What is this? Am I really updating another chapter already? Two chapters in one month? Is this really me?

Quick update: this is a one person account now. Not a two person account. Please enjoy this next chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Jessie.

Chapter 14: Extra Baggage

"I'll be back in an hour to pick you up, alright?"

Ravi and Jessie stand outside the door labeled 40E-F in the very yellow hallway. The color of the walls doesn't leave Ravi with that nauseated feeling anymore, but that might also be because he's not nearly as nervous for group this week as he was last week.

He nods at Jessie. "Okay. I'll see you later."

She gives Ravi a hug with a reassuring squeeze and Ravi walks through the door. The minute Ravi sees the very happy looking college student sitting behind the desk (Sandy, something like that) Ravi feels his stomach do a little flip. Okay, he might have lied a little. He's not nervous about group per say, but he's nervous about seeing a particular person at group. Ravi tries not to think about the prospect of seeing Grayson in group, but every now and then, the thought slips into his mind, and his fluttering heart betrays him. He hasn't seen much of Grayson since Tuesday when they started their project, which he feels is unfortunate. He's mainly seen him a couple times in passing in the halls, and during class. He's stopped to have a 30 second conversation each time they met, but was always whisked away by a group of people who were either rowdy Juniors or members of the basketball team who had way too much testosterone running through their blood. But other than that, they didn't get much time to talk.

Not like Ravi expected it or anything. They're not really friends. They're just doing a project together.

Something that he was expecting but didn't get was the promised text message though. He's mildly disappointed that Grayson never texted him after Wednesday, but he feels like he shouldn't be surprised. Grayson is a busy person and has more of a social life than Ravi could ever dream of having. Of course, the last thing he's worried about is texting an awkward Sophomore who's not even on his level socially. So yeah, he's not at all surprised.

Doesn't mean he wasn't looking forward to it though…

At least he's not feeling as apprehensive about group therapy as he was last week. He's concluded that it's really not as bad as he thought it would be. Yes, it's still a bit weird to him to sit in a room full of strangers and discuss how he feels, but there is a somewhat welcoming atmosphere to the whole thing. So, is he nervous? Yeah. But does he feel like having a panic attack? No so much.

He might just be able to survive this thing.

Plus, it helps that he knows someone else there.

He walks right up to the desk and Cindy (her name is on her nametag) is already smiling. "Hello. Here for the 4:15 session I presume?"

Ravi nods. "Uh, yeah. Ravi Ross." He doesn't wait for her to ask for his name.

She nods as she types on the computer. "Go right on inside. The session will be starting soon."

Ravi thanks her and pushes the doors to go inside. As far as Ravi can see, everyone is already seated in the circular formation except for Sam and a guy he thinks is named Isaac. But everyone else is already there, either talking or sitting quietly.

And yes, that includes Grayson.

He's sitting in the same seat as last week, talking casually with Riley, the pretty red-head Ravi was paired with the previous week. Something pangs in Ravi's heart upon seeing Riley twirling her hair at him in a rather flirtatious way, but he shakes it off. Ravi makes his way over to the same seat as last week, but Grayson turns around and spots him before he can make it too far. A bright smile spreads on his face, dimples cutting at his cheeks. He beckons Ravi to sit in the empty seat next to him and Ravi, smiling very shyly, doesn't think twice before taking the seat.

His heart is doing so many flips at the moment.

"Hey." Grayson says once Ravi is seated. Riley has already turned to talk to someone else leaving Grayson with his attention completely on Ravi.

"Hi." Ravi says. He's tempted to ask about where Sam is, since he and Grayson seem to be friends (and had Sam been here, Ravi probably wouldn't be sitting with Grayson), but he chooses to keep his mouth shut.

"So, second week." Grayson starts. "Not as bad as last week, right?"

Ravi shakes his head. "No, I guess not. I don't feel nauseous so..." This earns a smile and small chuckle from Grayson which makes Ravi feel good.

"That's good. It definitely gets easier after the first week. But trust me, everyone is a nervous wreck at first. You should have seen me. I almost peed myself."

