Thomas Boule, 25 years old, brown hair, blue eyes, gym rat, hanging by a thread in a hospital bed. As I looked at him, through the small window besides the door, connected to a machine, breathing for him, keeping him alive, my mind wondered.
I first met Thomas in kindergarten. I was the new kid, he was the kid in the sneakers with lights. I was instantly hooked! I mean for a kid like me, coming up from nothing, shoes with lights? Magic. He gave me a soft smile, sat down, gave me his shoes so that I could try 'em. That's Thomas for you. He didn't change a bit.
Thomas and I came from different backgrounds. I didn't have much. My parents did the best they could but you know... Sometimes life sucks. Thomas had it all. His dad was a cosmetic surgeon, mom was a very successful lawyer. I remember the first time I ever went to his house. His bedroom alone was bigger than my parents' apartment!
Thomas got into a lot of trouble because of me. His parents weren't exactly found of me. However, he would go bumping heads with them for me every time. Thomas was pure. That boy I met in kindergarten, he never changed. Sometimes I had no food at home, and at school, when it was time to snack, I'd open an empty lunch bag. I never asked for a thing, but Thomas would never let me starve. He'd always have a couple cookies, or a juice, or anything really, but he'd always have something for me. Kids picked up on me a lot, Thomas always stood up for me. He even gave me a bag full of clothes once, said he didn't want me to feel the cold through the holes in my pants.
Ever since I remember, Thomas wanted to be a police officer. His parents were completely against it! They wanted him to follow the family's footsteps, become a doctor or a judge, but that wasn't in his plans at all. Since kindergarten, only role he wanted to play was good cop. I'd usually be the outlaw. Guess we weren't so wrong. I promised him if he did become a police officer, I'd follow him.
We became inseparable! Like the brother I never had. We made it through school together, and whenever I was falling back, he'd give me extra classes. All so that I wouldn't fail and we could stay together. He never needed them. He was incredibly smart. I wasn't so gifted. I didn't have a lot of time to study. Ever since I was 10, once I was out of school, I'd work with my dad on whatever gig he was on. We needed the money. School isn't really a priority when you're starving at home and the bank is trying to kick you out.
Then, when I was 13, my dad started drinking. That's when everything came crashing down. We never had much, but after my dad's new hobby, I had nothing. Soon after the beatings started. First my mom, then me. I hated going home because I knew I was walking on egg shells. No matter what I did, one of us would end up bleeding. Mostly my mom... She would do everything so that I wouldn't be harmed. Some days she was successful, some she wasn't.
Thomas was well aware of my situation. He offered help many times, I remember this night... It was a nightmare. My dad was completely out of himself. He beat the crap out of my mom, knocked her out, then he turned to me, saying I ruined their lives and he beat me until I was spitting blood. Gladly I was able to hit him in the head with a crowbar and escape. Up to this day, I got a scar above my upper lip to remind me of the night my father would've killed me if I hadn't ran. I had nowhere to go, so I went to Thomas'. I still remember the look of horror in his eyes. He let me crash at his place, hiding me from his parents. I stayed there for 3 days. He bought all of his parents' employers' silence with his own money. His mom was a lawyer. He knew if someone found out about my situation, the children protection services would be involved and they'd take me away.
When I got back home, my dad beat the crap out of me again. And again. And again. Whenever my teachers asked me about it, I'd just come up with another excuse. Until one day, one of our teachers started making too many questions... So, Thomas complained to his parents that she was harassing him. It was a lie, but Thomas' parents were important people, so no one really cared about the truth. She was fired the next day. I felt bad about the poor lady. She was just trying to help... I wanted it all to be over, but not like that.
