Polly's (POV)

"Hey guys! You think Sparky here is afraid of water too?" Noah questions, looking back at his minions.

My heart squeezes as Alex looks over at us with empty eyes, no sign of that confident boy present.

Stupid Noah. Can't he see he's taking this too far?

I wiggle around, trying to loosen Cole and JW's grip they have on me.

I twist my head around in a attempt to hit someone with it, only to just miss JW's head by an inch. My glasses falling off in the process.

Rats.

Well, that probably would've hurt anyways. Curse my puny self.

I glance over at Mack, only to see he's not doing any better than I am. His broken leg not doing anything to help the situation.

I deflate.

They're too good at this.

Yuck, and Cole's slimy hand over my mouth isn't the.....cleanest.

"Yeah, why don't you see!" Cole shouts out towards Noah.

My eyes widen.

Idiots. They're all blubbering idiots.

I feel fury build up, and I narrow my eyes.

Anyone around this town can tell you this one thing: I have a mean temper.

Cole and JW have loosened their grips on me when I stopped struggling, leaving me a bit of working room.

Quickly, I jam my right arm forward. Then I forcefully bring my elbow back.....Right into Coles' stomach.

That probably didn't feel good. But that doesn't keep the smile from growing on my face.

Cole lets go of me, doubling over to hold his stomach. I jerk forward, trying to lose JW's grip also.

But sadly he doesn't let go. He just grabs me tighter, making me grunt in pain as he does it a little harder than necessary.

I turn my head, spotting Mack who's just staring over at me with wide, worried eyes.

Don't just stand there. Do something!

I snap my gaze back over towards Alex.

Noah's roughly holding onto Alex's bicep, dragging him backwards towards the water. The scene reminding me of something off a barbaric movie.

Alex is thrashing around, eyes wide with panic.

My heart speeds up.

This has to stop.

Noah turns Alex around to face the water, and I watch as Alex goes rock still. His muscles locking up on him.

Wait a second, I recognize these.....symptoms.

Noah stands Alex up, walking him closer to the waters edge.

   Don't do it Noah.

Then he throws him head first into the water.

Darn it.

I watch with wide eyes as Alex thrashes around in the three foot water. Desperately trying to get his head above.

Finally, his head pops up.

I breath a sigh of relief, only for it turn into horror as I hear Alex start choking like......like he can't breath!

His eyes are wide, frantically looking around. But they seem wrong, as if they're reliving something from the past. Not actually seeing what's here now.

He still hasn't taken a decent breath of air, and his face has a bluish tinge to it now.

Without even thinking, I swing my head back with extra force this time.

It cracks into JW's forehead, effectively making him release me.

Ow! That seriously hurt.

How people do that in the movies all the time without getting a concussion is beyond me.

Ignoring the pain in the back of my skull, I sprint over towards Alex.

I pass Noah who's just staring over at Alex. Surprisingly with a slightly worried look in his eyes.

Well, this is your fault you jerk.

Splashing into the water, I make my way over to Alex who's about four feet away.

He's still choking. But I don't think he's choking on water. No, it's like he....he forgot how to properly breath.

I examine his face. His eyes are clouded over, definitely reliving something which is probably what's keeping him from breathing correctly.

I've just gotta get him to come back to the present......

Thinking quickly, I slap his back as hard as I can.

I wince. Hopefully that wasn't as hard as it sounded.

He coughs out.

   I give a breath of relief, my eyes still wide with fear.

He's breathing again.

He starts taking deep raspy breaths, and I notice his shoulders are shaking. Almost like he's cold...only he's not.

I frown.

Alex looks up at me, wet hair falling into his face.

I feel my heart squeeze again as I see the broken look in his brown eyes, something akin to helplessness wrapping around him.

I'm about to reach down to help Alex up, but someone grabbing my arm stops me.

My gaze snaps over to Noah's as he starts pulling me out of the water. "Noah, he's had enough!" I shout at him, trying to tug my arm away from his grip.

Cole and JW grab onto me again. Though they look a little hesitant at the idea of restraining me.

They should be.

Before I can say anything else, Cole puts his nasty hand back over my mouth....again.

I look back over at Alex.

He's staring down at the water now, an unreadable expression on his face.

No. Don't get sucked back up into it Alex.

Fight it.

I watch as he slowly brings his right hand up to his chest, rubbing it.

Noah wades back over to Alex.

Stop! Can't you see he's had more then enough already.

Noah roughly grabs onto Alex's hair, angling his head down towards the water.