Ravi does one of those short, breathy laughs that he only does when Grayson says something slightly funny (or not funny at all). Kind of like a chuckle or snort but not really. He blushes despite himself. "How old were you?" He asks.

Grayson opens his mouth to answer but Tiago walks through the door holding a Starbucks cup (like last week) and looking just as cheery as he had the previous week. All the talking in the room ceases and Ravi's second week of group therapy begins.

"Alright!" Tiago says once he's seated in the same seat as last week, the same wide smile on his face as always. Ravi is pretty sure his face should have cracked by now. "Welcome back you guys! Anything exciting happen this week?"

The most exciting thing was that the boy named Eddie started martial arts. No one else had anything interesting happen to them during the week so that little portion lasted about 45 seconds.

"So, this week," Tiago starts, reaching into his messenger, "we're gonna start off with an activity that is fairly simple." He pulls out a bright yellow soft ball (why is everything about this place bright and yellow?) and twirls it in his hands. "This is the Mind Ball. No Connor, it's not just any regular soft ball." Connor looks like that is exactly what he was going to ask before Tiago interrupted him. "This balls purpose is greater than any regular sports ball. You see, the recipient of this ball has to say whatever comes to mind when they have the ball in hand. For example," he throws the ball in the air and catches it, "if the topic were to be animals—" and he swiftly throws the ball to Todd who catches it without blinking.

"Uh, I would say a snake?" He asks.

"Perfect." Tiago exclaims and gestures for Todd to pass the ball back to him. "And then you pass it to the person next to you who then has to say the first animal that comes to mind, and so on. So, since we've already got this topic why not start off with it. And you can't say the same thing twice, so nobody gets to say snake." He looks around to make sure everyone got the point. "Good. I'll go first." He throws the ball up in the air again. "Dog." And then he passes it to Eddie.

"Elephant." And he passes it to Rodney.

"Squirrel." And he passes it to Lindsey.

"Mouse." And she passes it to Ravi.

Ravi panics for maybe two seconds, the spotlight suddenly on him and making him uncomfortable, before remembering that all he needs to do is come up with legit any animal he can think of. Not too hard. His mind immediately goes to Mrs. Kipling. "Lizard." He blurts and passes the ball to Grayson.

"Tiger." And he passes it to Riley.

"Wolf." And she passes it to Todd.

"Shark." And he passes it to Alicia.

"Deer." And she passes it to Monica.

"Butterfly." And she passes it to Tara.

"Horse." And she passes it to Connor.

"Scorpion." And finally, he passes it back to Tiago.

They repeat the process again but this time using any type of food. Ravi finds it much easier the second time around and swiftly says "bacon" when it's his turn (mainly because that's what Bertram made for breakfast). They continue a couple more times, using vague categories such as movies, holidays, and reasons why school sucks (this round probably got the most laughs and generated the most enthusiasm). When the ball finally came back around to Tiago though, Ravi somehow knows the little game is going to change in a way he isn't going to like.

"Alright, well those were some great warm up rounds." He says once everyone stops giggling. "But now we're going to get a little more serious about our topics. Remember, it's the first thing that comes to mind, but since I know this may be harder for some, I'll give you a minute or so to think about your answer. And I want you to explain your answer a bit more. No one word answers."

Ravi is immediately more nervous about the new topic Tiago is going to pick, and tenses up in his seat. He was comfortable enough with how the activity was before seeing that there was no wrong or embarrassing answer, but serious topics meant digging deeper into his subconscious and opening up me, and he's not sure he's ready to share all of that with everyone here. He's not even sure if he's ready to share that with anyone in general! Not to mention that he has to answer it with more than one word and make sure that it's satisfying enough for Tiago. Ravi feels like the temperature in the room is slowly rising.

"The new topic is," Tiago jerks Ravi out of his mental panic, "things we are grateful for." And he swiftly tosses the ball over to Eddie.

Eddie stares at the yellow ball in his hand with wide eyes, as if seeing it for the first time. He's probably panicking in a way similar to Ravi. "I'm…, I'm grateful for my karate dojo, and the people there who have accepted me." He passes it to Rodney, who passes it to Lindsey. Ravi can't remember what either one of them said, but way too soon, the ball is in Ravi's hand, and eleven pairs of eyes (including two pools of topaz) are on him waiting for him to speak.

