Nowhere Kids

Our Secret

Brent stayed by my side until I called down. Class was halfway over by the time I stopped crying.
"You okay now?" Brent asked as he held me tightly. I sniffed and nodded as I looked up at him. He smiled at me and cupped my face in his hands, using his thumb to wipe away my tears. After giving me a tender kiss, he took my hand and walked my back to class.

The teacher questioned why we walked in so late.
"Jamie wasn't feeling good so I took her to the nurse" Brent said. The teacher looked me up and down before letting us take our seats. I must look unwell as she didn't question us anymore. Brent and I focused on our class work as we knew now wasn't a good time to talk about it. Well, I tried focusing on class work. It was hard to focus on anything after receiving that news.

After class I walked with Brent towards the cafeteria.
"Should we tell them?" He asked quietly as walked. "I mean, they'll find out eventually"
"Not now" I mumbled. He nodded and placed an arm around me, pulling me closer to his side. We entered the busy cafe joined our friends at the lunch table.
"You feeling okay?" Eric asked as he looked at me. Brent sat down and pulled me into his lap, holding me close.
"I'm okay" I said quietly. They all gave Brent and I weird looks but didn't say anything else about it. They just went back to talking amongst themselves, and I was too much in my own mind to know what they were talking about. I was using all my energy not to break down crying again.

I didn't even hear the bell ring. Brent had to lean forward and whisper to me, letting me know it was time to go. I got off his lap and let him stand before taking his hand again. The others were staring, but I didn't care. I kissed Brent's check before leaving him to follow Barry to class.
"You sure you're okay? Maybe if your feeling ill you should go home" Barry suggested.
"I'm fine Barry, really" I said, giving him a half smile. He just smiled back and nodded, knowing not to push it anymore.

Class went by quickly as my mind raced. It was hard to get my mind off things when I knew my life was permanently changed. Barry tried helping me relax, and I really appreciated him in this moment. If he wasn't here, I would be a sobbing mess by now. Once the bell rang I said goodbye to him and started towards the gym.

I talked to the coach about sitting out today as I felt ill. He agreed so I sat on the bleachers off to the side. Zach came jogging over to check on me.
"What, your not playing today?" He asked. I just shook my head and looked down at my feet. He stood by me a moment before sighing and walking away to join the rest of the class.

I spent gym watching all the other students run around and tackle each other as the player football. Seeing how rough everyone was getting made me glad to sit out. Once class was done and the bell rang, Zach and I walked together to the parking lot to meet up with the others.
"Want to hang out at my place today?" Brent asked us both as we walked over.
"Sounds good" Zach said. I nodded in agreement and we both followed Brent to his truck. I guess Eric and Barry already left and would meet us there.

Zach sat in the back seat while I sat passenger next to Brent. Brent and Zach talked during the ride while I leaned my head against the window, enjoying the music from the radio. I was just glad to be out of school. Maybe chilling with my friends will be enough for me to finally relax. I suddenly felt Brent grab my hand so I looked over and smiled at him. He smiled back at me before putting his eyes back on the road and continuing his conversation with Zach.

We got to Brent's house where Eric and Barry were waiting on the front porch. We approached them together and Brent unlocked the front door, letting us all inside. Zach went straight to the fridge for a drink while Barry and Eric looked around for something to do.
"It's like they live here" I said to Brent.
"That's how I want it. I want all of you comfortable in my house" he said with a smile. He took my hand and walked me over to to couch. After he sat down, he pulled me into his lap and laid back so I was laying on top of him. I blushed as Eric looked over at us before going back to browsing Brent's music, finding something to put on.

Brent held me tightly in his arms while the others wandered around the house, keeping themselves busy. I started feeling better as I cuddled into Brent's chest, listening to his calming heartbeat. He didn't say anything but he didn't have to, just being with him was calming. I was so emotionally drained that I closed my eyes and just rested on top of him, ignoring the world around me.