Line of Time

People care about me?

They figured out that Miss Cooper would take Tino in and treat him as one of her own until Chase came home. It took a while for Tino to get use to the fact that Chase was in a different country at the moment. But school had started and his grades had suffered due to his mind not being focused on the subjects he was learning. Lukas and Berwald helped him with his school work and they were now basically his teachers in the matters. They knew that they had to get his mind off all of the things that were going on. At school you could see propaganda posters from the classroom windows. Tino would offend get distracted by them and then get in trouble with his teachers. He didn't mean to it was just that he was worried about his dad. Mathias and Erin would also help him get his mind off the fact that there was a war. They would drag him outside and at home and play until they had no choice but to bring him inside because he was falling asleep where he stood. They tired to do the same thing at school but Lukas and Berwald had put a stop to it after they saw that Tino had been needing their help walking to his next classes on day. But as time pasted it had now been a three weeks and he hadn't even got a word from his father. Not a letter or a phone call, even if he knew that a phone call was probably off the table and a letter was all he could hope for... Everyday Tino went to check their mailbox with hopes of finding something but he would always find nothing from his father. Miss Cooper told him that something would eventually come and he'd be able to read all about what his dad was up to and he could write back and tell him about everything that was going on here. This was something that always managed to cheer him up for the rest of the week until the next day when he was sent out to check the week's mail. 

One day at school. Tino sat out in the court yard and ate his lunch, alone as usual. His friends were off studying, reading and playing football or something. He would have joined them but the others played rough. He knew he would get hurt by the older kids since he wasn't really the most popular of the guys. He was considered a nerd or a weird kid to pick on. Tino didn't mind being alone during the lunch hour but he did mind when kids would push him around in the halls. 

Everything seemed like any other day until Tino saw Gunnar leaned up against the tree next to him and give him a smile. He hadn't even heard the older boy step up behind him. Tino never saw Gunnar at school though, it was a secret that they all kept from Miss May Cooper that he would usually walk with them haft way to school and then disappear into the city on his own for the day and met them back at the school when the day was over.  It was rare to see him at school and they knew that he didn't like it much. Gunnar never liked anything where he had to be kept inside all day, he didn't like closed off spaces.

"You don't have to take care of any of your business today, Gunnar?" Tino asked with a curious tone as he looked at the older boy who let out a sigh as he shook his head, there was something different about him today. 

"I n-need your help..." He said as his voice in the tone he had used told Tino that something bad had happened. He sprang to his feet. Gunnar's voice had been low and rough, he was in pain. 

"What happened?" Tino asked as his eyes were almost ready to pop out of his skull. He scanned Gunnar over and worry was clear on the younger boy's face. 

"I got in-- I hurt my arm." Gunnar said as he was still holding it under his coat. Tino eyed it and carefully moved his coat to get a better look. He breathed a sigh when he saw that he wasn't bleeding or that a bone wasn't sticking out. He then collected himself and held his arm.

"Does it hurt when I do this?" Tino asked as Gunnar held his breath. 

"It's just really sore and heavy." Gunnar managed to get out which brought a blank expression onto Tino's face.

"... I think it might be broken... But I don't have much experience with broken bones." Tino said as he then remembered his spine and what was one of the worst times of his life.