The Day I Kissed An Older Man

"Lucas, are you okay? Does it hurt a lot?" Claudia had silently resolved in her heart that once they were both safely out of this ordeal, she would be with the boy who had protected her, no matter what. She was determined to stand by him, whatever happened.

"Cough, cough." Lucas spat out a mouthful of blood, still lying face down on the ground. He felt unable to move, with a dull ache in his chest, likely from a broken rib.

"How are you feeling now? Can you move? Do you need any help?" Claudia, seeing Lucas in such a weakened state, felt she had to take charge.

With a pale smile, Lucas replied, "Your hands and feet are tied too. What can you do to help me? Just let me rest quietly for a while."

Even though he did not say it, Claudia could feel that Lucas was not doing well. His complexion grew paler by the minute, his lips devoid of any color. The beating he had received had been brutal.

"I told you we should just wait here for our family to come and rescue us, but you insisted on trying to escape! Now look at what's happened. If we hadn't tried to run, maybe that man wouldn't have gotten so angry..."

heartache and regret. She knew Lucas had

a fighting chance. I'm nothing but

you wait," Lucas said weakly before closing his eyes. His breathing was labored, a sound that filled Claudia with even

"Lucas? Lucas?!"

that if Lucas

not quite recall what happened afterward; he only remembered waking up in the hospital. Beside him lay

so weak, as if she were on the verge of taking her last at any

of that day overlapped with the image of Thalia collapsing on the

squatted down, his mind blank as he tried to figure out how to help Thalia