As/n: Told you… drama… here comes some more! What happens in this chapter, with the people, is something similar to what happened to my friend. But he was in Ohio.
Chapter 3
The Risk of Holding OnI had to let go.
That was the thought he had when he hit the water.
Owen knew the risks of falling. He knew the risks of water. He also knew, the risk of holding on. Owen knew he was bigger than Heather. She could have never held her own weight plus Owen's. He wouldn't risk her life. That was the risk of holding on.
Owen got pulled under the water and came up gulping it down in a desperate attempt to breath. He spluttered and tried to push his way to the side. The water had moved him down the creek. He was thrown recklessly from side to side. Suddenly, he stopped. His pant leg got caught on a tree that had fallen in the water.
Owen got pulled once again under the water; this time with no freedom. He couldn't pull himself up. Owen tugged on his pant leg in a fruitless endeavor to get it free. His head was screaming in pain, his heartbeat quickened. His lungs were about to burst. One last tug and Owen's pant leg ripped. He felt a sharp pain in his almost numbed leg as the branch sliced through the skin. Owen surfaced the water, gulping down air as if it was an old friend, not seen for ages.
He had a feeling; one a boy with his health had felt many times before. A feeling of despair, a feeling of hopelessness… those feelings rushed over his body with the freezing water. He felt the undercurrent pulling on his feet. He knew what he had to do.
He had to let go.
Owen let the water rush over him He let it soak his skin. He let it take over.
Owen Bolton had known the risk of letting go.
………….
"Owen!" Heather shouted when she saw Owen go under the water and not return. She was crying loudly. This was all her fault. She should of held on tighter. She could've pulled Owen up.
A sudden thought came to her mind.
She couldn't've pulled Owen up. She wasn't strong enough. Heather realized that she would've gone in the water with him and Luke would've been sitting alone on the bank, with no one to help him.
Owen had let go to save her. He had let go for love. Heather let go. She let go of her feelings for everything.
Owen was gone and she had to do one thing.
She had to let go.
A new wave of tears fell at this thought. Heather tilted her head back and let the tears mix with the rain let her feelings drift away. Because Heather Evans knew…
The risk of holding on.
She looked over at the water where she had last seen the boy she had loved but again she saw him. His body was thrust onto the shore. Suddenly, she forgot to let go, she gathered Luke in her arms, and she ran to him.
Heather collapsed on her knees next to his lifeless form. Her tears fell on his chest. She bent down and lightly kissed his lips.
"I'll never forget you," She whispered.
Owen's body moved slightly and Heather sobbed. Unexpectedly, Owen coughed and water poured out of his lungs and onto the ground. Heather was in shock. She didn't move. Owen's body relaxed and whispered, "I'll never forget you either."
"Owen!" Heather screamed, hugging him tightly.
He moaned. "That hurts."
"We need to get you to a hospital!" Heather said, letting go of him.
"I don't need a hospital. I need my dad. You need to get him, Heather," Owen said, painfully pulling himself off the ground.
Then, figures appeared next to them. Owen shakily got to his feet. He held back his winces, for the pain was all too much. Then he stopped breathing. His heart skipped a beat. He knew these guys. He'd dealt with them before.
"Heather," Owen said. "Go and get help. Now!"
"You're coming with me," Heather said defiantly.
"Heather, there's no time to argue. Go!"
"Trying to protect your girlfriend, Bolton?" The biggest figure said. His face was shrouded in darkness, as were the others. It was impossible to tell who they were.
"I'm not his girlfriend," Heather said quickly. Luke was oddly quiet, the trauma of the water having gotten to him.
"Heather…"
The group circled closer and Owen shouted, "Heather, get out of here!"
Something in his voice told Heather that this was bad. Then, she knew why. The glint of a switchblade in the darkness told her all she needed to know. She ran towards home, Luke in her arms, Owen to defend himself.
…………
"That was a bad mistake," A figure said. The others chuckled and circled closer. One grabbed his arms and roughly stuffed them behind his back. Owen let out a cry of pain but this only seemed to make them more satisfied.
"We don't want much," The main figure, Max, said, swinging the switchblade dangerously close to Owen's neck. Owen pulled back in fear. "Just some money."
"I don't have any," Owen said through gritted teeth. His side, his arm, his leg, and his head hurt from his near death experience. He didn't know how much longer he would stand on his own.
"Empty your pockets," Max said with a superior smirk.
"I would but my arms are pinned to my back," Owen said bored.
Max held the switchblade right up to Owen's neck, slicing a fraction into the skin. Owen gasped, letting air slice through his clenched teeth.
"We met before, Bolton," Max said. "And you know too much."
He raised the blade and sliced it through the air. Dead silence surrounded them as it came down a mere inches above his heart.
Owen let out a loud cry of pain and collapsed to the ground.
