A Far Cry From Innocence.

I sat in the driver's seat of the car, my hands clenched tightly around the staring wheel my gaze furiously ahead of me. After Brian had hit me, everyone had suggested to just not do rehearsals since there was too much tension. It was a good thing Matt had pulled me away and calmed me down, but I was still mad at Brian.

Brian climbed inot the car and I saw him look at me from the corner of my eye. "Avi, i'm really sorry. If I could go back and do that again, I wouldn't lay a finger on you. Please forgive me?"

I didn't say anything and I didn't look at him, I treated it like I was alone. I just stared ahead and turned the key in the ignition, plugging my iPod into the stereo and turning the volume up as I started the music. I didn't want to talk to him ever again after that. I knew I probably would eventually forgive him, but I wasn't going to talk to him until that moment. He had been acting stupid and telling me I couldn't hang out with a guy we considered my brother, then he hit me. Could you really blame me?

I drove back to the house, not looking at Brian once. I was doing what he told me to, but I was doing it to him instead of Zacky. I felt like he deserved it more than Zacky did. Though, part of me felt like I should be angry with Zacky as well since Brian wouldn't just tell me to not hang around with someone unless there was something really wrong.

I parked the car in the drive way and got out, still not looking at or saying anything to Brian. I unlocked the front door and walked in, throwing my bag and the keys onto the side table by the door.

"Avigaiel, I said I was sorry," he reminded me, almost whining and begging for an acceptance to his apology. But I didn't accept it, I was still angry and I didn't forgive him and it wasn't okay. He put his hands on my shoulder to turn me to face him, but I spun around quickly.

"Don't. Fucking. Touch. Me," I spat, glaring at him until he let me go and stumbled back a step. I turned back around and went up to my room, slamming the door behind me. I didn't bother changing or taking off my makeup before I went to bed. I was too tired and angry to care.

I woke up as my radio turned on, the guy talking about the weather for today and some contest that caller nine would win. I sighed and sat up, only having gotten a couple hours of sleep since I had been too angry to fall asleep for a long time. At least it was Friday.

I got up to get ready, turning the radio up as they played Guns N' Roses. I hummed along as removed the smudged makeup, jumping and looking toward me door when I heard the sound of glass shattering downstairs. I tiptoed to my door and opened it a crack, peering into the dull dawn light that lit the house.

"Son of a bitch..."

I rolled my eyes and shut the door. Yup, I was still mad at Brian... I'd check on him after I was in a clean outfit just to make sure he wasn't bleeding to death on the floor. Or maybe I wouldn't. After all, he was an adult and knew how to take care of himself, so why did I have to play babysitter?

I continued humming the song as I walked to my closet to get a fresh outfit. It was like I was put on auto-pilot as I got ready while my mind reviewed the day before. Before I knew it, I was dressed, my hair was brushed, my makeup was on, and I was brushing my teeth. After I finished, I looked at my reflection in the mirror, specially at the slightly darker mark on the side of my face where Brian had hit me. "Spectacular," I mumbled sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

I walked down the stairs, debating on checking on Brian or just grabbing my keys and leaving. Well, I didn't have to talk to him; I could just make sure he was okay, right? I sighed and walked toward the kitchen where I could hear Brian swearing and grumbling.

"STOP! Right there!" He looked at me and put his hand up. "Don't. Move." His eyes looked frantic and panicked as he looked from me to the floor.

I looked at the floor, to where his eyes had darted. There was glass everywhere, and a small puddle of blood. Wait, blood? I looked at Brian, my eyes wide and frantic as the nausea started to turn my stomach. I put my hand on the wall to keep myself up as I began to sway dizzily, tearing my eyes from the bright red liquid. It didn't help; every time I closed my eyes, my brain showed me the vivid picture. "Brian," I mumbled, my vision blurring.

[Brian's POV]
"Hold on, just one second!" I quickened my pace after Avigaiel had come into the room, almost stepping in the glass with her bare feet. I at least had to clear a path to her so I could get her to a slightly safe spot where she wouldn't get cut herself or have such a long way to fall if she passed out.

If I had just been more careful, I wouldn't have cut my hand when cleaning up the glass. No, wait, rewind: If I had just been more careful, I wouldn't have broken Avigaiel's glass vase on the table. But I hadn't been careful and those things had happened, so I had to take the most precaution I could to not make things worse.

