"Marco… Wake up sleepy head." Dylan's soft voice rang through the silent room as he gently shook Marco's shoulder to rouse him into the waking world.
Marco's eyes fluttered open and he found himself staring into the light blue eyes of his boyfriend. "Dylan? Is it after school already? Did I actually sleep that long?" He rubbed his eyes and blocked them from the offending light overhead.
"Yes you did. But now its time to get up." He smiled lightly. Marco sat up and stood while he pushed on the bed for support.
"I'm hungry. Why don't we stop by the dot for some food on our way home?" He asked as they walked to his locker.
"Sure. I don't think Paige would mind. She's waiting for us in the car." On their way down the steps they saw Paige and sure enough she was waiting in the car. She was looking in the passenger side mirror and applying some lip-gloss. She looked up as she shoved it back into her purse and released a sigh of relief.
"Took you long enough." She chided as Marco hopped in behind her and Dylan slipped into the driver's seat.
"Hey blame him. He's the one that wouldn't wake up." Dylan smiled and pointed at Marco with his thumb, which earned him a playful shove from the younger boy.
They pulled into the parking lot of The Dot a few minutes later to find it packed. Every space was taken up and it didn't look like anyone was going to move anytime soon.
"Pull around the back. There should be some empty space and you could park there." Dylan nodded in agreement and turned his car around the building to the ally way that lay behind the restaurant.
"Perfect." He said as he easily slipped behind some boxes up against a fence. "I never thought of parking behind here."
"You have thoughts?" Paige teased stepping out of the car and flattening her miniskirt.
Marco tried to stifle a laugh unsuccessfully and Dylan glared at him, which didn't help matters much.
They walked through the ally laughing loudly and almost stumbling over most of the time because they were shaking so much. Suddenly Paige let out a scream and clasped her hands over her mouth.
"Paige? What's…" Marco's eyes grew wide in horror when he saw the crumpled up shape of a boy lying on his side and a pool of blood surrounding him.
Dylan rushed forward and dropped to his knee's hunching over the young boy to see if he was ok. "Oh my god." He shook his head to make sure if he was seeing straight. "Spinner?"
Paige started at the name. "Spinner?" She ran to her brother's side and began to shake Spinner vigorously. "Spinner! No, wake up!" Tears streamed down her face and she clutched her boyfriend by the arms.
Dylan stood up quickly. "I'm going to go get help." He ran off towards the restaurant leaving the others behind.
Marco stayed where he was not sure of what to do. He out of habit ran his hand across the top of his head. Instead of meeting the usual long hair he found his fingers sliding through almost nothing. A million thoughts passed across his mind. All consisting of the same words.
It's your fault. If you hadn't been so mad at him this would have never happened.
It's all your fault.
It's all your fault.
Marco clutched his stomach and ran towards the wall. His hands gripped it as he threw up the contents of his already empty stomach. The smell overwhelmed his nostrils as he inhaled deeply trying to catch his breath. He pushed himself away trying to escape the stench. He gasped at the fresh air and dropped to his knees his head falling into his hands.
It's all your fault.
"No! No… He looked up at Paige who was still screaming at Spinner to get up and hugging his limp body tightly. Marco crawled over slowly and put his fingers to the boy's neck searching for a pulse. A sigh of relief spilled from his lips as he felt the faint thumping. He put his free hand on Paige steadying her. She had started to shake him even more violently in her hysteria and Marco feared she would break something.
"He's okay. He's gonna be okay." He didn't know this for sure, in fact a little voice in the back of his head was telling him he was lieing, but he needed to comfort Paige and this worked.
She looked up at him, her eyes were already red from the tears that were spilling from them and all her features were etched in worry. She loosened her grip on Spinner and sniffled before wrapping her arm around Marco's shoulders and pulling him into a hug. He put his hands on her back and patted it gently.
"He'll be okay." He released her and looked at Spinner who still lay motionless before them.
It's all your fault.
Dylan came whipping back around the corner and a man wearing a Dot uniform followed on his heels.
"We found him here. Can we bring him inside or something?" Dylan pleaded with the man.
"Yeah sure. Grab his arms." He shifted Spinner so he had a good grip on his legs and Dylan put his arms under his armpits and lifted the boy up. They rushed as fast as they could to the restaurant and brought him inside.
"Step aside step aside!" The man shouted at people who had stopped to gawk at them. He helped slide Spinner onto a chair and went to get some towels and things to lie down. He returned shortly and Paige helped him set them down before they put him on the material.
Marco stood beside them awkwardly, watching them. He felt so helpless. There was nothing he could do that would make anything better.
It's all your fault.
The soft sounds of sirens reached his ears, growing slowly louder until they were too much to take. He covered them with his hands and quickly stepped out of the way as the EMT's could get to Spinner. They bent over him and checked his pulse and his heartbeat. One of the men said something into his walkie talkie that Marco didn't catch and another man walked through the door with a stretcher.
Carefully they set him on it and hurriedly stepped out the door.
