I got out of bed early the next morning and took a shower before Dad or Allen woke up. I really didn’t want to go to school that day, but since Dad would get mad at me if I stayed home, I had to go. I really did not want to… But I guess I had to.

I had to leave early if I wanted to avoid getting in trouble, so I washed my hair hastily before scrubbing my skin with a sponge. My stomach twisted unpleasantly when I thought about spending the day without Deon by my side, and I almost decided to stay at home after all.

Then I thought about Mom. She would’ve wanted me to go, and I let out a deep sigh.

“All right, I’ll go…”

When I stepped out of the shower and reached for my towel, I saw a glimpse of my chest in the mirror. I had multiple green-and-yellow spots all over me, but not a single black or blue one. It was amazing how fast bruises healed when I wasn’t getting any new ones. I’d almost started to believe they never healed because I always got new ones on top of the old.

My mood dropped. How many new bruises I’d have the next time I saw myself in the mirror…? Sean, Drake, Glen and all the others would find me. They always did, and I’d get hurt. I shivered at that thought as I went to find clean clothes to wear.

An hour later, I arrived at the school and stepped through the gates. It was raining, and my feet were already soaking wet. I was way too early, so it would take a long time before the janitor opened the doors, and I’d get safe from the rain.

I tried to find a place where I could hide without getting any more wet. I had my umbrella, but the weather was getting worse. Soon, the umbrella became more inconvenient than useful as the wind kept trying to take it from me.

I peered at the sky as I made my way through the yard to the main building. It was going to be a stormy day, which reflected my mood perfectly. I was in turmoil. I tried to avoid thinking about Beau and his mixed signals. I tried to avoid thinking about Sean and the fact that he was going to remind me about my life before Deon. And I tried to avoid thinking about Deon and his bipolar attitude.

But it all was useless. I had a million questions in my head, and no answers. I was so confused about everything that my stomach was getting upset too. I felt physically sick whenever I tried to understand anything.

With those scattered thoughts in mind, I wandered around the main building until I spotted a small spot of dry ground next to the wall at the backside of the school, under a small roof. It wasn’t hidden from view, but at least I’d be safe from the rain.

I ran toward it, but slipped on the wet grass. I managed to maintain my balance, but I hurt my ankle. I was pretty sure it wasn’t anything severe because I could walk just fine, but with everything else going on, after the sleepless night and being outside in the cold rain, I almost cried out of misery.

I limped the rest of the way and sat down on the dry gravel next to the wall. The roof gave me just enough shelter from the rain, but my clothes were already wet, and the wind was chilly. When I wasn’t moving anymore, my body began to shiver. I rubbed my hurting ankle halfheartedly and cursed myself for not taking a jacket. My wet hoodie was sticking to my skin without giving me much comfort.

I checked the clock on my phone. I still had to wait almost an hour before the start of the first class. I’d probably freeze to death before that… And… It was a comforting thought. I was so miserable and so confused that my dark thoughts emerged.

I’d be better off dead.

I watched the wind tossing trash around the yard, and I found it somehow soothing. I was just like those small pieces of trash. People pushed me around however they pleased and ignored me when I didn’t get up from the ground. Then, after I’d finally found the strength to get up, they would start pushing me again.

I couldn’t help but wonder if that was exactly what Beau was doing with me…

No. I shook my head. That wasn’t the Beau I knew. I remembered him as a kind and caring person. He’d already explained why he’d acted like a jerk, and I hadn’t even given him a chance to explain what was going on between him and Sabrina.

I’d been fast to jump to conclusions before, and it had never worked out too well for me. After all, Beau hadn’t said anything about wanting to date me. He’d only wished we could be friends again. I wasn’t sure why he had kissed me, but I wanted to believe he was just as confused as I was. Maybe he was scared too.

For some reason, I felt better and calmer. I leaned back against the wall and decided to talk to Beau and let him explain what he meant by saying the thing with Sabrina was complicated.

The rain began pouring down even harder as the minutes passed. I was still safe from getting wet, but the moment the wind would change direction, I’d get soaked. I tried to find a better position on the hard ground, curling up against the wall. I had my arms tightly around me, shielding myself from the cold. I stared right in front of me, not really seeing anything. All I could see was Beau, even though he wasn’t there.

