Beneath The Surface

Chapter 23

Jamie

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit," Adrien repeats over and over.

"What the hell happened!?" A deep voice, Derrick, yells.

"Oh my god, Jamie!" Another deep voice, Mason.

"Holy fuck," says Jaydon.

Jaydon's tone makes me want to laugh but I can't move. The pain is overwhelming. I can barely breathe.

"What the fuck are you doing here!?" Adrien sobs. "Get out!"

"You're the one who invited us," Jaydon says quietly.

"Yeah, Adrien," Mason cuts in. "Look, I can leave now if you want, but I can't guarantee these two will come along."

"Hell if I do," Derrick mutters.

"Seriously, what the fuck happened!?" I can feel Jaydon staring at me.

Adrien hiccups quietly.

"His... dad," he whispers.

"Jim did this!?" Mason says, bewildered.

"I'm calling 911," Derrick announces.

"No!" Adrien yells. I feel his weight shift off the bed.

"What the hell do you mean 'no'!?" Derrick yells back. "He's your fucking boyfriend and you don't want him going to the hospital after being knocked out!? What the hell is wrong with you!?"

"If you do, what are we gonna say!? That his dad did this!? Do you know what they'd do!? They'd arrest Jim, and Jamie will end up living in goddamn Wisconsin with his fucking aunt!" Adrien screams.

"Why wouldn't he come live with me?" Mason asks.

"Because his mom's fucking dead!" Adrien half-sob half-yells.

"Well, we sure as hell can't leave him bleeding out on your bed!" Derrick shouts.

"That's the only thing we can do, genius!" Adrien screams.

"You fucking selfish bastard!"

I'm assuming Derrick made a move toward Adrien because Mason yells.

"Cut it out!"

Adrien's still crying, contrasting with Derrick's heavy breathing.

"Your friend is unconscious and you two want to fight? Are you kidding me!?"

Derrick sighs, furiously.

"Look, leaving him here isn't going to help anything, Adrien. We'll call 911. But we're not going to tell them anything about Jim, okay? We'll say that a bunch of guys beat him up in an alley and that we found him. Alright?" Mason finishes, his voice shaking nervously as he desperately tries to hold onto his composure.

I take a deep breath and let it out, unsteadily.

Adrien sucks in a breath, hearing me waking up. I slowly open my eyes. He rushes over and kneels on the floor beside the bed.

"Jamie! Jay? Jamie, I'm here!" He says between sobs.

Derrick's gaze flickers to my face and, I swear, I see his eyes begin to glaze over.

Mason tries to smile a bit. Jaydon just stares.

"Hey, kiddo," Mason whispers, regretfully.

Adrien takes my hand in both of his and kisses it. He drops his head, presses my fingers to his brow and whispers.