Jem’s POV

The ride was absolutely silent. Andrew drove while Patrick begrudgingly sat in the passenger seat, glaring straight ahead in hatred, leaving me in the backseat alone trying to keep myself awake. 

“Not that way,” I sighed as Andrew began turning into the driveway he had always used when they lived here. “Go another mile straight, then turn.”

“You changed the maze,” he asked nervously.

“I change it every few months just to keep it confusing.”

“Paranoid as always,” Patrick mumbled earning himself a glare from his boyfriend. 

“You know this,” I sighed, my chest beginning to tighten as my hands began to shake while my face remained cold. “You’ve known this for a while actually, so just drop it.”

I hated to admit I was scared. I didn’t want them anywhere near my home again yet here they were. Just the thought of them being so close to my life made my throat close up. I preferred them to be far away from here where I knew they were safe yet here they were, back where they didn’t need to be. 

After several turns, we finally pulled up to the house, and for once the relief I usually felt while seeing it didn’t come. I was practically jumping out of the car before it even came to a stop yet the second I stepped out the car turned off and Andrew followed behind me.

“Get your ass back in the car,” I sighed, my hands coming up to rub the sleep out of my eyes while not bothering to keep the frustration out of my voice. “We had a deal.”

“Yea well, we didn’t shake on it so I don’t really care. Does Dev know you’ve gotten this bad? When’s the last time you’ve slept?”

“Don’t worry about Devon. You need to leave. Patrick get his ass in the car.” My heart began to pound in my chest as Andrew began marching up to the front door. 

“Andrew drop it, if he wants to be miserable then let him. We both have work in the morning anyway.”

“Not until I talk to Dev, he needs to do better.” My hands shook as I pressed them harder into my eyes, my knees getting weaker by the second as my breaths began to come out in pants. 

“Please just stop,” I mumbled as loud as I could manage. “I need you to leave. Please just leave. It’s not safe here.” All movement stopped for a split second and I could feel both of their eyes on me as Patrick took a few steps in my direction until he stopped inches in front of me. 

“What do you mean it’s not safe? It’s always safe here,” he asked, and to his credit, he acted like he was concerned. 

I didn’t get a chance to answer before the front door was opened. My eyes shot open as I readied myself to tackle Andrew to keep him from going in further but stopped when Devon’s livid face came into view. 

“What the actual fuck James.” 

“It’s nothing Devon, get back inside please.”

“Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?” His voice came out desperate but the way he screamed made me wonder if he was less worried and more pissed. “Do you have any idea how long we’ve been looking for you?”

“I would hope at least a week considering that’s how long I’ve been gone for,” I sighed as Devon proceeded to march in my direction. I barely managed to catch a glimpse of Patrick’s worried expression before Devon is shoving him out of the way. 

“Where the fuck did you go,” he seethed but his hands remained gentle as they took my face and carefully looked at the cuts and bruises. 

“I went for a drive.”

“And showed up a week later, looking like shit, and without your car?”

“So we consider drug meetings as drives now,” Patrick asked with a glare of his own now. 

Devon’s hands turned harsh quickly as they pushed my head away as a scowl worked it’s way onto his face. 

“Well I drove to get there didn’t I,” I asked as I forced myself to look away from Devon’s pissed expression and turned to face the house.

“You’ve been missing for a week and didn’t feel the need to let us in on that part,” Andrew asked, his face slowly starting to match Devon’s anger by the second. 

“I didn’t think it was any of your business. I did what I came to do for you, so you need to go home now. That was the deal.”

“Yea, that was the deal when we thought Dev knew where you were and you were safe. Now you’re telling me you dropped off the face of the earth for a week, with Dev not being able to find you, with a stab wound, drug information, and claiming the house isn’t safe. I don’t think we can brush off all of those things.”

“You were stabbed.” Devon’s voice came out alarmingly calm as he glared holes into the side of my head as his hands went to pull at my shirt. Nothing short of murderous rage filled his eyes. 

“Thanks Andrew,” I spat as I glared at him, my hands going to slap Devon’s away but not before he pulled my shirt up high enough to reveal the long bandage with blood peeking through. 

“What the fuck happened?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

“You’ll tell me now.”

“And if I don’t?” 

Devon opened his mouth to chew me out but Patrick beat him to it. 

“How could you let this happen?” The world went silent at that moment. You could hear the crickets chips, the wind rustling the leaves, a lone wave brush across the bank at the lake. All the while Devon slowly turned his attention to Patrick, his hands leaving my shirt in favor of balling them up at his sides. 

“What did you just say?”

“How could you let this happen,” Patrick repeated, his words coming out slow and clear as he stared at Devon head-on. “You’re supposed to protect him. You’re supposed to know his every move, be three steps ahead of him at all times, keep him from getting this far into his own head. You’re supposed to know the signs. When was the last time he slept through the night? Cooked and ate dinner? Left his office for something other than more coffee? How have you been allowing this?”

“I don’t want to hear a word about protection from someone who left,” Devon seethed. “He was fine before you came along and he was okay before you left so let’s try and figure out why he could possibly be so bad off now.”

“He pushed us away!” Patrick screamed. 

“He pushes everyone away! You have to be strong enough to stay.” 

My hand grabbed Devon’s shoulder just as he raised his fist and calmly pulled him away as the front door opened and closed again. I don’t have to look to know who it is. 

“Oh you cock whore son of a bitch,” Barrett seethed as he began an angry march to me. “You leave with no explanation for a booty call? Fuck every bit of you! Do you know how fucking scared I was?”

“Not scared enough to burn anything,” I said, not being able to keep the pride out of my voice. He was getting better. 

“That doesn’t make it okay,” he seethed before his eyes wandered to Andrew for the first time. Betrayal filled his eyes before he forced himself to look away. 

Despite them not being the closest, Andrew leaving had hurt Barrett. The day after he left he had sent Barrett a text with nothing but a link to a therapist he worked with who works for criminals so he couldn’t get in trouble for admitting to arson. He had refused to go at first but when his trial dose of meds wore out he went, still bitter that Andrew left not only me but him as well. 

“Why are they here?”

“I needed a ride, lost my car. Are we done here? They really should be leaving.”

“Yea they should,” Barrett agreed as he broke his staring contest with Andrew who just stood in silence. 

My mind went blank for a moment as my vision went blurry. I felt myself sway as someone’s hands kept me upright. God, I’m so tired. 

“Hey buddy,” Barrett’s voice lost its anger quickly as he kept me from falling, my body being pressed closely against his shorter frame. “What was that? You good?” Concern leaked into his voice despite the fact he was trying to hide it. 

“I think I just need to lay down,” I admit as I fought the urge to slump against him as he began to lead me into the house. 

“How much blood did he lose, do you know,” I hear Dev asking as he followed behind us. Much to my dismay, Andrew and Patrick were on his heels. 

“A lot. I’d take him to the hospital wing,” Patrick advised. “It’s not an alarming amount but it’s enough to cause complications if it’s not well monitored.”

“We can monitor him just fine on our own thank you,” Barrett seethed as he pulled me closer.

“Jem you can’t go to sleep yet, stay awake for me.” Dev’s voice was always so calming to me. He could talk absolute nonsense all day and I would listen. 

“Okay Dev,” I sighed, my eyelids growing heavy.

“Hospital wing it is,” Barrett scoffed, sounding far too unhappy about caring me down there.