There was no one around, but I still kept my eyes out for anything that moved. Both corners of the building were far away, so I’d spot anyone who approached me. I had plenty of time to run away if needed. And since I was behind the school where people usually didn’t come, I thought I’d be safe.

Except I wasn’t. The sleepless night had taken its toll on me, and I dozed off after a while. How stupid of me. A sudden, sharp jolt of pain on my side woke me up, and when I opened my eyes, the first and last thing I saw was Sean’s mean smile and his fist approaching my face, sending me back into unconsciousness.

And I had a weird dream…

There was a lion and a hyena fighting together. The lion was furious, and he kicked the hyena’s ass pretty good. Once the hyena ran away, the lion turned to look straight at me. I wasn’t scared, though. He stepped over me and took off his jacket. That part was weird, since I thought lions didn’t wear clothes. As the lion put his jacket on me, I felt warm and safe. He picked me up off the ground with his front legs. That was weird too. He carried me toward a black and white horse that I saw in the distance.

Wait…

My brain finally started to work, and instead of a horse, there was a black car in front of me. I was being carried, but the strong arms holding me belonged to a human, not a lion. I turned to look up to see who was carrying me so gently, and got greeted by Deon’s angry expression.

My mind was still hazy, so I didn’t quite understand how I was suddenly sitting in his car. It was raining hard outside, but the car was dry and warm. I could hear the humming of the powerful engine even with the rain loudly hitting the windshield. I peered out the window. We were already moving. Did I black out again?

I turned to Deon, who was sitting behind the wheel, wearing a red hoodie. He was soaking wet too, and his long hair was glued to his face and neck, dripping water on the leather seats. He was still angry when he glanced at me.

“I told you not to get in trouble!” he yelled.

“I’m sorry”, I muttered, still feeling pretty disoriented.

I was sure he didn’t hear me. Deon shook his head angrily and turned his eyes back to the road ahead of us. I felt warm and cozy in his big leather jacket. Apparently, I hadn’t been dreaming. Deon really had saved me from Sean and wrapped me in his warm jacket before carrying me to his car.

“How did you find me?” I asked, but I guess he didn’t hear me since he didn’t say anything. I tried to speak louder, but my head started spinning from the effort. I breathed slowly a couple of times, closing my eyes in hopes of making the pain disappear. I rested my head against the backrest, and soon, I fell asleep again.

The next time I woke up, I was lying in a soft, warm bed. It took me a moment to realize it didn’t feel like my own bed. My bed was hard, and my duvet was thinner than the one I had now. It took a lot of effort to open my eyes so I could see where I was, and when I finally did, I found myself in someone else’s room. There was no one around, but I was still in too much pain to get up and go look around.

Instead, I slowly glanced around the room, studying everything I saw closely. The room was clean and neatly organized. There was a small desk under a huge window, and a big bookshelf next to it, filled with books, magazines, and DVDs.

On the other side of the room, there was a small couch and a small flatscreen TV in front of it on the opposite wall. The whole room was decorated in black and white, and I liked it a lot. It was almost twice as big as my own, and it even smelled nicer.

Soon enough, I heard someone approaching the room, and a moment later, a woman in her forties stepped inside. She had kind brown eyes and long blonde hair in a ponytail. She was about the same height as me, and she had a lean but feminine figure.

She was surprised to see me awake, but she hid it with a smile.

“Good, you’re awake already,” she said with a warm tone as she made her way to the bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Um, fine, I guess,” I said. “Where am I?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Mia Steele, but you can call me Mia. I’m Deon’s mom,” she explained kindly. “And this is our home.”

“Why am I here?” I asked.

“The school wasn’t open yet,” I heard a low voice near the door. “I brought you here.”

I immediately felt better when Mia stepped aside, and I could see Deon leaning against the doorway. He was wearing dry clothes – black chinos and a tight black tank top – and his long hair was in a casual bun.  

“I’m a doctor, so you don’t need to worry about anything,” Mia told me encouragingly. “You need to get some rest, but otherwise you’re fine.”

“Thank you, but I think I should go now…” I muttered and tried to get up.

“I don’t think so, young man,” Mia said sternly. “You’ll stay here and rest. I’ll call your parents, so they won’t get worried.”

“My dad is at work, so I don’t think he’ll answer,” I muttered.

I really didn’t want Deon’s mom to call him…

“Give me his number and I’ll try,” she said with a smile. “He needs to let your teacher know you can’t come today.”

