This chapter is BY FAR the longest!
Over 3,000 words! This also gets pretty emotional, so get ready!
I don't own anything except my OCs!
Enjoy!
Chapter 14
I blinked and groaned. My head was pounding and I felt like I was going to puke. I raised my hand and rubbed at my eyes. 'What happened?' I thought groggily.
"Raven!" I heard Robin shout. Immediately footsteps rushed over to where I was laying down. As soon as I sat up, I saw the angry and worried faces of everyone, and everything came back to me at once. The concert, the headache and blacking out.
Robin was the first one to snap out of her worry, which quickly turned into anger. She glared down at me and opened her mouth.
"What the hell were you thinking!" she shouted. I winced when she yelled and rubbed my head. She quieted down, but she spoke in an angry whisper.
"What is wrong with you? Playing while you're sick?" She whispered glaring at me some more before sighing. Erin was the one who spoke up next, looking both angry and worried.
"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" She asked sternly. I opened my mouth to speak before a harsh cough fell from my mouth. I covered my mouth, and I felt someone pat my back. I blinked the tears away after my coughing fit and looked at Takashi, who patted my back. His eyes looked worried, but otherwise, his face had that same blank look.
After taking another breath, I tried speaking again. Nothing came out and I frowned. I opened my mouth to speak again, but only a harsh noise came out. I looked towards everybody in confusion.
They looked just as confused as I was, and even more worried. I tried multiple times to get my voice to work, and each attempt ended with me coughing again or making croaking noises. I was starting to feel anxious. I looked at Kyouya for an explanation. He was the son of a doctor, right?
"You have a slight fever and a sore throat." He explained. "How bad would you say your headache is? Are you sensitive to light right now?" He asked. I thought for a minute before digging in my bag for my sketchbook.
I'd say my headache is bad. I can't really look at the lights without feeling dizzy. My stomach feels terrible and I feel exhausted just from writing this.
I showed him my sketchbook and he nodded. "You'll be on bedrest for a couple of days. You're lucky this was the last day before the weekend." He said while writing something in his black notebook. I frowned, too tired to even bother hiding it.
How long is a couple of days? Will I have to miss school because of this?
He shrugged. "I'm not positive, but to estimate? Maybe four to five days?" he said. I grit my teeth in frustration. I took in a depth breath before writing again.
So, can I go home now? I'm tired and I need my rest. You can take me right, Robin?
She sighed and shook her head. "My car broke down, and Daisuke was the one who dropped me off today. He was sending Erik to come pick up our stuff on Monday." I bit my lip and mentally sighed.
"We can take you home Rave-chan!" Honey said excitedly. I looked over at him and Takashi. He nodded and I looked back at Honey, nodding my consent. He cheered and jumped up on the couch next to me. I looked at Robin and Sarah.
How are you guys getting home? It's supposed to storm pretty bad today.
Robin shrugged and bit her lip. "I can call Daisuke." She said halfheartedly. We all knew Daisuke was having his seventh year anniversary with his boyfriend, Erik. I shook my head tried to think of a way to get Robin and Sarah home.
A few minutes later, we all decided that Robin and Sarah would ride with the twins (don't ask me why we all agreed on it) Erin would be staying over, as well as the entire Host Club too. (I don't know how it happened, but Tamaki decided that it was about time that he visited his daughter's home) We all got ready to get on our rides, but I was suddenly attacked with a wave of dizziness and nausea when I tried to stand up. I quickly sat back down and covered my mouth with my hand, trying to keep the bile rising up down. By then, it was only Honey and Takashi in the room with me, and they rushed back to the couch.
"Rave-chan! Are you okay?" I shook my head and wrote 'dizzy'. He frowned before glancing up at Takashi. He nodded, and the next thing I knew, I was gently being lifted into somebody's arms. Even though he was trying to be gentle, it still caused me to cover my mouth again and shut my eyes tightly.
"Sorry." He murmured. I shook my head and kept my eyes closed the entire time. Eventually, we made it to the limos, where he had to put me down so I could climb into the limo. When I climbed in, I could see Honey in the seat in front of me. I closed my eyes and put on my headphones. I played Helena by My Chemical Romance.
