College Lovers

2.1

"Woah, first of all Jayden, they literally met like 5 months ago, you had to know your girlfriend a year before SHE asked YOU out, cause you were to scared to, I'd recommend you don't talk." Jayson says

"I- how did you know all of that stuff?" Jayden says

"For one, I have a son who goes here and knows pretty much everyone cause he's in student government, and for two, do you think Collins doesn't have my number and doesn't tell me anything? He's had my number since he was 12, and tells me more then I think he does his parents" Jayson says

"12!?" Jayden says startled

This time I respond

"My dad turned really abusive one weekend while I was at his house, so I called the cops, Jayson showed up and took me to the hospital to get my wounds treated, the only reason he took me is because when I was 12, I liked anyone who looked like my mom, and Jayson looks kinda like my mom, but a man, so when they busted the door since my dad had me locked in a room and he wasn't answering the door, they handcuffed my dad and then Jayson was the only one who immediately came over to me, he broke the door and I immediately jumped into his arms, I walked outside and saw my dad steal a gun from an unknowing officer, I yelled out that he took the gun but before I even had my sentence out, Jayson had tackled him, they took the gun back and then they put him in a cop car, as I was walking out hyperventilating with Jayson, we had some small talk, I'll say what I remember from the conversation, "Has your dad always been this abusive?" "No, he just had a drug addiction and he only does them when I'm not around or when I am at my moms house" "So you've never seen him like this?" "No" "Okay, can you hop in the car? I promise you aren't in trouble, I'm going to take you to the hospital to get you fixed up, is that alright?" "Yeah, can I ride in the front seat?" "Obviously" and then we both got into the car" I say

Jayson looks as this is a normal story and is on his phone, but Jayden and Ruby have a "I'm so sorry, I didn't know" look on their faces

I look up and blink back tears remembering that day

I hear a sniffle and Ruby has a single tear running down her right cheek

"I uh, I'm sorry.." Jayden says

"Thank you.. fuck I got my words mixed up I meant to say it's okay, sorry"

Jayson doesn't look up from him phone but he does say something

"Don't forget the time during school when you were 11, oh and 13"

"What happened at those ages during school..?" Ruby says quietly

I sigh and start telling the story from when I was 11

"I was in school sitting next to a couple of my friends and during social studies one time, my teacher paused the lesson, and told us to listen up, we stopped our work and this is what I remember how the conversation went, "Alright 5th grade, listen up" "I would like to address mental health" "I think that most of the problems are coming from Avery's group, Miller doesn't have any friends, Collins dad doesn't make any effort to be in his life-" "Please don't talk about my dad" "Oh what-ever! I'm talking about mental health, and that is a key part!" "Uh, no, Miss Keam, a students personal life is their personal life, school may be the only place they feel normal and accepted, but if you reveal their personal life, people may start to disregard them and then they would be all alone, if they don't talk about their personal life that doesn't give you the right talk about it" "Well does Collins talk about his dad?" "No and if he does he prefers not to" "Well maybe that's why his dad left! He wouldn't express his feelings!" I got up and I grabbed my backpack off the hook and packed up my stuff "Collins, where are you going, you haven't been checked out" by this time a lot of people are asking where I'm going and stuff, I finish packing up my stuff and walk out of the door without saying a word, I walked toward the exit door and pushed it open, I felt the breeze and walked, I walk off of school ground and into the neighborhood right next to the school, where my older half brother lived, I threw my backpack over the gate and then I squeezed through the gate myself, I grabbed my backpack and wiped my tears away but continued to cry, I walked around a corner or a two and walked up to my brothers door, I knocked on it and my brothers roommate answered, "Oh hey! Aren't you supposed to be at school? Why's the you crying, come inside, I'll get your brother" he walked over to a door and opened it, my brother then emerged from his room and I immediately hugged him, we talked and I explained what happened and he called my mom, she picked me up and my mom switched my class and then sent me back to school a week later"

This time they are even more apologetic

"Dude tell the story from when you were 13, it's the most random story ever" Jayson says

"I was in middle school and a kid was trying to fight me, I wasn't a person who would throw punches, but I would use my voice, we got into an argument and then he swung, so I swung back, we fought for a bit until my friend pulled me off of him, we continued to have a fight but this time in words, I'll say what I remember, "THATS PROBABLY WHY YOUR DAD LEFT." "ohhh.." I remember the crowd saying, i also remember watching him as tears form in my eyes and I start to not pull away from the people that are holding me back, my jaw was open because I was going to say something but slowly closed and I left, a couple tears rolled down my face and a couple people from the crowd said a couple things that I vividly remember, "Dude, that's not okay, why would you say that?" "Dylan, what the fuck." "aww a little baby cares to much about his daddy that he has to cry when someone mentions him", I looked at that kid and shook my head, I grabbed my stuff and walked out of the school, until 2 towns over, where Jayson found me, "Hey Collins, what are you- woah okay, who did this too you?" Is what Jayson said to me, I cried while explaining what happened, it took a lot of courage, but I did explain, Jayson took me back to my school and yelled at the entire school about how he doesn't care if we're fighting, but he cares how some home lives are worse or better then others and that is not something to be brought up at school, best speech I've ever heard" I say

Jayson smiles and then continues doing something on his phone

I get a phone call while Jayden and Ruby are trying to figure out what to say

"Hello?" I say

"Is this Collins?" They ask

"Yeah whose this?" I say

"As you know, Sloane got issued into the hospital, you were her emergency contact and we want you to know that you are able to come visit her in the hospital" they say

"Really?" I say

"Really, she's in room 172, all the nurses know so you can just walk right in" they say

"Thank you" I say

They hang up and I slide my phone into my pocket and grab my car keys

"Where are you going?" Jayden asks

"They've given me the okay that I can visit Sloane in the hospital" I say

I look over at Jayson and he's smiling at his phone

"Jayson, what are you smiling at?" I ask

"My wife's texts" he says

"That's so sweet" I say

"Probably going to be you and Sloane one day" he says

"Fuck off" I say and walk out of the room and into the hallway

I walk until I get to my car and I start it up

I drive all the way there singing romance songs because they all have such a good beat