"Let go of him!" A familiar voice said.
Owen knew it only too well.
"So long, Bolton," Max whispered menacingly. He and the rest of the gang scrambled away, tripping over themselves, laughing.
"Owen!" The voice rang clear across the park but it sounded so distant.
"Dad?" Owen asked.
"Owen… oh, God… Owen."
Troy scooped Owen into his arms (his old basketball muscles not gone to waste) and carried him to the car. He gently laid Owen in the backseat and got in the front. He pulled his seatbelt on and sped to the hospital. Halfway there, Owen spoke.
"Are Heather and Luke okay?" Owen asked, eyes still shut.
"Yeah, they're fine. I'm more concerned about you," Troy said. "Don't talk and just keep-keep breathing."
A long silence followed and Owen disobeyed his father's command by saying, "I'm sorry."
Troy was about to reply when he heard the wail of a police siren. He swore under his breath and pulled to the side of the road.
A police officer walked up and said, "Sir, do you realize you where going 85 miles per hour in a 60 mile speed zone?"
"Can this wait?" Troy asked impatiently.
"Pardon?"
"Look in the back and then go," Troy said.
The police officer looked as if he was going to reply but kept his mouth shut. He opened the back door of the car.
"Hey," Owen said weakly.
"Oh, God. You need to take this kid to a hospital!" The officer exclaimed.
"We were going to see a movie first," Owen explained sarcastically.
"I'll give you an escort," The officer said.
"Thought so," Troy muttered, pressing the gas pedal again.
They were at the hospital in a matter of minutes and what seemed like hours later a nurse walked into the waiting room and said, "Mr. Bolton, the doctor said you can see him now."
Troy bolted into Owen's room. He was in bad shape. Immediately, Troy was given six stitches in his arm, 12 in his leg, nine in his side, and 24 on his chest, he had lost a lot of blood. He could barely move because of his three broken ribs that he had also suffered from in the water.
"Hey, Dad," Owen said, not even opening his tired eyes.
"How you feeling?" Troy said, sitting on the end of Owen's bed.
"Just peachy," Owen said, with a groan as he tried to shift on his pillows.
"The police want to talk to you. They think that I'm not being truthful," Troy said, scratching his head.
"Truthful about what?" Owen asked.
"They think there's a possibility it was me," Troy said.
"No way!" Owen said with a laugh. "Yeah. You stabbed me, Dad."
"Don't even joke about that, Owen," Troy said. "I'll be in huge trouble if someone heard that."
"No ones here," Owen said, looking around the very white room.
"Oh, you're mistaken there!" Troy said.
"Huh?"
Troy walked to the door and Matthew, Katherine, Lizzie, and Heather collapsed onto the floor at his feet. They had been listening to the entire conversation. They gave a nervous laugh and brushed themselves off. The nurses looked in and laughed too. They had had many teenagers do this apparently.
Everyone piled into the room: parents, teenagers, kids, toddlers.
"Hey, Owen," Taylor said. "How are you doing?"
"Great!" Owen said. "Yeah, they said the stitches will be out in a couple of weeks and my ribs should be healed in no time!"
At this, Sharpay let out a loud sob.
"Oh, Owen!" Sharpay said loudly. "I can't thank you enough! I owe you my life! If you hadn't gotten Luke out of the water…"
"Sharpay, don't mention it!" Owen said. "I mean, come on, anyone would've done it!"
"No, Owen," Matthew said. "No one else is stupid enough to jump into a rushing river without caring about dying or not."
"And no one would try to get others free without thinking about themselves and the consequences that would go with it," Lizzie pointed out.
"And get stabbed in the process," Katherine added, shrugging her shoulders.
"Only you, Owen, could do those things… only you could get in that much trouble," Lily laughed.
"It's a gift," Owen said, rather confused.
Owen heard a whimper below him so he looked down and saw a blonde head with a pair of bright brown eyes staring up at him. Zeke had his hands placed on his son's head and he said, "Luke has something he wants to say to you."
Luke scrambled up on Owen's bed and buried his pink face into Owen's chest. This hurt quite badly but Owen said nothing. The poor little kid had no idea.
"Thank you, Owen," Luke's muffled voice came up from his chest.
"No problem, Luke," Owen said, ruffling his hair. Owen took his index finger and lifted Luke's chin up to stare him in the eyes. "Any time."
"But, Owen?" Luke asked, tears streaming down his face.
"Yeah?"
"No more creek."
As/n: I told you, more drama. Tell me what you thought! I'd really appreciate it. I'm such a moocher but--- please read our other stories!!! Thanks! The next chapter is going to be great! I promise! There will be a lot more of one of my favorite characters (to write about)! Tell me what you think is going to happen! (even in the trilogy… I thought the plot up on the bus home from my field trip today!!! Thanks, CoCo.