Warning: This chapter contains violence and foul language! If you don't want to read, than skip the parts marked between '(*0*)&(x_x)'

Keith's pov

I was sitting at my desk trying to make some homework, but Damon kept distracting me with sweet texts which I couldn't ignore. 

"Keith? Can you do something for me?" My mom asked standing on the otherside of my door.

"Sure, what is it?" I asked and stood up to open the door, leaving my phone on the desk. 

"I've been so busy at work that I forgot to get some groceries, could you go and get them for me when I'll go buy flowers and a giftcard for grandma's birthday tomorrow?" I thought about it for a few seconds before shrugging. 

"Fine, I'll go get them, but only if I can take the car. The florist isn't far so you could walk." I said with a smug smile. My mother rolled her eyes before laying a hand on my shoulder as a 'thank you'. "I wrote down on a note what you should get." I nodded and went downstairs, put on my coat and grabbed the carkeys along with the note. 

It was cold outside, but what would you expect in December? The sky was clouded  and colored white and gray. Perhaps it would be snowing later today. 

I got into the car and when the radio played a song from Fall Out Boy I sang along on the top of my lungs. The store wasn't far with the car and within a few minutes I had parked the car in the parking lot. 

Whisteling the song that was now in my head I walked to the entrance and got the groceries I needed. 

"Thyme, where to find thyme?" I muttered while scanning the shelf with herbs. 

"Can I help you?" An employee asked when she caught me searching. "Uh, yeah, I'm looking for the thyme." I said and blushed slightly. She smiled and nodded before quickly looking at the shelf and grabbed the thyme. 

"Here you go." She said and handed me the herb with a smile. I thanked her and checked if I got averything from the list.

"Anything else I can help you with?" She asked an blinked sweetly, making me a bit uncomfortable. "No, thank you. I've got everything I want."

"Are you sure?" She asked with a flirty smile. I felt my cheeks burning at the question. If only she new, I thought and managed to hold my laughter. "I could give you my number if you want." 

I didn't know what to say and just stared at her in disbelief and hoped this awkard moment would be over soon. "Nathalie! Stop chatting and go back to work!" An older woman yelled at her from behind the cash register. 

"Yes grandma!" She yelled back. She gave me a wink before turning around on her heels and walking away. I let out a sigh of relief and walked over to pay. 

"I'm sorry for my granddaughter." The older woman said while scanning the groceries. 

"It's not a problem." I said polite and gave her the money. "Have a nice day, young man." She said before helping the customer next in line. "The same for you." I said and took my leave. 

The sun was setting when I walked outside and I shivered from the cold. I tried to walk as fast as possible with all the stuff in my arms  when my eye fell on a group of guys by a pair of trucks. 

My heart dropped as I recognized The Knives and my feet moved even faster to my car, but I was too late. As if on cue the whole group started moving towards me and I started to sweat out of fear. 

"Look what we have here! It's our bookworm!" Cameron said mockingly. I was so close to my car, if I just... 

(*0*) & (x_x)

"Hey! I'm talking to you, stupid fuck." Cameron said and yanked on my arm which caused me to drop the groceries.  The group had already surrounded me and started laughing.

"What do you want, Cameron?" I dared to ask. It sounded braver than I actually was. Cameron stood now in front of me with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow. 

"Did your little friend teach you how to have a big mouth?" He asked venomenous. I swallowed and took a step back, accidentally bumping into Shane who pushed me right back to Cameron. 

"How is he by the way? You seem to be very close." He said with a malacious smile on his lips. I shuddered and knew I was in big trouble. 

"Looks like he has lost his tongue, Cam. Maybe we should cut it off if he isn't using it anyways." Jeff said and I froze in an instant. They wouldn't, would they? 

"What's the fun in that Jeff? Besides he has a message to deliver, don't you little Keith?" Cameron said looking me in the eyes. 

"Wha- what do you mean?" I managed to spit out. He started laughing a humorless laugh and grabbed me by my collor when he suddenly stopped. "Don't think you can fool me, Keith. Shane saw you in the cafe together, several times." 

Cold filled my body and it wasn't because of the low temperature. Was it that obvious? How could we have been so stupid? I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm down, but it didn't work. A wave of fear had took me and I was drowning it. Barely noticing how the other guys were closing in evern further. 

"Don't think we are too stupid to see that you both are foul faggots! You're disgusting creatures, not even worthy to see the sun everyday, let alone living in this city, OUR city." He spat in my face. 

I couldn't even blink before his fist collided with my cheekbone and send me backwards, only to be pushed back to the middle. The world was spinning when another blow hit my nose and someone kicked against my knee. I fell to the ground and had just enough time to roll myself up and protect my knees before they started kicking me wherever they could hit me. 

