

(A/n. I really don't know how i feel about this one. This is the thing I've been planning since the start but idk how well i wrote it. I think some of the dialogue was really awkward, especially Danny's. Me personally, I've never been shot or had my heart half stop, not to jinx it🤞 So idk if it's realistic at all. Please let me know your thoughts because I'm really considering deleting this even though the next few chapters are based around this plot line. I need honesty. Sorry its posted a little later this week. - May <3)