Second to None

Chapter Three

Jonas drives to my house, not to their apartment, which was what I had originally referred to.

I sigh as I get out, waiting for Micah and Jonas to get out after me, but neither of them do and the car runs in the silence.

"Are you not coming in?" I ask, looking into the body of the car. They both jump and hurry to get out and follow me into the house.

My mom smiles at us as we walk in, pecking me on the forehead as I pass her. She doesn't say anything and neither do I. She had talked to me about the whole situation with Jonas and Micah's apartment and was okay if I stayed there as long as I came to see her every once and a while.

We walk up to my room and the last one in closes the door.

"This wasn't what I meant when I said home." I mutter, going into my almost bare closet and changing into a white button shirt.

"What did you mean?" Jonas asks, pulling off his pants and almost falling over.

I get on the bed and watch as the two of them finish undressing. "Your guys' apartment."

They both look at me, surprise evident on their faces. I lay down, curling up under the covers, waiting for them to cocoon me in them.

After a minute they do, crawling across the covers and slipping under them. One of them lifts my head and rests it on his arm, curing it protectively around my head while the other slides his arm under my waist, throwing his other arm over, spooning me.

--

I wake the next day before Jonas and Micah, a regular occurrence, and slip from their grasp and go to the bathroom.

I look at the tub, pondering whether I should listen to my heart or not. My hands are still shaking and my heart won't slow down, I can feel the pent up energy just under my skin, a nervous sort of energy.

I turn on the water, getting in the tub before it's all filled up. Laying on the cold, white ceramic, staring at the ceiling as the water slowly rises.

As it covers my face, I lift my foot to turn off the water. An image flashes behind my closed lids. John.

I jolt and my foot pushes the handle over more, and the water gushes from it. My body reacts slower than normal, most likely having to do with how I breathed water a second ago.

By the time I've calmed down and gotten out of the tub, I'm leaning against the wall, soaked, my legs bent under me, spread out on the floor beside me. I'm breathing heavy and my hands have started to shake more, that nervous energy intensifying.

Jonas bursts into the bathroom, eyes wild as he scans the room before they land on me, worn out and wet on the floor. He scoops me up in his arms, my own instantly reaching around his neck so I can press myself closer to him.

He carries me out of the bathroom, Micah going in and snatching up a towel, which I'm soon wrapped in. I'm placed on my bed and my closet is searched as Micah kneels in front of me, rubbing the towel all over me, drying me.

The two boys help me into a pair of baggy sweats and a black tank top, a red and blue plaid shirt half buttoned on top of that.

"We're going back to our place." Jonas mutters, pulling on his pants, Micah following suit.

And then, we're out of the house, my mom kissing my forehead as we leave, waving and smiling as we go.

--

It's quiet. Really quiet.

Jonas and Micah refuse to speak as they fiddle with the tub in the bathroom. I hear Jonas curse, hear him throw something against the wall, hear the tile crack and fall.