"Um…" he doesn't know what to say. His mind has drawn a complete blank and he feels like that one episode of Spongebob Squarepants when he emptied his entire mind and forgot his name. Come on Ravi think! What are people generally grateful for? Food, water, clothes, shelter, education, family, parents… parents! "I'm grateful for my parents…" He wants to end there but he remembers he has to explain it. "…who adopted me from India." Okay. That wasn't so bad. He is extremely grateful for that seeing that they could have adopted any other child in the orphanage but they picked him. He gives the ball to Grayson and it continues around the circle until it gets back to Tiago.

And Ravi is pretty sure that Tiago has it out for Ravi or something because the next thing he knows, Tiago asks them to stand up because now instead of passing the ball to each other, "you guys are gonna toss it to any person in the circle. Not the person next to you." And we're not even going to address the fact that Ravi is exceptionally bad at sports and catching things which is already stressful enough, but then Tiago drops the bomb that they have to say, "one nice or positive thing about yourselves. And remember, no repeating what someone else said." And it would be all well and good because Ravi could just say he's smart and be done with it (not to mention that it's already extremely hard for Ravi to find positive things about himself). But when Connor tosses the ball to Alicia and she says, "I guess I'm smart. I'm on the road to be valedictorian at my school so," well just think of how quickly Ravi's face paled.

That was going to be Ravi's one 'get out of jail free' card. The one thing he know he's good at, that he knows is positive about himself. The one thing that despite how shitty he feels about himself, he can say is a good thing. The one thing that no amount of bullying or torment could take from him because he has the grades and evidence to prove it. He's always been able to tell himself, "well, at least I'm academically intelligent." But now he can't even say that. Now he has to find something else that he thinks is a positive about himself.

And he's not sure there's anything else.

And suddenly Monica is tossing the ball to him, and he very ungracefully misses it. And Grayson picks it up and hands it to Ravi. And Ravi feels eleven pairs of eyes burning into his flesh like the hot sun. Or maybe the room just feels as hot as the sun.

"Um…" He's eyes dart around the room as if looking for a way out of this situation. "I, uh…" He feels his hands begin to shake and he feels like it's hard to breathe. He wants to drop the ball and run out of the room, but he feels frozen in his terror. "I-I, uh, I…" He doesn't know if anyone else can tell that he's about to have a panic attack, but he sure as hell does not want them to be able to tell. He doesn't want anyone to be able to tell. That's probably the last thing he needs.

He suddenly feels a light nudge on his arm that draws his attention away from his current dilemma. Ravi turns to the source and his eyes land on two topaz gems. And he is suddenly hit with a wave of relief and reassurance. Grayson gives Ravi a warm smile, maybe to calm him or encourage him or give him a bit of confidence, or something along those lines. But the main thing Ravi feels while he looks into Grayson's beautifully hazel eyes is comfort. The weirdest, yet most familiar and pleasant sensation of comfort. As if everything will be alright as long as Ravi looks into those topaz gems that glint back at him like luminescent stars—

Stars!

"I'm good at astronomy." Ravi turns to look back at the group. He feels like a good hour has passed since he got the ball, but it's probably been about five seconds. "I, I like to study the moon and the stars, and constellations and those things." That seems so satisfy (and interest) everyone in the group to Ravi's relief, and he feels the biggest weight lift off his shoulder. He blindly tosses the ball to Todd who catches it despite Ravi's horrible aim.

Ravi wonders whether Grayson was trying to help Ravi out or whether he was just trying to be some sort of comfort, or whether he accidentally nudged Ravi and he just imagined the whole encounter. Or if he nudged Ravi at all. But whatever the case, Ravi is sure glad he sat next to Grayson because lord knows how long it would take him to come up with something good about himself otherwise.

Jessie 5:15 PM

Running a little late. Stuck in traffic. There's an accident somewhere. Will be there soon

Ravi's heart slightly deflates. Group therapy is finally over (no real highlights after the whole mind ball fiasco) and he was really looking forward to going straight home and hiding in the peace and comfort of his room. And he was really hoping that Jessie would be there right away, so they could leave and he could start the weekend. But of course, not everything can work out in Ravi's favor.

