Hell no!

Chapter 22. Comforting (Will)

After class I debated with myself if I should text Nico. I thought about it in the bus ride all the way home. Should I tell him about Michael and Kayla? It might help him. So I sent him a text.

Me: Hey, Nico. I can imagine how hard it is to have lost your sister so suddenly. I'm sure you've heard it from many others, but I'm sorry for your loss. I have never told anyone before, but I know what it is like to lose a sibling, and how hard it is to get over. I know it isn't saying much, but I hope you are doing better, and let me know if you want to talk about it.

Almost an hour later I got a reply.

Nico: You've lost a sibling too?

Me: Yes, when I was five, my three year old brother died and also my unborn eight month old sister. My mother nearly died. Me and my father were lucky to have survived without much.

Nico: What happened?

I hesitated. Should I tell him? I've never told anyone before. But I decided to tell him. I decide I can trust him with a secret like this, because he'll understand.

Me: We went to the beach, and when we got in the car to go back home, another car crashed into ours. My little brother, Michael, had multiple head traumas and died soon after getting to the hospital. My mother had a couple of broken bones and Kayla had died almost instantly because of blood loss due to a big shred of glass had pierced my mother's belly. Mom needed multiple long surgeries and barely made it. I didn't really understand everything back then, but I did understand that Michael and Kayla had died. It is one of the only times I have ever seen my father cry.

Nico: I… I don't know what to say. I'm sorry. I hope you have some good memories of Michael?

I smiled at his response. He tries to make me feel better, while he was the one that just lost his sister a couple of weeks ago. He remembers every detail, I don't know much about it anymore. That's very sweet of him!

Me: I do, and I have some pictures of the two of us, which I try to draw. I have drawn one to give to my parents for their anniversary.

Nico: I think they'll love it, most people love pictures of those they love. And for parents drawings are the most precious gift to get from their child.

Me: And drawing it also makes me feel better. It helps me cope with it, helps me remember the good memories.

Nico: I drew me and my sisters yesterday, just a simple drawing of me and Bianca and Hazel on our vacation in Italy. And right now I'm wearing the sweater Bianca got me last summer in Italy. She and Hazel had gone shopping with mom and when they got back Bianca had given me this big, black sweater with Viva Italia on the back. I put it on and nearly drowned in the sweater, so mom took a picture of me with Hazel and Bianca by my side and she called me her little cuddly panda bear.

I laughed out loud and was glad that I was in my room alone. I can totally imagine him in a big, black sweater, nearly drowning in it, looking very cute and cuddle-able. I would totally cuddle him if he looked anything like I think he looks drowning in a big sweater, but I would probably cuddle him anyway if I got the chance… Ahrg, I cannot think like that. I need to be his friend. He needs a friend. Even though he would look so incredibly cute… STOP! I have to play it safe, give him a 'friend' answer. I can't say that I think he'd look cute, no adorable, nearly drowning in a big sweater. So no teasing!

Me: That sounds like a great memory. You are lucky to have so many, as I have but a few. My fifth birthday, when I let Michael help me blow out the candles and then we threw cake in each other's faces. And that beach day, me and Michael swimming in the sea with dad and mom getting us the biggest ice creams we'd ever seen.

A tear traced a path over my face. I miss Michael so much.

Nico: Thanks for talking to me and telling me about your brother and sister, I feel a little bit better now.

Me: What are friends for?

Nico: Eh… yeah, thanks, friend. :)

He sounds a little awkward, that is so sweet. So cute! No! Stop it, stupid brain!

Me: Hope you're doing better tomorrow, just get some sleep. But I gotta go now, mom's calling for dinner. See you tomorrow?

Nico: Yeah, see you tomorrow. And thanks again.

He sounds so genuine, so sweet, but so broken at the same time. He's trying, but it is hard. I smiled at my phone and put it down. Then I went downstairs, and saw mom had made pumpkin soup, which I really like, and she'd brought a break bread from the bakery. Dad wasn't home yet.

''So how was school today, Will?'' mom asked. I thought about how to answer.

''It was… eventful, so to say.'' I said.

''What happened?''

''Well, Nico, you know, he was here Saturday, he had an argument with his little sister Hazel.'' Mom nodded, so I continued. ''It ended when Nico told us and some of his other friends about the shooting. He told us about his big sister Bianca, that she'd died in the shooting. Then he ran off and Hazel followed him. Annabeth and Piper, who had also been there, told us that Bianca had tried to talk the shooter down, but that he'd shot her. They also told us that it was very hard for Nico and Hazel and also for them.''

''So Nico's big sister was that girl that bravely talked to that shooter, which allowed the police to take him down?'' I nodded at her. ''Well, no wonder he's upset. He lost his sister rather abruptly, and because she walked up to a man with a gun. That must have been very shocking for them.''

''Yeah, he then acted weird all through gym, which was beep test. And I got to grade eleven this time. But he was just a running machine. He outlast the test! And then he didn't even stop and he wasn't even tired. It was like he wasn't even aware he was running anymore.''

''Well, if we feel emotional, we can sometimes do strange things, honey.''

''Yeah,'' I said thoughtfully. ''But then I texted to ask if he was doing okay and I said I knew how he was feeling and I told him about Michael and Kayla. Afterwards he said he felt better and that he was glad we are friends, more or less…'' Mom looked at me, with a lot of understanding and love in her eyes.

''That was very brave of you, to tell him. I don't think you've ever told anyone else, have you?'' she asked. I shook my head, feeling a little ashamed of myself. I hadn't even told the guys I call my best friends…

''No, not even Percy or Jason know,'' I said a little downcast. But I continued in a much more upbeat tone, ''But I felt like I had to help him, because I am someone who knows what he's going through right now, so I thought it might help him.''

''That was very good of you, Will. I'm proud of you!'' she smiled at me proudly. We finished dinner and I helped her with the dishes.

During that we talked about Michael and that day at the beach, but only about the good things. We talked about the big ice creams, the swimming in the sea with dad and how he'd pretended to be a shark to try and scare us, which hadn't worked, and also about him throwing us around, and the huge sandcastle we'd built. We talked about Michael wanting to make a sandman, how he'd tried to explain to us that a sandman was like a snowman, but made out of sand. We'd all laughed at that, and then helped him built one. We talked about dad joking that the sandman only missed a nose, but that we didn't have a carrot so he'd gotten a stick and gotten some seaweed for the hair.

After doing the dishes I went back up to my room to finish my homework, but I was very tired. I went to bed after my homework, quickly changing into my pyjama's and nearly jumping into my bed. I fell asleep as soon as my head touched my pillow.

AN: Someone asked about the beep test, that maybe those are different here, and I think they are. But I'm not really sure, I haven't ran it in a couple of years, due to a lot of injuries.

This is also a somewhat later post, and I've edited it just a couple of minutes ago, and it's about 1 at night. Pretty late. But I'd been watching TV with my parents beforehand...

I really wanted to post something today, but it just didn't fit into my day.

Hope you like it, let me know!

Oh, and by the way, I am working on a 3 days in the infirmary fic, and I hope to be posting something about it soon. Tell me if you'd like that.

AN2: Checked again, while listening to Fall Out Boy.