Chapter 7

Stella's POV

"El," I breathe out.

"Hey Essie," he smiles, sounding extremely relieved from something.

I chuckle in amazement and run down the stage into his arms. I throw my arms around his neck and he hugs me, raising me up from the ground, cause he's taller than me.

He starts shaking me in his arms, still hugging me tightly, making my legs sway left and right.

I hit his shoulder, laughing, and he chuckles and places me down, but keeps hugging me.

"I thought you were dead," I whisper.

He pulls away and looks at me with raised eyebrows, "Why?" he asks.

"You never came to visit me," I say sadly.

He sighs and kisses my hair, "I was in Afghanistan. Couldn't get out," he sighs.

"I um.." he says and lets go of me. I raise my eyebrows and he pulls up the end of his pants. Prosthetic leg.

My eyes widen as I'm staring at it, "You," I stumble at my words.

He chuckles at my shocked face, "4 years ago. No worries," he says and kisses my forehead.

I sigh and hug him again. He hugs me back, looking around probably as everyone is quiet.

"Essie," he starts.

"It's Stella now," I say.

He pulls away with a little smile, "Really? You're letting people call you Stella again?" he asks happily.

I nod slowly, "Wow. Last time I called you that you almost killed me," he says.

I roll my eyes and he checks me out, "You have a... Body," he says.

I smash his chest and he laughs at me and looks around, his arms back around me.

"Do you wanna introduce me?" he asks with a smirk.

"Why? Everyone knows who you are. And you've been here before," I say.

He smirks and sees Rich on the stage and starts grinning, "The eyes," he says to me and I nod with the same smirk.

"What eyes?" Max asks in confusion again and looks at his dad.

I chuckle quietly and El looks at me, "You living with him?" he whispers, talking about Rich.

I smile and nod. He smiles and walks to the stage, limping his left leg. I sigh, seeing him like that, the uniform still on.

He pulls Rich into a manly hug immediately and I smile. Max nods his head so that I'd go back on the stage. So I do that. I walk to him and he wraps me into his arms.

"That jacket looks good on you," he says.

I roll my eyes, "You say that about everything I'm wearing," I say.

He winks with a smile and then looks at my brother and they hug as well and introduce themselves.

"Wait... You like to be called Essie?" Max asks me.

"No, Stella's better," I say.

He looks at me confused, "Explain later?" he asks.

I roll my eyes, "We'll see that," I say and he rolls his eyes as well, only that with a smirk.

"Wait, Max.. Look at me," El says and he does that.

El compares Max's and Rich's eyes. Rich's are deeper, but Max's are softer, and greener, and more loving for me.

El smirks and looks at me. I roll my eyes and he chuckles quietly.

"What's wrong with my eyes?" Rich asks in confusion.

"Nothing," me and El say in unison and then smirk afterwards, making Rich narrow his eyes.

"Anyways.. Everyone. I don't know if you remember him. This is El. Julia's son and Stella's brother," he says.

Everyone cheers. I put my lips against Max's ear, "If we would've lived here, he would be the king not you," I whisper, making him laugh.

He kisses my cheek. El smiles at us, "Wanna tell me the whole story?" he asks.

I sigh, "Sure," I say.

He takes my hands into his and pulls my Hawk jacket sleeves up and my white shirt's sleeves up as well. He looks at my arms with widened eyes and then sighs, looking at me.

"Don't," I say quietly and pull my hands away from him and sleeves back down.

He looks at Max as he does the same and nods to El. I roll my eyes and get off the stage.

I walk to our friends, "Bye," I say.

They all roll their eyes and Weston grabs my hand as I'm about to walk away.

"What?" I sigh.

"You sure you do," Nolan starts.

"Yes. I hate my birthdays. Bye," I say and walk away, knowing that El and Max and probably Rich are gonna follow me outside and take me home.

*Time pass, 15 minutes*

"How did that happen?" I ask as we just got home, pointing on El's leg.

He sighs, "I'll tell you everything, but I'll get changed first, I hate this thing," he says, touching his uniform.

I nod, "You can change in there," I say and point on my and Max's room.

He kisses my hair and goes in there with his bag. I sigh and go to living/dad's room. I sit on the couch next to Max and he puts his arm around me.

"You look happy," he says as I rest my head ln his shoulder.

"I am," I say, playing with my jacket sleeves.

He kisses my hair and I look up at him, feeling electricity between us. I cup his cheek and kiss his soft lips passionately.

In about few minutes I guess, I feel the couch next to me move and hear dad sitting into the armchair and placing something on the table.

I pull away. "I wasn't finished," Max whines.

"I'm hungry," I say and kiss his cheek and then reach for the pizza that dad just warmed up.

"You're not gonna ask him if he's hungry or anything?" dad chuckles at me as I start eating.

"No," I mumble and take another bite.

He rolls his eyes, "El, are you hungry?" he asks.

El chuckles at me, "No. I went to Sunnyside Orphanage and they told me that she lives in Fallfield and so I stopped by Bobby's... What amazing onion rings and cheeseburgers," he sighs, making us laugh, "Plus it's nice to see her eating something," he says sadly.

I nod, "Thanks," I say and swallow my slice of pizza. They all chuckle at me, though Max is eating too.

I look at El, "Your leg," I remind him.

"Explosion," he says.

I sigh, "When?" I ask.

He seems like he's thinking about it, "3 years ago I guess," he says.

I furrow my eyebrows in concern and he rolls his eyes, "Calm down, it's fine. I'm fine," he says.

I sigh, "When are you going back?" I ask.

