The sky rumbles.

“I gotta get home...” I mutter.

“No you don’t.”

“What do you mean?”

“This way.” Ollie nudges me to the left and we turn.

“Where are we going?”

“Urgent Care.”

Fuck.

“No we’re not-“

“Ryan I swear to god. Don’t make me carry you.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

“Is that a challenge?”

“Stop trying to distract me. I’m walking home.”

I say, and head off in the other direction, only to find that my feet aren’t touching the ground and wiry arms are wrapped around my torso.

“Put. Me. Down.”

“Then come with me.”

People around us are starting to whisper.

Ugh. Someone’s gonna yell at him...

“FINE.”

He sets me down gently and I limp along behind him.

“But only because I write with this hand, and I don’t want it to get fucked up forever.”

“Uh-huh.”

The crowd thickens near another school and he offers me his hand. I raise an eyebrow.

“What? There’s about to be another hundred people trying to walk on this sidewalk.”

“Uh-huh.” I take his hand.

He grins.

“Shut up.”

We walk another eight blocks before we make it to the Urgent Care Unit, not before being swamped by kids just getting out of school. He holds the door for me and I practically die looking at the stuffed waiting room.

I lean my head into his chest and groan.

“We’re gonna be here forever...” I whine.

“Yep.”

“Can we just go home?”

“Sure, as soon as that hand’s in a cast.”

We walk to the corner of the room to the only empty chair.

“Here, sit. I’ll stand.”

“Ollie it’s fine, we don’t-“

“Sit the fuck down.” His voice and his smile couldn’t be sweeter, though, and I stick my tongue out at him.

The Charlie Brown Thanksgiving movie plays on a chunky TV on the wall. Ollie stands awkwardly in the middle of the room for several minutes, until he finally just sits down on the floor in front of my chair.

I could just let him take the chair and sit in his lap. It would make more sense.

No, no that’d be weird

But it wasn’t weird when we held hands! It served a purpose

That’s not the point...

I can feel him lean against the bruise on my shin.

Ow...

He shifts his position and I get a stabbing sensation in my bone. I gasp.

“Are you okay?”

He’s immediately scanning my face, trying to see what’s wrong.

“Mhmm.”

He looks suspiciously at my leg, and his face falls like he could see through my jeans. Saying nothing and knowing all too much, he just moves over and I cross my legs.

My phone bleeps.

Shit.