A Different Path

Chapter 42 - Searching

"Morning Mr. Weisel," I said kindly, knowing it brightened his day just a tiny bit.

"I think you should give your boyfriend some lessons on manners." He joked, surprising me as he referred to Jack as my boyfriend, as I had assumed he would've been against it. 

"Oh believe me, I'm trying, sir," I joked back, making everyone, especially Jack, laugh. 

"Hey, Charlie!" Oscar then said, immediately causing me to tense up. 

"Oscar, knock it off." Weisel defended me, taking everyone in the square by surprise.

"I ain't doing nothin', just calling him by his name." Jack looked at me, worried I'd begin to panic. I kept my breathing steady, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of upsetting me.

"My God, do you ever shut the fuck up, Oscar?" Race suddenly spat, walking over to us. 

"Race, cool it," Jack tried, but it didn't work.

"I ain't gonna cool it." He went right by Jack and got up in Oscar's face, his fists balled up. "I'm so fuckin' done with you being an asshole to him every single day!"

"Huh, didn't know you cared about dear Charlie so much," Oscar said, and Jack quickly looked at me again. This time, I didn't catch it quick enough, and my chest tightened. I managed to stop myself from panicking any worse, though, so I wouldn't begin to cry. Jack noticed that it was getting to me, so he stood right in front of me in order to keep me safe.

"Shut the fuck up!" Race screamed, getting angrier.

"Jack he's gonna swing," I said, worried about what could happen if he did.

"You're nothin' but a stupid fucking prick who hates himself, so you pick on other people!"

"Watch your damn mouth," Oscar said, getting closer to Race. Jack rushed over and grabbed Race's arm, pulling him away as quickly as he could. 

"Let go of me!" Race yelled, trying to break free of Jack's hold.

"Race calm down," Jack said, keeping his voice calm.

"You're a fucking coward!" Race continued screaming at Oscar, making Jack pull him away faster.

We went all the way to the lodging house before Jack let go of Race, looking at me with a worried expression. Race began to pace back and fourth, trying his best to calm down.

"Race what's goin' on?" Jack finally asked, standing next to me.

"I had made so much fucking progress and those assholes last night messed it all up," he said bluntly, still pacing. "I fucking hate Oscar, I hate him," he began rambling, only making Jack more worried. Race then stopped and looked at me, rage in his eyes. "You can't let him do that shit to you, Crutchie," he began, his voice calming don.

"There's nothing I can do besides ignore it-"

"Fight back! You don't have to sit there and take it!" I looked down at the ground, gripping the handle of my crutch tightly.

"That's not my style, Race," I tried explaining, feeling Jack's eyes on me. 

"I know it ain't, but sometimes you have to." He started to pace again, seeming to get angry again. "God I hate him!"

"Race, you ain't thinking straight right now. You know you didn't lose progress because of those fellas last night. It's perfectly fine if it upset you, but it didn't set you back." Jack said, continuing to talk quietly.

"It's just a fucking name, why am I so upset about a name?!" He began yelling again, terrifying me. "Why the hell does it bother us so much?!" I wasn't sure if he truly wanted me to answer, so I just stayed quiet, focusing on staying calm. Jack looked at me, noticing how my demeanor had changed.