𝙳𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝙵𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝...

Chapter 28

Will looked at himself in the mirror, pulling out a new tube of the aloe vera lotion. He had finished his first one, the one Charlotte had given him, but he couldn't put it in himself to throw it away. So it was sitting at his desk, curled and crumpled and empty. 

He hissed as his fingers touched along the bruises on his ribs, but he was used to it. He did it five times every week, every school day, though sometimes Jackson would go easy. 

Most times, he didn't. 

He put the tube of lotion into his pocket and walked out of the bathroom, narrowly avoiding a gaggle of boys storming in, throwing paper airplanes at each other. His head automatically turned to the side, where Charlotte had always stood, an angry look on her face and her arms crossed. 

But she wasn't there. 

She never would be again. 

"Will!" a voice shouted, and he spun on his heel to see his ex-best friend Kyle. They hadn't really spoken in some time, and Will wasn't even sure if they were friends anymore. 

"Kyle," he said. 

His friend stood before him awkwardly, an easy grin on his face. "You look like Death Himself, man," he said. "Was it Jackson?" 

Will blinked. "Wha—no," he lied.

"Don't lie, Will." Kyle smiled sadly. "Of course it's Jackson. It's always Jackson." His friend studied him. "Don't you see what Jackson is doing to you? You need to do something..." 

"The reason why Jackson is beating me up is because I did something, Kyle." Will shook his head bitterly, eyes narrowed as he stared at the wall beside him. He let out a sigh, deflating. "Listen. I'm sorry for being angry. But so much has been happening..." 

Kyle nodded understandingly. "I heard Rosemary woke up." 

Will nodded. "That was a while back. It's been some time now." 

"You didn't tell me." 

"I know. I'm sorry." 

"I know." Kyle offered him a smile. "But if Rosemary's been awake for some time, what happened? You look like you haven't been sleeping well." 

Will shook his head. "You know Charlotte, right?" he asked, and Kyle hesitated before nodding. Before Rosemary's accident, Will had had a habit of pointing out Rosemary in the halls to Kyle, and almost every time, Charlotte had been with her. "She died. Almost two weeks ago." 

Kyle's eyes widened and he cursed under his breath. "No," he said. "You're lying." 

"No. I'm not." Will's lips trembled. "Charlotte had helped me a lot with Jackson. She was like my second sister." 

"I'm sorry," Kyle said, and Will knew he meant it. In a split second, Kyle had engulfed him in a hug, and Will, trembling with tears sliding down his face, hugged him back. 

"Thank you," Will whispered. 

 Moments of silence passed and then Kyle stepped back, a frown on his face. "Hey, wait," he said. "If Jackson is hitting you, then why did I just see Rosemary hug him?" 

Will's head whipped around, his lips parted, and he stared at his friend. "What?" 

---

"Hey, Rosemary!" 

Rosemary turned to see Jackson and James standing by the cafeteria windows, waving. She smiled and walked closer, lunch bag swinging from her hands. "Hi," she said. "How are you both?" 

James shrugged. Even though it had been two weeks, his eyes were still red-rimmed and his cheeks were flushed. But he offered her a small smile. Jackson, on the other hand, was beaming at her, a wide grin on his face. 

"Amazingly splendid," he said. "You?" 

"I'm good," she said, and she turned to James, her voice softer. "And you, James?" 

"Getting there," he said, and Rosemary reached over to pull him into a hug. She pressed her forehead against his shoulder as his arms wrapped around her, a well-needed hug from someone his age. 

"Hey," Jackson pouted. "What about me? Am I irrelevant?" 

"Yes," Rosemary laughed, but she spread one of her arms out. He hesitantly hugged her. 

They parted after a couple seconds. 

"Where are you eating?" Jackson asked her. 

"The caf," Rosemary said. 

"Oh." Jackson avoided her eyes. "Can we join you?" 

Secretly pleased, Rosemary shrugged her shoulders. "Sure," she replied. 

~ Lyn 

Words: 698

Thank you for those who are reading my story!! I hope you're enjoying it so far <33