I didn't feel the limo shake when Takashi climbed in on the other side. I did sense a presence next to me and opened my eyes to see Takashi sitting next to me. I blinked and looked at Honey confused. He usually sat next to him during our rides, but he just smiled and laughed.
I shook my head and closed my eyes again. I leaned my head back and drifted off. In my sleepiness, I felt myself fall towards Takashi next to me. When my head landed on his shoulder I felt stiffen up. I grumbled when he tried to move me and snuggled into his shoulder. He slowly relaxed and I fell asleep.
I woke up to a gentle push on my shoulder. I blinked the sleep out of my eyes before sitting up. I blinked again and took off my glasses to wipe them off. Apparently, when I fell asleep, they gotten smudged. I put them back on and looked at the time on my phone. 5:37. I moved to open my door when the headache came back and I covered my mouth again. Before I could move again, my door was opened. I looked up and saw Takashi standing there with his arms outstretched. I nodded stiffly and he slowly picked me up. I gestured towards my bag, and he grabbed it before handing it to me. I nodded and laid my head on his chest.
While walking up to my floor, I ruffled through my bag for my keys. When we got to my door, I handed them to Honey, since Takashi wouldn't let me down to open the door. He opened the door and he walked through. When he did, I heard Slush running around, barking and yelping. I mentally cursed. I forgot to put him in his pen this morning.
I motioned for Takashi to head to my bedroom and he walked in. Slush was at his heels, sniffing his feet. Takashi set me down on my bed and I stomped my feet. Slush ran over to me and I picked him up. He barked and licked my face. Ignoring the pain, I got from his bark, I smiled at him and scratched his head. He licked my cheek again before I put him back on the ground. He then ran over to Honey and sniffed his feet.
"Rave-chan! You have a dog?" Honey asked surprised as he stared down at Slush. I nodded and took out my sketchbook.
His name is Slush, and he's a Siberian husky. He's about five years old. He needs to be fed. His food is in the kitchen. It's in a bright blue bag next to the door. Can you give him a bowl of that?
I asked Honey. He nodded with a smile on his face before walking into the kitchen.
"Come on Slush! Let's get you fed!" He said as Slush yelped happily. I looked at Takashi and pointed at my swivel chair near my desk. He nodded and went to go sit down. I opened my phone and texted Robin. She should be arriving soon.
Me: Are you on your way?
She replied back a few seconds later.
Robin: Yeah, these twins are so annoying! UGH!
I smiled and shook my head. I shut off my phone and set it on my table next to my bed. All of a sudden a familiar ringtone appeared.
Do I look lonely?
I see the shadows on my face
People have told me
I don't look the same-
I tossed the phone to Takashi and frantically scribbled onto my sketchbook. He looked at me confused before I showed him my sketchbook.
It's my dad. Just tell him that I can't come to the phone right now. Please?
He looked at me, before answering the phone.
"Hello?" he asked and I gestured for him to put it on speaker phone.
"Hello? Who is this?" I heard my father ask suspiciously.
Takashi looked at me for a moment, clearly uncomfortable, but answered anyway. I felt a pang of guilt for having him do this but vowed I would thank him later.
"A friend of Raven's. She can't come to the phone right now." He said. After a moment, my father replied skeptically.
"Really? Well, I'll call later then." He hung up without a goodbye and I winced. I gave Takashi an apologetic look. He gave me back my phone. I quickly wrote in my sketchbook.
Sorry, you had to do that. And thank you, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable.
He shook his head and gave me a small smile. I sighed and flopped back onto my bed. Honey came back with Slush a few minutes later. He sat on the floor, playing with Slush while Takashi just sat there. I quickly wrote something down
If you get bored, I have some books in my closet. You're welcome to read them if you're interested.
I pointed to my closet and showed them both my notebook. They both nodded, and my phone binged.
Robin: We have a HUGE problem!
I furrowed my brows and texted back, worried and confused.
Raven: Why? What happened?
Robin: A huge rain shower hit us, and we had to head over to Haruhi's! Everyone's here and the storm doesn't look like it'll let up soon.
I looked out my window and saw darkness. It was pitch black and I heard the heavy hits of the rain on the roof of the buildings outside.