Dylan, Marco, and Paige followed them. They said nothing to each other or to anyone else. The stress was to powerful, and even if they could say anything their words would mean nothing.
Paige rode in the ambulance and Marco and Dylan followed behind in his car. Marco sighed and leaned forward pressing the palms of his hands onto his closed eyes.
It's all your fault.
"Are you okay?" Dylan's voice rang through the silence.
Marco thought for a second before shaking his head. "No."
"Don't worry. Spinner will be okay." Dylan tried to reassure him.
"Yeah."
Dylan looked over at his boyfriend for a second before returning his gaze to the road. "There's more. I can tell something else is bothering you."
Marco was surprised that he was that easy to read. Then again he had gone through a lot today and wasn't focusing on his outward emotions.
"Please tell me." Dylan's tone was soft but held a slight firmness in it.
"It was Spinner. Not really him. Jay was driving. But he was there." Marco confessed.
"What? Driving?" Dylan furrowed his brow in confusion.
"He was in the car… The one that hit me." His voice was barely a whisper and it trembled slightly with the words.
Dylan looked over at the younger boy again. "HE was in the car?"
Marco nodded as he sat up and pressed into the seat.
"Are you sure?"
"He told me this morning. When we were in the nurses office."
Dylan revved up his engine in anger. He hated having to see Marco go through what he had. And now the situation was worse. Marco's face stiffened slightly at the sudden speed of the car. Dylan saw his shock and slowed down a bit, not letting his anger get the best of him. They said nothing else for the rest of the ride. Their own thoughts keeping them busy.
He pulled into the hospital and was directed to a lane where he parked quickly and ran into the hospital. Marco followed obediently. When they got inside they got a last glimpse of Spinner as he was pushed through a pair of swinging doors. A doctor was holding onto Paige trying to calm her down. Her eyes caught Dylan's and she swiftly escaped from the man grip and ran to him.
They embraced tightly and Marco stood beside them. He walked away quietly and sat in a chair on the far side of the room.
"Is he okay?" Paige questioned glancing over her shoulder and looking at the obviously distressed boy. Dylan explained what Marco had told him in the car and her eyes grew wide in shock.
Marco could hardly hear their voices since his own head was pounding. The fall earlier today and everything else that was going through his mind didn't help the matter either. He didn't know what to feel towards Spinner at the moment.
I should be angry. Angry that he let Jay speed off and left me there for dead. But Spinner is my friend, and he is now lying in a hospital bed because of me. I shouldn't have been so angry. I mean he wasn't the one driving. But he was in the car and he didn't try to help me. He didn't even turn Jay in. But Jay is also his friend. Should he have chosen me over Jay? Maybe he's just confused. And I didn't help that when I yelled at him. He was apologizing. He was sorry. He…
He continued the silent battle with himself and rubbed his hands over his head until they stopped on his neck. Dylan looked over at him before letting out a sigh.
"I don't know how he can handle this. It must be killing him." He looked down at Paige who was wiping her dripping mascara with the side of her index finger. "How about you? Are you okay?"
Paige shook her head. Marco had been one of her best friends since they met. But Spinner was her boyfriend. She loved him more than anything. But did she love him more than Marco? She wanted to hate Spinner for what he had done but she couldn't.
"I don't know what to think." She voiced her emotions to the only solid thing in her mind. Her brother.
He didn't know what to say to her so he kissed her softly on the forehead and pulled her into a warm comforting hug. She accepted the gesture gratefully wrapping her own arms around his torso. "Thank you."
Dylan nodded and released her slowly. He stepped around her but Paige followed closely behind. The two walked towards Marco and sat across from him.
They all waited in heavy silence. They were entertaining themselves with their own thoughts and conversation seemed more like a burden then a relief. Finally a man walked up to them after what seemed like forever. He was wearing a long white coat that looked out of place against his orangish skin and bright blue shirt that stuck out slightly in his sleeves and his collar. He was balding and only had a ring of hair around his scalp. On his face lay a pair of rimless glasses that he pulled up slightly as he raised the chart in his hand and coughed to get their attention.
The three teens looked up from their gazes on the floor in unison as they became aware of the man's presence.
"Are you three the ones who accompanied Mr. Mason?" They all nodded. "Are any of you related to him?"
"No." Paige stated plainly. "I'm his girlfriend. They are his friends." She said and motioned to the two boys with her head.
"I'm going to need to reach whoever his guardians are. We don't seem to have his phone number on record though." He flipped through the papers on his chart casually as if to emphasize the fact that he had searched for it with no avail.
Paige gave him the number through the soft sobs that had begun to overcome her again. The doctor thanked her and left them alone again.
"He could have at least told us how he was." Marco said with gritted teeth. "I hate not knowing anything." He leaned back and kicked the chair across from him sharply.
"Marco!" Dylan turned a concerned look on the brunette causing Marco to shy away, ashamed that he let his anger get the best of him. That's why they were all here in the first place.
"I'm sorry." He said to no one in particular. It was meant for both the siblings anyway.
