Celo

Chapter 2

The next day he wasn't at school, I spent the whole day worrying about him, I called him at lunch, he didn't answer. I called him again when I got home and he picked up. I could hear his heavy breathing but he didn't say anything. "Quinn?" I spoke.

"I'm okay." he said softly.

"You're hurt aren't you?" I asked.

"Hey Casey dont worry I'll be okay." He answered; I was worried.

"Where are you?" I asked.

"Next door at the church, they let me sleep here." He replied.

"It's bad isn't it?" I asked.

"I can't hide anything from you can I?" He said, "knife this time, could've been a lot worse."

"I'm coming to get you." I hung up before he could protest. I ran outside and jumped into my car. I drove to the church with much less regard for the residential speed limit than I probably should have had. I hopped out and locked it while running. I found him lying on a cot in the small service overflow room. His eyes were closed and he was holding his upper left arm tightly with his right hand. There was blood on his fingers and on his shirt around where he was holding. I walked over and lifted his hand from his arm. He grimaced. It looked really deep. "Why do you let him do this to you?" I yelled. I was so angry with him for being so stubborn. "What did you tell them this time? Huh? Are you still telling them you're a street kid who got in a fight Quinn? Why don't you tell them? Someday he'll hurt you worse than you can handle. You can't keep letting this happen."

"Casey I'm so sorry I scared you but can you take a look at this, I think it's bad." He said weakly.

"Yes Quinn, it's very bad, you were stabbed, you should be at the hospital. I can take you." I offered despite the fact that I knew he'd decline.

"No, you know I can't do that." He said, I decided to drop it, it was a useless argument; there was no way he'd give in.

"Either way, I'm taking you to my place. First though, is that all he did?" 

"Foot." He answered frankly. I looked at his feet, he still had his skate shoes on but there was a long cut on his right ankle.

"How?" I questioned, it was an unusual place.

"I hit him, he fell, slashed and caught my ankle." He said flexing his hand. He'd probably fractured his knuckles too.

"C'mon let's get you out of here." I said wrapping my arm around him, I supported him as he limped to my car and helped him into the passenger seat.

I drove back to my house, and helped him inside. I had him lie down on the couch. It was only four, my parents wouldn't be home from work till at least seven. My sister was most likely at her boyfriend's house in which case she probably wouldn't come home at all. I ordered pizza for us and made tea. While I was waiting for the tea to cool down and the pizza to come I cleaned the cuts and bandaged them as well as I could  but he really should have had professional medical attention. "Casey, I can't—."

He started but I cut him off, "No Quinn, youre not leaving, you'll stay here tonight, I'll drive you to school tommorow and you can borrow Sammy's old crutches, alright?"

Sammy is my sister she is a pathological volleyball player, that and her boyfriend litterally are her life.

"What about your parents, they can't see me like this." He challenged.

"You'll sleep in my bed, I'll sleep on the floor and well go out through the back before they even wake up in the morning." I knew that he would have to accept. He couldn't get far in the condition he was in.

"Thanks." he said appreciatively.

"How's your hand?" I asked.

" What? Oh." he replied flexing his hand slowly and shakily, he could only make it halfway.

"Stop." I ordered and he replaced his hand to resting on his chest. I went to go get ice. I came back with a bag of frozen peas.

It was 5:30 and he was already starting to fall asleep so I helped him to my bed and tucked him in. Afterward I bandaged his hand and had him ice it while I caught him up on what he'd missed in school. When I stopped talking he fell asleep. I put the peas back in the freezer, locked my door and fell asleep also.

He was doing much better in the morning, I snuck out of my room and grabbed two packaged cinnamon rolls. My parents weren't awake yet and my sister hadn't come home, which was to be expected. Quinn had woken up before me and changed his bandages. I had gotten the crutches from my sisters closet the night before and I helped Quinn size them, my sister was tall but Quinn was taller.

He had taken off his other shirt last night but he was just about to put it back on blood and all. I just laughed and tossed him my dual-gender, school issued PE shirt.

He smiled, "Thanks." but he was having trouble putting it on. I walked over and gently helped him.

"How bad is it?" I asked him.

"Not good, but manageable." He answered.

I was glad he was in an honest mood. I decided not to show him pitty, I knew it would make him feel weak and he'd just shut me out even more. "Well come on then, were gonna be late." I said handing him the crutches. We got to the car and he got in himself this time.

"You realize that I have to go home today right?" He asked. Every part of me hated the fact that he was right. I knew if I let him go home I would see him at school the next day and he'd be hurt again, or worse, he wouldnt be at school the next day at all. But I also knew that if he stayed away for too long it would be so much more terrible for him.

"I know." I admitted reluctantly, "Call me before you go to bed okay?" I pulled into my parking spot.

 "Will do." he said and left.