Claustrophobia (Boy x Boy) ✔

7) LIES, LIES AND MORE LIES

*Cody Walker's POV

Ever since I woke up from the ground the pain has been almost constant. I had passed out and they had just left me there like I was nothing more than a piece of trash. Part of me hoped I had died, because that would have given them a memorable lesson — but the pain I was in told me I was very much alive.

At first I had just rolled on my side, using my uninjured hand to balance myself while I stood up arduously. My favorite shirt was ruined: its sleeve was ripped on top of the elbow that I had scraped against the asphalt concrete. Apparently I had also managed to bleed on it, like a lot. 

By the time I was staggering home, I was breathing heavily and I could barely stay steady on my feet. It was a good thing neither Mylo nor Kobe was home, so I could at least clean up the bloody mess before they saw me. I wasn't going to a hospital and I'm pretty sure they would have called me an ambulance if they had seen me then.

So there I was licking my wounds in an empty apartment, feeling lonelier than I had ever felt in my life. I threw away the ruined shirt, changed into sweatpants and a clean t-shirt. I went to bed without dinner and just took a painkiller before I fell asleep.

Only the next day, when I was supposed to be at my brother's birthday party, I realised my phone was missing. I was also short of money, but at least they had let me keep my cards and home keys. 

Mylo and Kobe were furious when they saw the condition I was in, and I wasn't surprised when they wanted to take me to the hospital and to the police and most of all to know what had happened. I told them I was assaulted by someone I didn't know on my way home and that I didn't want to call it in, because I didn't want to worry my parents. 

After that they coddled me and even bought me a new phone, which I would pay back for as soon as I got the money. Then I called my parents and told them I was sick and I had broken my phone when I fainted. Having fever and all that. 

Lies, lies and more lies. I felt like all I did these days was lying. 

I talked with Cole too and he gave me the typical teenager answer 'whatever' which clearly meant it was anything but that. He was disappointed for sure and I was starting to think I had just ruined my last chance to get closer with him.

***

B, J & K had never gone that far before and when I looked at them I knew they realised that too. Never before had they beaten me unconscious, and apparently that was the line between totally fine and too far. They actually left me alone and my first day back at school was somewhat peaceful. 

"Who did that?" Oat slammed their tray on the table and rushed to me, their hands taking off the hood and moving my hair from my face. I have no idea when we became such good friends, and since their reaction caught me by surprise I just sat glued to my seat.

"Don't tell me it was those guys from the stands?" Oat continued and let my hair fall back to cover my cheeks. I quickly lifted the hood back on as well.

"No, no. It was nothing like that. I didn't know the guy and I already filed a report of an offence." As I said, all I do these days is lie.

"Are you absolutely sure you're telling the truth?" Oat narrowed their eyes, clearly not buying my story.

"Yeah, don't worry about it." I reassured them quickly.

"If you say so. But why didn't you answer my calls?" They asked.

"I lost my phone.. which reminds me, can you give me your number again?" 

Then we continued eating and Oat told me about the two practices I had missed. I think the worst part of being beaten up was that it made eating really difficult for me. I couldn't eat green apples, which were my favorites, because those made my lips sting. I also couldn't open my mouth very wide and I had to chew carefully, because my chin and the bruises around my lips ached.

During the weekend I had mostly gotten by with milkshakes and coffee. I hadn't technically lied to my parents when I said I was sick, because I was bedridden the entire weekend. 

One could think it was because of the bruises on my face, but mostly it was because of the bruises on my upper body from Kaleb's shoe. I can't recall much from the last moments before I passed out, so I don't know how exactly he managed to do it, but somehow my armpit and the area around it was all black and blue.

I had to move my right arm with care and overall it was totally useless. Fortunately I'm left handed, so I could make notes and do anything I needed to do during classes quite effortlessly. What seemed to be a bigger challenge was to get through the running practice.

I had talked with the training coach earlier, telling more lies. Maybe if I kept twisting the truth long enough, I would start to believe in it too. He asked me more than once if I was well enough to practice and for some enigmatic reason I kept telling him I was.

When I changed into the running gear, I knew more than well I wasn't. Although it was just an easy run, I had a feeling I couldn't do it. 

Want to hear what's even worse? Ian Romero and his friend, the one who was always smiling, were watching us from the stands. The former had been staring at me the entire day, like my battered up face was somehow the most interesting thing he had ever landed his eyes at.

Fortunately the easy run only starts and ends at the running track, so they couldn't see me huffing and puffing in the middle of the practice. Unfortunately I was already panting even before I made it out of their sight. 

I was supposed to run with Oat, like we normally did during the easy runs, but this time I couldn't keep up. They asked me if I was going to be okay and as I reassured them I would be, they continued running. I, on the other hand, had to sit down for a moment. 

Even though the bruises on my face and all around my upper body felt like they were burning, I could feel cold sweat mounting on my skin. There was an obscure chill sensation in my forehead and I was feeling giddy. No matter what, I forced myself up from the ground and continued jogging. 

All these lies were going to be the death of me. If B, J & K didn't make it first. 

♡♡♡

Question of the day:
Movies or series?

(Me: I think series, because they last longer. 🤔 My current favorite series are probably Lucifer and Grey's Anatomy. I also just finished watching Elite and I really liked it. My favorite movie is Hereditary from Ari Aster.)