A Modern Love Story

Chapter 15 - Why

Criticism spot! :)

Jack's POV

When my alarm rang the following morning, my heart was immediately shattered by the look on Crutchie's face. It was clear he was nervous, but I could tell something else besides school was bothering him. I gently moved his hair from his face, and he tried his best to smile.

"You okay?" I asked, and he shook his head. "Is it your leg, or did you have a nightmare?"

"Both," he answered, looking away from me.

"I'll go get you some painkillers, okay? I know they don't work as well as your usual ones, but it's better than nothing, right?" He nodded, smiling a little more. "Go easy on yourself," I added, getting up from bed and heading downstairs.

We got ready quickly, eventually having to get in the car. Before we did, Crutchie stopped, backing away from it in terror. I went over and pulled him in against my chest, feeling him shake as he clung to me.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice quiet.

"You don't have to apologize, you're doing great," I reassured him, rubbing his back.

"I can't do this, Jack," he whimpered, sounding even more terrified than before.

"You can, I know it. We'll go at your pace, okay? I'm not going to rush you to do anything." I could almost feel him relax a little as I spoke, but his hold on me didn't loosen.

It took a few minutes before he was able to get in the car, and he kept his eyes shut the entire drive. He had been struggling horribly recently, and I was getting more and more worried with each day that passed.

As he grabbed his stuff from his locker, he had to stop and take a few deep breaths, his leg really giving him trouble. Eventually, he got everything he needed, closing his locker and facing me with a smile.

"I've gotta go to Weisel's room to take a test, but I'll see you there soon," he said, adjusting his crutch.

"Alright, please text me if you need anything, okay?" He nodded, sighing. "I'll see you soon."

I sat with my usual group after Crutchie and I separated, and I was finding it very, very hard to pay any attention to what they were talking about. Of course, since Race has known me for years, it was very easy for him to tell something was wrong.

"Jack?" He began, grabbing my attention. "What's going on?" I sighed, knowing it'd just be best if I was honest right away.

"I'm just worried about Crutchie," I admitted, looking down.

"What happened?" He pushed, moving closer to me.

"It's not just one thing that happened, he's just having a really hard time." Race nodded to show he was listening, the other three fellas also paying close attention. "He usually has nightmares and stuff, so that isn't new, but he keeps getting terrified of getting in the car, and he flinches every time I open the door to our room, stuff like that."

"Was it the anniversary of the crash recently?" Fitz asked, seeming genuinely worried.

"No, that already passed a bit ago. I think it's because of the 911 call," I explained, and Fitz nodded.

"It's so fucking stupid that they played it," Specs added, sounding harsh.

"Are you sure he's not just, like, faking it or something?" Romeo suddenly asked, causing all of us to stare at him.

"What? Why the hell would he be faking it?" I spat, trying not to get too mad.

"I dunno, attention?" He suggested, not picking up on how angry I was. "I mean, how can he be terrified of the car one second, and then get in it right after?"