I try struggling again, yelling into Cole's hand.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Alex's right fist that had been on his chest, swings up with lightning fast speed, hitting Noah directly on his wrist.

I hear a crack.

Oh yeah, something definitely just broke.

My mind flashes back to the dart game. How did he do that...that whatever that was? It had even left me feeling a bit...scared.

I mean, what fifteen year old can do that?

And now this.

Noah jerks away with a shout, bringing his wrist up to cradle against his chest.

Now I'm not usually a violent person, but Noah deserved that.

Alex numbly looks up at him.

Noah stares down at Alex with shock, and I see something I haven't see in a long-long time on his face.

Fear.

"Freak." Noah spits out at Alex. Turning, he makes his way back to shore. With disbelief in their eyes, Cole and JW look between Alex and Noah.

"Are you alright?" JW asks Noah, letting go of me.

I ignore them, my eyes glued on Alex.

His eyes keep going from the shore and back to himself - his eyes that are completely masked of emotion.

Although the rest of him isn't.

He's hyperventilating, his whole body trembling.

Panic Attack.

Slowly, and with trembling legs. He gets to his feet.

I want to go help, but I feel stuck. So I just watch, feeling completely helpless as he stumbles to land.

As he stands on shore, I see him look with unfocused eyes down at himself. Examining.

Mack walks up to Alex, and I join him.

Alex looks over at us, his eyes seeing us but not actually acknowledging us. Practically looking through us.

That's not good.

"Alex." I say, trying to get his attention.

He just continues to stare, his soaking wet clothes dripping onto the sandy ground.

I watch as his mouth trembles - like he's going to.....cry. He's still hyperventilating, that blue tinge still spread across his face.

Mack glances over at me. "What's happening?" He whispers through the side of his mouth.

I'm not really sure myself.

"Might be a mental breakdown, or he could possibly be in some type of shock." I keep my eyes on Alex as I answer Mack.

Suddenly, he starts swaying.

Uh oh.

Before either of us can react, Alex falls to the ground with a thump.

We stare down at him, frozen.

I punch Mack in the arm.

"Ow!!" He yells, rubbing his arm. "Would you quit that." Mack shouts at me, frustration in his voice.

"You didn't catch him!" I shout back, both of us obviously feeling stressed.

"Well you didn't either." Mack mumbles, the fight deflating from him.

That shuts us both up.

Collecting myself, I kneel down beside Alex. Mack takes a seat beside him also.

I lean in close to his mouth, listening to his breathing. It's only slightly fast now, but not nearly as fast as before.

At least passing out made him stop hyperventilating.

I take his wrist, moving on to take his pulse. As I lift up his sleeve to get to his bare wrist, I stop.

What's this?

Going around his wrist is a bluish/pink discoloration.

That didn't just happen now did it?

I glance over at Mack. He's staring out over the water, his face drawn with exhaustion.

Shrugging, I ignore it for right now.

His pulse is strong, but fast.

Could be shock.

I glance back over at the water.

So Alex is afraid of water, and has......

"PTSD." I say out loud.

Mack's face swings over to me, his mouth opening in shock. "H-how'd you know that?" He stumbles out.

So I was right.

I shrug again. "My mom is a doctor." I simply state. It would be kinda hard to not  of learned something when she used to take me with her to work all the time.

Mack nods in understanding, but then quickly looks frustrated. "Oh come on. You've known him for what....five hours? And I've known him for like eight days!" He rambles out.

I frown. "So?" I question, not understanding what he's getting at.

He sighs. "I just figured that out yesterday. And he's the one who told me. Then here you are, figuring it out all by yourself....in only five hours!" He explains.

Oh.

I shrug again. "Well, at least he actually told you..." I trail off.

Because he seems like the type of person who wouldn't tell anyone anything unless he wanted them to know.

Going back to my examination, I notice his breathing is almost back to normal.

"What do we do?!" Mack suddenly shouts, sounding like a frightened child.

"Oh my god! What If he went into shock? He could die!" He frantically rambles, already digging into his pockets. "We gotta call someone."

I place my hand on Mack's arm, trying to calm him down.

I think this must've gotten to him more than he thought.

"Mack, I don't think it's shock." I tell him. "He probably just passed out from lack of air due to hyperventilating." I try to reassure him and me.

Yeah, hopefully.

"He'll probably be waking up any minute now." I decide.

I don't seem to be helping Mack out.

