Unconquered (Being Rewritten)

Chapter 22

Chapter 22 (Simon's pov)

I'm walking down the hall, listening to "Stressed Out" by Twenty One Pilots. My head bobs to the beat.

Suddenly, my phone bings with an email. I pause my music and open up the email. I frown, seeing it's from Joey, the really cute guy in the Clan.

Yes, I am gay. FYI, I'm using this girl, Heather, as a cover-up. Have been since I got here. She's a lesbian, so we both are using each other as a cover-up for the other.

Anyways, I open up the email and see there is a link to YouTube. I frown even more opening it up. I hit the play button and watch the video, sitting down in a stairwell.

Joey's face pops up. He looks tired and sad. He has bags under his eyes as if he hasn't slept for a couple days. His clothes are disheveled, his hair is sticking out all over the place as if he's been running his hands constantly through it. His really sexy nerd glasses are askew on his face.

"Hey, guys. It's me again, Joey Beauregard," he says, sounding tired and worn. He sighs. "So, I've been thinking about this for a while now. And I hate to say it, but I'm considering killing myself. I don't love myself. Everyone keeps telling me to get over my depression. But you know what people with depression can't do? Get over it. Well, I'll be the first to do that, actually. By killing myself. The only real reason I'm going to be killing myself is because I'm tired of seeing this guy I like be with a girl. I can't say anything to him or else I'll just make a fool of myself. Besides, I'm not worth a cent compared to her. Why wouldn't he wanna be with a skinny, sweet, bubbly, nerdy girl? I'm just a boy who got abused as a child. Anyways...I hope I don't disappoint anyone who's watching this. I can still see my crush's face when I close my eyes. He's everywhere. And I love him. I love his silky night black hair, his deep brown eyes, his soft pale skin..." Joey trails off, his eyes going hazy. He shakes his head and blinks. "Sorry," he says, blushing a little. "Got busy thinking of him. Well, this is my last video. I love you guys." He smiles a little at the camera. "Oh, and Simon, I love you."

Then, the video is over. My mind goes blank for a second.

He loves me...he LOVES me! I think to myself. But wait...he's gonna kill himself...and I haven't even gotten to be with him yet! With this in mind, I jump up from my spot on the stairs and use my magic to disappear and reappear where Joey is.

Joey is sitting on the edge of a nearby cliff.

The cliff has a beautiful view of the city and the campus, which is off to the side on another small cliff. Behind us is a small pond, with trees surrounding the entire area.

Joey is staring at the city, his eyes glazed in thought, his head tilted down. In his hands, he is holding a letter and a shirt. I come up and wrap my arms around him tightly, pulling him from the edge. He yelps in surprise, jerking forward.

"Don't you dare kill yourself, Joseph!" I yell, tears forming in my eyes. "You're too damn important to kill yourself!"

Joey turns in my arms and faces me. He takes my face in both his hands. Tears form in his eyes as he runs the pads of his thumbs beneath my eyes. "Don't cry over me," he whispers.

"You are not allowed to kill yourself!" I tell him firmly.

Joey shakes his head. "No one needs me here."

"That's a lie!" I yell at him. "Alex needs you! Chad needs you or else he'll have a mental breakdown! I need you!"

He looks at me, confusion and shock masking his face. "You need me? But but but you have Heather! You don't need me!"

I shake my head. "Joey, I need you. You don't know how badly I need you. Just...just wait until my birthday. Everything will be ok then." I kiss the tip of his nose. "I promise it will be ok."

Joey looks into my eyes, his moss green eyes shining with trust. "I'm going to trust you on this. If you fail to keep your promise, I'll kill myself on the spot."

"Then I'll make sure I don't fail," I tell him. "I promise everything will be ok on my birthday."