Chapter 5

Mila's POV:

Chloe and I walked into the nurse's office. She took one look.

"Yep, it's broke." She then proceeded to "gently" grab my nose.

"Damn it! How about using some soft hands, their lady!" I hissed out at the lady, and she just looked at me with wide eyes. I can't help it; it fucking hurt when she touched it. It made my stomach churn.

"Language." Chloe softly said as she lightly smacked my arm.

"Sorry, ma'am," I grumble out.

"That's okay, dear. I've heard worse. You'll be fine; it's in the right place. However, it would be best if you went to the doctor immediately. I'll call your mom." Her statement brought my mind away from the pain real quick.

"No!" I nervously spit out frantically. "I'll drive myself. I don't want my mom freaking out."

"No, I'm sorry, Ms. Valdez, you could have a head injury. You don't need to be driving yourself." Little did she know I knew I didn't have a head injury. He gave me plenty... I know the difference. I just kept looking down.

"Here, I'll drive her. Mrs. Cooper." I sighed in relief. I can easily convince Chloe not to go to the hospital.

"Alright, I still have to inform her mom she is headed there." I stopped her from doing so. I needed to break the news.

"I"ll call her now." I whipped out my phone and dialed my mom. She picked up on the first ring.

"Mija is everything okay?!" I could hear the concern laced in her voice.

"Yes, Mami. I am headed to the doctor's. I broke my nose in gym class." I said calmly to convince her nothing was wrong.

"Oh, no! Mija! Are you okay?" Now she is panicked. I need to reel this back in.

"Nothing I'm not used to by now... I'll be fine. I'll see you later, Mami." I softly said, hoping she would calm down. It's not that big of a deal.

"Oh...Mija, I'm so sorry. Keep me updated. I love you." She stated sadly and with extreme amounts of guilt.

"Of course, Mami, I love you too." I looked down, feeling sad. I had that I had just made my mother upset and made her feel like it was her fault for that bastard's action.

"Alright, let's go, Chloe. Thank you, ma'am." I speed walked toward my car, putting as much distance between Chloe and me, hoping to ditch her. I was about to get into the driver's seat when I felt a hand tug me backward. Fear started coursing through me at the sudden action. But, when I whipped myself toward the person who had done it, I immediately started to calm down; It was just Emma.

"What are you doing here?" I questioned in an annoyed tone in hopes that it covered up the slight tremble in my voice. When she tugged on me like that, even though it was in a gentle manner, it caused panic and distress to course through my body. It made my body flashback to all the abuse it had sustained over the years.

"You aren't supposed to be driving yourself. That's what the nurse said!" she snapped.

"What the fuck! How the fuck do you know that?" she quickly tensed up and fidgeted a bit.

"I was walking to the nurse's office to make sure you were okay when I overheard." This caught me completely off guard. Honestly, I don't think she was telling the truth, but my emotions shifted to where I decided just to trust her for some reason. So I stopped questioning it.

"Listen, I'm fine. I don't have a head injury. I know this for a fact." I stated firmly.

"You don't know that for sure." Little did she know I knew all too well... I knew way more than; I should. Instead of teaching me how to ride a bike, he taught me something much more sadistic; pain. She flinched for a second, and I saw distress briefly pass through her eyes.

"I'm so sorry for grabbing you the way I did. I just didn't want you to hurt yourself worse. I'm sorry." Her voice trailed off, and her eyes were pleading me to forgive her. Why was she acting like this all of a sudden? It's not like she knows I used to be abused.

"It's okay. I don't see why you care so much, but I'm fine." Chloe finally caught up to me and was immediately began looking at Emma. Emma just nodded, and Chloe visibly relaxed as if they were communicating telepathically. Chloe finally looked at me.

"Here, I'll drive you in your car, and Emma will meet us there so she can take me home afterward." I looked at both of them and knew that I was not getting out of this.

"Fine." I huffed and angrily got into the passenger seat of the car. It didn't take long for us to arrive at the hospital. I don't know if it was just that close or if I was just that disassociated. Between having a million questions about today coupled with the amount of pain I was in, my head was reeling. But, seriously, why are people so weird at this fucking school?

As I got out of the car, I caught a glimpse of Emma looking at me intently. I just kept my gaze to the ground. We started to walk to the entrance of the hospital. Then all of a sudden, I began to panic. I stopped dead in my tracks. Fuck. First off, we can't afford this, but more importantly, if they took the insurance, he would know where we are... No, I can't let him find my mom and me!! I turned to walk back to the car.

"Where are you going?!" I heard Chloe say.

"I can't go in there." He'll find us. I can't let him know where we are! My anxiety started rising; I felt like breaking down. He had control over us even though he wasn't here. We were still scared... I... am still scared. Suddenly I ran into something. Never mind someone. It was from Emma. I kept my head down, not wanting her to see my tears welling up, threatening to escape and trail down my face. I tried to walk around here, but she shuffled her way in front of me. She softly put her hand under my chin. Damn, her hands were so cold, but how? It's so hot outside. She lifts my chin up to look her in the eyes.