I'm surprised to see that as he's typing on his phone, his hands are slightly trembling.

I look down at my own.

Mine are too.

Hmm, must've gotten to both of us more than we thought.

I take a deep breath.

Relax. Everyone's fine now.

I look over at Alex's shaking frame. Guess we'll be the three shakers together.

Mack's sitting beside Alex's right arm, slightly holding the phone over Alex while he types.

"Gotta call Lucy." Mack mumbles out.

Suddenly, and with lightning fast reflexes. Alex's right arm springs up, latching onto Mack's hand that's holding the phone.

Surprised, Mack falls back with a not-so-manly-scream.

He's awake.

"Alex." I lean over toward his face, noticing him staring up at the sky.

His eyes look back to normal....well as normal as I can tell from the five hours I've known him.

I blow out a relieved breath.

Mack pops back over, seeming to of gotten over his little scare.

"Alex, don't ever do that to me again." Mack gasps out, holding a hand over his heart.

I smirk. He's such a baby.

Hesitantly, Alex sits up.

"Alex, are you alright?" I ask him, still not sure if he's in shock, or had a mental breakdown....or just passed out.

He takes a moment to answer, seeming to be mentally examining himself.

"I'm fine." He mumbles out, his voice sounding husky.

I frown. "That's not a good enough answer." I say. "You could've had a mental breakdown, or even be in shock." I scoot a little closer to him. "I think we should call Lucy and have her take you to see my mom." I finish.

He frowns, tensing up. "No!" He almost shouts, crossing his still shaking arms over his chest.

Mack and I involuntarily lean back a little.

His face softens as he realizes he pretty much just yelled at us. "Guys really, I'm fine." He quietly assures, avoiding eye contact.

Sure you are.

I look around.

Well If we're just going to wait for Lucy and Don to get here, we might as well find somewhere that's not in direct sunlight to do it.

Which that reminds me...Alex's clothing. Why's he wearing a long sleeve shirt and jeans in the summer?

   My mind goes back to the mark on his wrist.

And.

I glance over at the side of his neck, at the prominent scar I'd spotted the second I saw him.

What....happened?

Do his clothes possibly cover up....more scars?

I stand up. "Come on guys, lets go sit under that tree over there." I point over at the oak that's about fifty feet away.

I pull Mack to his feet, picking his crutches up for him. Alex stands up, wincing as he takes a step with his left leg.

That's where Noah kicked him for no good reason. Is it hurt more then I thought?

Together we head over towards the tree.

Alex sits down, pulling his knees up to his chest before wrapping his arms around them, placing his head down on top of his knees.

I sit Indian style while Mack stretches his leg out.

I notice Mack slip his phone back in his pocket. "So no calling anyone? And I'm guessing no telling anyone about this either?" Mack asks Alex.

Alex opens his eyes he'd momentarily shut, looking over at Mack. "No...please." He whispers.

Mack crosses his arms. "Alright, fine." He grumbles.

Then he looks over at me, still avoiding direct eye contact. Waiting for my answer.

I stubbornly cross my arms.

I'm gonna ask.

"Alright, I won't either. But tell me this, Alex....." I try meeting his eyes, suddenly feeling nervous. "Why do you have PTSD?" I blurt out.

Alex immediately stiffens, looking over at Mack with wide eyes.

Mack holds his hands up. "Don't look at me, I didn't tell her." He defends, motioning towards me. "She figured it out on her own."

Alex looks slightly troubled by that fact.

With a frown, he looks back over at me. "How'd you figure it out?" He quietly asks, genuinely interested.

I raise a hand up. "Oh no." I smirk. "My question first, mister." I lean back, feeling oddly satisfied.

Alex lowers his head slightly, looking a little....sad. His mouth moves, no words coming out.

"I-I can't." He says, eyes dropping to the ground.

I sit up straighter, looking over at Mack. He has a highly worried vibe going on around him, and he gives me a shake of his head.

So he doesn't want me to ask Alex anything else?

But can't he tell?

Alex wants to tell someone, needs to tell someone. He's just too....scared.

Don't ask me how I know this for a fact. It's a gift.

"Does it have anything to do with your awesome ninja skills?" I question, trying to make light of the subject.

Alex swings his gaze up to mine, eyes going wide once again.

Huh, so I was right....again. I was honestly just joking around, but it looks like it's anything but a joke.

I stare into his eyes, trying to get past his deep, dark wall.

He looks back down at the ground, his arms tightening around his legs.