Beerbottles hit me and covered me in glass and cuts. The pain had come to a point that it was taking over everything and a numbness consumed me as I stayed in this position waiting for it to end, I didn't care how. 

"A stone! I've got a stone!" I heard someone before my attackers cheered. I braced myself for the stone to hit me, but it never did. Instead I heard the distorted sounds of a siren and running footsteps. 

I stayed in my position, not being able to move from the pain and fear. It didn't take long before I lost consciousness. 

(*0*) & (x_x)

Damon's pov

I was sitting in my room and finally finished the homework. I felt a little bit guilty that I had been distracting Keith from his own work. He didn't respond to my texts anymore, probably busy and I could only hope he wasn't angry with me. 

I conidered sending him another text when I heard my mom call us for dinner. I sighed and put my phone in my pocket before running down the stairs to meet the rest of the family. Toby told me how he had known every single answer the teacher asked him today while Lucy and Sam made up a story about a dragon and a mouse. My parents were in a adultconversation that was too boring to listen to. 

Suddenly the my ringtone went of and mom gave me a glare. "You know the rules." She said when I got my phone out and looked at the caller ID. I frowned when it said 'Keith's mom'. "It's Claire." I said and with a trembling hand I quickly accepted the call. 

"Damon? This is Keith's mom." I heard a thick voice on the other side of the line. "Yes, it's Damon, are you okay?" I asked worried. "I'm fine dear, it's Keith." She said and started sobbing. 

My heart started beating fast and loud and I had to swallow before I was able to speak again. "What happened? I-Is he okay?" I asked. "Oh Damon, I don't know! They beat him up good he's in the hospital now. He has an internal bleeding which has to be stopped." 

I jumped up from my chair and went to get my coat. "I'm coming!" I said and she hang up. "Mom! Keith's in the hospital all beaten up, please bring me there!" I yelled in panic and within seconds my mom had her coat on and we stormed outside. 

Every alarm in my body went of and I breath properly. I was so damn scared and I wanted to see him and hoped he was okay. My Keith, why did he have to be the one again! I slammed my hands against the dashboard startling my mom. "Damon, please!" She snapped and I tried to hold my frustration back. 

As soon as we reached the hospital I jumped out and ran towards the entrance with my mom right behind me. I wanted to run but my mom grabbed my hand and held my hand. We walked to the information desk for information. 

"Keith Rich you said?" She asked and my mom nodded. "Angela! Can you bring these two to where Keith Rich's mom is waiting?" She asked a nurse. "Of course, follow me." She said and we followed her. 

I was restless and could only think of what had happened. "He'll make it. Don't worry." Angela tried to reassure us. It didn't really help. When we reached the waiting room where his mom was waiting she left. 

"Damon!" Claire called my name and she walked over to us. My mom and I both hugged her and she started sobbing. 

We took place on the chairs and waited. The overall time was less than a hour, but it felt like a century. I was resstless and still in panic, constantly shifting in my chair or pacing around. I declined several offers for a glass of water and just kept worrying. Who did this? Matthew? The Knives? A third party? I didn't know, only Keith did. I wanted to know, needed to know. 

Was I the one who did this to him?

Finally nurse Angela came to tell we could visit him and she led us to his room. The door opened and I froze on my spot. The boy in bed, laying under the white sheets, didn't look like my Keith at all. 

He had a blooded bandage around his head and a patch of the left side of his forehead. He was covered in deep purple bruises which were also swollen. His lips were chapped and bleeded a little. If that was just his face, how would the rest of his body be? I thought to myself. 

Keith's mom had taken place on a chair at one side of his bed, it wasn't until then that I saw his arms. He laid on an infuse with a blood pack and his arms were also covered in bruises. His ringfinger and middlefinger on the left hand had a cast.

I felt my mother's hands on my shoulders when I slowly walked in and took a seat on the other side of his bed. 

I couldn't help but see Drake laying in the same scenario and my heart filled with more worry. Was it coincidence that they had been beaten up in this short period of time? What was happening?

And when would Keith open his eyes again? I missed his blue-green colored eyes already and I wasn't able to hold back any tears as the adrenaline left my body and plain sadness took over. 

What had I done? What did they do? Who were they? Would he open his eyes again? 

Would he forgive me?

~^~^~~^~^~

Hello it's me again, the cruel writer who makes Keith suffer muwahaha! I hoped you liked this chapter, it's still weekend, so I guess I'm back on schedule, YAY!

More questions:

Do you think the beatings of Keith and Drake are related?

What effect will this have on the relationship between Keith and Damon?

Anything you would want to say to The Knives (or especially Cameron/Shane/Jeff)?

Any questions for me? 

See you in the next chapter XX