Ravi sends a quick 'okay' text back before pocketing his phone. What is he supposed to do until Jessie comes? It could be a while before she gets here, depending on how heavy the traffic is and how bad of an accident it is. He guesses he can just sit in the lobby downstairs and wait, but he doesn't know how long he can stay in a public and crowded place like that by himself before he has another panic attack. Maybe he can just sit and wait in the group therapy room, but Tiago mentions something about a 5:30 session so that's out of the picture. Maybe his best bet is just waiting in the lobby—

"Got any plans right now?" Ravi's train of thought is so abruptly interrupted by Grayson that he asks him to repeat what he said.

"Do you have any plans?" Grayson repeats. "Are you free right now or do you have to go somewhere?"

"Oh." Ravi says. "I'm was going to go home but Jessie is stuck in traffic, so I guess I'm free until she comes…" Ravi doesn't know why his heart is beating faster but he does his best to stay calm.

Grayson nods. "I don't have to be home any time soon. Maybe we can hang out for a while, until Jessie comes at least." Everything inside Ravi lights up like a Christmas tree, and he can't think to do anything but nod. "Do you want to maybe chill at the Starbucks across the street? Y'know, instead of sitting here."

And suddenly, Ravi's tongue grows heavy and his face heats up. "Y-yeah." His voice cracks (he thought he was past this voice cracking thing) and he clears his throat. "Yeah. Sure. Cool." He feels like a damn idiot saying it like that but it's better than voice cracking and stuttering. Plus, it should be easy for him to say yes to Starbucks. He loves Starbucks.

Grayson smiles nevertheless. "Awesome." And after texting Jessie that he's going to Starbucks with Grayson, the two of them head out.

The Starbucks is actually directly across the street from the hospital, and they get there in under three minutes. It's not too crowded since it's after five in the afternoon and Starbucks is mainly busy during the day. The few people that are there are either doing work on a laptop or scrolling through their phones as they finish their buttered croissant or iced coffee. The ambiance is just like how every Starbucks feels. Warm and welcoming, and dimly lit. Ravi doesn't necessarily like coffee, but the smell of it in the air always brings him another weird comfort. He relaxes the tensed muscles he didn't know he had as soon as the door closes behind him.

They both order their drinks (Grayson a Grande Mocha Frappe, Ravi a Tall Passion Tango Tea Lemonade, "with four pumps of raspberry, and four pumps of classic") and once they get them, they head to one of the tables near the back.

Ravi sips on the sweet drink as they take their seats, the fruity taste flooding his mouth. Grayson looks so natural and fluid in the Starbucks setting, making Ravi feel awkward and out of place. He absentmindedly gnaws on his straw.

"I love this place," Grayson starts before an awkward silence could grow. "I come here almost every day after group."

"I didn't even know this was here." Ravi says.

"They just opened it a couple months ago. Something about too many doctors and nurses getting to work late because the other Starbucks is too far. Plus, business is pretty good around here."

"But then, if this Starbucks is so close, why does Tiago still come late and complain about how long the line is?" Ravi wonders.

Grayson shrugs. "One of the mysteries of life."

Ravi continues to chew on his straw, trying to figure out what to say next. He stares at everything except Grayson; his hands, the table, the window, the floor. He should really find a YouTube tutorial on how to be more conversational because his inability to have a conversation with Grayson is becoming more and more painful.

Thankfully, Grayson does the heavy lifting (like always) and picks up the conversation again. "Is that any good?" He gestures at Ravi's drink.

Ravi nods. "Uh, yeah I get it every time."

"Mind if I take a sip?"

Ravi is slightly startled by the request but nods, and holds the cup out with a shaky hand for Grayson to take a sip. Grayson doesn't notice his hand tremors, or maybe he chooses to ignore it. The whole encounter seems much more intimate than it should to Ravi, and for some reason the sight of Grayson's lips around his straw excites him in the weirdest way. But he doesn't mention any of this.