Raven: So, you're all stuck there? That sucks.
Robin: I know, but it's just you, Honey and Takashi there, right?
Raven: Yeah.
Robin: Well isn't that interesting? ;)
I blushed and typed a reply back.
Raven: Shut up. I'm tired, so I'm going to sleep. Night
Robin: Goodnight! :)
I turned off my phone and quickly wrote in my sketchbook.
The others are stuck at Haruhi's, so you'll be staying the night. I don't have any guest beds, but I do have a couch you can sleep on. I can give you a key to Robin's place to get some blankets and pillows too. Her apartment number is 15.
They both nodded, and I grabbed my key ring. "I'll do it!" Honey said, and I handed him the keys.
When you walk in, just take a right and you'll see a small closet with a sign that says 'Linens' Just open that and you'll find the blankets. The pillows will be on in the bottom drawer in the closet. And remember to lock her apartment after you're done.
He nodded and grabbed my keys. He walked out the front and it was suddenly silent. I glanced over at Takashi and saw him reading one of the books I had. I looked at the title and smiled. It was a good book; it was a parody of the famous Jane Austin novel Pride & Prejudice. Pride & Prejudice & Zombies. I tapped my bedpost to get his attention and showed him my sketchbook.
What made you pick that book? Do you like zombies or something?
He shook his head and chuckled a bit. "It looked interesting." I raised an eyebrow and looked at the cover. It was a picture of a zombie woman. Her eyes were red and the bottom half of her face and most of her neck were missing. Bone was showing as well as streaks of blood. Her white dress had droplets at the top and splatters towards her stomach.
Yep, a portrait of a zombie looks interesting. When I showed Sarah that book, she freaked out and gave me a horrified look. Robin looked a bit queasy and Erin looked slightly disgusted. Cover aside, though, it is a good book, although some of the words used confuse me.
"Hm." He said before going back to the book. I put my sketchbook away, but not before trying, in vain, to say something. I mentally growled in frustration. I shook my head and took off my glasses.
I buried my head in my pillow and tried to fall asleep. Before I could, Takashi tapped my foot. I put my glasses back on and turned to face him. He had a serious look on his face.
"Are you ever going to explain how you got those injuries?" he asked. I froze and blinked, shocked. I was hoping that he wouldn't bring that up again. I looked down at my lap and thought for a minute.
'Would it be so bad for me to tell him?'
'Of course, it would be! He doesn't need to know!' My conscious argued.
'But, if he wants to know, that means he's concerned, right?'
'He could be faking!' I shook my head.
'He doesn't seem to be that kind of person.'
'You don't know that! He could just be lying to hurt you like he did!' I shook my head again.
'Why would he want to hurt me?' My conscious couldn't come up with an answer for that.
Against my better judgment, I scooted closer to the edge of my bed and motioned for him to come over. He set the book on the chair and sat next to me. I began writing.
It happened Sunday. Sometime in the afternoon, and I was walking back to my apartment. I had just finished shopping. I heard a pair of footsteps behind and looked to see a man in black walking towards me. When he saw me look back, he sped up. I was going as fast as I could go, but he caught up. Another man grabbed me and covered my mouth before I could scream. I struggled, but I couldn't get free. They punched and kicked me. The leader, I guess, told me that someone hired them, but that they got bored and decided to have some 'fun'.
I stopped writing because my hands were shaking. I tried to calm myself down, but it finally seems that the terror from Sunday caught up to me. My heart sped up, and the shaking got worse. It felt like I couldn't breathe, and I dropped the pen. I started to hyperventilate and the shaking was even worse.
I was having a panic attack.
I never had one before, but remembering those men reminded me of…...him.
Something warm wrapped around me, and next thing I knew, Takashi's hands were holding mine and my back was to his chest. He said quietly, "Breathe." And I tried, but it was difficult.
"Focus on my breathing, can you do that?" he asks quietly. I nodded and tried to focus. In. Out. In. Out. My wild heart beat slowed and the shaking gradually stopped. We stayed like that until my breathing went back to normal and the shaking stopped. During the whole thing, Honey had walked in and was now standing in front of the bed, looking at my sketchbook.
