"Guys? Why are you acting all weird?" Joe puts down the bag of popcorn on the table before sitting down. He gives his friends a questioning look, waiting for them to tell him what's going on.
Gwil shoves Joe phone away from him. "Uhm- You're father messaged you." He says softly.
Joe's eyes widen immediately.
"But you don't wanna read it, trust us." Rami adds.
Joe swallows, and takes a few deep breaths.
"He keeps saying that your mom's a liar. Stuff like that." Gwil explains, hoping Joe doens't ask for more details.
The ginger lets out a soft sigh. "Great. Now I feel nauseous again." He mumbles as he leans back against the cushions of the couch.
Gwil quickly glances at his watch. "Well, maybe we should just go home. We all need some rest after today's exam." He suggests.
Rami nods in agreement.
Joe slowly starts nodding. "Yeah, okay. Let's go home." He gets up and grabs his phone. He quickly puts it into his backpocket, trying not to think about the messages.
"I'll walk you." Gwil says, not wanting to leave the boy alone right now.
Joe puts on a smile and nods gratefully.
After saying goodbye to Rami, Gwil and Joe make their way home. Luckily for the three, their houses are all within walking distance from each other, making it easy to hang out.
When the two boys are almost home, Gwil receives a message.
Joe raises his eyebrow when a goofy smile appears on Gwil's face. "Who's that?" He asks curiously.
The tall boy immediately starts to blush. "Uhm, just a girl from my math class. We've been hanging out lately." He says.
Joe smirks. "Hanging out as in...?"
Gwil rolls his eyes. "As in just spending time together. But... I am thinking about asking her out, actually." He confesses.
An excited look appears on Joe's face. "Really? Well I'm sure she'll say yes." He says with a big smile.
Gwil chuckles softly. "I hope so. What about you? Anyone special in your life right now?" He says in a teasing voice.
Joe sighs softly. "Nah, not really. I'm not really busy with love right now. I mean, my parents don't even know I'm gay yet. So I need to get that over with first." He lets out a soft groan. Somehow he's really dreading it. He knows his mother and stepfather will be nothing but happy for him, but everytime he is about to tell them he chickens out.
Gwil's eyes widen slightly. "You're gonna tell your father that you're gay?" He asks surprised.
Joe looks up, and lets out a soft giggle. "Oh no, not my biological father. I meant my stepdad. Honestly, he's been a better father to me than my actual father has ever been." He says with a smile.
Gwil smiles as well. "It really feels like an eternity ago that your mom remarried. Can't believe it has only been four years. That afterparty was...-"
"Massive? Yeah I know." Joe grins. "I've had a headache for a week after that party." Joe laughs. He giggles when he thinks back to the wedding. God, how hard he partied. He couldn't be more happy about the fact that his mom found love again after the terrible relationship with Joe's biological father. Even though he is still bothering the family, mainly Joe, their lives have gotten so much better. Joe even got a little brother after being an only child for eleven years.
"Well, I'm happy to hear so. You deserve to have a better dad." Gwil says.
Joe smiles. He is so lucky to still have Rami and Gwil by his side. They both know about how hard his childhood has been, and are still sticking around. It happened quite a few times before that when Joe opened up to someone about things, they'd immediately ditch him.
But Rami and Gwil didn't. They even help the ginger out whenever he's having a panic attack.
"Joseph!"
It suddenly sounds from behind them.
Joe immediately freezes, knowing that voice all too well. "G-Gwil...-" He stammers.
Gwil turns around, gasping when he sees Joe's biological father standing there. And he looks angry. When Gwil looks at Joe, he sees that the boy is starting to breathe faster and faster. His mind starts racing, not sure what to do to protect Joe.
"Hey, leave him alone!" Out of nowhere, Rami comes storming their way.
Joe's biological father snaps his head towards Rami, causing him to lose sight of Joe for a moment.
While Rami is trying to prevent Joe's father from taking another step in Joe's direction, Gwil tries to help Joe out of his panic attack. "Joe, it's okay. Take deep breaths. We're not letting him hurt you, okay?"
But Joe doesn't seem to hear it. He just stares straight ahead, his eyes following every move his father makes. Suddenly, the ginger starts staggering a little. "I... I d-don't feel w-" He doesn't finish his sentence, slowly slipping away from reality.
It all goes too fast for Gwil to realize, but then Joe faints out of the blue. The tall boy fails in his attempt to catch his friend, resulting in Joe hitting his head really hard on the pavement. "Fuck fuck fuck! Joe? Joe, can you hear me? Please open your eyes." Gwil rambles in complete panic.
Rami runs over to his two friends. "Oh my god. What happened?" He asks shocked.
Gwil looks at him, tears in his eyes. "He- he fainted. The back of his head is b-bleeding. I... I should've caught him." He stutters.
Rami immediately kneels down next the unconscious boy, swallowing at the sight of Joe's motionless body.
"His father went away, but I don't know for how long. We need to get him somewhere safe." He says to Gwil before grabbing his phone. "I'm calling 911."
Gwil only nods at that, his eyes not leaving Joe's body.
Rami gets up, and starts pacing around while on the phone. As calmly as possible, he explains the situation.
In the meantime, Gwil is checking Joe's vitals. He lets out a sigh of relief when the boy is still breathing. He moves his hand to Joe's wrist, feeling whether his pulse is regular or not. His eyes widen slightly. "Rami!" He says to get the boy's attention.
When Rami looks up, he beckons him to come. "His pulse." Gwil whispers, a single tear making its way down his cheek. "It's barely there."
Rami looks at him in shock. He takes Joe's hand to feel for himself. "Uhm, Miss? How long before the ambulance will be here? His pulse is way too weak." Rami says to the lady of emergency center. But he already has his answer when he can hear the sound of sirens coming closer and closer.
"You okay Gwil?" Rami asks when he sees the boy wiping away his tears.
Gwil starts nodding. "Yes, yes I'm fine. But he's gonna be okay, right?" Gwil sniffles, not taking his eyes off Joe in the hope the boy will soon open his eyes.
"Of course Gwil." Rami says reassuringly. "What if you call his mom? I'll stay with him, okay?"
But Gwil immediately shakes his head. "No. I'm not making that mistake again." He says.
Rami pulls his friend into a hug, feeling him trembling slightly. "It's okay, I'll call her." He whispers. He totally gets why Gwil doesn't want to leave Joe's side right now, considering everything the boy has been through the past year.
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Told ya there would be more drama🙃
How is the story so far? All tips, comments and votes are welcome!
I'm not sure what my uploading schedule will be, but I'll try not to let you wait too long
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Let me live | Hardzello♡
FanfictionJoe's childhood has been really hard, which has resulted in him having frequent panic attacks now. It makes school even harder than it already is, and some friends have left him for it. One day, the boy suddenly gets a huge attack, worse than any o...
