Who Knew?

Chapter 28:

POV- Wyatt

Through the speaker, I hear the bell for first period. Ruben isn't here. A new batch of nerves bubble up in my stomach, and I watch the door like my dad reads the Bible. Without taking my eyes off it for a second. 

Half way through the period, I sneak my phone out of my pocket to text him, asking where the hell he is. By the end of first, he still hasn't texted me back. All throughout second and third, I feel like I'm going to throw up. What if something really bad happened? My mind immediately goes to the worst case scenarios. 

At lunch I pull Kevin and Beth aside. "Ruben's not here and I'm freaking out a little bit. He promised he would be here today, but he's not and I don't know what to do. 

Beth grips my bicep. "Okay, let's calm down for a minute. Yesterday weren't you all pissed that he was ignoring you?"

Kevin nods. "Yeah, I thought you two were having a little trouble in paradise."

I send him a nasty glare. "We made up. He was supposed to come to school today with all his stuff to move in with my family. He can't live in that hell hole anymore. His dad . . . ." They share a glance before looking back at me. "I'm going to his house. I need to find him, what if something's really wrong?"

"Wyatt you can't just leave in the middle of the school day," Beth starts, but the look on my face quickly shuts her up. 

"I'm going. With or without you."

Kevin snorts. "Yeah. Like hell you're going alone. That dude is a maniac, we're not letting you get anywhere near him by yourself." He looks over at Beth who nods her agreement without hesitating. 

I nod. "Well I'm going now, so if you're coming you better get your stuff."

They quickly gather all of their stuff, dumping their lunch trays and leaving them in the try holder. We walk as fast as we can down the halls without gathering unwanted attention, and push through the main doors. I break into a jog towards my car, knowing that Kev and Beth are right behind me. 

Beth steals the passenger seat, pissing off Kev who's stuck in the back. "Bitch," he mumbles. "Asshole," he gets in return. I love my friends. 

I step on the gas and high tail it out of the parking lot, speeding the distance to Ruden's house. I'm positive that I'm breaking numerous traffic laws on this little adventure, but it truly is funny how much I care. Which is that I don't at all. 

My car comes to a screeching halt in front of Ruben's house. Maridith is parked in the driveway alone, and I let out the pent up breath I didn't know I was holding. I sprint up the path to the house and don't hesitate to wrap my fingers around the handle and turn. Except it doesn't. Because it's locked. 

Backing up a step, I let out a string of colorful curses that has Kevin chuckling, and pound on the door. "Ruben!" I knock and call his name again. There's no response and I tug at my hair. I glance over at beth. "Do you have a bobby pin?" 

She raises an eyebrow before reaching up towards her hair. "It's your lucky day, squirt. I was gonna wear my hair down this morning."

I say nothing as I squat down and insert the bobby pin into the lock. "Are you serious right now?" Kevin exclames behind me. "Where the hell did you learn how to do that?"

I jiggle the pin. "My freak of a cousin taught me when I was, like, ten." Another jiggle and a turn, and the lock twists. I push the door in and stubble through. 

I am met with a sight that stops my heart. "Oh my god," I breathe. Ruben, lying on his side. Clothes ripped and bloody. A giant, puffy black eye. One arm turned away shouldn't be possible. a puddle of blood pooling under the other. 

Once my heart starts beating again, I run over and collapse at his side. I flip him over gently onto his back, so that his head rests in my lap. I frame his face with my hands and give him a shake. "Ruben. Ruben wake up!"

"Oh my fucking shit!" Kev exclaims. "Oh fuck. I'm gonna be sick."

A tear falls down my face, and my hands shake as I press two fingers under his jaw. "Fuck, he's breathing. Okay. Beth, call an ambulance! Kevin, I need a towel. Anything to stop this bleeding." They stand there for a second before I snap. "Go now!"

They burst into action, Beth retrieving her phone, and Kevin throwing open cupboards looking for something to wrap around Ruben's arm. Now that I'm closer, I can see it's not just a cut, but a word carved into his skin. 'Faggot'. A sob clogs my throat. It kills me knowing that he'll have to live with that forever. If he survives. I shake my head. I can't do that right now.

I press my hand to the wound. The blood is starting to coagulate beneath us, making me wonder how long he's been here. Beth's voice breaks me out of my thoughts as she talks to the 911 operator. 

Kevin falls to his knees in front of me, a dish towel in his hands. "This was all I could find."

I say nothing as I take it from his grasp and press it hard against the wound. Ruben's back arches at the contact, and I lean over him, pressing my forehead to his. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." I whisper. "I know. I'm sorry." 

He settles down again and Kevin leans back on his heels, covering his face with his hands. "They're two minutes away," Beth announces. 

I grit my teeth. "Okay. Uuum, Kevin, when they get here I need you to put those bags into my car." I indicate the bags that Ruben must have packed. "And Beth, my keys are in my pocket." She rushes forward, and I shift to give her better access. "I'm riding in the ambulance. You guys follow in my car, okay?"

They nod. 

I look down at Ruben. He has his eyes closed, like he's sleeping. I guess he is, but not in the way he should be. I listen to the sound of sirens getting closer and closer. When they get here, they swoop in and take over. Two EMTs take Ruben from my arms and load him onto a stretcher, taking care of his arm. We follow them out and another warns us that only one person can ride with them. 

I jump up into the vehicle and go where they put me. They fuss around him, putting on an oxygen mask and gouging the severity of his injuries while quizzing me on what happened. 

"His dad," I managed to get out. "He beats him. God, I've been trying to get him out of there for weeks now and when he finally decides to leave, this happens. His father has never gone this far before."

They ask me different questions as well like where were you when this happened? How did you find him? Who are you to him? How long has this been going on? etc. I answer them as best I can, and it doesn’t take long to get to the hospital. 

As soon as they get in, they rush him to a place they say I can't follow. I stand there, watching their retreating figures, feeling more helpless than I've ever felt. 

A/N

Jeez, another tough one. These are exciting! I'm trying to crank the rest of these out as quickly as I can. We're so close! I hope you guys enjoyed it! Please comment your thoughts!