"Are you okay?" he asked, and I nodded. I untangled myself from Takashi and wrote in my sketchbook.
I'm tired. I'm going to sleep, if you get hungry or something you're welcome to my kitchen. The bathroom is next to my room.
They nodded, and Takashi got off my bed. Before I could do anything else, there was a tap on my shoulder. It was Takashi, and he looked a bit guilty. I blinked, but before he could say anything, I shook my head.
You don't need to be guilty or apologize. We both didn't know that I would have a panic attack, so it's no big deal, okay?
He blinked, before nodding uncertainly. I gave him a smile, before writing 'Goodnight' and taking off my glasses. I buried my face into my pillow and took a moment to think. If that was anybody else, I wouldn't have even explained what happened. I would have shut down completely.
'So why does he affect me so much?' I asked myself, confused. I just don't understand?
'Because you like him' my conscious replied. I blinked and my whole face lit up with a dark red blush.
'W-what!? I can't possibly…' That's when everything came back to me. Opening up about myself, getting flustered. I felt tears gather in my eyes. The last time I liked a boy….
'I can't like him!' I thought frantically.
'Who even says he likes me back!' I thought before my conscious laughed in triumph.
'You just admitted you like him!' I blinked. I shook my head stubbornly.
'NO! I DO NOT like him! I can't!' I thought before exhaustion took over and I fell asleep.
"Raven, honey I need you to calm down. I know you're excited about Slush, but you need to stop being so hyper!" my mother scolded lightly.
I nodded but I was still bouncing in my seat with a huge grin on my face. I pushed my glasses up and looked out the window.
She sighed exasperated and focused her attention on the road. Before I could say anything else, I heard a horn blaring and the screeching of tires on the concrete. After a blinding flash of hot pain, I opened my eyes to see a crack in my lenses.
I struggled out of my seat belt, crying and whimpering from the pain.
"Mommy?" I called out. I heard a weak groan and focused on the driver's seat. Tears poured down harder and faster after seeing the state my mother was in. Her legs were trapped and there was a huge branch sticking out of her stomach, even penetrating the seat.
"Mommy?!" I screamed. I struggled even more and kept screaming even after the paramedics came, but quickly fell silent when I was escorted to the hospital. I closed my eyes trying to stop the tears, only to see the mangled body of my mother burned into my eyelids.
I opened my eyes and screamed when I still saw my mother. I closed my eyes again, hoping to forget the image. Only the image flashed across my eyelids and I continued to scream until something shook my shoulder.
"Wake up!" a voice yelled. I screamed again and the voice repeated itself.
"Wake up, Raven. It's only a dream." It was then that I recognized that voice. I opened my eyes and woke up.
I opened my eyes and sat up. Takashi was holding my shoulders, and Honey was standing off to the side looking worried. I looked at Takashi's face and whimpered. His eyes softened and he nodded slightly. I buried my face into his chest and shook. He wrapped his arms around me and sat on the bed.
I shook as tears poured down my face. My throat was on fire and the headache was like someone was stabbing my brain. I felt a tap on my shoulder and showed my face. Honey had brought me a glass of water. I grabbed the glass and gulped down the water. I nodded in thanks and he just smiled sadly. He went back into the living room and left us alone. I rubbed my eyes and took a few deep breathes. Takashi was watching me before he finally spoke.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked. I shook my head and he nodded. We sat there for a few moments before he got up to leave. I grabbed onto his wrist before I could really think about what I was doing. He paused and looked back at me confused. I blinked and turned away to hide my blush.
I patted the empty space next to me without looking at him, hoping he got the message. I cannot be alone after an episode like that. I've had worse, but it was still a bad one. It was silent for a few moments before he moved around to the other side.
He laid down on the bed, and I followed. We stared at each other for a minute before I moved a bit closer and put my head on his chest. My face felt like it was on fire. He froze up, and I was about to back away before he relaxed and moved a bit closer too. It was…... warm. I smiled and pulled the covers over us. Then, it hit me like a ton of bricks. My face had finally gone back to its normal color, but at that thought, it was bright red again.
I like him.
I like Takashi.
Oh my fucking God.