Grayson sits back. "Not bad. Really sweet."

"It's the only thing I ever really get from Starbucks." Ravi takes of sip of the drink, trying not to think about how Grayson's lips were just around this same straw.

"So, you don't ever get the food here?" Grayson asks. "Or coffee?"

"I don't really like coffee that much."

Grayson looks astonished. "What?! You don't like coffee? So, you don't even like frappe's?"

Ravi shrugs. "I've, uh, never had one before. I just always assumed it tastes like every other coffee based drink."

"It doesn't." Grayson shakes his head. "It's way better than 'every other coffee based drink'." He says it in a way that makes Ravi giggle. "There's a lot more going on with it that kind of masks the taste of coffee. Plus, you can add any type of flavor to it so you're really only tasting that. Like I got a mocha one so all I really taste is chocolate. It's perfect for the none coffee lover."

"Sounds… good." Ravi says for lack of anything better to say.

Grayson holds out his cup similar to how Ravi did it, and Ravi just eyes it in confusion, looking between the cup and Grayson. "Wanna try some?"

"Uhh…" Ravi's heart skips a beat at the cup in front of him and the way Grayson is looking at him, as if this is a normal occurrence. As if they always come to Starbucks and share drinks like it's nothing. As if they've always been good friends and this entire thing is natural. He's so calm about it, meanwhile Ravi is trying to figure out how to gain control of his motor skills.

Grayson seems to notice Ravi's apprehension and internal dilemma. He seems to regret putting pressure onto Ravi so soon and looks like he's going to pull away, but Ravi rushes forward without thinking and before he knows it the straw is in his mouth and he's sipping on the cold drink.

And Grayson isn't wrong at all. His eyes widen once the taste of the frappe hits his taste-buds. The taste of coffee is definitely there, but it's mild and muted, and overpowered by chocolatey sweetness. And it's delicious. It reminds Ravi of ice cream or a milkshake, or something else sweet like that. And it surprises him. Never has he tasted something that contains coffee that he actually likes, that doesn't even taste like coffee that much. He's never even given thought to trying something different at Starbucks, his Passion Tango Tea always being his default. But he might have to actually give frappes a better chance.

Ravi sits back. "Wow." Ravi says, causing Grayson to smile in triumph. "That's actually really good."

"Told you. Doesn't really taste like coffee, right?"

Ravi shakes his head. "No, I could barely taste it. I kind of want to get my own right now."

"Well why don't you?"

"I already have this one." Ravi holds up his drink. "And I can't finish both drinks anyway."

Grayson nods. "Understandable. You think you'll order one of this instead of the passion fruit whatever that you got?"

"Yeah." Ravi chuckles. "I'll start getting that instead. I guess I can give the Passion Tango a break."

"I love putting people on to these." Grayson looks so victorious, as if he's won a basketball game. "Nobody ever believes me when I say it's good until they get a sip of it. I've got almost the whole team onto this, and half of group. Still trying to persuade Sam though but that kid is like a huge bag of bricks."

Ravi suddenly remembers Sam's absence from group. "Where was he today, by the way?" He asks in pure curiosity. "And the other guy? I think his name is Isaac."

Grayson takes a long gulp of his drink. "Not sure about Isaac, but he comes and goes all the time. It's normal for him. But Sam's touring one of the colleges he was recruited for this weekend. Ohio State I think."

"Oh." Ravi nods. "I remember he said something about that college recruiting him last week."

"Yeah. He's got a few more Universities after him too. Some even in Canada and England. They're practically begging for him to go to their school. I don't blame them though. Sam is one hell of a quarterback."

Ravi nods, not really knowing what to say to that. He doesn't know much about Sam or sports, so he can't really add to it (he's not even too sure what a quarterback is, but all he knows that it's football related). And he only asked his previous question because he's quite positive that had Sam been at group today, he would have sat and talked with Grayson, and not Ravi. But in Ravi's silence, Grayson continues. "I hope I get recruited like him. But for basketball of course."

"I'm sure you will." Ravi says. "Are you any good?"

"I'd say I'm alright." Grayson shrugs, trying his best not to sound too cocky and conceited. "I mean I always play my best, and I win us every game and all."

