Bleed

"The cookies are gone."

"That's your fault, Leo."

"No, c'mon, don't blame this all on me, you had a share in this."

"Mhm. Whatever you say, Leonardo."

Leo laughed at the exchange, tossing the now empty plastic container into the sink to be washed. Noah had since made himself comfortable on the couch. The tv was on, currently playing a series of commercials that didn't interest him in the slightest, but then again neither did whatever was playing on tv.

His gaze drifted around the room. The door caught his attention and in that moment Noah suddenly recalled something from earlier that day. "Hey, Leo, where's that roommate of yours?"

"Savannah?" Leo glanced over his shoulder and shrugged. "Said she was going on a walk. None of my business..."

"That was hours ago."

"Yeah?"

"It's 11 p.m., Leo," Noah pointed out, not hiding his concern. "Kind of a long walk, don't you think?"

"Maybe she stopped somewhere."

"You sound awfully disinterested."

"She's a grown woman," Leonardo said almost in protest. "She can do what she wants, it's not my job to make sure she's home before her 'bedtime'. She acts like a child but she can take care of herself. I don't care if she's out late."

His response struck Noah as a bit suspicious. If anything, Leo almost seemed angry. His expression reflected bitterness in the smallest degree, but it was still there, under layers of some other emotions Noah couldn't quite decipher.

"Leo, why didn't you tell me before about having a roommate?" He asked his friend. Leonardo only sighed as he made his way over to Noah to sit beside him on the couch. "You look bothered, Leonardo..."

"She wasn't my roommate until just recently," the other confessed. "She lost her job and apartment."

"And she approached you about it??"

"We're both music majors."

"Still, that's kind of a big favor to ask someone you don't know well or feel comfortable around." Noah stared at Leo until his friend looked back at him, somewhat guiltily. "So you're friends, then, right? I'm surprised you wouldn't tell me, Leo, you've never wanted to make other friends since high school..."

"She's not, we don't mean anything to each other-"

"Really? Then why did she look so upset when you weren't paying attention to her?"

It took Leonardo aback. Feeling an odd sensation in his chest, the boy sat back against the couch and shrunk into himself. "I didn't...notice..." He muttered.

"I didn't say anything 'cus I didn't really feel like it was my place to say," Noah began, "but I couldn't ignore her frequent looks at you, Leo. Like she really did not look happy you spent the whole day talking to me."

"Whatever, she's just a kid-"

"But you just said she wasn't."

Now it was beginning to exasperate him, for the sole reason that he knew Noah had a valid point, but Leo wasn't in the mood to talk about it. He wanted to enjoy Noah's visit. That's all. Not dwell on what Savannah meant to him, or why feeling lied to hurt more than he wished it did.

"She's Savannah, that's what she is." Leo shifted his eyes over to the door but didn't move his head.

"Did you guys get into a fight or something-?"

"Will you stop asking about her??" Leo immediately winced at himself for raising his voice. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell, sorry, Noah, I-..."

"It's okay." Noah placed a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder. "Just take it easy, Leo. I want to help you, not stress you out."

It didn't help that talking about Savannah was only stressing him out more, but Leo didn't want to admit that to Noah. His plan to avoid the subject altogether had already failed, so he just didn't feel like trying anymore.

"She's just Savannah."

Leonardo released a deep breath and held his head in his hands for a moment.

"She's just Savannah..."

"Doesn't sound that way."

Noah could see how much it bothered his friend. He had always been particularly perceptive, especially when it came to Leonardo, so the change in the boy's disposition was so incredibly obvious to him, he couldn't ignore it if he wanted to. Just as he couldn't ignore Savannah's behavior earlier that day.

Noah put his arm around Leonardo's shoulders and hugged him slightly. "Why don't you call her or something?" He suggested in a soft tone. "Do you have her number?"

"I do..." Leo muttered.

"Good. Checking up on her couldn't hurt anything, right?"

"I guess not.."

He hadn't been on his phone practically the whole day. He didn't need to be since Noah was around, so the device had spend the majority of the morning, afternoon, and early evening sitting on the end table beside the couch. Leo reached across the arm rest to grab it.

No messages from Blue. Leo had forgotten to block her, but it seemed Oliver hadn't bothered to text him since she was found out anyway.

No messages from Savannah, either. He pulled up the girl's contact.

+

Leo.nardo

where are you

you said you were going on a walk, it's really late

text me soon or i'll lock you out

+

He felt a little better after sending those messages. There was no immediate reply, but Leonardo believed the girl would get bored of being stubborn and answer him soon enough.

She did answer. After another half hour, Leo received a phone call from her. It took him by surprise, because Savannah never called him before, nor vice versa. It had always been just text messaging.

Hesitantly, Leo raised his phone to his ear.

"Savannah?"

"Leo...please..."

Strained breathing...

"Savannah, where are you? Didn't you get my messages?? It's late!" He scolded. "Get back to the apartment before I lock you out."

