This Rose Bleeds (boyxboy)

Chapter ~Seven~

Oooooh…haha, i imagined myself sounding like one of those big headed bratz going ooooh haha……………right, well…NATHANS AWESOME, RIGHT?!?!?!??!??!?!?!?!?!?! I can't wait to make him go through worse than he already has, if anyone has any suggestions to what they want to happen, comment or PM!!!!!!

AnYWaY, comment please. Or…I'll…uh…BYE!!!!!!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  <-- as straight as Magnus Bane from Clockwork series by Cassandra Clare!!!!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Nathan, are you sleeping?” I heard my name but didn’t raise my head. It was too heavy. “Nathan?”
            Huh, it sounded like Ms. Richmond.
            Wait…my head snapped up. Shoot, I was still in class. “I’m sorry Ms. Richmond. Please continue.”
            She gave me a worried look as the class snickered at my back. I must have looked exhausted. My chest tickled with the need to cough but I resisted the urge. I rubbed my eyes forced myself to focus on the lesson. Ten more minutes before school was over…
            Ten more minutes.
            “Remember, if you didn’t get it done during class its due tomorrow, first thing. You’re dismissed.”
            Everyone sprang up, including me. My head swam dizzily and I steadied myself with the desk.
            I hadn’t finished the class work. That meant I either need to get it done at Ryder’s, when I still have to do the other homework, or afterward.
            “Nathan?” Ms. Richmond called me. I grabbed my bag and walked over to her desk. “What’s going on? You should’ve stayed home if you’re sick.”
            I smiled. “I’m not sick. Don’t worry Ms. Richmond; I’m as up as ever. I have to get to work. Bye.”
            I was out of there before she could mumble a goodbye.
            I took off out of the building, time for work.

.~*~. RYDER .~*~. (HAH! DIDNʻT EXPECT THAT!)

I looked at my watch. He was late. He was never late, that much I knew.
            I thought back to the first time I met him. My mom did that on purpose. She practically dragged me to that stupid café, saying there was someone she wanted me to meet. I thought she meant her friend Mrs. Clair, who I already knew. Not some cute slim boy.
            Yeah, that’s right. I wasn’t exactly straight. I was bi, not that anyone knew.
            But no way was I letting him know that. I really had gotten mad though, because who was I to know my mom would suddenly ask him to tutor me?
            The thing is, I was maybe a little bit happy about it.
            The first time he came by I had totally forgot and came out shirtless. I was embarrassed and threw my towel at him. Then he sat next to me to help me with the problems, and I wasn’t sure if he heard my heart–cliché, but true.
            I couldn’t help but touch the cut on his face, and at that contact he jumped back. I was beyond curious as to why he was afraid of swearing and being touched.
            I completely ignored him at school though despite the bad feelings that came every time I caught his eye but couldn’t go over. I didn’t want him to think we were friends, because I wasn’t sure how he felt. I almost punched him for goodness sake, twice, and threatened him. My friends seemed to hate his guts as well.
            Speaking of, I hadn’t meant to take them to the café. I was complaining about my mom taking me, and they decided to check it out. I don’t know why, but it hurt seeing him force that smile as Jason and Marcus insulted him. Then he fell and…I didn’t know what to do. He was trembling and bleeding, and looked so hopeless.
            Then there was today. Had those two been beating him up before? I was a jerk, and a cool one at that, but I’ve never really joined one of those incidents.
            I was about to stop the situation, but then Mattson stepped in. He moved to town with his uncle or something and asked for work, and being the amazing and kind woman my mom was, offered him the job. When did he begin being friends with Nathan?
            Nathan was incredibly dense for a boy. Didn’t he see the way Mattson looked at him? I could tell him for a fact that Mattson was not a nice guy. Though, he’s straight–straight as a circle.
            And he touched Nathan. Nathan, who even I know now, was scared of being touched. Unlike him, I saw the way he had flinched at contact and tried to get away.
            Then he grabbed his wrist and I sort of…lost it.
            That’s when I realized I wanted to protect the weaker boy.
            Speaking of which…
            I jumped off my bed where I had been waiting and was about to run out the door if something didn’t stumble into me first.
            “What the hell?” I muttered. The black haired boy looked up and I stopped short at his crystal eyes. Shit, snap out of it. “You’re late.” I scolded, trying to keep myself even and neutral.
            He leaned against wall and nodded, rubbing his eyes. Something was wrong. His cheeks were pink and the circles under his eyes were dark, darker than usual. That was another thing. Since I met him, I’ve noticed he’s always pale and looked exhausted.
            “S–sorry.” He whispered and shut his eyes as he began a horrible rack of coughing. He clutched the shirt covering his chest. I moved to put a hand on his shoulder but stopped short. “I…uh, got–”
            He stumbled forward and I caught him in my arms. His forehead was burning and my concern rose considerably.
            He jumped from my cool touch.
            “Sorry!” He exclaimed. Then he shook his head fiercely as he moved around me. “I’m fine. Let’s get–”
            Then he collapsed.

.~*~. NATHAN .~*~.

I was in pain. My father was in front of me, and the hate in his eyes evident. I looked at my bloodied hands to see they were small, like when I was ten. He had his belt and was screaming at me. I cried and cowered in the corner as he began slashing the leather. It stung my skin and made me scream.
            Then it stopped and another man came into view. Mr. Steven was going around the house, knocking everything over, jumping out the contents of the school bag and grinded it under his foot. He came over and grabbed my neck, hurling me against the opposite wall.
            He came again and I screamed, begging for him to stop. He smiled sweetly and I saw his hand, coming for me, wanting desperately to clasp around my neck and strangle me breathless like my dad had done countless times before, and like in every one of those memories…
            I screamed.
            “Nathan, it’s okay! It’s only a dream. Wake up, you’re safe.” A voice reached my ears.
            It’s a dream. It’s only a dream.
            My dad was gone. But Mr. Stevens wasn’t. He was a nightmare, my personal nightmare come to life. I had to the end of the month to summon eight hundred dollars, every month, for the rest of my life. And if I didn’t…I began trembling at the thoughts of what could happen.
            Then why was I dreaming? Why was I sleeping?
            Where am I?

.~*~. RYDER .~*~.

He screamed. That snapped me out of my daze. I had been sitting at the edge of the bed, watching him sleep in the midst of a fever. I checked his temperature: 108 degrees.
            He must have had a nightmare. He continued to thrash and claw at an invisible force. Tears streamed from his eyes and suddenly dreadful scream escaped his dream.
            I couldn’t handle it anymore. I sat next to him and gathered him in my arms. I held him close until his trembling died down a notch and brushed the soft black hair out of his moist face.
            His tears did not cease.
            He began murmuring to the people in his dream. “Please…stop. Don’t hurt me. Please…”
            Suddenly he whimpered and clutched his left wrist, curling into me.
            I held him tighter and whispered, even when I knew he couldn’t hear,
            “I won’t hurt you.”           

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AWWWWHHH!!!!!!!! Best chapperoonie so far…hehe…agree? No? Thought not…