Tuesday, August 11th

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Lincoln and Eugene burst into Keagan’s room.

“Put shoes on, Keagan! We have to go!” Lincoln shouted, they both ran past his door and Keagan heard the scuffle of shoes being put on and keys jangling. 

Keagan pulled himself out of bed groggily and hurriedly but sloppily slipped on some shoes, “what’s wrong? Where are we going?!” He asked, disoriented and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Lincoln popped his head back in the door, “Zack’s awake.” 

They were all racing down the hospital corridors going through so many twists and turns that Keagan doesn’t remember ever going through before. There were so many nurses crowding the hallways that it slowed them down.

It felt like it took hours to get to the room but 

finally.

They reached Zack’s room.

Lincoln, Eugene, and Aunty Lucy stood back and watched as Keagan slowly opened the door.

There he was. Sitting up in bed blinking his blue and looking out the window. 

He was awake.

He was blinking.

And now he was looking at Keagan.

And-

“Who are you?”

And Keagan’s world shattered with those three words.

Keagan’s eyes blinked open. 

He was in his room. 

He was sweating and panting hard. His blanket and pillows were kicked off the bed leaving him shivering from the cold air of the fan.

But he didn’t really care.

Keagan turned on his side, hugged himself, brought his knees tight against his chest,

and cried.

~~~

“You look pale,” was the first thing Lincoln said to him by way of greeting.

“In case you haven’t noticed, old man, vampires tend to be rather pale,” Keagan responded as he yanked open the fridge practically overflowing with blood bags, and grabbed two of them.

“Smart-ass,” Lincoln huffed, “you’re just like your brother.”

Keagan tensed up. He didn’t need this. He didn’t need them talking about Zack right now. 

“Why’re you taking two blood bags today, honey?” Eugene asked as he stepped into the kitchen.

“I’ve uh been hungrier recently.”

Eugene smiled and patted his head, “Growing boy. You’ve gotten so tall it’s so unfair.”

Keagan mustered a smile but Eugene could tell it was half-assed.

“You doing okay? You look tired,” he frowned.

“I’m fine,” Keagan turned away, “just been excited about being the captain this year. It’s making it harder to sleep,” he laughed.

Eugene was unconvinced but he sighed, resigned, “if you say so.”

The truth was Keagan didn’t sleep at all after the nightmare. He lay there for hours wishing he could stop thinking about every worst-case scenario.

He bid goodbye to his adoptive dads and waited for Kayden to swing by and pick him up.

~~~

Tommy slammed his locker shut and glared at him. Keagan thanked whoever his creator was that they didn’t make looks kill because if they did, Tommy would have mutilated him with that stare.

“What part of fuck off did your sick mind not comprehend?” Tommy seethed.

“I believe your exact words were ‘Stay the fuck away from me.’ Also, I’m not some crazy person, okay? I’m perfectly normal.”

Tommy laughed in his face, eyes wide and crazed. He turned and started walking away.

This kid was losing it.

“Hey! Wait a second we need to talk!”

“No. We don’t.”

“We do. I have to explain what happened and also you have to eat-“

Tommy stopped but didn’t look at Keagan as he said, “Nothing happened. There’s nothing to explain. Leave me the fuck alone.” And continued walking again.

Keagan groaned.

This is so infuriating.

And at the worst timing possible Ray tosses his arm around Keagan’s shoulder, “Trouble in paradise? Who’s he?”

“No one,” Keagan shrugged Ray’s arm off and walked down the hall to his first class.