For a time, there wasn't a reply. Just a continuation of that strained breathing. Leonardo listened and waited impatiently, expecting an answer, an explanation, but before long he started to hear the faintest sound of crying.

Worry didn't begin to describe it.

"Leo, is everything-"

"Savannah, where are you??"

Noah froze. The panic in his friend's voice was unmistakable.

"Anna, answer me now, this isn't funny!"

"Onatah...General"

"Onatah General? Where on earth is that??"

"I'll look it up," Noah joined in. Hastily he tore his phone from his pocket and typed the name into a search engine. "It's a little shop. Eight miles away."

"Savannah, I'll be there to pick you up, okay?" Leo said sternly into the phone. "If you're drunk I swear I'm gonna kill you."

With no answer following the next fifteen seconds, Leo ended the phone call and raced to the door to slip on his shoes. Noah also rose to his feet.

"I'm gonna get her," Leo said, a slight tremor in his voice. "Probably drank too much wine or something and can't move, that brat."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, Noah," Leo said without hesitation. "You're on vacation, you stay here and relax, this kid is my responsibility."

Noah couldn't believe his ears. "You're really contradicting yourself with your words, Leonardo-"

"Doesn't matter, I'll be back twenty minutes tops, okay?"

"You've got me worried-"

"Don't worry, everything's fine. I'll be right back, Noah."

He was gone before Noah could press another argument. Gone and out of his apartment, out of the building and into his car, where he straightaway brought up a GPS route to this 'Onatah General' place. Only eight miles. It didn't take long to get there in terms of time, but in Leo's head in felt like endless miles, endless hours.

He tried convincing himself that what he told Noah truly was the case.

Savannah was near the shop, nearly passed out from drinking. That's it.

She didn't have any money, though.

Maybe she's with someone.

Oddly enough that wasn't reassuring.

Not much later and Leo discovered there were no places to park outside this restaurant. It was a small place to begin with, on a small, not-too-busy street.

And it was closed.

Actually, it had closed over an hour ago.

Leo double-parked right outside the restaurant and ran over to the window. There was no one inside. Not even staff.

"Savannah?!"

No answer. Of course there wasn't.

Leo's shaky hands pulled out his phone and called Savannah's number.

In the near distance he heard it ring. A faint, nearly inaudible, distorted sound. Leonardo ducked his head around to peer into the alleyway just beside the small shop.

And there she was.

Savannah, lying sprawled out on the concrete, her phone, with its screen cracked, ringing in her open palm. At first glance Leo couldn't tell if the girl was conscious but things sure didn't look promising.

His heart in his throat, Leonardo darted into the alley and dropped to the ground beside Savannah. And now, needless to say, he could see her much more clearly. More specifically, Leo could see the absolute terrible state this girl was in physically. Bruises covering her face and even the revealed skin of her partially rolled up sleeve, dark red blood from the fresh wounds staining her flesh, her lips, her teeth. Even the tips of her hair were marked in red as a result from the wound across the girl's head.

The sight of it all did something to Leonardo. Establishing a sickening feeling deep in his gut, one that spread through his own bloodstream and affected every inch of his being. Deep down he already blamed himself. Before even knowing what had been the cause of this, Leonardo blamed himself for ever letting Savannah stay out so late to begin with.

Leo couldn't speak at first. Choked up all of a sudden, he pursed his lips and gave Savannah the slightest push. "A-...Anna, c'mon, get up, are you awake?? Can you hear me??"

Nothing. Savannah wasn't opening her eyes.

Frantic beyond words, Leo hovered his hand over the girl's mouth and nose.

She was breathing. And after a few seconds, her eyes opened, too. Leo's heart jolted in his chest.

"Anna?? Anna, just, just hang in there, okay? I'm gonna take you back to the apartment, y-you're gonna be fine, okay?"

Anyone in their right mind would have called an ambulance immediately. But Leo couldn't think rationally right now, not to mention his strong fear of hospitals always tended to steer him away from them in any way possible.

So that being said, he took hold of Savannah's arm, lifted her up off the ground and as carefully as he could, carried her to his car and helped her into the back seat.

He hated not feeling like he had better control of the situation. But he wanted to.

He didn't want to rely on anyone else, he never did, and right now Leo felt solely to blame, again, without even knowing what had happened. Perhaps it had been because of how he treated Savannah, the neglecting, the harsh words in the past that the girl probably didn't deserve. So what if she were keeping a secret? She had been kind and accepting to Leonardo without asking for anything in return.

And this is what he had to show for it.

"Savannah, can you hear me??"

To his knowledge the girl was still awake. But barely.

"I know it's hard to talk, I'm sorry, you don't have to talk, just relax, it's gonna be okay, Anna, it's gonna be okay."

He said these things more for his own benefit than anything. He needed to convince himself. Things would be okay. Savannah would be okay.

You have to be okay.

"Annie, just breathe, okay?"