Who Says Love Has to Be Left up to Fate?

I am terribly sorry for the wait, I've been on holiday for the last months and I did not have access to a computer with internet at all. So I have a three part chapter waiting for you to enjoy

Chapter 34-

I was living my own worst nightmare, and it was terrifying to say the least. I was sitting huddled up in a corner of the dark, dark cave, my hair out of its original ponytail hang down limply. Though it was a stifling hot summer’s night, my insides felt ice cold. My head rested on my knees while my arms were tightly wrapped around them, I felt that if I let go I would combust. And not into a cloud of pink colored cotton candy happy air, but a pile of sooty ash. So I held on tightly, and I didn’t move. I didn’t rock back and forth, I’ve seen too many scary movies to do that, it has always creeped me out. You know starring in your own personal horror film is no fun, it's just scary.

I stayed still and watched Lucas pace back and for at the entrance of the cave, nervously running his hand through his hair every other second. If he becomes prematurely bald, he’ll blame this moment.
He had called the emergency services about ten minutes ago, telling them vaguely what happened. He couldn’t say it, and he didn’t know how to describe what had happened to me, so he said, “Just come quickly, she isn’t dying but it’s bad, really bad.” Well if he couldn’t say it, how could I even think it? I focused my mind on something else every time my mind wandered back to what happened that my boy friend isn’t looking for me, and that I would have to tell my dad that I am no longer a virgin, I pull myself back and focus on what Lucas is saying.

“Err, alright. 439 times by 17”

“7463,” I reply after taking a quick breath, and focusing just on him.

“Wow, I don’t even know if that’s right or not,”

“It’s right, just keep asking questions and so my mind fills with math and not, not, not…” my mind drifts again and I think of the pain I am filled with.

“Hey, Hey, focus, 3023 divided 22,” Lucas is panicking for me so I don’t really need to do it myself, I should stop thinking.

“13. 72 recurring,”

“God you’re a calculator, could have used you for my SATs. What’s 2305 time 2-“ he stopped short because from outside the cave came the noise of the rescue squad approaching, Lucas shined his light outside to guide them towards the cave that even more well hidden in the dead of night.

The rescue team consisted of three people, two men and a woman; they had brought portable lights that one of the men started arranging, and as soon as the cave was flooded with lights, they could see me all the better. And what I saw in them was shock. They had obviously thought I had broken a leg or my back, or something just as lethal. Me beat up isn’t what they were expecting. One of the men came forward holding a blanket that he must have planned to cover up my exposed body with, but something about his walk made me shift backwards with a quick intake of breath.

“Don’t! Please don’t come any closer,” I begged as his tall frame made me flashback to Jake and how he had come slithering towards me. “Please!”

The man was surprised by my reaction and so were the others; they looked at each other for a moment unsure how to proceed. Lucas shuffled uneasily and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Yeah, I meant to tell you that. She did the same thing with me too; get the chick to do it. I think the guy that beat her up didn’t just beat her up, if you know what I mean.” And with that it was pretty much out in the open. The women came forward and started checking me over, thankfully she didn’t pester me with any questions regarding the incident, only asked where I felt pain. I wanted to say in my heart, but she might mistake it for a heart attack, not a shattered one.

While the gentle but speedy lady patched me up and talked me through what she was doing, the two other men were busy trying to contact a helicopter to come and pick us up at the base of the cliff. When I heard that a small smile did form on my cut lips, I’ve always wanted to go on a helicopter ride. What happened wasn’t worth the ride, but it did lighten the load.

The woman was just finishing off checking me over when cries from outside the cave were heard. It sounded like a million feet were running up the hill and shouts and loud voices followed. Listening I realized it was everyone from the group, all the boys from the bus. By the loud sound of anxious chatter they made it seemed that they were coming because they found out that I was here.

That’s kind of when I started panicking, when I was with Jake I wanted to be save by anyone, I just wanted to be found. Of course I expected it to be Nick, but apparently he wasn’t even looking for me, so Lucas found me instead. Now that everyone was coming to see what happened to me, I was nervous and embarrassed, and I didn’t want to be seen like this. Most of the Jonases’ friends are nice apart from Jake and Stephen, but I don’t really want them to know what happened, I don’t trust them. I mean who knows, maybe Jake and Stephen aren’t the only the messed up perverts in the group.

