Hit me with your best shot

Jack sighed, a knot forming in his stomach the nearer they got to the school. Who's sick idea was it to do P.E? He couldn't take it.

Everyone in the car chatted away the entire journey, playing off Jacks silence to just be something to do with his 'illness' They all had to admit that he was a great deal paler today than he had been other days which they weren't pleased to see because the boy was already pale as it was.

Although none of the others had openly discussed it with each other, they all knew that they need to keep an eye on him today.

"Should you be doing P.E after being sick?" Aster asked Jack. Jack jumped having been in a world of his own staring out the window.

"I mean, you were ill yesterday, maybe you should take a break today for a while at least, you don't want to bring on more sickness." Aster continued.

"I'll be fine." Jack shrugged, trying to keep the miserable tone out of his voice. "Besides, you know coach only accepts letters from parents as an excuse for not doing P.E, and I don't have any." Jack said before realising what it sounded like. "Letters! I don't have a letter with me." He stuttered out, not seeing the sad glance that Sandy shot him.

They all nodded, remembering coaches rules according to P.E. "But you're so pale today, she'll have to see you don't look 100%." Fia argued. "We could pretend we're worried or something." She said knowing full well that there would be very little pretending needed.

"Fia, I'm basically an albino, white skin, white hair, she won't even be able to see that I look slightly paler than normal, it's a wonder you even noticed, anyway she knows were friends and she will 100% see through it. Don't worry about it, I'll take it easy." He said with an airy laugh that he did not mean one bit.

The rest decided to leave it at that but they weren't happy with the outcome of the conversation.

They returned to their chat and Jack returned to looking out the window and thinking of how this was going to play out, but he knew he would rather do P.E than get Julia to sign a letter making it very clear that they didn't share the same last name and that they weren't related to one another. Nope P.E was definitely better.

With a heavy heart Jack noticed them pulling up to the school and suppressed a groan that rose in his throat. He had to do this.

And so, in they went to their spot in the morning and the knot grew in Jacks stomach as the clock ticked closer to nine o clock and he knew time to face the music was nearing.

He wondered briefley if he could fake his own death in the three minutes he had left and run off and start a new life before deciding that might be a bit over the top.

Unless...

No, it wouldn't work, he would have needed more time.

And just like that the bell rang and the knot overcame him. He actually thought he might puke, and that might be a good thing. Coach would hardly make him do P.E when he stank of vomit.

On he went to the gym, his heart in his mouth. He knew he would actually throw up if they had to do a bleep test because no way in heaven or hell would he survive that.

The boys seperated from Fia at the changing rooms as they always did when another problem struck Jack. People would see him with his shirt off and it was not a pretty sight.

His chest was like a canvass that someone had sat and thrown yellow and blue paint at, with bruises of different variety's coating him from top to bottom. No one could see that. He would be able to take the embarrassment.

But it would be even weirder if he hid to get changed because no one ever did that.

Then as he entered the room, he spotted a corner where he knew no one would see his front, if he changed facing the walls. He wondered what his back looked like but he knew it had to be a hell of a lot better than his chest so he decided it would have to do.

It's not that his class liked to watched each other change but there weren't actual changing rooms in the gym. It was just a big room and some cubicles with showers in it. There was space to leave their bags but that was it.

At the start they would all change in the showers but it soon began knowledge that the showers were easily turned on and there was nothing like getting soaked while changing into either your sports gear of you uniform.

And so, there Jack was, bricking it as he loosened his tie facing away from everyone else. If he had thought he would have put his t-shirt on underneath his shirt but as usual, he wasn't thinking straight.

He changed quickly, hoping not to draw any attention to himself. His friends shot each other concerned looks at the silence Jack was showing but they just had to hope he would be fine.

Okay, he was changed. The was one crisis adverted and just left the biggest challenge left to finish. The actual exercise. His ankle was still, basically out of action for everything other than walking (slowly at that). So he knew that unless it was table tennis, he was royally screwed.

He waited for his friends, attempting to chat in order to calm his nerves, it sort of worked but sorted didn't at the same time. He was still extremely nervous but he just couldn't remember what he was nervous about. Until he stopped talking and it hit him again.

They walked out to the hall and seen Fia waiting for them. There was no CD player in sight so hopefully that meant no bleep test.

They waited for a few minutes until the class filtered in and then the coach began to speak. "Dodgeball." She announced. "You'll be in two teams. I'll pick them out."

Dodge ball. Jack could do dodge ball. It would be fine. He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice that he was put into a different team from his friends. But it didn't matter. He'd be fine by himself. In dodge ball he could look like he was doing something whilst actually not doing anything.

The game began and Jack was actually enjoying himself a it was only right that things would go south for him because that was the way it went. Every time he was happy, something bad would happen.

It was an accident, he knew that. Didn't mean he liked it

So basically a ball rolled by his feet and so he picked it up. Then he noticed that Sandy wasn't looking at him and so he threw the ball hitting Sandy. And naturally Sandy was out of the game. Sandy gave him a pretend look of disgust while Jack stuck out his tongue at him playfully.

And Jacks guard was down. Which Aster noticed. So Aster grabbed the ball nearest him and chucked it at Jack. Now, Aster was strong and he was tall, two things Jack was not. And that was even before Jack had gotten injured.

Now imagine having possible broken ribs and being hit with force right into the said possible broken ribs. It was not pleasant.

Now at the same time, someone else of his team slid to the side to avoid another ball that was after being thrown. Right into Jack.

Now he was nearly doubled over with the ball so his balanced wasn't great, and then with being shoved into, his bad ankle just couldn't take it and it went and Jack stumbled and his the floor with a thud.

The wind had been knocked out him and all he could feel was pain coming from his foot and side whilst struggling to take in a breath.

He knew to avoid being caught he needed to get up. To make it look like a stupid mistake that others could all laugh about but he couldn't figure out what parts of his body he had to use to get up.

Someone was asking him something but he couldn't understand the question. All he could hear was noise and then Jack. Something something something, Jack.

He groaned lowly but he was slowly starting to understand some of the noise. "...Ankle shouldn't bend that way….."

"….get….nurse?"

"Jack?"

Jack knew that last voice. It was coaches. "You okay?" Concern eminent in her voice.

"Fine." Jack spluttered out trying to keep his pain balanced. "Just a bit winded." He breathed before attempting to sit up but someone quickly pushed him back down.

"Not a good idea, stay where you are, the nurse is on her way." Coach said.

Before Jack knew there was someone on either side of his helping him up to take him over to the bench. One of which was Aster.

"Jack I am so sorry." Aster said but Jack just shook his head. "S'fine, didn't mean it."

"I didn't mean to hit you hard I swear." Aster continued but Jack had stopped listening. Because the nurse was coming and he was sure someone would mention getting hit in the chest. He sighed. He was 100% getting caught out.

Crap.