Torn Between Two Worlds

by Alex Barkhorn

Chapter 40

( Warning: This chapter contains strong language, some psychological abuse, and violence. Read at your own discretion. )

"C'mon, Alex. Stop looking so grumpy." Fluttershy encouraged from her spot in the rear seat. I barely gave her a sideways glance, before focusing on the road in front of me.

God dammit, the things I do for my friends. Gray knows how much I hate parties, because, no matter what, there is always drinking involved. And I knew that Dash must've been feeling the same. I can just imagine her in Gray's car right now, sitting, arms crossed, and a scowl on her face.

"Alex, why do you not like the festivities that your friends throw?" Luna asked with a curiously raised brow.

"Because for one thing, half the people that are involved are people I've disliked since I started highschool. And, two, I don't necessarily appreciate the shenanigans that goes on during the parties." I replied in a harsh tone. Luna, feeling the sting of my words, slightly winced, and averted her gaze out the window.

"Alex, sheesh, calm down. Gray already assured us we'll be fine. Didn't he say their parents would be involved?" Twilight asked, poking her head forward and over the center console. I only rolled my eyes at her, and scoffed.

They'll understand soon enough. The lengths I go to make my friends happy.

We followed Gray to some fancy-schmancy hotel in the center of town, and gave our vehicles to valet. We walked through the center lobby, and I couldn't help but grimace at how posh the joint was.

"Eugh. I don't belong here," I commented, wiping some of my hair out of my face and tying it back into a nubby ponytail. "I can feel the glares." At first I was joking, but one of the passer-byers gave me a glance, that I happily returned with a friendly middle finger.

"Alex, at least try to enjoy yourself. It's not everyday you graduate." Gray scolded. I only scoffed and crossed my arms, following everyone into the elevator. I guess he was right, in a way. The girls would be gone the next morning. Go out with a bang, and all that.

The disgusting sinking feeling I had in my stomach never went away. I feel as we escalated in the tin box, my stomach sank lower. It was kind of ironic, to be honest.

The suite we were on was on the twelfth floor, and when we exited, I stared around in confusion. In the hallways, there was only about four doors. I quirked a brow, and followed Gray as he looked for door 413. I could here the blaring music behind it. Lovely. Dubstep, but the shitty mainstream dubstep. No Omni, Aviators, MHM, or anything good. Call me hipster, whatever.

Bianca opened the door, her bouncy blonde hair almost covering her face. "Heyyy! Gray, I'm glad y'made it!" She said with a slight slur in her voice, and a giggle that lasted twenty minutes. I gave Grayson an intense glare that he pretended not to notice. She then turned to look at me. "Alex!" She squealed, causing me to wince, and she pulled me into a hug. Eugh, I could smell the alcohol on her breath. "I ha'nt seen you in aaages! Thanks fer comin'!" She cooed, causing me to grimace and pull away from the hug.

"Yeah, wish I could say the same!" I said in false joy. Grayson tsked and elbowed me sharply, and I just glared at him again. Thankfully, Bianca assumed I was just being playful.

"Welp! Help yerself, drinks and snacks are over there, and have fun!" And with that, she went to flirt with some other guys.

"Tact, Alex. Tact." He scolded.

"Oh, fuck you, dude." I snapped back. "You knew this bullshit would happen bringing me to a party."

"I'm just trying to get you to have some fucking fun! Can't you do that, just have fun for your friend?" He asked in annoyance. "I mean, come on, how fucking hard is it just to have a good time? Jesus, I can't do anything with you."

"Piss off, man! You know full well that I fucking hate these parties! I'm just not the kind of party person!" I shot back, hurt by his last sentence.

"Alex, just, come on man! Can't you do this for me? Stop being selfish!"

"Fuck you, dude! What's more selfish, forcing me to go to a party, or giving me a guilt trip about it!?"

"Stop arguing and just have a good time!"

"No." I replied shortly, walking off to find a drink of non-alcoholic value, leaving him to stand there, glaring at me as if I was the worst person alive, and the girls to sit there awkwardly.