Ravi looks sheepish. He feels like he's insulted Grayson in some way. "I, uh, I'm not really in to sports. And I've never been to a school basketball game, so I wouldn't really know."

"Really?" Grayson cocks an eyebrow. "You've never been to one of the games?" Ravi sinks in his seat and shakes his head, but Grayson doesn't look offended in the slightest. "That's understandable. Sports isn't everyone's cup of tea. But you should definitely check out one of the games some time."

Ravi blushes. This is the second time he's been invited to a social event in less than two weeks and he's not sure if he's entered an alternate dimension or not. It doesn't seem real to him that Grayson Sinclair wants him to go to one of his basketball games and his wondering if he just imagined the invite. "Really? Y-you want me to watch one of your games?" Grayson nods. "But, but I don't know anything about basketball. I don't know how to follow it or anything. I'd probably end up cheering for the wrong team."

Grayson laughs. Ravi didn't know he said anything funny. "That's not a problem. I can just teach you everything about it. Show you the rules and the basics. It's not hard to follow once you understand the game. I can even teach you how to play if you want…" Ravi thinks he imagines the pink tint to Grayson's cheeks when he says that.

"I-I don't think I'd be any good if you tried to teach me." Ravi fidgets with the sleeve of his hoodie. "I mean, you saw me try to catch Tiago's Mind Ball…"

"Nobody is automatically a professional at basketball Ravi. Or anything really." Grayson's topaz eyes lock with Ravi's. "Everyone starts out as a novice. I mean, look at me and Astronomy." Grayson smirks and Ravi can't help but smile back. "That's why you practice until you become an expert at it."

Their eyes stay locked, like something is drawing them closer to each other. Like a magnet. Ravi finds himself not wanting to look away from the golden flecks inside of the hazel, and how they dance in his eyes and sparkle exactly like stars. They remind him of the constellations he likes to study, with their bright and connectedness. Grayson's gaze somehow seems softer as he stares at Ravi and Ravi feels ready to melt under the strong gaze. He feels that warm comforting feeling again, a feeling that makes him want to lean closer to Grayson until it's all he can feel, until Grayson is all he can feel.

Ravi breaks the gaze upon thinking that. A deep blush rises in his cheeks and he sips on what's left of his drink to give himself something to do besides think about what he had been picturing in his mind.

Grayson softly clears his throat. "Just think about it, okay? See if you'd like to give it a try."

Ravi nods, unable to think of anything really. He tries to think of a new topic to distract himself from the moment they just had. "How, uh, how long have you been playing basketball?"

Grayson absentmindedly plays with the label on his near empty frappe. "I've always played. Used to play streetball in the park and stuff when I was little, and I joined my first team when I was maybe twelve."

"Streetball?" Ravi's ignorance to this sport is displayed on his face.

"It's a more casual kind of basketball that's played in parks and parking lots, and any open space really. It's mainly played outside."

"Oh." Ravi says, thinking that it makes sense. "Is it better than regular basketball?"

"Not really." Grayson shakes his head. "Most rules are ignored. Not a lot of structure to it. And you're not really playing to improve in the skill. Just for afterschool fun mainly, and street cred."

"Street cred?" Ravi knows what that is of course, but can't see how something like 'street cred' could apply to Manhattan, especially in the part that they live (though he doesn't get out much so there's a lot he doesn't really know). "In this city?"

Grayson immediately knows what Ravi is talking about. "I, uh, spent the first ten years of my life living in the South Bronx. Street cred there was really important, and basketball usually gave that to you."

"Oh." Ravi's never been to the South Bronx and is intrigued to hear more about it. He's only ever heard stereotypical stories about it but refuses to base his judgement on secondhand stories. "What's it like over there?"

"Definitely different from the Upper West Side." Grayson finishes the rest of his drink. "It's not bad if you compare it to how things were in the '70s. Crime rate is still kind of high. More graffiti present than here. The local playgrounds aren't as nice. But I haven't been there in six years, so can't really say much about it."

"Why did you leave?" Curiosity gets the best of Ravi again and he speaks before he thinks. "Well, what made your parents come here?"

