Jack sat on his bed alone in his room with his legs to his chest as he looked out the small window watching the rain. Zack had gone out to have fun because it was the only day they wouldn't have treatment. This made Jack unnaturally upset and distressed. He knew that these treatments would make him happier as well as make the memories of his past disappear, but it only made him more depressed. It made him depressed because he thought that he didn't deserve that clarity, that he didn't deserve that peace, and that he didn't deserve happiness. He buried his face into his knees as he wanted to cry again. He then heard a knock on the door and his head shot up. The person knocked again and Jack hesitated to open it.
"Jack? It's me Zack, I left my key in the room can you open the door?" Zack's voice echoed from the other side of the door. Jack was skeptical whether to believe this voice and he quickly scanned the room and noticed Zack's key on his desk. Picking up his pocket knife from the spot on the ground where he hid it he moved to the door and slowly opened it. On the other side he saw Zack and a boy that looked exactly like Zack except he looked skinnier and had a more sweet face.
Jack was confused and thought he was having another delusion and he slowly backed away gripping his head. Zack and this other boy walked in and the other boy gave him a compassionate look and then turned to his brother, "Zack, is he okay?" The boy asked and Zack understood what was going on.
"He's confused Cody. Jack, this is my twin brother Cody, another patient on the ship, and Cody this is my roommate Jack," Zack said briskly introducing them as he went over to his area and picked up his key as well as a bathing suit.
"Nice to meet you," Cody said extending his hand towards Jack who moved backwards staring at it. Cody slowly retracted his hand confused.
"Ah, um, he doesn't like to touch people and he doesn't talk either. He's a bit," Zack said then raised his hand to make a wall to cloud Jack's view as he made a motion of spinning his finger to indicate Jack was crazy.
"Zack! That's not nice! He's not that he's just a little more sensitive," Cody said moving towards Jack and Jack moved away to keep their distance, "Want to come to the swimming pool with us? Then we're going to get some dinner and then watch a movie," Cody invited Jack.
Jack analyzed the male trying to understand what he was trying to do, because Jack didn't think that he wanted him to come just out of sincerity. He looked at the man with askance as he slowly contemplated the possibilities. He thought that these people would continue to bash him if he didn't go with them and he didn't want to deal with hatred from people of his own age. He didn't want to go, but he figured if the staff saw him with other people that they'd let him go sooner. He didn't particularly like either of them, but he nodded his head slowly getting up.
"Do you have a bathing suit," Zack asked and Jack's eyes widened as a memory of his past came running back.
A nine-year-old Jack was standing by his family's pool and he looked into it's watery depths. His father came up behind him and Jack instantly moved away from him, but his father kept moving forward towards him. He desperately tried to look around for a point of escape but he couldn't find a way out. While he was backing away he backed into a larger man which Jack recognized as his father's friend. He gasped and tried to run away, but the large man grabbed his small frame and moved towards his father.
"Come on Jack, don't fight it, he wont hurt you," Jack's father said as he blew his cigarette smoke into Jack's face causing Jack to cough.
"Joe, he's more adorable than you let on," The man said as his father chuckled and blew another puff of smoke into Jack's face.
"I told you, Nathan, he's all natural. Now go ahead and throw him into the pool and we'll talk price," Joe said and Nathan smiled.
"Wet? Alright," Nathan said as he turned towards the pool and threw the young Jack into the pool. Jack didn't know how to swim and instantly as he hit the water he felt the coolness envelope him. He desperately tried to reach the surface as he was in the middle of the pool and watched his Joe and Nathan walked away leaving him stranded in the middle of the pool. Jack desperately tried to keep his head above the water as he tried to scream, but it wouldn't come.
He stayed there for hours and just when he was about to give up his father came back out and threw a circular floating object that Jack grabbed onto and his father pulled him in and pulled out of the pool. He hit Jack and Jack winced as his father pulled him close and he looked him right in the eye.
"Remember this pain, because if you're not a good boy this upcoming weekend then this pain will only be a small fraction of all the pain you'll feel," Joe said as he threw Jack to the ground and left him crying.
Jack snapped back to reality as his eyes were filled with tears and both Zack and Cody looked at him with concerned and he whipped the tears from his eyes. He shook his head to answer Zack's question and Zack tossed Jack an extra pair of swimming trunks. Jack held them and looked at Zack as he left the room. Jack followed slowly wondering what it would be like to socialize with the other patients. The walk was fairly short and the reached the pool fairly quickly. There was a large window that made up the east wall and there was a large pool, many water slides and minor water rides, and a bar where they served drinks.