I looked up just in time as her hand began to slide down the wall and her eyes fluttered shut. "Shit, shit, shit!" I sprung toward her and grabbed her, but not before the back of her head smacked against the corner of the doorway.

She was lying in the glass and she was out cold. "Avigaiel? Come on, Avi, wake up." MY heart jumped to my throat as he whole body twitched and flailed in a seizure. "Avigaiel, snap out of it," my voice went up an octave in panic. "Dammit, Avi, stop it!" I smacked her across the face and she stopped. "Avigaiel?"

She wasn't moving. Was she even breathing? I told myself to calm down and stop being so paranoid. I took a deep breath, and my heart jumped again as her body twitched once but didn't move again.

I heard the door open and a group of people walked it. "Goodmorning Gates...es!" Jimmy's voice as he snickered. "Is Avi at school, he car's still out - whoa..." He took his sunglasses off and looked around the kitchen then at Avigaiel, his expression turning concerned.

"Whoa, what the fuck happened here?" Matt said with a smirk, which instantly disappeared when he saw Avigaiel passed out in my arms. "Oh shit, what happened?"

"She fucking passed out and his her head on the wall!" I pointed to the indentation on the wall and I ignored that my voice was still so panicked. "Then she must've had a seizure or something from the way her whole body was shaking and flailing and shit!" I was on the edge of passing out myself because I was so worried.

Zacky was peering out at Avigaiel from behind Matt and Johnny, looking just as concerned as everyone else. "Did you think of taking her to the hospital?"

Goddamit, hospital... Why didn't I fucking think of that! But should I move her, would it be safe? "Of course I have, you idiot," I lied. "I just don't want to move her! I'm no doctor, how do I know if she should even be moved?"

There was an awkward silence, none of us knew what to do but we were all worried. We all jumped when her phone rang and broke the silence. I pilled it from her pocket and answered, noticing how my hands were shaking. "Hello?"

"Brian? Hey, son. I just got Avigaiel's message, is everything alright?"

Just got her message? What was he walking about? "Aheh, dad, right... About Avigaiel... She's sorta passed out cold right now, so she can't really come to the phone."

It was silent on the other end for what felt life forever before he spoke again, "Brian, what happened?" He knew me too well and he sounded skeptic.

"I broke a glass and cut my hand cleaning it up. Avi saw it and, bloop, down she went..." I tried to sound less worried than I was but it wasn't really working. "What do you-"

"Brian?" Avigaiel's eyes fluttered open for a second, then she closed them tightly in a wince. "What happened? Why does my head hurt?" She sounded scared and worried, like the little girl she'd always be to me.

I sighed in relief, even allowing a relieved and nervous laugh. I hugged her tightly then looked at her. "Well, you just bashed you head against the wall." I took a minute to breathe before going back to the phone, "She's awake. Should I take her to the hospital?"

"Well, duh, Brian! She could have a concussion. We'll meet you there." He hung up.

I gave Avigaiel back her phone and looked at her. "Does anything else hurt or just your head?" I hoped she hadn't gotten cut by the glass or hurt anything else when she had fallen. I looked at her shorts, her bare legs laying in glass.

She was quiet for a minute. "My legs sting." She reached down scratch them but I grabbed her hand. "I'm dizzy," she mumbled, her voice thick.

"Alright, stay with me Avigaiel. Don't fall asleep." I picked her up and looked at the guys. "I need to take her to the hospital. Will someone go start my car so I can grab a couple things?"

They nodded and I went up the stairs to her room. I grabbed her sweats and threw them in one of her many messenger bags. I wished my brain was working so I could think of other things that I might need, but I'd never had to take someone to the hospital before...

I put her bag over my shoulder and walked down the stairs to see the guys cleaning up the rest of the mess in the kitchen. "You guys don't have to do that." They waved me off and I wasn't going to waste time arguing, so I walked out to the car.

"Get out," I ordered Zack as I opened the door. I couldn't believe he'd just blatantly ignored what I had told him last night. "You're good at following orders, aren't you?" I glared.

He jumped out like the seat was on fire. "I thought you'd be over it by now," he mumbled, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's perfect, so we're going to Disney Land," I spat, getting into the car with Avigaiel in my lap. I slammed the door and pulled the seat belt on over both of us before speeding off to the hospital, the speed limit the least of my concerns.

