Chapter Two-Hundred and One

John pulled his pants off as he rested on his bed, heaving a loud sigh as he scratched at the blistering rash on his thighs. "Fuck…"

Clarissa knocked on his door, gently pushing it open to see him laying on his bed with raw skin on his legs. "Oh, Pumpkin…" She sat on his bed, combing back his hair as he tried to stop the itching. "Don't scratch it." She took his hands in hers, able to see the exhaustion in his muscles from the night. "I'll get you some lotion for it." She smoothed his hair back pressing a motherly kiss to his head as he closed his eyes. "I'll be right back."

She opened the medicine cabinet in the adults' bathroom, taking out a tube of rash ointment from a small tote. "Alright, let's fix you up." She shut John's door, knowing that Amelia and Claire were only two doors down the hall. "John-" She smiled when her eyes landed on John, able to see that he was out cold. His hands were balled up in one of Claire's old hoodies, holding it close to his nose as he quietly snored. "Oh, Baby…" She sighed, squeezing some of the cream onto her fingers before she gently rubbed it onto his raw skin. "I'm glad you had fun." She kissed his head, picking up a pair of loose-fitting sweatpants to keep the cream from messing up his bedding. "Sleep well."

John's fingers brushed against her wrist, his eyes opening just enough to let her see the brown of his irises. "Stay…"

She smiled, taking his hand in hers as she laid on his bed beside him. "Just until you fall asleep." She whispered, pulling his blankets farther up on his shoulders.

Medusa glared as she watched John and Claire in the halls, rolling her eyes as John was surrounded by young girls begging him to sign stuff. "Fucking prick." She growled, looking at the poems that she'd ripped out of John's journal. "He was supposed to be mine."

Kaylie pushed her against the lockers, her eyes like green fire. "He was never supposed to be yours. If you wanted to get his attention, you shouldn't have been a slut. He doesn't like girls who show off their boobs all the time. He jokes about it, but the truth is, it brings up bad memories and he hates it."

"You're a bitch." Medusa spat, shoving Kaylie off of her.

Kaylie pushed her hair out of her eyes, opening her locker. "Look, I'm sorry. It's just that we've all seen a lot of fucked up shit." She opened her arms, offering the snake a hug. "Friends?" She wrapped her arms around Medusa, shoving her into the locker and slamming the door closed. "Don't fuck with burners." She barked, pouring some water into the vents on top of Medusa's perm.

Toby laughed as Chance sat beside John's shower stall, whistling for the pooch to come to him since everyone on the boxing team knew to not surprise John while he was in the shower. He pulled on his boxers, followed by his jeans and belt. "How's the pupper today?"

"GET OUT!" John screamed, sending both Toby and Chance rushing to his aid. "FUCK OFF!"

Toby grabbed a couple of the girls by the shoulders, recognizing the shock and fear in them at the sight of John's scars. "Leave him alone." He pushed them from the locker room, making sure that they left John alone. "He's got a girlfriend."

He turned back to John's shower, able to see that he was leaning heavily on the walls. "You good?" He asked, handing him a towel to protect his dignity that had been robbed from him. "You're looking a little pale there."

John swallowed, pressing a hand to his head as he sank to the floor. "No…"

Toby nodded, kneeling beside his friend as he fought the memory. "What happened, Man?" He asked, scratching Chance's ears as she tried to bring her master out of it.

John began to shake, slowly lifting his eyes to look at his friend. "I was… r-raped… by men…" He fought the pain as it started to burn inside of him.

Braxton stepped up to his teammates, leaning down to help support his friend. "We're here for you. If you need to talk, here's my number." He patted John's shoulder, a small smile on his lips. "My uncle use to do that shit to me before he died. I know what it's like."

John nodded, leaning back against the wall as his body tried to slip into the flashback. "Thanks…" He smiled, letting himself relax slightly.