"Jack, I'm surprised you came," Daisy said as she walked over being followed by Bobby, and when Jack noticed Bobby he looked away quickly.
"Yeah, we somehow were successful in coaxing him down here. Now that we're here we can have some fun!" Zack said running towards the wave pool, and Cody followed after him.
Jack had no interest in going into the pool and he simply went over to one of the tables in the corner by the bay window and watched the rain. He was trying to remember what had happened that weekend, but the memories were obviously too painful for him to want to remember. He didn't want to go swimming and Daisy walked over to him with a brunette girl following her. Jack got up to leave as they came but Daisy rushed forward.
"Don't go. This is my good friend Mandy," Daisy said pointing to her friend who glared at him with this nasty look and Jack felt intimidated by her and wouldn't make eye contact. Something about her was evil to him.
"Why did you introduce me to some freak?" She asked crossing her arms and Jack flinched at the word freak, "And why is he sitting here? Are you not able to swim?" She said verbally attacking him and Jack flinched again.
"Mandy, stop it! No wonder you're here, leave Jack alone! He's fragile," Daisy said and Jack couldn't believe it. He wondered why Daisy would be so cruel as to introduce him to such a fowl woman. Jack's eyes began to swell with tears as he got up to leave.
"Sorry, I didn't know he was so sensitive," Mandy spoke with her distinctive New York accent.
Jack ignored Daisy's attempt to make him stay and moved quickly towards the door. He couldn't stand being here anymore, and he needed to watch the rain. He yearned for the rain upon his skin. He quickly exited the pool area and made his way through the desolate hallways. He didn't exactly know where he was going because he wasn't paying attention to the way he got here. He began to hyperventilate as he tried to find the room, and he just got more and more lost in the maze of hallways and rooms. He wanted to scream out, but his voice wouldn't come.
He ruffled his own hair and tried to relax, but the memories of feeling lost and feeling pain rushed back quickly. He looked around and tried to find the waiting room again. He headed down the hallway in front of him, and then took a left and he finally got to his own room, and he knew how to get to the room from his own room. He quickly left the hall and made his way to the waiting room. He approached the large window and realized it didn't open. He desperately tried banging on the glass for it to open. He felt helpless against the reinforced glass and he fell to his knees as he tried another couple weak attempts at opening the window.
He thought he wasn't strong enough, he thought he wasn't brave enough, and he thought he couldn't do anything anymore. He couldn't do anything without someone's help. He was weak and he knew it. He slowly placed his back to the wall and instinctively hugged his knees as he began to cry once again. Bobby silently stood in the doorway looking at Jack trying to analyze him.
"Hey, I thought I'd find you here," Bobby finally said causing Jack to jump, get up, and quickly move away, "Hey now, relax, I'm not going to hurt you," Bobby said raising his hands. Jack didn't believe him, because he had been told that exact phrase many times before and everyone who had said that had hurt him. He kept his distance as Bobby tried to move forward, "Alright, I guess this is as close as I'm going to get," Bobby said to himself, but loud enough so Jack could here. Bobby sat on the ground where he was and Jack looked at the male confused.
Jack kept his distance from the male and sat down hesitantly staying about ten feet away from the boy, and he looked at Bobby with askance as to trying to understand what he wanted. Bobby stared back as if he was analyzing him and then softly smiled at Jack and Jack hesitantly looked away.
"I don't understand something Jack. People tell me that you don't like touching people, but why did you hug me then? Was it a mistake? Or are you just a fake?" Bobby asked with a sneer on his face like he knew what he was going. Jack's eyes widened and he was filled with disbelief. He didn't understand how someone could accuse him of making this stuff up. Out of anger Jack got up and began walking away, "I see you don't talk either, and that makes the possibility of you lying not possible, but why did you hug me? Is the pain you feel from the feeling of abandonment and the feeling that no one cares about you and you feel the need to cut yourself to make the pain go away and to make people notice? If so, you probably don't even realize it, but I do know that whatever you went through, which was probably all your life, was so drastic that it skewed your perspective on people. Am I right?" Bobby said as Jack walked away and this made Jack stop.
Jack listened to what the male was saying and he couldn't believe it. He grabbed his head as the lies he surrounded himself to make himself safer began to fall. Everything that he ever believed was coming undone. He believed it was possible that he did want someone to care, but it was more than that. He felt pain, but he didn't know why. He couldn't remember everything that ever happened to him, because it all blurred together. However, he did know the basic things that happened to him. He looked down at the ground and made a fist.