"Alex, I know we just met today. But I'm your friend now whether you like it or not, and so is Mack." I calmly tell him.

He looks like he's struggling to make up his mind about something - torn, his eyebrows furrowed together in confusion.

"I, uh.....I." He stumbles out, running a shaky hand through his hair, the movement showing his growing frustration.

I notice his breathing has picked up again, arms trembling.

I place my hand on his arm, surprised when he flinches at my light touch.

What the...?

An idea strikes me.

"Did someone....hurt you, Alex?" I quietly ask, feeling my heart speed-up in anticipation.

He goes rock still, and I see his eyes widen in disbelief.

  He tenses, a struggle obviously growing inside him - like a storm.

"Y-Yes." He whispers out, a single tear rolling down his half concealed face.

My breath catches.

I was hoping I'd be wrong, hoping it was just my brain trying to come up with reasonable explanations....But I guess I wasn't.

  But what happened?

Examining Alex, I can tell I'm not going to be getting anymore answers right now.

Because I won't be asking anymore.

"It's alright Alex, you don't need to say anything else." I assure him, gently rubbing his shoulder in a attempt to sooth him.

He brings his hands up to his face, wiping away any tears.

He straightens up, seeming more sure of himself. "But t-that's where your wrong." He quietly says. "I do need to say more." His voice picks up volume. And he looks between me and Mack.

"I need to tell someone." His eyes grow haunted. "This......this feeling in me." He makes a pained face. "It's eating me alive." He whispers, another tear falling down his cheek. "And maybe it won't even help...to tell anyone." He looks specifically at me. "But I want to anyway." He decides, now looking over at Mack.

I smile. I've heard the best treatment for PTSD is talking to someone, letting people in. Not keeping it all to yourself, bottling everything inside.

Mack gives him a small smile in return.

"I-I wanna tell both of you, and the Browns.....together." He tells us. "I don't think I can handle saying it more than once." He whispers mostly to himself.

Mack places a hand on Alex also. "Tell me when, and I'll set it up." Mack seriously says.

Well, I'm surprised. I mean, I honestly didn't think I'd be included in all this. Did I really make such an impact on Alex that he wants to tell me his secret?

No one's ever done that.

With Mack being my only friend throughout my measly life, I'd never had the opportunity.

I feel tears burn in my eyes. Frowning, I fiercely rub them.

I refuse to cry.

"Tomorrow, after....after I get back from my checkup." Alex says with a slight tremor in his voice, hinting at his nervousness.

Mack gives Alex a nod. "Alright."

  Surprising myself, I wrap Alex up in a hug. He tenses up again- almost as if the feeling is completely foreign to him, but then he slowly returns the gesture.

Feeling Mack's gaze, I reach behind me. Grabbing him, I pull him in for a hug also. Making it one big bearhug for everyone.

Mack grunts, but let's me do it anyways.

This is a weird day.

But a good one.

"Don't worry Alex, we'll be there for you." I sincerely tell him, knowing it's true.

A ringing noise interrupts our bonding moment.

  Mack pulls away, reaching into his back pocket to get his phone out.

I also pull away, sitting back down in my seat.

He reads the message, then looks up at us. "They're here, waiting for us up at the entrance." He says.

Alex makes a move to stand up. Mack and I copying him. As we start for the entrance, Mack looks over at Alex.

"Are you sure about tomorrow, Alex?" He questions.

I feel my heart sink.

What if he changes his mind?

Alex looks between us, eyes searching. Then he gives us a small smile, his eyes hardening with determination.

  My heart lightens at his answer.

"I'm sure."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N

Hello!!!!

So I'm sorry if this chapter sucks, I just wasn't feeling it today sadly.😱

The weather here is horrible. It's been only in the low 30s (degrees) for during the day, then like teens at night. For the last 4 days!!!.....So cold.😫

How's y'alls weather???

Anyways!!!!

Questions:

1. How'd you like Polly's POV??

2. Do you think polly handled the situation at the best of her ability??

3. Ooh!!! Are you excited?? Alex Is finally (Finally) going to tell them about his past!!!

4. Who thinks Polly deserves to be a part of when Alex tells them??(Me!!;)

5. Are you surprised Polly's so....observation??

Next update: Tuesday.

So I think that's it.....eh, oh well.😜😁

Thanks again everyone!!!!!

VOTE!!!!!!!!!!! COMMENT!!!!!!!! And don't forget......EAT CHOCOLATE!!!!! 😂😘😆

Maggy

Edited: 6/18/17