Black Poison

23. 'Season Finale' ?

23. 'Season Finale' ?

For what felt like an eternity we had stood and watched Tom almost bleed out on the pavement. First adders from school crowded round him and patched up what they come. After what felt like and age the sharp blue lights and piercing call of an ambulance burst into the scene, and Tom was strapped onto a stretcher and taken away.

Matt, Jay and I were numb with shock, we could barely feel the cuts and grazes we had picked up, just wanted to know that Tom was okay. The principal (headteacher) had came out to find out what all the commotion was, and he was currently detaining Mollie's brother and his crew in the reception until the police turned up. I wanted justice, but I couldn't think about targeting them right now, I just had to think about Tom.

Our parents were called and they fussed around us for 20 minutes, but once they realised none of us were seriously injured and we were all too preoccupied with Tom they tried to find out if we could visit him in hospital. Mr Mines came out and offered the gym space to Me, Jay, Matt and our parents. We sat on the wooden benches, our heads in our hands, as the light coming through the windows dimmed.

It was almost night when we got the call from the hospital that we could come through. Not sure wether to be relieved or anxious we made the half an hour long journey to the hospital in complete silence.

The air was clean and the trademark hospital smell filled my nostrils as we made our way to Tom's ward. A doctor came out to greet us, and let us know that we had to be quiet and cautious. Not really knowing what to expect our parents stayed out in the corridor as we stepped into the hospital room.

Tom was laid in a hospital bed, all manner of tubes and machines connected to him, his parents sat by his bedside. The glanced up as we came in, and stood up, leaving the room for a short while so the four of us could be together.

Not much longer than a day ago we were standing shoulder to shoulder on the football pitch, and now - because of my actions - we were stood around a hospital bed.

Tom opened his eyes and looked towards us.

"It's okay," he rasped "the kid stuck me pretty bad, but I'll live!"

A wave of pure relief swept over us, and we each pulled up a seat around Tom's bedside.

"Well then," Tom looked straight at me "Now that I'm in a hospital bed for you, I think you owe us all an explanation."

And he wasn't wrong. If been owing a one to them all for a long time. I started from the start and explained how I'd got with Mollie, why we had to keep things quiet, and why what happened on the trip had been such a disaster. I felt the others live the story with me as I told it, their eyes feeling the highs and lows.

"That's one hell of a story," Jay concluded, when I had reached the part of Mollie telling me she had seen the video and setting her brother and his gang on us.

"It all fits together now!" Matt nodded. But I wasn't listening, I was focusing on Tom now, he had literally taken a knife for me, that was a debt I could never repay.

"I'm so sorry-" I started but Tom just shook his head and cut me off.

"Don't," he said "any of us could have been stabbed, and we all would have done it, this is what friends are for!"

"He's right," Jay agreed "we're all relieved Tom's okay, and I'm glad you've told us the whole story, I understand why you couldn't at first."

"Yeah, we're like brothers, we have been ever since you arrived from your miserable island," Matt mocked "so you know that we are all okay, we've always got each other's backs, but there's something you need to do now Ben."