The entire time, I placed myself in the corner. Fluttershy was by my side almost the entire time, trying to get me to have a good time, or just talk to Gray because we shouldn't argue, blah blah blah. And the response was always the same. That he tricked me. He knew that I hated these parties, and that he should expect nothing more from me.

She eventually gave up, much to my relief, and I looked around and observed the others. Luna stuck with Twilight, who stuck with Rainbow Dash. The three of them remained around some people who I noticed and actually trusted to be with the three. AJ and Rarity were with a couple of their friends, as well, and a few guys. Thankfully, when they tried to make a move, they were immediately rejected. Smart girls. And Pinkie was pretty much all over. She seemed to be a social butterfly, though that was to be expected. Gray was hanging around Pinkie, but also socializing with various other people who I either didn't recognize or didn't care for. And he was obviously trying to ignore the very pissed glare I would give him.

Then a commotion went on around the door. Upon seeing who it was, my jaw dropped. As if my night couldn't get any fucking worse.

"Jake! Aaron, omg I'm so glad you made it!" Bianca stuttered. Jake placed his bottle of beer on a nearby shelf to give her a hug, and Aaron followed suit.

"Why." I muttered.

"Huh?" Fluttershy asked, not noticing their grand entrance.

"Shy, we're leaving." I said, grabbing her hand. But I wasn't fast enough.

"Holy shit! Everyone call the presses, lookit who's at another party!" Jake jeered, eliciting a few snickers. I growled in anger and dropped Fluttershy's hand, turning to look at him. "What are you doin' here, Barkhorn? Back to ruin another party? You'd think the last party was enough, but damn, goin' for two?" He snivkered, taking a swig of beer.

"Look, Jake, I'm not in the mood to trade insults with you. Just let me go without having a battle of wits with you. Sans wits on your part, of course." I said calmly, muttering the last sentence.

"What'd you say? I couldn't hear you. Try speakin' up like a man. Didn't your daddy raise you right?"

Too far. Too fucking far. I shut my eyes, hearing a few low "Ooh"s from the crowd.

"Wait a minute, that's right. He didn't! He ditched your sorry ass." He had a slight slur, so it was safe to assume his false confidence came from his intoxication.

"Jake. Shut up. You're drunk and you're acting like an idiot!" Applejack called out, pushing her way through the crowd.

"Christ, don't you ever know when to talk? No one's fuckin' talkin' to you, get out of my face." He then proceeded to push her aside. She came back, fist cocked back and ready to strike, when I intervened.

"Hey, what the hell's the matter with you?! Didn't your mother ever teach you how to treat women? Or are you just imitating your father at this point, is that how he treats her? You know what, you're pathetic." I spat, beginning to walk away.

"At least I have a father figure! I didn't end up a fag like you."

I stopped dead in my tracks, and turned around. "What the fuck are you talking about?" I asked. I wasn't gay, and last I heard, there were no rumors saying otherwise.

"You mean you haven't told anyone? Not even Gray over there?" He asked with a snigger, looking over at Gray, who wasn't even trying to pay any attention. He just looked down at the ground in shame.

"You're just gonna sit there, dude?" I asked, now that his name was brought up.

"Oh this is too good! Yo, everyone," Aaron called, and everyone who wasn't paying attention, suddenly now were. "Dunno if you knew this, but this queer over here watches My Little Pony!" He cackled, and I clenched my fists in anger.

"How the fuck would you know?!" I shouted in anger, ignoring the laughter from everyone else. Everyone being every person in the room.

"We heard you call that one Pinkie Pie," He began, and my body froze. Oh, shit. "Such a stupid fuckin' nickname, but fitting. So cute you name your girlfriends after the ponies, Alex!" He mocked, using a stereotypical homosexual man's accent to insult me even more.

