Meant To Be // Minizerk

19

"Are you Joshua?" I look up from the kitchen table and see a paramedic stood by the door. "I need to check over your wounds, there are quite a few."

"I guess that's what happens when you come out to your homophobic brother." As Simon moves over the paramedic takes his seat and starts to deal with my wounds.

"Was he always like that?" Past tense.

"He'd always been homophobic and disrespectful to those who are unlike him and don't follow his ideal character but the violence only began two years ago when he was arrested for attacking a lesbian couple."

"Karma's a bitch." She shook her head before warning me that the wipe would sting.

Everyone kept saying it was karma. But was it?

"Your nose is broken and you're going to need to come with us to the hospital to the hospital to get stitches where you head has been split." I knew that the cuts would've been bad. But not this bad.

"I'll call your dad," Simon spoke up from across the table, "it'll be easier for him to get to the hospital because your mom and Jason are going to have to make their statements for the police."

I nod as I begin to recall what has happened so far today. I came out to my mom, Jason and Nathan. I confronted Nathan because of his homophobia. Nathan died.

It doesn't feel real. As I spend more time thinking about the events of today, my head begins to pound. I apply pressure thinking it'll go away but my vision begins to blur and the room spins.

The last thing I can remember hearing was the paramedic asking if I was alright and Simon calling my name.

29/11/19