"In two weeks," he sighs and I sigh as well.

"Where?" I ask.

"Back," he says and I roll my eyes.

"What?" he chuckles.

"Nothing," I mumble and keep eating.

"Fine. How long have you been here?" he asks and looks around with a smile.

"A month," I say after I swallow.

"Wow. Already talking to them?" he smirks.

I hit his arm, "Shut up," I say, making all of them laugh.

"When?" he asks.

"After a week," Max says with a proud smile.

I look at him with a smirk, "You look SO proud," I say.

"I am," he smiles. I roll my eyes.

"Don't your eyes get tired from that?" El smirks.

I groan, "Don't make fun of me or I’ll start ignoring you all," I say.

They all laugh again and Max kisses my hair, making me look at him. He takes my slice of pizza and puts all of it into his mouth.

"Come on," I chuckle.

He smiles at me with lips closed and tries to chew it. I sigh and look back at the table where WERE a pizza and now is an empty plate.

I look at dad with a bummed face. He grins at me with raised eyebrows, pretending not to understand.

I sigh, "Do we have more?" I ask.

"Something else," he says.

I smile and get up and go into the kitchen. I hear El and dad talking about something but can't hear about what.

I open the fridge and see a Bobby's' cheeseburger there, so I take it out and also a can of Mountain Dew and a tub of ice cream.

I go into the living room and Max smirks at me. I sit back next to him and he moves his arm back around me. I give him the cheeseburger and he kisses my hair while unwrapping it.

"Are you two dating?" El asks.

I smirk and ignore him and so does Max. We've been growing closer for three weeks now, but we got our first kiss a few days ago, so he hasn't asked me yet, but I know he will.

El sighs, "Do not ignore me," he says to both of us.

We both smirk and keep eating. He starts tickling me and I jump up immediately.

"No," I chuckle and sit on Max's lap.

"No?" Rich and El ask in unison.

"No," me and Max say in unison and he kisses my cheek and takes another huge bite from his burger that is half eaten already.

I put my hands on his and he brings them closer to me, so that I could take a bite. I do it and he kisses my temple as I rest my head on his shoulder and keep chewing.

"I'm so confused," El says and looks at Rich.

"Yeah..." he sighs.

I roll my eyes and Max talks, "We always get interrupted, we have no privacy and we haven't been on any dates," he says kinda sadly.

"How do you two not have privacy?" Rich asks.

I smirk, "You walked into our first kiss, that should be a pretty good example," I say.

His eyes widen, "THAT was your first kiss?" he asks, making the two of us chuckle.

I take the tub of ice cream from the table and start eating it slowly.

"Okay, I wanna hear all about that," El says.

"About what?" I mumble.

"Everything. At first, by the way," he starts and pushes my sleeves up again, looking at my arms, "When?" he asks, seeing my cuts.

I wanna pull my hands away, but he doesn't let me, "I'm a soldier, I think I'm stronger than a 15-year-old girl," he says.

I sigh and look at my legs. They're all quiet. They've seen my scars. They've asked about them. I've been quiet. And I'm quiet now as well.

I take another bite just before El takes the ice cream away, making me look at him.

"I'm not telling you," I say to him.

"Why not?" he asks.

"I don't want to," I mumble and pull my hands away sharply and my sleeves back down.

"Stella, you always tell me everything," he says.

"Yeah maybe when I was 6," I say kinda madly now and look at him.

"So what's the difference? I need to know why you're hurting yourself," he says calmly.

"What's the difference?" I chuckle madly, "I don't know.." I say sarcastically, "Maybe that you disappeared for five years," I say madly.

He sighs, "You know, that," he starts, but I interrupt.

"That you can get out of there at least once a year. Meaning that you just ignored me and left me there," I say and now he seems guilty and sad, "I was alone in there," I say madly, "In that PLACE," not knowing what to call it. Not home. I'm already crying at the same time.

"I understand... You didn't want to deal with that crap anymore. But I've been doing that. Every fucking day of my life," I cry madly, standing up now, "And you just didn't give a damn about me. Joined the military and just left me. Thank you. BROTHER," I say furiously.

"Stella," Rich says.

"What?" I ask madly and turn back to El, "You said you'll come," I cry, sadly now, "Every year. And you didn't. I thought you were dead," I cry.

"I planned on coming, but.." he shuts up now, looking sad.

"But you changed your mind," I say and he isn't denying it. I smile while sniffling, "Right. And you ask why I hurt myself... Thank you," I say with a broken voice probably cause I can see the pain in Max's eyes as I turn around and go out of the trailer.

I start running towards the woods, "Stella, wait!" I hear someone yelling and then another time and another, probably chasing after me.

But I've learned how to run fast. To get away from the nuns. And I don't care if it was Rich or El or Max who yelled for me to come back, maybe it was all of them... I just keep running through the woods, wanting to disappear from this world.

The worst thing just happened. I got the proof, that my brother IS alive and he just didn't come to see me, cause he didn't care. No one loves me. And why would they? I'm just a 15-year-old broken damaged girl, who can't take care of herself.

I keep running and running. Just in the dark. So afraid of everything and everyone, just wanting to escape. From everything.

I'm sobbing and shaking so hard, no knowing, why, myself. In an hour or so, I'm so tired and my legs can't take it anymore. I stumble behind something and fall. I fall on my stomach, my face and everything getting muddy, since it's raining. I turn myself onto my back and look at the sky.

Stars. Cold. Rain. Mud. Spiders. Dark. Afraid. These are the last things I think about before I black out.