Page 67 of Our Blood, Our Pain

“Weaklings always get what they deserve, fucker,” Zac says as my breath hitches and my eyes widen, shock taking control over my body. A searing pain pierces my stomach and my eyes look down at the knife now sticking out of my body. It’s agony, like a bolt of lightning, sharp and intense, radiating around the knife lodged in my gut. Zac pulls the knife out and I grab hold of the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. As I look up at Jez, betrayal floods my heart as he stares at me with no remorse or care for what’s just happened.

“Why?” I rasp at him.

“You deserved it. I hope it fucking hurts, you piece of shit, and don’t worry, we’ll look after your dear mom,” he says, then they both bolt out of the door.

I land onto my front, unable to hold myself up. A sudden overwhelming heat spreads through my body before morphing into a coldness, as if the life is starting to drain from me. I manage to grab my phone from my pocket and with bloodied shaking fingers, press the return call button to Jules. Tears stream down my face, I’ve fucked up so much in my life, maybe this is for the best. Jules’s phone calls out until it reaches his voicemail. Just my luck I won’t get to talk to him. My breathing becomes labored and my phone that’s now rested on the floor, I pull myself closer so my mouth reaches the mouthpiece.

“Jules…I–I-I’ve been s-s-stabbed. L-l-l-love you, i-it h-hurts,” I say, my words slurring.

The initial shock of what’s happened turns into a throbbing ache. Every heartbeat sends a wave of hurt through the knife wound, fluctuating between sharp and dull. Each breath becomes a struggle, I’m losing so much blood. Time stretches as I fight to stay conscious. I’m aware of a voice talking to me and I’m not sure if it’s someone in the room or I’ve died. Hands grab me and I’m vaguely aware of being turned over. Fortunately, the stab wound doesn’t hurt as much as it did. I just want to sleep.

“Kai! Kai! Keep awake, buddy, I got you. Help is nearly here,” the voice says. It sounds like Officer Tim, but that can’t be right. It’s a dream. It’s all a dream.

“Kai! Can you hear me?” another voice says, unfamiliar to me, repeats on a loop. Why can’t everyone be quiet? I just want to sleep, so I do as my body wants and fall away into the welcoming warmth of unconsciousness.

39

JULES

Before I even open my eyes, I know Kai isn’t in the bed with me. The smell of his hair and the heat of that body is missing, immediately putting me in a bad mood. I stretch my arms above my head, and eye the closed bathroom door. He can make it up to me in the shower. This needs to be a new rule, he can’t leave the bed before I wake.

I saunter over to the bathroom naked, and frown when I open the door. The lights are off and no sign of Kai. Alarm bells start ringing, and I switch on the light to see all his toiletries have gone off his vanity. The little fucker. I stomp over to his closet, only to open it up to a bare space, leaving no sign he was ever here. The fucker lied to me. If he thinks he can just walk away over a misunderstanding, then he doesn’t know me at all.

I pull on my pants, grab my phone off the bedside table, and call Kai. No answer. I try again. No answer. I’m fuming, I’m fucking unstable with rage. How dare he ignore me? How dare he leave me? I’ve tried calling him at least fifteen times now, and the frustration of not being able to force him to answer takes over and I throw my phone on the bed and storm out into the hallway. Don't ask me why I checked, but because he stole my car before, I’m pretty sure the shithead did it again. I look down at the bowl on the hallway table.

“Fuck!” I yell. He stole my car.

“Hey, what the hell is with all the noise?” Simon says, looking half asleep as he approaches me.

“Kai has left and stole my fucking car.”

“Left? But why?”

“He heard me and Dima talking yesterday and it was just a big misunderstanding that he thinks I’m lying about.”

“Have you called him?”

I give Simon a droll look.

“What a fucking genius idea…of course I called him.”

“Don’t take it out on me, fuckhead.”

“Can I use your car?”

“Sure. Do you know where he went?”

“I bet he went home to his mom.”

“Make sure to tell Lev or D before you leave. I don't want them breathing down my neck again because of you disappearing.”

I grunt in response and go back to my room to get dressed. I don’t have time to do anything else. I need to see Kai and make him see sense. Before I go to leave, I go back to Kai’s room to fetch my phone and see a missed call from him and a voice message. Just as I’m about to play the message, my phone blares in my hand and I see Jenny’s name on the screen. Almost tempted to ignore it so I can listen to Kai’s message, I answer, not at all prepared for how she sounds on the other end of the phone.

“Hey Jenny,”

“Jules! Oh thank god, Jules…he’s been stabbed, my baby, Jules…” she sobs uncontrollably into the phone and I stiffen.

“Hello, is this Jules?” a man says on the phone, while I can hear Jenny crying in the background and the sound of sirens.

---