Broken (Timids)

Everybody makes mistakes

Shane's pov
"Did you really have to be so harsh with him? You could clearly tell he was upset and that he'd learned his lesson, did you really needed to shout at him?" I questioned Laurence once Drew had ran from the living room, tears swarming desperately from the corners of his deep hazel eyes. I hated seeing him cry, it broke me inside and so when somebody made him cry, I always made sure they felt guilty, no matter what the situation. Nobody was allowed to hurt my poor little timid; no one.

Of course, I realised I was being slightly unreasonable but I couldn't help it. After all Drew had been through and after what he had admitted to me a few nights ago, I was terrified that the slightest thing might set him off and send him back to cutting his skin every night.

" Shane, I know you are over protective of your little timid and I know how sensitive he can be at times but he broke the rules and we can't just let him get way with it unless we want him to do it again" Laurence defended, but he too looked very uneasy about the whole situation. Despite his hot temper, he cared dearly for his friends and he would hate to think that he had made any of them cry. Guilt was already showing in his eyes and I knew that if I made him think too carefully about it, he would start beating himself up over it.

" it's not your fault Laurence, you're right, he shouldn't have done it and he needs to learn that it's not acceptable behaviour so he doesn't try it again. I just don't understand, he's usual so well behaved and wouldn't dream of missing a day at school to go to town" I mused out loud.

Drew never wanted to miss school, in case he got in trouble for it. He was a perfect student, with perfect grades and he had never even had a single detention. We never got any phone calls home to report bad behaviour and when we went to his teacher conference evening, they all told us how wonderful he was to teach, if a little quiet. So what had changed?

" Laurence, you don't think something bad happened to him at school, that made him want to leave, do you?" I asked as I swallowed the huge lump in my dry throat. That was the only explanation that made any sense in my mind but the thought of something upsetting him that much made my blood run cold. I just wished that Laurence would speak up and cast away my thoughts, telling me he just wanted to rebel a little and test the boundaries, like most boys at his age.

" what do you mean?" Laurence inquired, lifting his gaze from his laptop to glance across the dimlitted room at me, his curiosity shining through from my words. My tiny sliver of hope dissapeared when he didn't instantly deny my accusations or brush them off as nothing. But still, I continued.

" you don't think he's being bullied, do you? You don't think somebody did or said something cruel to upset him and make him want to leave, just to escape them?" I questioned, carefully watching Lauremces expression to see what he thought on the matter.

For a moment or two he appeared to be deep in thought, with his head tilted slightly to one side and his chin propped on his left hand. I waited anxiously for his reply, scared that he would tell me that there was a possibility that I could be right and my little Wooly could be getting bullied by his fellow classmates.

" I don't think so Shane, I mean, I think we would have noticed by now" Laurence pointed out and a few weeks ago, those words would have been enough to convince me that everything was fine and that I had nothing to worry about. However, now I knew how good he really was at keeping his secrets, it did little to reassure me and calm my jittery nerves.

" besides, him and Kier both go to the same school, I think Kier would have spotted something by now and told one of us" Lauremce explained and this time, his words were enough to reassure me. Of course, if Kier had seen something, the younger boy would have instantly told one of us.