Bobby smirked slightly knowing that he hit at least the outer levels of his problem, but his smiled soon faltered as he saw a teardrop hit the ground and he got up and walked up behind Jack, and for some reason Jack allowed him to get close and Bobby was sort of surprised. Jack decided that this place wouldn't make things go away. That doctors couldn't make his pain go away, and he believed that only Bobby could, Bobby was the only thing good. Jack's perspective and illusion of reality to changed so it made Bobby his master of sorts.
Jack turned around and face Bobby, and he didn't make eye contact, and he did something he had never done before, "Thank you," He murmured so softly that Bobby almost didn't hear it, and Bobby's eyed widened and he couldn't believe his ears.
"Did you just?" He asked and then he saw the look on Jack's face and he realized it was a one time thing and he wouldn't press him to talk more. Jack then slowly and hesitantly extended his hand and grabbed Bobby's arm hugging it tightly. Bobby was confused as to why he was doing this. Jack then let go and walked over to a desk and took a piece of paper and wrote something onto it and then handed it to Bobby who looked at it and nodded.
He then dropped the paper and Jack once again grabbed Bobby's arm hugging it tightly as they made their way to the pool area. From the opposite doorway had watched everything that unfolded in the room and with curiosity walked over and picked up the piece of paper and read it's contents. It said, "Protect me," and nothing more. He placed the piece of paper into his inner coat pocket and looked out the window contemplating something.
"This is quite interesting," He said to himself before smirking and walking off and leaving the room empty.
As they returned to the pool area Daisy ran over to them and looked so relieved to see that Jack was alright. She was also surprised to see that he was holding Bobby's arm. Zack and Cody ran over as well, and Zack noticed that he was hugging Bobby's arm and he smiled. He figured that Jack was alright with people touching him so he every so lightly gave him a pat on the back. Jack quickly hid behind Bobby hugging his arm even tighter and Zack gave him a confused look moving forward and Jack moved back.
"Zack, back up," Bobby said in a defensive manner as Jack buried his face into Bobby's back.
"What? Why is he okay with you touching him, but not us?" Zack asked confused as to why he was so clingy to Bobby.
"I don't know, but he wants me to protect him, so how about we don't pry?" Bobby offered, but Zack didn't seem convinced and he crossed his arms.
"Zack, you're not jealous are you?" Daisy asked almost chuckling from the idea, and Zack's face became bright red.
"NO! Of course not!" Zack said turning his head away as they all laughed, everyone except Jack who stayed silent.
"Well, it seemed Mr. Sensitive is back," Mandy commented as she walked over to the group and noticed Jack's clinginess, "Oh? What is this? Is he now your pet or something, Bobby?" She asked and Jack tried to ignore her, "Oh, let me guess he can't survive without someone commanding him? My god, I thought he was just a cry baby, but now he likes being a submissive slave. I see, that's how you role," She said towards Jack who began to feel bad about himself. "My god you're even more pathetic than I originally thought. Daisy, we should leave this freak, because he's nothing but a pathetic little waste of a human being. He's more woman than man," She said beginning to laugh as Jack's eyes filled with tears, "Aw, little baby going to cry? Whatever," She said and Jack released Bobby and turned her back to Mandy and Mandy then took the opportunity to push Jack into the pool, "Whoops," She said laughing.
"You fucking bitch," Bobby yelled as he slapped her to the ground, "Don't you ever lay your hands on him again!"
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Mandy said getting up, and they all turned to Jack.
Once Jack hit the water he realized it was just like when he was a kid he began to freak out as he got to the surface of the water and began splashing around because he couldn't swim. Bobby instinctively jumped in and grabbed Jack's arm and brought him to the edge of the pool and Jack then clung to Bobby tightly and rocked back and forth as Bobby told him everything was alright.
"He couldn't swim, I hope you're happy Mandy," Daisy said moving towards Jack and Bobby.
Jack looked up at Bobby who looked down at him and Jack realized that he couldn't trust anyone but Bobby, and he would never leave his side. Bobby was the only one who could hit him, Bobby was the only one who could touch him, and Bobby was the only person who could protect him. Bobby picked Jack up and decided to take him back to his room, and when they got back Jack ran into the bathroom and changed, got into bed, and fell asleep quickly. Bobby and everyone but Zack left, and Zack just looked at Jack sleeping.
"This is going to be a long year," Zack said getting ready for bed.