Smoke And Smiles (A 2020 Jeff The Killer Story)

7

Margret, Dave and Liu sat anxiously in the waiting room as Jeff continued to be treated for his injuries.
They sat quietly and distraught until Liu finally spoke,
"Mom, dad, I swear if you think for a second that Jeff did this, I will lose the remaining respect I might've had for you both."
He was distressed but by his tone, it was clear he meant every word.
"There might be something wrong with him, but he would never willingly throw himself into a damn fire!"
Liu exclaimed, his shaky tone getting louder.
"Liu... we know he didn't do this. That Randy kid pushed him, one of his friends and Melanie told us. We're pressing charges and he's going to get punished."
Dave confessed, making Liu feel a little better.
"I should've been there."
He responded as his voice broke and tears flowed from his hazel eyes.
Margret rubbed his back as her voice shook as well.
"It's not your fault Liu. He shouldn't have stayed over there."
She said softly before Liu looked at her with anger evident in his eyes.
"You always figure out a way to blame your kids, don't you?"
He snapped, growing more sick of his parents' constant lack of self awareness.
"I am not blaming him-"
She claimed before Liu interrupted her sharply.
"It sure as hell sounds like it. You were the one who wanted him to hang out like nothing was wrong."

"Caito."
Before the parents could respond to their son's harsh truth, a nurse called them to Jeff's room.
The family looked down at their drowsy son with his half of his body bandaged, including his face.
The cold vicinity chilled them even more as the beeping of machines seemed to echo around the brightly lit room.
"Jeffrey suffered a great deal, it's a miracle he's still alive."
The nurse spoke cautiously as she checked the I.V in his arm.
"How bad is the damage?"
Margret asked, keeping his composure.
"He has third degree burns on his face, chest and shoulders. He also received second degree burns on his abdomen.
All of which caused permanent scarring. After his burns heal completely, he will still need to keep his skin moisturized to prevent any further damage from occurring. With proper treatment, he should be back to normal."
The nurse explained calmly as they sighed in relief.
"He will possibly need to be homeschooled."
Margret responded shakily as Liu looked at her with confusion.
"He will be able to function regularly in a public school."
The nurse responded.
"The damage will make his self esteem go down because of the bullying..."
She stated, her voice breaking.
"Honey, I think that's the least of our worries right now."
Dave responded before Liu could fume on his mother.
"I'll let you spend some time with him. He's heavily sedated at the moment but he should be at least a little responsive now."
The nurse explained before leaving the room.

Jeff started to shake softly as he heard the nurse leave.
Even though his mind was jumbled, he still had so much he wanted to say and so many emotions building inside of him.
He wanted to jump up and embrace Liu, but he also wanted to curse his parents for forcing him to go.
Mostly, he was angry at himself for even considering trusting Keith and approaching Randy and Troy.
"We are so sorry this happened..."
Margret admitted as she began to cry.
Jeff didn't believe her tears for one second even if they were real.
He knew she was the master of false sympathy.
"Brother..."
Liu muttered, softly touching his shoulder though he couldn't feel it.
He wanted so badly to move but was too weak. He tried to speak through the bandages but all that came out were soft cries.
"Shhh, it's okay, you don't need to say anything. Just go to sleep, you need your rest."
Liu whispered in a comforting tone as he decided to do what his brother told him.
Jeff drifted to sleep as his family surrounded him and Melanie later joined them and stayed the night at the hospital.