Hot Starry Nights

2:5 ~ Howard

  Iris has a black eye on the left side of her face. Her jaw and lips are blue and green. Her neck and collarbone are littered with large purple and yellow bruises.

  Me and Nat sit in the opposite side of the room. There's not a teacher in this room, which is strange. They almost always have someone in here to supervise everyone. Although there aren't very many people in this room at the moment. Just me, Nat, and Iris. They don't typically put a teacher if there are few people and a camera.

  I need to make sure Nat stays safe. I'm sure he can protect himself, but what am I supposed to do? Nothing? He doesn't need me. Yet, life regularly beats the shit out of him, so I'll help clean the mess up, and occasionally beat the shit out of life. Whatever it takes to protect him, I'll do it.

  Iris shifts in her seat, and gets up. She slowly walks up and pulls up a chair with a slight limp. She leans on my desk towards me and Nat at once, with him now gripping the edges of his chair. She almost seems like a leopard stalking her prey, except a hyena had gotten to her first. Her back is towards the only camera in this room.

  "I need to say something." I continue to stare at her, with her gaze shifting toward Nat.

  "Don't look at me." He says this with fury in his voice, but with tears in his eyes.

  "Sorry, sorry." She looks back at me, with a slight curve on her lips.

  "What do you want?"

  "Well, I need to apologize to you. I hadn't meant to hurt you." Anger is always a mask.

  "You did a damn good job at it." Most often for fear.

  "Oh . . ., well. I wasn't really talking to you, Nathan." Nat's mask was falling quickly, showing underneath. His fear was cracking through, glowing through the surface, brighter and brighter until it becomes blinding.

  "I was talking to Howard." My anger is also a mask. One I don't wear often.

  "And why are you apologizing to me instead of Nat?" Mine was falling quicker.

  "Well, I hadn't intended on you finding me last Friday." It wasn't masking fear.

  "I also hadn't intended on Nathan speaking." It was so, so much worse.

  "I wanted to apologize to Howard because I had definitely intended on hurting you. I didn't think I would end up hurting Howard, or 'Ward'. I just should've hit you harder. Maybe then we wouldn't be in this m-" It was rage.

○○○○○○○○○○○

  I woke up in a white room. The machines were white, the sheets were white, everything was white. There's so much pressure, and everything is loud. My chest feels heavy, as if there's weight on it. I reach up to cover my ears, and notice cords in my arms. A hospital. When my ears stop ringing so much, I see Nat's arms on my chest. He looks so peaceful, but tired. What happened?

  We were at school. We got detention, but then ISS. Iris was there, and then . . . right. I remember now. Fucking whore. Shit. What will happen now? And of course I had to go and do this shit with three days of school left.

  Nat shifts on my chest, and he starts to shiver. I bury my right hand in his hair, and rub his back with my left. He starts to relax, and soon stops shivering.

  A nurse walks in, and I lift a finger to my lips. He never gets good sleep, but I didn't have to wake him up this time. I don't want to ruin that immediately.

>>>>>>>>>>>>> Extra >>> Nathaniel's Dream

  Everything is pitch black. Crying is heard in the distance. Then screaming. Nathaniel searches for the screaming. His nose begins to bleed. He sinks to the ground and starts crying. He feels pain on his body. Bruises are gathering on his skin. The screaming stops. Howard finds Nathaniel on the ground. Howard is cut several times over, and gains bruises. Blood runs down his body. He sinks to the ground and lies unconscious. Nathaniel crawls over to him. Then his pain stops. The pain is now directed towards Howard. Nathaniel tries to help. He begs to take the pain away, to take it back. Iris and Nathaniel's father each set a hand on his shoulder. They push him down, through the ground, and he falls down. He keeps falling, and never stops. Howard is waiting at the bottom to catch him, and once again, absorb his pain. At what cost?