Grayson seems far more interested in the label on his drink than he was before, not meeting Ravi's eye. "I actually moved in with my aunt when I was eleven. And she lives in the Upper West Side, so here I am." Ravi sense that Grayson doesn't really want to talk about this topic anymore. His demeanor isn't the same as it was when they first started talking. He's not smiling and charismatic like usual. Ravi wonders why Grayson doesn't want to talk about any of it, but he doesn't question it. Everyone has something they don't like talking about. Including himself. So, he should be the last person to say anything.

"I came here when I was ten." Ravi mumbles. Grayson looks up at him, his expression unreadable. "So, I get it."

Grayson nods, finally meeting Ravi's eyes again. He pushes his cup to the side. "What's India like?"

"Where do I even begin?" Ravi mutters, also finishing his drink. "It's… hot. All the time. And really crowded. The traffic is way worse than New York too."

"Is that even possible?" Grayson jabs a thumb at the window. Outside, traffic is bumper to bumper, with cars barely moving and people walking in between them.

Ravi nods. "Yup. In India, cars don't wait at stop lights. They just go whenever they can." Grayson eyes widen at this. Must be hard to imagine that when you've spent your whole life in New York. "The country in itself isn't that bad, but I grew up in a poorer area, and I didn't get to visit the nicer parts much."

"Would you ever visit India?" Grayson asks.

Ravi's never thought of that. He's never had the desire to go back to India (because even if his life has been constant hell here, it's still better than the orphanage he grew up in). But he's never thought about going to visit either. It never crossed his mind before now. "I've never really thought about it. But maybe. It could possible happen one day." Which is true. Mumbai has become a tourist attraction, so maybe one day he'll pay the subcontinent a visit. "Would you ever visit the Bronx?" It seems silly to ask since the Bronx is a few train stops away, but he asks anyway.

Grayson shrugs, scratching at a birth mark on his neck. "I honestly don't think I would."

Ravi watches Grayson. He, Ravi, notices how Grayson's demeanor slightly changes at every mention of the Bronx and his past. It's not a significant change, but he seems more closed off to the topic, as if he'd rather not discuss it. Even when asked if he would ever visit the Bronx, Grayson seems more tensed. Ravi wonders what it is about that borough that makes Grayson uncomfortable, but decides not to press it any further. He himself knows what it's like to not want to discuss something, so Ravi can respect that.

His phone buzzes in his pocket and he fishes the device out.

Jessie 5:40 PM

I'm outside of the Starbucks. Do you want me to come in and get you?

Ravi's jaw drops at the time. How had twenty minutes passed without him even noticing? It certainly doesn't feel like it's been that long. He looks up at Grayson. "I have to go. Jessie is outside."

Grayson nods. "Alright. I better get going too." They both stand up and throw out their empty drinks. An unpleasant feeling sinks in Ravi's heart because he had just started to enjoy hanging out with Grayson and talking to him. And he just started feeling more comfortable and less awkward. But he supposes he can't sit and talk to him forever.

Though that does sound nice.

They finally step outside. The fall air is nice and crispy, the temperature dropping due to the oncoming evening. Ravi tugs at his hoodie sleeves as a cool breeze passes. He glances around before spotting Jessie standing outside one of the family cars, waving at him. He waves back.

"See you Monday in school?" Grayson says, his usual demeanor back like it never left. He holds out his fist just like he did on Wednesday when he left the Ross penthouse.

Ravi looks at it, his heart doing a leap. But he smiles and bumps his fist against Grayson's. "Yeah. See you in school."

And they walk in their separate directions, Ravi heading towards Jessie and Grayson rounding the corner and heading out of sight.

"Hey." Jessie greets him with a hug. "Had a nice time with your friend?"

A few hours ago Ravi might have insisted that he and Grayson aren't really friends. They barely know each other. But instead he says, "Yeah, I did." Because maybe he and Grayson really are becoming friends.

Maybe…

"And last one…" Dr. Lauder clips the last of Ravi's stitches and pulls it out, tossing it onto a paper towel on a near by tray. "And you're all done! How does it feel?"