There was laughter all across the room. People were throwing words at me like fag, queer, homo, and a bunch of other nasty names. The girls all crowded me, trying to get everyone to shut up and stop laughing. I looked at Gray, who was only looking at me. Was he seriously that pissed at me?! Finally, I squeezed my eyes, trying to deflect the jeers and laughter. But it became too much.

"Everyone shut the fuck up, you worthless pieces of filth!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. "Can't you see what the fuck this despicable piece of garbage is doing?!" I barked, pointing a finger at Jake. "It's people like him that make other people kill themselves! People like him that give people crippling fucking depression!" I cried.

"Stop being a bitch, Barkhorn!" Aaron laughed.

"No, fuck you, you vile excuse of a human being! Your very fucking existence is a plague to this fucking Earth, and the fact that you breathe the same fucking air as me is enough to give me cancer, you dirty fucking spineless filth! Think for two fucking seconds, everyone. People like him cause children to take their lives. Little fucking kids, thirteen year olds, people your fucking age. Your friends, your family, they splatter the wall with their brains because of this. And you all support it! You cannot sit there, and tell me for a second, that you don't know someone who was bullied, and took their own life. I dare every single one of you to think. And I know for a fucking fact that one of you knows the person who fits the description. They're fucking looking at you all in disgust, you're all fucking trash and you all deserve to burn!"

After my rant, I panted, having exerted almost all of my energy.

"Wow. Real classy speech Barkhorn, but can it. If you're gonna kill yourself, do it. No one would miss you." He was obviously pissed that I had called him and Aaron trash, but tried not to show it.

"And what if he did, Jake? What if he did? And he left a note saying you made him? Your face is plastered all over the news, saying you're a killer, a murderer. That you caused a young life to be taken. All you do is cause pain and misery, and you're nothing but trash because of it. Dirty fucking trash that doesn't belong on this Earth. You think this is funny? How's this for funny. You're just the fucking asshole in school who didn't care, who caused people to take their lives. Next thing you know, you're out of high school, and your lack of intelligence is the only thing you have. You can't get anywhere in life with the popularity you had in school, so why the fuck should a local burger joint even give more than two shits about you?! Everyone you knew has moved on with their lives. They don't care for you. You're destined for nothing but failure, and you have no one to blame but yourselves. You could die, and we'd remember you for only a few minutes, if you're lucky. Then, nothing. Zip. People move on with their lives because you were just some arrogant fool who provided a chuckle for five seconds. People will move on with their lives because people don't care about you. Get that through your thick fucking skull!"

Everyone looked at Grayson in shock. No one expected that outburst. Not even me.

"Ballsy words, Turner. But this doesn't involve you, get lost." Jake snarled.

"You're just pissy because you know it's true. You could drop dead right now, and people will scream and cry. Tomorrow, they'll post about you online. Next week, you're just old news. Get used to it, because it's your fucking fault." He hissed. I was still shocked beyond recognition. I couldn't even fathom my feelings at the time.

The room was dead silent. All you heard was Jake, Aaron, and Gray's heavy breathing.

But I had had enough, and bolted out of the room, hiding the tears in my eyes. All the girls chased after me, along with Gray, leaving a very stunned and terrifyingly angry Jake behind. The room was still silent.

I hopped in an elevator and slammed the "close door" button as hard as I could.

"Alex, wait!" Fluttershy cried.

"Alex, hold on!" Gray added

The others were just as concerned and called for me, but, thankfully, the doors closed.

I began breathing heavily, and erratically. I felt a pressure in my chest, and I got light headed. Another panic attack. I slumped to the ground, tears streaming down my eyes. The second the doors open, I ran as fast as I could for the exit. The second I reached the doors, though, I thought I heard the elevator doors open, and the others poured out, running after me.

I sprinted as far as I could, rounding corners, until, finally, I reached an empty street. Feeling every ounce of willpower and strength leave my body, and I collapsed, falling onto all fours.

I've never felt such humiliation in all my life. I seriously couldn't even begin to tell you how incredibly depressing that was for me. To be put on the open fucking spotlight, and for my friend to not even back me up. Sure, he came in, but at the last minute. Too little too fucking late, Turner.

