Camilo's Journey

Chapter 8:

The next few days things went relatively back to normal. Camilo moved into Spencer's room permanently. And Spencer's original roommate moved with Anton. It was good because Eric was kind of an asshole too, not an Anton level asshole but one that thought he was better than everyone else and if Camilo could keep Spencer away from that, he would.

Lunch times became Camilo's favourite part of the day, Spencer would rest his foot over Camilo's or rest his hand on top of Camilo's between them. It's about all Spencer could manage, and Camilo didn't push him.
When Spencer had told him what his "friend"had done to him Camilo had wanted track him down and hurt him, but he understood why Spencer needed time. When someone you trusted roofies you and then tries to force themselves on.. yeah it was like that.. you are going to need time to learn to trust someone else. And besides all his feeling for Spencer were completely new and overwhelming, so Camilo needed time too.

***

Between classes Camilo's phone starting to ring. Tio Bruno? This can't be good can it?
But then Camilo felt Spencer's hand in his arm.
"Whatever it is, We'll go through it together." He said sweetly. Camilo kisses the side of his head and answered the phone.

"Hey Tio.." he started but Bruno had already started talking.
"'milo are you somewhere you can talk? This is sort of important." He says and Camilo can hear the urgency in his Tio's voice. His stomach knots.
"Yeah just one second." He says and motions to  Spence that he's going to the break room.
"I'll be here." Spencer whispers and literally sits down against the hallway wall. Camilo gives him a quick smile.

"Tio." Camilo says.
"The kid with red hair and freckles?" Bruno says.
"Spencer?" Camilo squeaks.
"Yes, keep an eye on him, there are some dangerous people coming for both of you. They are going to come for Spencer first." Camilo gasps at Bruno's urgency and he's scared. He hates this. Camilo starts hyperventilating.
"Hey, hey, 'Milo breathe, Delores and I will come out there okay? We'll keep you and Spencer safe. We'll fight this together."

Camilo takes a deep breath and temporarily he's able to breathe normally.
"Thank you Tio." He says.
"Don't mention it kiddo, we'll see you soon. Just keep Spencer by your side for now." He says.
"He always is anyway." Camilo mutters finding his smile and mostly to himself. Bruno laughs.
"Love you kiddo, no matter what." Bruno says and hangs up.
Camilo's heart is racing, he's working on adrenaline. He runs through the hallways and pulls Spencer by the wrist back into the break room. He doesn't notice Alex and Claudia have followed till Alex speaks up wide eyed.

"What's going on? And for the love of god you're going to crush poor Spence!" Alex says with a small laugh. Camilo releases his hold on Spencer but he starts hyperventilating again so Spencer holds him.
"It's okay, you're okay." Spencer whispered and stroked Camilo's hair. Camilo composed himself.
"I don't know if we are Spence." He said and explained what Bruno had told him. Spencer watched him with wide eyes. And Alex and Claudia grew closer to both of them like a protective shield.
"We'll help too." Alex said.
"Right now I need six eyes on Spencer at all times." Camilo said. Alex nodded.

"When are your Tio and Sister getting in?" Spencer asked slowly. He watched his surroundings like anything could pop out at them at anytime.
Camilo grabbed his hand and squeezed.
"Tomorrow." He says. And then he grabbed Spencer's face in his hands. "You don't leave my side for any reason." Camilo pleaded with him. Spencer nodded and looked like he was going to cry. Camilo held him close.
"I'll keep you safe, I promise." He looked up at Alex and Claudia who looked at him, both scared too.
"All of us will." Alex said.

***

But sure enough Camilo had to have his solo singing lesson and he couldn't hold focus very well but he thanked his lucky stars his teacher was kind.
"Hey Camilo," she said with a gentle voice. She turned out to be the same lady that showed him to the greenhouse when Spencer had his panic attack. "Where are you today? Do you need to talk about it?" She said pulling his focus that had wondered out the window. He couldn't tell her this. That he knew bad people were coming for him and his magical sort of but not boyfriend. So he settled for something simpler.

"I'm just worried about Spencer. And some of my family are coming in and it's not under the best circumstances." He said and thought that maybe even that had been too much.
She looked at him sympathetically over her round glasses.

"Spencer is stronger than I think any of us give him credit for okay? I learnt that from my own one on ones with him. And as for your family, I hope everything is okay.." she pauses and closes the book in-front of her. "Look, let's cut this lesson short so you can deal with what life is throwing at you right now, and you can make it up another time. Family and the people you love are the most important thing." Then she gives him a card for the school counseling. Which Camilo doubts he'll use but he thanks her and bolts out the door.

He runs straight into Alex who was looking around frantically.. which isn't a good sign. Camilo's patience hits zero.
"Where is he?" He asks through gritted teeth. They glare at him.
"He wondered off during acting, said he wasn't feeling well." Alex said.
"You just let him go off on his own when you KNOW there are people out to get him!" He snaps at them.
"He's not a child, and I'm not a baby sitter." She naps back.
"You knew he was in danger!" Camilo is about to cry, he does his best to cover it with his anger but it starts to slip and Claudia gets between him and Alex.
"Come on; this isn't helping any of us. Let's go find him." She raises her voice at both of them. Alex glares at Camilo one last time and Camilo tries not to start crying, as they follow Claudia.

"Camilo!" A sort of familiar voice calls out from behind them. Camilo turns to see Eric.. but he looks completely freaked out, and not like he's about to be an asshole about something. He runs his hand through his floppy blonde hair as He runs to catch up to them.
"It.. he.. I.. It's Spencer! These three big guys who looked like gang members came into Spencer's room while I was asking to borrow a textbook, I.. tried.. I tried to stop them, i swear I did but they were too strong. And that's when Spencer cried out to me that I should go find you. And I did, here you are. I don't know where they were taking him.. I'm sorry.. I."

Camilo didn't let himself react to any specifics. He didn't have time. He didn't know where or what they were going to do to Spencer they had to move fast. He grabbed Eric's shoulder. And gave him a reassuring squeeze.
"Eric, it's okay. You did the right thing and all that you could do, so thank you." Camilo said. Eric nodded sheepishly and followed them as they looked everywhere they could think for Spencer.