ELYSIAN DAWN
*Chapter Two*
Three years ago,
Mooney sat in a wheelchair, dressed in an all-black suit and tie, his eyes hidden behind shades. The funeral of his mother had just ended, and the weight of his grief was crushing. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was responsible for her death.
"Hey, you're still here?" Hardin asked, approaching Mooney.
Mooney removed his shades, revealing bloodshot eyes and a smattering of freckles across his face. "Gosh, man, aren't you being hard on yourself?" Hardin asked, squatting down beside him.
"We got into that accident because of me," Mooney said, his voice laced with regret. "I had an argument with her, and I wasn't even sorry for what I'd done."
Hardin's expression turned somber. "You didn't cause the accident, Mooney."
"If we hadn't been arrested, this wouldn't have happened!" Mooney snapped, his anger and guilt boiling over.
Hardin's eyes narrowed. "It's that kid's fault for reporting us ."
"--- No, he didn't do anything wrong...we bullied him, remember?" Mooney's gaze dropped, his shoulders sagging in defeat. "All of this just feels wrong."
Hardin's expression turned cold. "You're not going to quit on me now, are you? We've come too far."
"We can have peaceful highschool lives without being in a bullying gang...." Mooney suggested.
"What do you think you are doin',huh? You think you're now a changed person because of your mom's death?" Hardin said and scoffed.
Mooney's eyes flashed with anger. "Watch what you say, Hardin."
Hardin sneered. " You're still the same person who built this gang. So no matter how hard you try to be a changed person, you are gonna keep failing."
Present
Mooney and Hardin locked eyes, the tension between them palpable. Hardin's grip on Tessa's hand tightened, and Mooney's fists clenched.
"I asked what you're going to do to her," Mooney repeated, his voice low and menacing.
Hardin chuckled and patted Mooney's head, his eyes glinting with amusement.. "Calm down, Aussie boy you look so worked up." He said, shifting his eyes to Tessa, then grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him. ", I just gave her a little warning."
"Let 'er go." Mooney warned.
"Or what? Maybe I should also warn her about you... tell her that you're one sly little thing." Hardin said and with a step, he was just few inches away from Mooney.
"I told you before, no matter how hard you try to be a changed person, it'll never work... you know why? Because you're Mooney f**king Thomas!" Hardin continued.
Tessa's eyes darted between Mooney and Hardin, her mind racing. She yanked her hand free from Hardin's grasp and grabbed Mooney's hand, dragging him away from the confrontation.
As they walked, Tessa turned to Mooney. "Umm... who are you? Why did you save me?"
Mooney's expression turned sarcastic. "You're welcome."
Tessa's eyes narrowed. "Well, thanks for saving me... at least I need to know you, what's your name?"
Mooney sighed. "Mooney Thomas. And you're Tessa Lockwood."
Tessa's eyes widened. "How do you know my name?"
Mooney scoffed. "You just started school today and you already cross paths with that f**king psycho? Maybe that's why my father said I must watch you." He said.
Tessa gave him an "okay I don't get it " look. "What?" She blurted.
Mooney's gaze turned serious. "My father and your father were close friends. He told me to keep an eye on you."
"So how come we never knew about each other?" Tessa asked, folding her arms.
Then Mooney leaned towards her because he was quite taller.
"You got scholarship, not because you are so brilliant... but it's because the proprietor kept to his promise three years ago when your father died." He straightened up. "Then the proprietor told his son to keep an eye on you because of assholes like Hardin." He said.
Tessa's expression turned skeptical. "So, your father is the proprietor of this school?"
Mooney nodded. "Yeah. You finally get it, that's good." He said patting her head gently. "Now you get it, avoid Hardin he's one foolish douchebag.
Tessa's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "What's the story between you and Hardin?"
Mooney's expression turned cold. "Just stay away from him, Tessa. He's trouble. Go to class, I'll go get a smoke." He said, walking away.
"Wait, you smoke?" Tessa said in disbelief.
Mooney just raised his hand and gave her a peace sign before swerving to the other hallway.
✨
✨
Hilary gazed out the window, lost in thought. "Hey," a familiar male voice said.
She turned to see Khalil standing beside her. "I hate your friends, Khalil." She said. "Hardin is a f**king monster, Zedd is a perverted asshole and Niko is annoying as f**k! Khalil seeing you with those bullies broke my heart..." Hilary said, her voice laced with concern.
Khalil shrugged. "Snap out of it, Hils. You're going too far."
"Too far? Khalil, I'm your—"
"Older twin, yeah, but you can't control me," Khalil interrupted, his expression turning cold. He walked out of the class, casting a scowl at Tessa, who had been listening in.
Tessa cleared her throat uneasily and approached Hilary. "Hi," she said, placing a hand on Hilary's shoulder. "That's your brother? He's handsome."
Hilary scoffed. "He's always getting on my nerves."
"I saw him with those guys, but he didn't do anything," Tessa said.
Hilary's expression turned worried. "Hardin's a monster. What if he makes Khalil do something terrible? What if he gets arrested?"
Tessa offered a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Hilary. Maybe Khalil will distance himself from them."
Hilary chuckled. "Sorry for boring you with my brother's drama."
"It's okay, Hils. I'm here to listen," Tessa said.
Hilary's face lit up with a smile. "Time to explore!"
"I'm excited to see the library!" Tessa squealed, and they walked out of the class together.
Later that day
Tessa sat at Cafe Joy, eating noodles and watching her brother, Tyler, flirt with a group of high school girls. She rolled her eyes in disgust.
"Oh f**k me! I wanna puke." She said as one of the girls shamelessly asked Tyler out.
After the girls left, Tessa cleared her throat sarcastically. "I don't know why I feel like I should go after those girls and say "hey girls my brother Tyler's a con man!" I keep having that urge." Tessa said and continued eating her noodles, pretending like she didn't say anything.
Tyler turned to Tessa. "I don't know why you're talking to me. I thought you hated me."
Tessa shrugged. "I wasn't talking to you. And yeah, I hate you. That's why I want to save those girls from you."
Tyler raised an eyebrow. "When are you going to stop being mad at me?"
Tessa's expression turned serious. "When are you going back to college?" She shot back.
Joyce interrupted their conversation, handing Tessa a pack of chicken nuggets. "Instead of staying here picking fights with your brother, why don't you go deliver these to Petunia Street? The block number is 15."
Tessa sighed, took the package and headed out, glancing at Tyler.
***********
As she stood before the gate at block 15, Tessa hesitated before ringing the bell. The gate opened, and Hardin stood before her, a sly smirk spreading across his face.
"It's a small world innit? My cravings for chicken nuggets brought you to me again." He said and smiled.
An unsettling feeling engulfed Tessa. "T-this-- this is where you stay?" She stuttered, taking a few steps back.
"Yeah. Welcome home, Tessa," he said, pulling her in and shutting the gate behind her.
Mooney, who was taking a walk, saw the gate closing and noticed a motorbike parked outside Hardin's house. A sense of unease settled in the pit of his stomach.
P.S— Mooney and Hardin are next door neighbors.
To be continued...
Elysian Dawn.