I breathed heavily, trying to control my loud sobs. Tears fell from my face, and made small splashes on the pavement below. Then I heard the voices.

"Alex! Alex, where are you?" Twilight's concerned voice rang out.

"Alex, please, just talk to us!" AJ added in.

"C'mon, Alex, Shy's a mess over here!" Grayson added. I perked my head up, and slowly began to hear her quiet sobs grow ever so closer.

"A-Alex, please, just talk to us." She sputtered through her sobs. I staggered to my feet, running for their voices. I rounded a street corner, and heard Fluttershy call my name. "Alex!" Her voice seemed hopeful. Almost relieving that they had found me. I sprinted for her, embracing her in a hug.

"What the hell was that about, man!?" Gray yelled, throwing his arms up in disbelief. I ignored him. I didn't want to talk to him.

"Alex, what's the matter with you! You had us worried sick!" Rarity gasped, looking very stern.

"I-I'm sorry...I just, I couldn't...It was too much for me." I gasped, keeping my hold on Shy. Not that the either of us were in a hurry to let go, anyway.

"Alex, what were you thinking?!" Gray shouted. Again, I ignored him. "Alex, you can't keep ignoring me like this! What the hell, is this the thanks I get?!" He scoffed, causing me to wheel around and stare at him.

"Pay you back for what?! For waiting til the last fucking minute to have my back?!" I screamed, causing him to back up.

"Alex, calm down," He pleaded.

"I'm calm! I'm the fuckin' posterboy for calm and tranquility! And you're the posterboy for god damn backstabbing assholes!" I cried. "Just...Go away. You might as well have laughed at me too." I hissed.

"Alex!" Twilight gasped.

"What the hay, Alex, that was so uncalled for!" Rainbow scoffed.

Gray, getting the message, and, apparently not being one to argue, hung his head in shame.

"Alex, I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything, I just..."

"Don't even bother, Gray! Just...Just go. I can't even look at you right now..." I turned me head away, resisting the urge to cry and trying to ignore the pain of my breaking heart.

He nodded his head, and turned back to walk to the hotel. Eventually, the girls managed to get me to do the same. We walked on opposite sides of the street. It was dead silent throughout the streets. Even though it was downtown, it was nearly empty. The occasional car would pass by, or maybe the occasional bicyclist. But nothing more. It was eerily empty.

I could here Grayson's footsteps from across the street, but my gaze was averted to the ground, holding onto Shy's hand as she led me and the girls towards the hotel to get my truck from valet.

About four blocks from the hotel, I oddly enough decided to look back up. I glanced across the street at Gray, when something caught my eye. A rat ran from the alleyway that was about ten yards in front of him. Huh. Must be a stray cat that spooked it.

Suddenly, arms reached out, and pulled Grayson into the alley. I then heard quiet thumps and sounds of Grayson screaming, but it was muffled, as if he were gagged.

"Gray!" I screamed, wrenching my hand from Fluttershy's grip to run across the street. I almost got hit by an oncoming car, but slid across the hood of it. He screeched to a halt, and got out of his car to say something, but I was already in the alley, with the group behind me screaming my name.

I couldn't see in the dark. The closest light was above us, but literally only gave a dim flicker of light every few seconds. Damn there not being a full moon! I could make out blots of dark shapes, though, and I made out two somebodies jumping Gray, who was on the ground, unconscious. Or playing possum. I prayed it was the former. I reached for a piece of two by four laying in the garbage next to me, and smacked it over the first assailant's back, hearing a sickening crack as the wood splintered in two. The second figure, which I assumed to be Aaron, due to the height, stood up and sent a fist my way. It made contact with my ribs, and I let out a sharp gasp. Another fist sent my head snapping back, and I stumbled backwards. One dashed towards me, but I retaliated with a kick to the chin, causing them to stumble back in a haze. They fell against the brick wall, and the other rushed me. The light flickered again. I saw a glimpse of bright metal shining, and being sent my way. As fast as I could, I tried to block the attack, feeling a sharp pain on my forearm. The pain must have sent a signal to my brain to release more adrenaline, as things became more fluid, my attacks more consistent. The dazed figure got back up and distracted me for a second, allowing the other to quickly attack once again. I deflected both attacks best I could, but stumbled back. My hand touched something cold and hard. I gripped it, and found I was holding a steel pipe. The gloves were off, and my friend's safety was on the line, as well as mine. I swung away with the pipe, making contact with a rib here, or a back there. The pipe made contact with something hard, and I heard a clang, and a scatter along the ground, as if something had fallen. The two assailants quickly retreated, leaving me there, bloodied and bruised, breathing heavily. I wiped blood from my chin, and the world around me quickly came back.

