Chapter 15: Her Wake Up Call

Avery immediately turned to Carson who was enjoying his coffee. He had a content smile on his face and even if she didn’t want to ruin his peaceful moment, she knew she had to. “Is it okay if I head out first?”

His smile immediately disappeared. “Is something wrong?” He placed the cup on the table and his facial expression turned from relaxing to worried. She lightly smiled, trying to keep her composure but she knew that when Jane was in the hospital, it was bad news.

“My friend is in the hospital. She needs me.”

In an instant, he called Dolores and placed money on the table. “We’re heading off now. We have an emergency” He was about to stand up when she stopped him. Her hand reached his, making him stop all his movements. His brows are together, showing that he was confused.

“You don’t have to go with me. I can just take the cab.”

He raised an eyebrow, “Well, I just came here because of you. I still need to go to the office, remember?” Her eyes widen by what he said. His word echoed in her head but the excitement on her body immediately left when she remembered that he treats her like a friend.

She looked down and took a sip of the coffee prepared by Dolores. It was amazing. She never tasted any coffee like this and if she could, she would go back. The aroma and taste of her coffee was a perfect match. It made Avery feel like she was at her old condo unit, watching the sky. The strong taste of the coffee made her jolt back to reality.

She turned to Carson who was waiting for her response. She nodded, “Okay.”

Her heart was beating fast throughout the ride. What could have possibly happened to her best friend? She knew Jane was already dating a nice guy so it won’t be because of a beating. Thinking about this made her feel nervous even more to the point that she might puke.

Jane grew up with her aunt. Her parents abandoned her when she was a baby because they weren’t ready to take up the responsibility. Only her aunt was kind enough to take care of her but she died in a car crash when they were in college so Jane is alone now. She only had Avery which is why Avery tried her best to be there for her.

When they reached the hospital, Avery didn’t even say anything to Carson and just left. He didn’t mind but he was actually worried about her.

Avery rushed to the reception and the nurse led her to Jane’s room. Suddenly, Avery felt like the move was moving slowly and even if she tried to run, she can’t get to her friend’s room. Her heart continued to beat fast as she took each step.

When she saw the room, she immediately grabbed the doorknob and opened it. Her heart tore when she saw her bestfriend lying on the bed with a cast on her arm and bruises on her face.

“What happened to you?” she asked as she rushed to Jane’s side. Upon seeing her, Jane immediately cried. “I’m so sorry, Ave. I am. I should’ve listened to you.”

Avery pulled Jane’s body closer to her in an attempt to hug her. Jane’s tears continued to fall. “Tell me everything.” Jane’s body was trembling and for a while Avery could only hear her sniffs.

“I wasn’t happy with the decent guy. He was nice but there wasn’t a spark so I decided to stop dating him.” She paused again to breathe. Avery slowly patted her shoulders, making her comfortable. “Then one night, Joe came to visit me.”

Joe was the last guy Jane dated before trying out decent guys. He wasn’t great and they would fight about the smallest things. “He knew that I tried dating another guy and he was pissed. But you know I love him, right? Even if I know he wasn’t good for me. So we tried to fix what we have. We got intimate and the next thing I know, he was hurting me.”

Avery looked at her friend. Not only her face, but her whole body has bruises. “He hit me with a lamp and I tried to cover my body with my arm and it broke.” By now, her tears became heavier and Avery can feel the pain coming from her words.

Avery bent down to wipe Jane’s tears, “Where is he now? Who took you to the hospital?”

Jane looked down and bit her lip. She looked hesitant but she knew she can’t lie to Avery. “He ran away when he saw me bleeding. Then the decent guy, Amber, came. He took me here.”

Avery nodded. Suddenly her urge to do her plan was revived. Men are not good. They are users and manipulators. Even if Amber was kind enough to take Jane to the hospital, what is the guarantee that he is not capable of hurting Jane?

Avery placed her bag on the chair and decided to sit. Seeing Jane like this reminded her of her mom. Her mom used to get bruises from her dad too whenever he felt like hurting her. Even if Avery was young back then, the image of her dad hurting her mom was something he could never forget.

Jane’s current situation triggered Avery to remember her plan. She shouldn’t be nice and think of Carson as an exception. He is still a man and he is capable of doing what her dad or Joe did. She held her lips as she thought of a plan.

“You know where Joe lives, right?”

Jane looked at her friend with worry. She rarely sees Avery this angry and she knows why. But she also knew what Avery is capable of and now that her target is Carson, she can do anything she wanted to.

“What are you planning?”