It Had to be You

Chapter Seven: The Aftermath

Tw: Implied child abuse, panic attack

Before Max could process a thing, Nurf had already flung the hoodie over his shoulder into the water. The gentle waves pushed it under in seconds, no where to be seen.

"Why don't you go swim and-" Nurf cut off with a sharp gasp. Max stood before everyone, shivering in a scrappy white tank top. He was skinny. God, when had he gotten so small? Without his hoodie, and stripped of his pointed attitude, Max seemed so helpless. Like the smallest wind could knock him over. And the scars. Oh god, the scars. They covered his arms, some of them red angry burns, some cuts, and whatever was not burns or cuts was bruises. Loud purple and green bruises that hurt just to look at.

The lake went so quiet you could have heard a pen drop. Everyone had their eyes on Max. He could feel their shocked glares on his skin, like the pricks of needles. Max was frozen, like a deer in headlights. Before he could free himself from his motionless state, he felt someone rush behind him. A warm hand grabbed Max's shoulder.

"Does anyone have a towel they could lend Max?" David called to the group. After a couple of seconds, Nerris stepped forward and handed David her towel. David wrapped it gently around Max's shoulders, taking care to hide as much of the scars and bruises as possible.

Then the camp watched with horrified eyes as Max collapsed inwards. Towel still wrapped around his shoulders, he crumpled to the ground. David sat down after him, whispering reassuring words into Max's ear and reminding him to breath. Max was hyperventilating, tears streaming down his face and no sound coming out. He curled into a ball, holding his knees in front of his face. Rocking back and forth, he slowly managed to calm down enough to breath normally. Max was talking now. Whispered words, unable to be made out by the crowd. David gestured vaguely to Gwen and she nodded.

As the entire camp watched stunned, David picked Max up, cradling Max in his arms like a mother holds a newborn baby. Max made no move to protest as David carried the still panicked boy towards the main camp.

Gwen brought the group to attention by clapping into her megaphone. "I'm sure you little shits are worried about Max. However, he needs some time alone right now for reasons I'm sure you understand. You can all go back to swimming now, except for you Nurf. You and I are going to have some words right the fuck now." Gwen looked furious. She was practically exploding with rage as she dragged Nurf aside and started yelling at him about what he had just done.

"What the fuck was that?!" Neil was the first to break the silence. He looked like he was about to start crying himself.

"He looked awful," Nerris murmured.

"Why didn't he say anything?" Nikki, for the first time since she had come to camp, wasn't fidgeting. She stood stock still, her expression grim.

"Whatever did that to him is totally uncool." Erin added.

No one really felt like swimming anymore. The water was empty. People sat on towels laid on top of the sand. The overcast day, which had previously felt calm and comforting now felt overbearing. Like being smothered in a cloudy blanket. Barely anyone spoke and when they did the exchanges were tense and ended as suddenly as they started. Words fizzling out like coals in water.

After almost ten minutes of being yelled at by Gwen, Nurf went back to the group. He laid out his own towel on the sand and sat down. His face was downcast and almost ashamed. No one spoke to him. No one said Gwen had overreacted. No one told him what he did was okay.

Gwen joined the group soon after. She was silent, choosing to sit on a stump near the woods as opposed to in the group of kids. She watched them, eyes hard but forgiving. Occasionally those eyes floated to Nurf. There was no forgiveness in her eyes then. None at all. It was like the whole camp was holding their breath.

And then, slowly, the silence lifted. The conversations became less tense. Sure, the sentences were short, but they felt less like a loaded gun and more like a mutual exchange. Then they grew longer. Kids relaxed. Harrison, Preston, and Space Kid all got up and walked over to another one of the trees. A big oak. They sat there together, talking quietly about mundane things, trying to forget what they had just seen. People moved closer together and began to talk as a group. Nikki and Neil never really relaxed, but they calmed down. Nikki started bouncing around the group, jumping on everyone she crossed paths with. Neil sat quietly, not friendly exactly, but his face was no longer grim and drawn.

And together, a group of people who had known each other so well. A group of people who had poured out their souls to each other. Laughed and cried together. Lived together for months and then been tore apart by time and school and friends and everything that life brought, only to be smashed back together again. Only now there was pieces missing, and new pieces and no one really knew where they fit anymore and if they had even fit at all. Together a group of people who had thought they knew each other so well waited for another piece to return. Together a group of people who had thought they knew each other so well hoped that they were not broken for good.

An: I'M BACK PEOPLE! I hope you like this chapter, sorry for the break but updates should be back to the usual schedule of every two or three days. I'm hoping to get as much of this story out of my brain and into the world before school starts and I have to worry about homework and stuff, so expect lots more updates! It really makes my day when I see that people are actually reading my story, so thanks! <3