The Milkshake Project

Love Me Tender

"Rider!" I screamed.

Rider fell to his knees, and I rushed to his side. His breath was coming in ragged gasps as he pitched forward, one hand bracing against the ground while the other clutched his abdomen. A crowd gathered around in curiosity as I tied to get him to talk.

"Rider, what's wrong? What's wrong?"

I looked to where he was holding his side and carefully moved his hand away. My breath caught in my throat as I saw a smear of blood across his palm. With a shaky hand, I slowly pulled away Rider's jacket.

"Oh, my God..." I mumbled, stifling a horrified gasp.

His undershirt, once a pristine canvas against his suit, was marred by a deep red stain growing across the fabric. Jack had shot him.

Rider swayed a bit and nearly fell into me.

"Rider, you need to lay down," I said.

I steadied him as he lowered himself to the ground.

"Ellie!" I heard Bonnie call from nearby as she pushed past the onlookers, "Ellie, what happened? I heard-"

Bonnie stopped short as she saw the dark spot growing against Rider's jacket.

"I...I'm going to get a teacher," Bonnie mumbled, stumbling away.

"He got me, huh?" Rider said with a bitter chuckled that ended on a pained grunt.

"No, no," I said, "You're going to be okay. Bonnie's going to go find somebody, just hold on."

Rider nodded as he took a deep breath. I could tell he was trying hard not to show any pain, but, by the sweat beading at his brow and the broken sounds of his breath, I knew his adrenaline had worn off.

"Everybody move!" A familiar voice boomed over the curious murmurs of the crowd.

A line of people separated, and Mr. McDaniel stepped into the circle with Bonnie in tow.

"My, God," he said, as his eyes fell on Rider.

"Hey, Teach," Rider greeted "They stuck you on babysitting duty, huh?" Rider asked.

Mr. McDaniel knelt down and raised Rider's jacket. His face seemed to pale as he saw the wound, but he was quick to steel himself.

"Still managing jokes," Mr. McDaniel said with a shake of his head.

"What else can I do?" Rider replied.

Mr. McDaniel gave him a tight smile before turning back to the crowd.

"Alright, everyone, clear out," he said waving them off.

Mr. McDaniel pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and folded it over. He placed it onto Rider's side and pressed down hard with the bottom of his palm. Tears gathered in my eyes as Rider let out a strangled cry.

"It's okay, Mr. Hale," Mr. McDaniel said, "It's okay."

Rider screwed his eyes shut and took several quick, deep breaths. From where I sat, I could feel him begin to quiver ever so slightly. I looked to Mr. McDaniel, and he seemed to notice this with a flicker of concern.