It wasn't too long before I heard the familiar siren and saw the unwanted blue and red lights in my rearview mirror. "Godammit, I don't have time for this right now," I hissed as I pulled the car to the side of the road, the fuzz stopping a little ways behind me. I wanted impatiently as the officer took his sweet time. "Come on, Johnny Law, I don't have all fucking day!" I looked at Avigaiel worriedly since she hadn't said a word in ten minutes, "You still with me, sport?" She barely nodded, but at least it was a response. I looked over at the finally came to my window.

"Do you know why I pulled you over, son?" He looked at me through his cliche aviators. "Hm," he grunted when I said I did. "Alright, then do you mind telling me why you were going more than twice the speed limit, son?"

I grunted. "My sister just smashed her head against the wall at our house. She passed out and had a seizure. I need to take her to the hospital to make sure she's okay." He gave him the most annoyed look I had ever given anyone, hoping he'd just let me go with a warning.

He pulled his aviators to the tip of his nose and looked at Avigaiel. "Hmm." He pushed the aviators back up and looked at me, "Alright, no need to get your panties in a knot. I still need to give you a ticket. License and registration please."

"DO YOU KNOW WHO I FUCKING AM? I'M SYNYSTER FUCKING GATES AND I DON'T HAVE TO FOR THIS SHIT!" I growled and grit my teeth, glaring at the officer.

"Look, punk, I don't care if you're Johnny Cash, you're getting a ticket and you're luck I don't haul your ass into jail for your little attitude problem!" He took off his sunglasses and stared me down. "Now... License and resgistra - Hey, get the fuck back here!"

I stabbed the gas pedal with my foot and watched the officer shrink in the mirror. I snickered and hoped I had run his foot over. Just before he vanished, I stuck my hand out the window and gave him the middle finger salute. Stupid pig.

"Brian?"

I quickly looked away from traffic to look at Avigaiel and I smiled as she looked at me with half open eyes. "Just hold on, we're almost to the hospital. Stay with me." I looked back to the rearview mirror when I heard the sirens again. "Hold on," I told her as I tightened my grip around her with one arm just before cutting sharply across the road and jumping the curb separating the hospital parking lot from the road. I ignored the people cursing me and giving me the finger for not using a signal and doing such a reckless move.

I stopped the car as close to the doors as I could and grabbed my keys before jogging to the door with Avigaiel in my arms, the sirens getting closer. I knew I was going to be in some deep shit with the fuzz when they finally caught up to me, but it would be worth it to make sure Avigaiel was alright.

"Hello," the woman at the front desk of the E.R. said in phony happiness, a forced smile on her face. She probably could've gotten away with not doing all that shit since she worked in the emergency room wing of the hospital.

I walked up and looked at her, "I need to get me sister into a room and checked out. Like, fifteen minutes ago."

The woman grabbed a couple papers, stuck them to a clipboard, and handed it to me over the desk. "Alright, just fill out these papers and-"

"Yeah, how about no?" I said as I smacked the clipboard away and it clattered to the ground. "I need to you get her into a room right now. She could have a concussion and she's slipping from consciousness as we speak."

Her eyes widened and she nodded, standing up and walking out from behind the desk. "Alright, follow me. Those papers can wait two minutes." I followed her down the hall and into a room. She pulled the curtain back from around the bed and I laid Avigaiel in it.

I brush ed the hair from her face and, lacking a reaction, realized she was out again. I bit my lip, hoping she was going to be alright. I kissed the top of her head and looked at the nurse, "How long until someone can check her out and shit?"

"I'm not sure, but it won't be long. You'll have to wait in the waiting room, though, until a doctors says you can see her." She ushered me back out to the waiting room and handed me another clipboard.

I looked over the papers and sighed, not knowing half of the information it asked for. Next thing I knew, I was on the ground with a police officer pinning me down. I struggled for a minute, receiving shocked stares from the people in the waiting room, before giving in and letting the officers cuff me. One barked out my rights as another escorted me out of the building toward a cruiser. I looked ahead as the guys jogged toward me.

"What the fuck, Brian? All you had to do was bring her to the hospital and you had to make a scene out of it?" Matt walked along with us, unable to hide the smug grin.

"Wipe that look off your face before I smack it off, Sanders," I hissed, glaring at him. This wasn't funny. "My dad'll be here soon, tell him he has to fill out Avigaiel's paperwork." I ducked as the officer pushed me into the back of the cruiser. "Oh, and one more thing..."

"Okay, what's that?"

"SOMEONE COME BAIL ME OUT!" The police shut the door and I sat back, hoping everything would work out. The officers climbed into their cruisers and I was hauled off to the station.
[End POV]