I'm sorry this is late- fanfiction won't let me upload documents. It's still down, but I figured out a way around it. Trigger warning- suicidal thoughts and depression. Also- important author's note at the bottom- please read!

"Ow! That fucking hurts, be careful!"

"M'sorry, love. Here, into the house, then you can lay down."

Austin nods tiredly, crutching forward. I'd love to carry him- but he blatantly refused- reasoning being that he needs to get used to his crutches, and if we carry him everywhere, that won't help his cause. It's a good reason, but seeing him in obvious agony is the worst. Rydel, Rocky, and Ratliff went to grab his pain meds, so when they get back, he'll be a lot more comfortable- I was left with the task of putting Austin to bed and making sure he's alright.

The school day is over- and we did get a call from the school about this entire thing. After we explained it, they gave both Ratliff and Austin the week off- excused, which is good. Austin needs time to adjust, and Ratliff's mental state is something I fear for. He's spiraling downward- and we cannot have a repeat of sophomore year.

As I help Austin into my bedroom, a spark of pain explodes in my chest. My mental state is shit right now- there's nothing more that I want to do- other than suicide. It feels like that's my only option- the only reason I'm still here is because Austin would be destroyed, if I killed myself. It seems like he's closest to me- and I can't do that to him- I can't hurt him like that.

"Rik?"

I snap back into reality, focusing on my little brother. "Yeah?"

"You zoned out. S'everything okay?"

I nod slightly. "Yeah, love. Just thinking. C'mon, let's get you lying down."

"My knee hurts," Austin whispers, eyes sharp with obvious pain.

"I know, Aus, I know. How 'bout we just lay together until they get back, yeah?"

Austin nods immediately, and the light in his hazel gaze warms my heart. He's adorable, and I just love him so much. I'd hate to be the reason for his tears. "C'mere, love." I gather him into my arms, once again allowing his crutches to fall to the ground. I lift him onto my hip, and slide under the covers, holding Austin's small body tightly to my chest.

"Wait, we should elevate your leg, love," I mutter. "Hang on." I reach over and grab one of Rydel's fallen pillows, before turning back to Austin. "This may hurt."

He nods slightly, and I lift his leg to slip the pillow underneath, wincing at his loud whimper of pain. "There you go, babe."

"What's with the nicknames?" he slurs, resting his head on my chest. "Not that I don't like them but…"

"They're cute, like you," I reply, nuzzling into his hair.

"Stop it…" he whines.

"I love you- and you should know by now- we're the most over-affectionate people you'll ever meet."

The doorbell rings, and I groan. "Ugh…I'm comfortable…"

"You're also nice and warm, and I'm fucking freezing," Austin whispers. "Don't leave me…"

"It could be the idiots," I sigh. "They probably forgot a house key."

"Damn them…" Austin moans. "You better go." He unlatches himself from my body, and I stretch, stumbling to my feet. This better be my dumbass siblings. Had to leave Austin for this.

When I wrench open the door, I find that it is most certainly not my siblings.

Ally and Trish. Oh dear lord…why?

"What the fuck do you two want?" I grumble.

"We wanna see Austin. He got hurt- and we wanna talk to him."

"You sure about that? Because last time you "talked" to him, you made him think we don't actually love him."

"We'll be nice- swear on my life," Ally mutters.

"Where's the other dude? The red-head?"

"He's pissed at Austin- so we didn't let him come," Trish replies, picking at her nails discreetly.

"Good," I sigh. "I'm not that rude- you can come in. But if he wants you to leave, you're going- understand?"

I receive nods in reply, and exhale another sigh, leading them toward my bedroom. When I enter- my heart shatters. Austin has been reduced to tears, crying and grabbing at his injured knee. It's elevated, but it obviously hurts badly, and I just hate that he feels so shitty.

He glances up, and his eyes widen. Immediate shakes of his head follow, as he stretches his arms out for me, glancing at the teenagers behind me fearfully.