"It's okay, Mila. I'm right here. Everything will be fine. You're safe." I heard her speak so softly and sincerely. A tear spilled out and was making its way down my cheek, and she put both her hands on my cheeks so gently and delicately wiped away the tear. I immediately felt safe and calm. It's like all my anger, disgust, anxiety, and fear had all gone away. Just one look, and it was all gone. I almost forgot where we were for a moment, what we were supposed to do. Chloe brought me back to reality.

"Okay... Come on, let's get Mila checked out." She spoke out. She was looking between Emma and me and giving Emma a weird look.

"We have to ask for my brother, specifically." She nodded and led the way. "We need Lance Ambrogio." She spoke to the lady behind the reception desk.

"Who is seeing him?" The lady didn't even bother looking up as she asked in a bored tone.

"His sister Emma." The lady snapped her head up to us.

"Oh, hello, Emma, right away!" the older lady nervously picked up the phone. "Dr. Ambrogio, your sister is here to see you. It's urgent."

"He said to go to room 214." She pointed nervously to the right hallway.

"Thank you, Dorothy." Emma smiled. Then I turned to Chloe and me. "Chloe, go ahead with Mila. I just need to talk to my brother really quick." You could tell that Chloe was studying Emma intensely, trying to find some sort of answer to whatever was causing that questioning look on her face.

"Okay, Emma." She let out a soft sigh and then turned towards me. "Are you okay, Mila?" She softly said.

"As I said before, I don't have a head injury. This is just pointless. I don't need to be here. I ca-" I stopped myself from saying the rest of that sentence.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Chloe looking at me with curiosity and concern. Luckily she didn't question me about anything. Instead, she followed my gaze. Emma and Wow... Is that her brother? He is so tall. He doesn't really look like Emma. He has short light brown hair. Even though it was short you could still see the slight waves. His eyes weren't blue at all but hazel with specks of green that seemed to be glowing... Weird. Why do his eyes seem like they are glowing? Wait... It's just like how Emma's eyes seem to be glowing, and oh my god, just like the counselor, Mrs. Ambrogio. WTF! I wonder if they are all related?!

"He looks like our dad. I look like our mom." Emma's voice reeled my mind back into reality.

"Okay, that Makes sense." Wait. Wtf... how did she-

"Mila, is it?" Her brother, the doctor, cut off my train of thought.

"Yes, my name is Mila." I was trying my best to maintain eye contact with him, but I was beginning to become terrified. My survival instincts were kicking in.

"Is that short for anything?" Yes, but you won't ever know...

"No." I then shifted my gaze to Emma, and she was looking at me as if she knew I was lying. He stepped closer to me, and I could feel my breath hitch a little. He isn't him. He isn't him. When he raised up one of his hands, it took everything in me to hold my body back from flinching. Once I realized that he was just holding up a small flashlight, my body began to relax, but only a minuscule amount.

"Hmm. Follow the light." I obliged.

"Yeah, you are fine, no signs of head trauma, and it seems my little sister has set your nose back into place." He paused, examining my nose. "Perfectly." Sounding surprised. Emma just scoffed.

"All you have to do is put this strip on your nose every day, change it after showers and stuff; it will help keep your nose in place while your nose is healing." I already know this...

"Thank you, sir. Will do." I couldn't fight it anymore; I couldn't maintain eye contact with him for one more second. I broke eye contact with him and looked down at the floor. I felt intimated by the tall man who stood before me. I hated how I got so anxious around men. The only one I didn't was my best friend, Julian... Shit Julian. I hope he's okay.

"Mila, you there?" he said, bringing my gaze back to him with me, trying not to make much eye contact.

"Yes, sorry, sir. It won't happen again." I stuttered out. I couldn't help but try so hard to keep my mind from flashing back to those traumatic memories.

"Well, no head injury, but maybe some shock. Chloe, will you please drive Mila home. Emma, follow behind them and make sure Chloe gets home safely." Emma was visibly distressed and upset as she looked at me. However, when we locked eyes with each other, I suddenly felt warmth radiate throughout my body as if I was getting a warm hug. I felt comforted and safe again, and I noticed Emma visibly relax.

"Yes, of course," Chloe quickly said, not missing a beat.

"Thank you, sir." I barely whispered out, finally finding my voice.

"It's no problem, Mila. Be careful now." Emma followed behind Chloe and me.

"See you later at home, Lance!" Hmm, so that's his name, Lance. It seems like a good fit for him.

I slid into the passenger seat, welcoming the silence that filled the car. I looked out the window and watched as the scenery around me blurred as we drove past. The car was moving with me in it, but for some reason, I felt stuck. I felt trapped. No matter how far away we were... It was never going to be enough, was it? Unfortunately, the damage has already been done. The wounds are now permanent scars that hold haunting memories. Memories that remind us that the boogeyman is real and already has a name and a face...