Broken (Timids)

A single tear

Shane's PoV
"Where is he?" I practically screamed, my voice coming out a mere pant due to how out of breath I was. I had run all the way from my art collage to the hospital, a journey that would have taken around 20 minutes to walk yet in a sprint I had tackled it in 5. People had harshly been shoved out of my way and I had almost been run over twice in my haste but I knew that I had to get here as soon as possible, to see him, to make sure that he was okay.

Today, my world had fallen apart before my wide eyes when I received an important, worrying call from Drew's school, informing me that he had been attacked and that he had passed out, immediately being sent to hospital. I didn't know whether he would be okay, or even the extent of his injuries, which terrified me even more. I tried to convince myself that he would be okay, that he couldn't have been hurt that badly but even I could see the fault in my reassuring words. They didn't send people to hospital unless they had been seriously hurt. Drew must have been seriously hurt, and the worst part was, I hadn't been there to protect him, just like I had always promised I would.

It had been more job to look after him, yet I had failed miserably. I had let him be beaten up like this, and even though there was nothing I could have done to stop it, as I was in a completely different part of the city, yet I couldn't help but blame myself for this.

I was supposed to be the one who he could tell anything to yet he hadn't been able to tell me that he was bullied by his fellow classmates, for who knows how long. I thought he knew he could trust me now, but he was still hiding things from my view, which hurt me. Maybe he never would trust me, maybe I would never be able to convince him how much I really cared.

I was supposed to realise when stuff was wrong, or when something was getting him sign but I had failed him miserably, yet again. First, I had neglected to notice the scars on his arms and how little he ate, and now I realised how I never fully questioned him when he arrived home, disheartened, with bruises lining his pale face. How could I not have grasped that he was lying to me, that even a person as clumsy as Drew couldn't trip or fall almost everyday?

At my words, the heads of my three best friends glanced up from the floor and I was met three sympathetic, teary gazes. They all knew what had happened by now and they were all probably feeling almost as awful as I did, feeling utterly powerless, probably blaming themselves for not catching onto this sooner. But it wasn't their fault, merely mine, as usual.

"H-hey Shane"' Laurence greeted me after a second, though it was far from his usual cheery greeting and the smile was missing from his face as he spoke the two simple words, stumbling slightly over them. His eyes were filled with tears and he had clearly been crying as thick trails of eyeliner had smudged down his pale face. A comforting arm was wrapped round his shoulder by kier, who was sat in the chair beside Laurence, sniffling quietly to himself and sucking his thumb, like he always did when he was upset or nervous. I hadn't seen him resorted to sucking his thumb in a long time.

Even Luke was tearful, though the older boy was much better than concealing it that the others. No tears stained his face yet they were visible in his eyes, just not fallen yet. His leg kept bouncing up and down in a jitter, as he counted down the minutes until something was revealed about Drew. He was worried for the smaller boy;we all were.

"H-hi" I croaked back, my own eyes filled with tears as I shakily took a seat beside Luke, who turned his attention back to the floor, probably not wanting us to see him cry. Nobody else spoke up, we were all far too anxious to bother making small talk and I feared that if i spoke up, they would all begin talking about Drew and scare me even further by bringing up what could happen to him, when he woke up. If he woke up...

Once again, tears sprang to my eyes and I held back a choked sob as awful scenarios of what could happen filled my puzzling brain, each more terrifying than the previous;
   
   Drew could be badly hurt, whimpering and crying in a hospital bed, all alone, shouting for me to see him but nobody would listen
 
   Drew could be hurt so badly he had a broken arm, tender and wrapped up in an ugly coloured cast that would have to stay on for six weeks