"Hang on," I mutter to them, walking over to the bed, and scooting in next to him. I pull Austin into my arms, stroking his back and kissing his head. "You're alright, love."

"Why are they h-here…?" He whimpers, shoving his face into my neck. "Don' want 'em to see me like this…"

"Hush, love. It's all okay- they just wanted to see you because they were worried- even though I don't get why. Don't wanna seem like a shitty-ass person, so I let them in. When the others come back, we can probably kick 'em out. You don't havta talk, it'll be fine."

"You guys can come closer- he's feverish, but not contagious," I say, raising my voice slightly. Austin winces, and pushes further into my body. His knee is jarring around, and the sight makes me cringe- his leg is going to hurt him if he keeps the movement up.

Ally steps forward, and Austin tenses immediately, scooting down to bury his face in my chest. He lets out something in between a cough and a whimper, clinging onto to me tightly.

"Why does he keep doing that?" Trish grumbles. "It's not like we're going to hit him…"

"This is your fault," I hiss. "You damaged him. You three don't seem to understand the power of words. Your words would hurt a lot more, than you guys stabbing him in the fucking heart! Your insults stay with him- they haunt his mind with every step he takes- and finding out that Dez is the reason he's dealing with shit from the kids at your school- that hurt more than anything. Words can break a person, and you've done it. You may not have known how badly it hurts- but the shallow part- is the fact that none of you gave a damn about his feelings, until Ratliff revealed that he's depressed and suicidal. If you didn't know that- I fucking doubt you would've shown that you care about him at all. That- is shallow and horrible. You only care when something's wrong. He's broken. He's falling apart at the fucking seams. But you weren't there to catch him when he fell- that was my siblings and I. You weren't there under that tree- that was me. Instead of hating me for being an asshole- which I have a damn good reason for, night I add- thank me, because if it weren't for me, Austin would be fucking dead right now."

"Why do we need to wait for the doctor to call?"

Austin whines, shoving his face into Riker's neck. I chuckle. He can be idiotic when he's ill/injured, trust me. I love him, but he's a moron just like the others.

"Well, bro, you might need knee surgery."

His head snaps up at that- eyes wide. "What?!"

I nod, sighing. "Yeah babe, you might need surgery to fix the break. They're trying to see what they can do without surgery, but it might come down to that…"

The phone rings, and I grab it, listening intently for a few minutes, sighing at what I'm hearing on the other line. This won't be good news for Austin- that's for sure. He's gonna freak himself out, and I don't want him to deal with that.

"Austin, that was the doctor…" I whisper. "You need surgery to fix your patella and reconstruct your MCL…"

"Rocky, no…I don't want that…" Austin whispers. "Please, don't make me…"

"Aus, love," I say gently, lowering myself down to lie on his other side. He turns over, and buries himself in my chest instantly, and I smile ruefully, rubbing his back. "The surgery will help. If you don't want it- and I tell them that you're not getting it- your knee will never be the same again. You love basketball- don't you want to be able to play?"

"I could give it up," Austin says- in weak defense. I know he couldn't give up basketball- he loves that more than a lot of things in his life.

"No, you couldn't. You love basketball. You're not going to give that up because some dickhead knocked you down in soccer. You're gonna get back up, dust yourself off, and recover from this. You've been through so much, Aus- and because you need that surgery- it'll just add to the list."

Alright- here's the thing. This is technically the last chapter of the story- I'm writing another one to tie up all the loose ends, but this is it. Now- before you all have panic attacks and/or strokes- there will be a sequel. I have an entire list of things planned for it- and the prologue is already close to being done. I'm hoping to post it Monday- at the latest, so all of you can relax. I just think it would be easier to split it this way- so that's why I'm doing it. The sequel will pick up right after where the next chapter ends, so that's good. Anyway- thoughts on this chapter? I'd love some reviews, thank you all!

-Neha