The fight felt like it lasted days, but it must have been about only twenty seconds, if that. The group of girls were outside the alley, screaming my name. The person who almost hit me with his car was shouting at me to come out. I picked up Gray, hefting his arm over my shoulder, and securing him by grabbing his belt, and limped out with him.

"What's the matter with you, kid, you almost got killed!" The driver said as I made my way to the light of the street. His whole expression changed to one of shock, and the girls all gasped. Twilight and Rarity went pale. Fluttershy fainted, and AJ and Dash had to grab her.

"I-I...Jake, Aaron, they..." I staggered, realizing pain and feelings were coming back. My forearm stung like hell, and I checked it. There was a deep gash, and it was bleeding heavily. I then felt a slowly numbing throbbing pain at my torso. The numbness began to withdraw as my adrenaline did, and it began to feel so intense. Like, my body was on fire, at the epicenter was the pain. I looked down, and the panic set in.

Blood was growing around a particular point on my torso, just below my right set of ribs. Crimson began to slowly pour out of my shirt, and the pain became too intense. I began panicking, and accidentally dropped Gray, who caught himself as he was regaining consciousness.

"Alex! Oh, gosh, no Alex! Just, stay calm!" Twilight sounded more panicky than me. I tried to calm myself, by taking deep breaths, but that only caused the pain to intensify. The man pulled out his phone, and dialed a series of numbers.

"9-1-1? Yeah, this kid here..." Feelings began to blank out. Nothing but pain. Horrible, horrible pain. I dropped to my knees, clutching my wound, and, in my peripherals, I saw a dented butterfly knife. Must have been what I hit with the pipe after I had been stabbed.

My whole body began to tremble violently. I felt like throwing up, but nothing but bile crept up my throat. The others rushed by my side, but were too afraid to move me, they just sat there in panic and confusion. Gray began to become more aware, but not any less concerned. His bloodied and bruised face seemed to give a look of manic fear.

"Alex! Alex, stay with me, brother!" His voice sounded hollow, and seemed to echo in my head. As if he were on the end of a very far corridor.

Everything became dull and blurry. My focus and vision, faltering. I fell to my stomach, thinking to myself, 'This is it, isn't it? I get to see my brother. I get to see my grandmother again.'

The last thing I remember was the sound of sirens, and dull flashes of color.

Then, nothing.

Comments

[Blue Spark]

Aw man I remember reading this in Fan-Fiction.
I still can't wait to read what happens next.
Really glad you put this on Fim-Fiction.

[csnthenavy]

10 chapters? I didn't need sleep that much!

[Discount Irish]

Holyshit, what just happened? o.o
(havnt actually read the TEN CHAPTERS you put up.)

[Ditz]

God dammit. Yes another cliffhanger.

I await your next update, mate!

[VeeEight]

Yay! You got around to putting this up on here! I read these chapters on Fan-Fiction.net but still, I can actually commend you for your efforts on this site XD

[Scarves]

CLIFFHANGER! So we meet again. For last time, for the first time! For the last time!

[Discount Irish]

You asshole with your asshole...ish cliffhangers.
Moar plz :3

[Discount Irish]

2149984
Not more cliffhangers, god no, more story is what I meant by moar plz