Can't I Fit In Anywhere?

Chapter 69: Goodbye

Ryan's head hurt, and it pained him to try and think what happened to cause his body to feel like it was dunked in ice. He didn't like the cold. The cold stung and made his body feel numb or tingly. The only time he even remotely liked the cold was when he had his Psychic Runes activated, and even then he always felt slightly chilly and didn't particularly like it.

So you could see how he didn't like coming to consciousness cold and numb, as if his body was dunked in a snowbank and he was left there. He heard mumbling above him, but he could care less. It was cold and he was just trying to locate the nearest warmth spot and get there, preferably with little movement.

How did he even end up in this situation anyways? Ryan tried thinking back, but his head didn't agree to it, thumping as he slugged through his memories, trying to find the last one of where he was in danger.

Then it hit him. Jacob attacked him. He literally snapped and attacked him, but what happened after that? He fired off something, purple flames was it, then what?

He focused, but nothing came up, just that his body was drained and very cold.

A light pressure touched his wrist, and suddenly, Ryan realized that he wasn't alone and in his thinking, he ignored any sounds around him.

Cracking his eyes, Ryan was met with the form of Slade. Ryan slightly, why did he look panicked? Slade never looked this panicked before? Sure, he saw him worried but that was usually when everyone else was panicking.

"Slade?" Ryan asked.

Slade's head shot from looking at Ryan's wrist (where Ryan saw that Slade was checking his pulse) to Ryan's eyes.

Ryan watched in muted curiosity, as suddenly, it didn't look like Slade was panicked, but just mildly worried. Ryan could only internally scoff. Slade always told him to not bottle up his emotions, but yet here he is, doing the same.

'What the hell Ryan!' Slade ran a hand down his face. 'What the hell happened?'

And at that moment, Ryan wanted to die. He was going to have to explain the situation, which would make him look sane in any light.

'What am I even going to say to that? Ah yes, I thought I was hallucinating after I watched my best friend fall to his death, but it turned out that that was his spirit haunting me because it was my fault he died. I was taking meds and stopped since I forgot them, and he showed up again and is now trying to kill me! That doesn't seem like a good answer.'

Slade only stared at him, blankly. 'Ryan.'

Ryan squinted at Slade, before his skin went even paler. Slade wasn't speaking out loud, but was using his Psychic Runes to communicate via mind. Meaning that Slade just heard the sarcastic answer Ryan thought up and wasn't planning on telling Slade.

'...hey?' Ryan hated how awkward he sounded. 'I uh, thought you said you wouldn't do this anymore?'

---

Ryan winced as he tightened the gauze around his arm, which would keep the gauze underneath over his cut. It wasn't fairly deep, Ryan had worse, but it was annoyingly long. Which helped contribute to the amount of blood that was drying on his arm and what ruined his hoodie.

After a bit of walking around, Ryan's pain in his head flitted away, and only the pain from the cut stayed. Although he was still slightly cold, but not as cold. (and he could feel his arm and move it, which was good).

The awkward moment after Ryan rose from unconsciousness, both Slade and Ryan realized that they needed to at least take care of his injury before Slade would drill answers out of him. It didn't last long though before Slade began asking questions.