"Don't be." Dylan grabbed his boyfriend's hand and rubbed it lightly with his thumb.
Marco smiled and looked over at Paige. Tears had begun to run down her cheeks once again. He put his free arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder. He enjoyed the feeling of someone being close to him. It helped him to know that he wasn't alone in all of this. They all sat holding each other until there was a disturbance in the doorway. Marco turned his head to see who it was and turned back around quickly when he realized it was in fact Spinner's parents.
Paige turned around and got up once she had realized the same thing. They stood in the doorway looking slightly confused. His mother was the first to notice the approaching girl and ran towards her to pull her into a tight hug.
"Paige! Oh Paige, what happened?" Paige didn't know what to say since the doctors hadn't confided any information in them and to her relief the same man that talked to her earlier stepped up beside them.
"Mr. and Mrs. Mason?" He questioned. Mr. Mason stepped up and nodded.
"Can you come with me?" He turned slightly to tell them where he was going to head them. Mrs. Mason gave Paige one more squeeze before releasing her and following her husband down the hall through the double doors. Paige turned around and met the gaze of her brother who was watching her intently from his seat. His hand was still clasped in Marco's and he looked back at the young boy.
"I don't know how to face them." Marco whispered quietly. "If I wouldn't have been so angry…"
"You think this is your fault?" Dylan's questioned was returned with nothing. Marco looked away from his hands and out the window. "Its not."
Marco still didn't answer him and his brow furrowed in concern. "Marco?" He said softly.
"Nothing makes sense anymore. I don't know how to deal with any of this." He sighed and looked back down at his hands.
"It will be okay Marco. Everything's going to turn out fine." He tried to reassure his boyfriend but failed.
"How do you know? Everything is already messed up. Everything." He stood up from his seat and walked towards the door. Dylan got up after him and clasped a firm hand on his shoulder forcing him to stop in his tracks.
Tears swelled up in the younger boy's eyes and he fought them back enough to stop them from spilling onto his cheeks. "Let me go."
"Marco?"
"Dylan please." He didn't turn around to see the pleading look in the blonde's eyes. If he had all the restraint against his tears he had fought to keep would have been lost. "I can't be here right now." When Dylan's grip didn't loosen he shrugged out of his grasp and continued to the door.
Dylan stood there for a moment shocked by the boy's sudden movements. He looked back at Paige who gave him an encouraging nod before turning back around and following the brunette out the doors.
He looked around wildly trying to find what direction he had walked in when he saw the shape of a boy storming away angrily. He ran towards the figure and grabbed his shoulder once again. Marco turned on his heels and found himself staring straight into his boyfriend's eyes.
"Marco. Don't do this. You can't run away from your problems." Marco turned away once again.
"Watch me." With that he was off. He ran out of the parking lot across the street. He didn't know where he was going but he knew he couldn't stand being here much longer. Dylan followed him and caught up to him quickly.
"Marco! Marco please stop!" He yelled over the sounds of traffic. Marco slowed and fell to his knees in the soft grass. Dylan rushed to his side and wrapped his arms around him tightly. He grasped the blonde even tighter afraid to let go. Sobs racked his body violently and he cried loudly into Dylan's shoulder.
"Shhh, Its okay Marco. I'm here. I'm here." He pulled Marco's face away from him so he could see it clearly before wiping the tears away with his thumbs. "I'm here."
"I don't know what to do. I don't know anything right now. I just don't know." He fell into Dylan's chest and hung on to his shirt with clenched fists.
Dylan knew there was nothing he could say to make Marco feel any better so he just let him wallow in his presence.
After a few moments of silence Marco finally spoke up. "I'm scared."
Dylan's face turned quizzical. "You're scared? Of what?" Marco lifted his head to the confused face of his boyfriend.
"The future. And whatever is going to happen to me in it." He tilted his head and sighed. "So many things that need to happen but I don't know how they will. My parents, Jay, Spinner. I can't even begin to comprehend what's in store."
"That makes two of us." He put one hand under Marco's chin and kissed him gently on the lips. "But whatever happens, I just want you to know that I'll be there for you. Even if the rest of the world isn't."
"Oh great, now I have to worry about the rest of the world too?" Marco smiled at Dylan who chuckled softly. He was glad to see happiness return to his face.
"What do you want to do now?" The blonde asked, not wanting to push Marco somewhere he didn't want to go.
"If you don't mind, I want to go home."
"As in…"
"As in my house. You're right. I can't just run away from my problems. I think its time I face this one head on." Dylan nodded in agreement and the couple got up from their seat and walked back to the hospital. They went inside and told Paige where they were going.
"Are you sure, I mean…" She questioned, concern edging into her voice.
"I'm sure. If you get a chance to see Spinner tell him I'm okay." Paige nodded and Dylan led Marco back to where their car was parked. Soon enough they were off to Marco's house, neither of them sure of what they would find.
Yay finally finished with that chapter. That was a bit of a challenge to write but hopefully it will be worth it. Roll in the reviews!