Ravi stares at his now bandage free arm, the now exposed scar very brown against his already dark complexion. He runs his finger on it, feeling the coarse surface. It's still a little tender, but completely healed. The long, vertical line is rough and bumpy, but it doesn't hurt like it did when he woke up in the hospital a few weeks ago. Or when he made the initial incision. "It feels fine." He mutters and Dr. Lauder nods.

He hadn't realized it was already time to remove the stitches until Jessie reminded him in the car ride home yesterday that today would be his appointment. He forgot about his great afternoon with Grayson immediately. His initial reaction was disbelief because he didn't realize so much time had gone by already, and he didn't know that his scar would have healed by now. But the prospect of removing the bulky bandage once and for all made him much happier about it. He's grown used to it, the attention it drew, and the weight of it. He's become accustom to covering it in the shower and sleeping in a way that doesn't disturb him. And he's not as annoyed with it as he was when he left the hospital. But being without the burden of the cast would mean that his life could go back to normal (or as close to normal as his life could be), and maybe, just maybe, he could leave everything that happened behind him, and start over. Maye things could change.

Plus, it would be really great if he didn't have to worry about wearing sweatshirts and long sleeves all the time. He knows there will be a scar, and he has multiple other scars too, but it can't possibly be as bad as wearing the cast all the time making his left arm look bigger than his right.

But looking at the scar, he very much wishes he could wear the cast instead.

It looks much worse than what he expected. He didn't think it would be a thin line, but he didn't think it would be so thick and ugly either. It looks like someone injected something underneath his skin, or like a really bad burn. Ravi doesn't like looking at it, He wants to pull the sleeve of his hoodie down but Dr. Lauder takes his arm and starts feeling the scar.

"Hmm, seems to have healed over well." He puts a little pressure on it. "No pain?"

"No." Ravi shakes his head.

"Well then I think you should be good to go."

Dr. Lauder does some other things that Ravi doesn't pay attention to because he's still staring at the scar that's forever a part of him. The doctor finally leads Ravi back to his parents who look happy to see him without his arm bandaged up. They don't seem bothered by the scar, but they don't have to be. They're his parents.

Later, Ravi lies in his bed examining his arm, now deformed for the rest of his life. He flexes his hand a few times, rolling his fingers into and out of fists to see if there's any difference. To see if he feels any difference. It's silly, he knows. But he can't help but think that there should be something else different in how is arm feels, and not just how it looks. Yet, everything feels fine. He straightens and bends his elbow, but still his arm doesn't feel any different than how it's always felt. He doesn't know how he feels about that.

He knows how he feels about the scar though. And all the small and not as deep scars around it, looking like dancing representations of every dark demon he's every had. Like every word he's ever heard about him and everything people have done to him etched out on his arm. Like everything he's ever felt up until that night he failed to take his own life has taken physical form in those scars, and every mistake displayed in the long ugly one. Looking at it is like looking in some mirror whose purpose is to remind him of everything he is, and everything he's always been. And of what could have been had no one found him on that bathroom floor.

Ravi pulls his sleeve down in a haste, covering his entire arm. He doesn't want to see it. He doesn't want anyone seeing it. He doesn't want the constant reminder of how he felt that night, and everything that went through his mind. The scar reminds him too much of that dark room he's been trying to escape and avoid, like it's a one-way ticket to an eternity there. And he doesn't want to spend anymore time there.

He thought he would feel freer after removing the bandages, like he wouldn't have to carry around this huge weight anymore. But now it just feels like extra baggage he has to work hard to carry and conceal. Baggage that he'll never be able to get rid of.

*smiles and waves*

So, we got some more info about Grayson. Little bit of backstory. But this boy has A LOT going on, and a lot more layers to unfold. What do you guys think of him and the little bit I've learned about him? What do you think his full story is? Hint: you'll never figure it out.

AND Ravi got his stitches off! Okay after some research I realized that I might have done the whole stitches thing a little wrong, but whatever. My story, my way. Doesn't have to be medically correct, right? *nervous laugh*

Anyway thank you all so much for the lovely reviews! They are very motivating. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you all soon! Happy Holidays!

-Bye Felicia