“Mom…” Deon suddenly said in a quiet voice. He shook his head a little when she turned to look at him.

They both exchanged short looks, but it seemed more like an actual conversation, only without words. Mia’s expression dropped, and she turned to look at me.

“So you’re the boy Deon spent last Friday with,” she said slowly, and I could see something click in her head.

She had worry and sympathy in her eyes as she watched me closer, and I could tell Deon had told her about my family. I turned back to Deon, but when our eyes met, he quickly turned to look away. I felt betrayed. Whatever happened in my home was none of his business, and I sure as hell didn’t want to get in trouble with my dad if an outsider came to snoop around.

“I really should go now,” I grunted, ignoring Mia, who tried to stop me.

I tossed the thick covers off me… only to find out I was only wearing my underwear. Mia looked away courteously while I pulled the covers back on me, feeling embarrassed. There was no chance in hell that Mia hadn’t noticed my bruised skin.

I’d just made things worse for myself…

“Your clothes were soaking wet,” Deon explained. “It takes a while until they’re dry, so you better get some rest.”

“He’s right. You need to rest,” Mia said gently and made her way to her son. “Keep an eye on him, will you?”

Deon nodded and sat down on the couch while his mom left the room, leaving us alone. I really wished Mia wasn’t going to call my dad, and if she did, I wished even harder she wouldn’t mention my injuries. Dad would only get furious at me for getting him in trouble for neglecting me and Allen.

I sighed and lay back down against the soft pillows.

“How did you find me? I thought you weren’t coming to school today,” I asked.

“Well, lucky for you, my doctor’s appointment was canceled,” he said. “I saw you and Sean from the parking lot.”

I nodded weakly. “My jaw hurts,” I said quietly, rubbing my cheek gently.

“He managed to hit you once before I got to you,” Deon said apologetically. “Seems like I can’t leave you alone even for a moment.”

“How is Sean?” I asked out of curiosity because Deon didn’t look hurt.

“He ran after a few hits,” Deon said and chuckled, looking really pleased with himself. “I believe one of the teachers saw him hitting you, so things might get pretty messy from here.”

“It’s all right. They’ve seen me getting my ass kicked before, so…” I trailed off when I saw Deon’s furious look.

“They know about what you’re going through?” he asked angrily.

“I… I think… Yeah…” I muttered. “But why do you care, anyway?”

But once again, that was a mistake. He flared up immediately.

“Stop fucking asking that already! I told you, didn’t I?” Deon raised his voice and leaned forward on his couch in a threatening manner. “Why does everyone keep thinking I’m an asshole?”

I stared at him with wide eyes for a moment. For a guy who kept saying he didn’t care what people thought about him, he got pretty mad at me. He rubbed his temples and sighed angrily without continuing, so I gathered all my courage to speak my mind.

“You said you have to help me, but I know you were going to say something else,” I said tentatively. “Why do you think you have to help me?”

“I don’t have to help you,” Deon spat at me, but once again, he failed to explain anything to me.

“Then what is it? You can tell me. I won’t laugh or tell anyone or anything,” I pleaded.

I would soon go crazy if he didn’t tell me why…

He gave me an ugly look, but eventually he sighed and leaned back against the couch.

“I just want to do something right,” he said quietly. “I’ve done a lot of bad things, and I want to… I don’t know… Make a difference at least once. Do something good for a change.”

That was the first time I saw him looking almost… fragile.

“Oh,” I said quietly, not knowing what else to say.

“I really meant what I said the other day. I hate to see people getting hurt by someone who is bigger and stronger than them. When I saw your bruises, I really felt bad for you,” he said and laughed with a sad tone in his voice. “I hate violence.”

That was surprising to hear since he was known for getting into fights. But… Those were all just mean rumors, right? I’d learned so many new things about him during the past couple of days, and he sure was quite different from what I had expected.

“I want us to be friends,” I told him truthfully, but his mood changed drastically again.

“Well I don’t, so stop thinking about it,” he said harshly and got up. “I told you it will never happen,” he added and stormed out of the room.

I sighed and closed my eyes in frustration. Why was he being so weird? Why did he react so strongly every time I mentioned our friendship? The way I saw it, we were friends. Maybe not good ones, but at least it seemed like we were friends. So why was he acting like that?

But… Maybe there was something else bothering him.

Something… like a secret.