Chapter 11
AN: Hi! Back with another chapter! I had finals, and my school semester was finishing up, so I couldn't get to this story. I have break now, so I'm working on it now. Your reviews make me so happy! Thank you for leaving them, they really do brighten up my day. It makes me happy just to know that people are reading this story. Enjoy!
Will honestly despised English. Since he failed the test, his teacher was making him write another essay on Of Mice and Men. And this time, Nico wasn't there to help him.
Now, he was stuck in the library.
It wasn't like he had anything better to do. But still, that didn't mean that he wanted to waste time on English. And now he had weekend homework!
Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder. For some delusional reason, he had hoped it was Nico. Instead, he turned to see Jason.
"Will," whispered Jason, "I need to talk to you."
"So talk," said Will, his voice quivering.
Jason's blue eyes were ice cold.
"I'm talking to you outside."
"Well, what if I don't want to go outside," retorted Will.
"I'll make you go outside."
Will sighed and followed Jason out of the library.
"What?" Asked Will, irritated.
He was never like this. He would never use such a tone with someone like Jason. He would usually be afraid.
"Will, I'm trying to help you. Where did all those bruises come from?"
"Why do you care?" Asked Will, "you don't even like me!"
Why was Will acting so different?
"Don't you see what you're getting yourself into? There isn't a single way that this can end well," stated Jason, breathing heavily.
Will knew. He was well aware that this was terrifyingly unhealthy. But he could do this. He could. Right?
"Mind your own business," Will muttered, eyes trained on the ground.
"After you get back from your trip, we're talking about this."
Will gaped at Jason. He wouldn't even tell Nico what was going on, so why would Will tell Jason?
"I'll make you tell me," spoke Jason, after a moment of silence.
Will wasn't scared. What was Jason going to do? Bruise him up even more? Will had nothing more to lose; Nico was gone, and his grades were starting to go downhill. Will felt a knot in the pit of his stomach.
"Go ahead."
Confusion masked Jason's concern, "What?"
Will realized that he was talking to the wrong person. It's not Jason he wanted to confront, it was his dad. But he couldn't look at Apollo without the tears welling up in his eyes, blurring his vision. Will was struggling to rationalize with himself, a task that seemed effortless a few months ago. After a good minute, Will settled for what he always did.
"Nevermind," he mumbled.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Nico staring at them. Will tried to ignore the agony he felt, and pushed past Jason, going back into the library. A sensation of dread washed over him. He felt like an idiot.
He felt like he was everything Apollo told him he was.
Will was walking home. His heart was beating unnaturally fast. He was so sick of being afraid; it disgusted him. At this point, he was vulnerable to anything and everything. Apollo was either going to cuss him out or beat him up, and both options made him want to throw up. Well, technically, that wasn't even possible, because he hadn't eaten anything in what felt like forever.
His life was like one of those waterslides, the ones that swirl downwards. That's what he was going through: a downward spiral. Will just made a simile, Nico would be proud of him. Was that even a simile?
He made his way to the door, unlocked it, and opened it. The door wasn't wide open, so he took it as a good sign. Honestly, he didn't know what was a good sign anymore. His stomach was growling. He needed to eat something.
He quietly wandered towards the kitchen.
"Will," snapped Apollo, jerking Will out of his thoughts.
Chills ran up his back, and his blood ran cold. He just wanted to be used to this. This was his life now. He didn't like the routine fear; he could sense every time something like this was going to happen, so why the panic?
Because you're a little bitch, that's why!
Apollo was stuck in his head, his voice a painful roar in his ear. What did the real Apollo have to say?
"Saw the suitcases." Apollo didn't look human, "You're leaving?"
To anyone else, it would appear to be an innocent question, but Will knew better. He knew better, but he didn't do anything about it.
"No." It wasn't really a lie. He was only going to be gone for a few days.
Will was going to be at school at six a.m. the next day. It would be a matter of hours before he was gone. Everything would be alri-
Apollo's fist came at him, but not at the usual target.
This time, it was at his head.
Will fell to the ground, a searing pain pulsing within his head. His vision was blurry, but not with tears.
"Fuck you," Apollo grumbled, stalking off into the house.
A few hours later, the pain was still as prominent as when he had been hit. There was a faint ringing in his ears.
At least he could manage to correctly answer all the questions on his tournament study guide. He made an extensive study guide, highlighting all the important information that he would need to know. He couldn't afford to mess up tomorrow.
He felt tired, even more than usual. It was probably the blow to his head, and he was probably suffering a concussion. It was supposed to mellow out when he went to sleep, so he wasn't too bothered about it. He had other things to freak out about.
He set his alarm for four thirty, his usual time. He would take a shower, grab his bags, and go. Apollo didn't need to know he left. He'd probably cause Will to have severe brain damage.
He lay in his bed and squeezed his eyes shut. It was only a few hours until he could go away.
Few hours…
It seemed unreal, all of this. Nico, his dad, himself. He could only hope that things would be alright. But hope only goes so far in the real world.
The real world, god, he hated that phrase. It was something that Apollo used to shout at him when he was younger.
It was something that Apollo used to shout at him when he was just a kid with a dream.
AN: I'm sorry! Will won't be sad forever. Eventually, things will get better. But until then, ;)