I was about to the women to ask the people to go away when I heard something bittersweet.

“Go faster Joe, faster! I’ve got to see Olive, the man said she was really hurt, and it’s all m- my fault!” wailed Frankie, his tear filled voice was heartbreaking, but knowing that him and Joe were near was reassuring. “I shouldn’t have left her!”

“Don’t say, that Frankie, it’s my fault.” That was Gina, and when I heard it I almost jumped for joy. “I promised her parents I wouldn’t let a thing happen to her. They asked me to watch over her and not let her get hurt,” Really now, I can’t believe my parents asked Gina to look after me I mean wasn’t I four months older than her and sixteen years old, I mean how could they even expect something like this to happen. I know things often happen to me, but when I tell them the news I don’t want them to be all like, “Oh you got raped? Ah that’s not surprising since it’s you Olive, we expected it.”

“Don’t worry Frankie; Olive will be fine she has to be. She probably just broke her leg or something. It can’t be anything worse than that, it just can’t.” Joe’s voice filled my ears in the loud echo cave. I couldn’t wait to see him and for him to tell me that he didn’t think anything less of me because of what happened. I want him to tell me that it will all go back to normal in the morning. But he obviously won’t because he doesn’t’ know the full extent of the situation. Suddenly panic filled me up once more and I didn’t want to be seen just now.

“Tell them to go, tell them to turn back,” but I was too late Joe appeared at the entrance with Frankie on his back and Gina at his side just a second later, a looking tiered and haggard. Gina had obviously cried and when she saw me she started again. The tears ran down her redden face all blotchy and it made her look horrible. Gina hated it when people made her cry, she said she didn’t want unimportant people making her look all horrible. It’s good to know I am important to her. Frankie was still crying too, and it broke my heart, he must be so confused, I don’t even know how I could begin to explain to him what happened to me. I mean he still thinks there is a magical stork right? The though made me smile and as I focused back on them I saw Joe smiling a small smile right back at me. He looked slightly confused probably unsure why I was smiling, but happy to see I wasn’t crying. My tears had dried up a long time ago, it hurt too much to cry and for me the pain wasn’t worth the emotional release the tears brought.

Frankie scrambled down of Joes back and ran towards me, crashing into me before the first aid lady to prevent him. He wrapped his miniature arms around my neck and hid his head in the crook of my neck his tears trailing down my back.

“I am s-s-sorry Olive! I won’t ever go to the bathroom ever again. “

“Shhh,” I say calming him down by rubbing his back “It’s not your fault.” Strangely reassuring him was like reassuring myself. “You couldn’t do anything, you couldn’t have known.”

“B-but Gina told me to look after you and make sure not to take my eyes off you. And I did,” a new round of tears started and I hugged him tightly, while I shoot a angry look at Gina.

“You asked him to look after me? I’m supposed to look after him,” Gina gave a weepy laugh and hid her head behind Joe. Joe was looking at me in complete shock, but he was looking guilt filled as well. His eyes said “I so sorry Olive.”

“Oh my God, Olive!” my eyes snapped to behind Joe, where the large group was now arriving, looking just as breathless and tiered. Gasps and other exclamations came out as they all looked at me. “What happened?” “Is she going to be okay?” “Who did this?” on and on. They did look sorry for me and I’m sure they genuinely liked me and were sad to see this happen, but there were just too many boys and my heart started racing again.

“Get them out, out, now.” I said to the First aider, who had stepped aside to give me and Frankie room. “I don’t want; I can’t handle all these guys in here right now.”

“Okay, how would you like to stay?”

“Um, Frankie, Gina, Nick, Joe, Kevin, and Alistair if he is here.” I said loudly my voice shaking.

“The rest of you out, go back to camp, we’ll be taking her to a nearby hospital you can visit tomorrow. Now go!” finished one of the men. “Lucas, you stay here we have questions.”
“Oh man,” he said and sat back down in his corner.

“Olive I am here,” said Alistair, “but, um, Nick isn’t. We haven’t seen him since we left him and Stephen to finish battling the game out.” My heart dropped. Seriously with all this heart dropping and soaring with hope and dropping again, it’s feeling very much like a yo-yo can’t be good for blood circulation because I was feeling quite numb.

“He isn’t here? But… why?”