*ding*
Jake glanced over at his phone,furrowing his brow. Christine was in play practice,and Jeremy and Michael were with her,so he could rule out all of them. Jenna had taken all the girls out on a ladies day,so not them. That only left one person,that he could think of. He rushed over to his phone, excited to talk to his best friend. His demeanor quickly changed, however, when he read the text.
*jacob
A bad, dark, heavy feeling started settling in Jake's stomach almost instantly. Rich hadn't called him by his full name since he got hit by that car sophomore year. Quickly, he typed a response.
-yeah?
-You never call me that dude, What's wrong
He added, nervously. A couple moments later,Rich replied.
*...Dads yelling again
The heavy ball of fear in Jake's stomach got A Lot heavier and darker immediately.
-Oh
-fuck
-Bad?
*Not yet
*well,not really...
-What do you mean "not really"
The three dots came and gone. Rich didn't answer for a long time. After around 10 minutes of anxious quiet,he finally received a text.
*He threw something at me Again
-Oh damn,you okay??
Rich responded quickly now,probably to keep him from worrying.
*yeah,yeah,i'm fine
*He missed,lucky for me
Jake sighed,relieved. He was about to text again,until he got a strange request.
*Jake call me please
He was confused, but he did so. Rich picked up within the first ring.
"Uh,h-"
"Shhh." Rich quickly hushed him. "...Listen." There was some clattering,and Jake assumed they were next to the door now. He was about to ask,but then he heard it. The crashing. It sounded like there was a bull downstairs,it was so loud. And the yelling. He couldn't understand most of it, it was too muffled, but he could pick out Rich's name, paired with some pretty bad insults. "Shit..." He whispered. "He usually wears h-himself out by now..." Rich mumbled, the anxiety in his voice nearly tangible. "I don't know if-..." He stopped,abruptly. He was quiet for a solid minute,and Jake dare not speak. Suddenly, he could hear Rich scramble up on the other line. "Oh fuck. Oh nonono oh jesus-" He mumbled,distressed. "W-What? Richard, What's going on now?" Jake asked,hastily. He heard a door click shut,and then nothing but Rich's hard breathing. After a bit,he replied,finally. "I...I h-hear him coming upstairs...J-Jake,i'm scared-What am i s-supposed to do??" That sent a lightning bolt of fear down Jake's spine. "...I can be over in 10 minutes. Maybe 5,if I run..." He said,quietly, getting his jacket and walking outside. "P-Please help me Jake...i-i think...i just-...i think he might..." Rich was struggling for words. His last few strands of composure were quickly fading. Finally,he just...broke. "H-He wasn't even trying to miss me-he's gonna hurt m-me-please-help me im fucking scared-" There was a loud banging noise,and Rich went silent for a minute,before continuing. "...Shit. J-Jacob he's...h-he's at my door." He muttered,suddenly,cold fear radiating from each syllable. Jake quickened his walking pace,starting to run down the sidewalk. "I...Im almost there. Y-you're in the closet,right? D-Don't answer the door. Do not hang up on me Richard,no matter what h-happens. Okay?" Rich didn't answer at first,and only the sound of the loud banging on the door was heard. "Y-You hear me buddy?" Jake said,nervously. Rich said nothing, but made a small noise of confirmation on the other side. Jake could see his best friends house now, at the end of the road. He sped up,his anxiety mounting with every step. His chest was on fire,but he kept going. The banging on the other line was getting louder. It went quiet for just a moment, and he could hear Rich's breath hitch in the silence.
