Not the Same

Savior (Part 2)

            “Why’d he pick on us so much,” I ask.

            “His reasoning every time was that it was because we were gay,” Kian says.

            My eyes widen at the news of this. “So we’re gay,” I ask.

            “Yes,” Kian answers.

            “Did we ever date,” I ask. “Or date at all?”

            “No,” Kian says. “We never dated because we both didn’t want to deal with the abuse we would get from it.”

            “Oh,” I say.

            “I think that’s enough for right now,” Kian says. “I would leave, but it’s pouring the rain.”

            “I’m fine with you staying up here with me,” I say happily.

            “Thanks,” Kian says smiling back.

            A nurse walks in and says, “It’s time for you to get some rest.”

            “Can I stay with him while he sleeps,” Kian asks.

            “As long as you don’t make too much noise, sure,” the nurse says.

            “Thank you,” Kian says.

            The nurse hands Ricky some pills and water. She then exits the room. I take the pills and throw the paper cup away. “I’ll be right here when you wake up,” Kian says putting his hand on mine.

            “I’m glad,” I say and slip into a deep sleep.

(Ricky’s Mind)

            I awake to find myself once again in a dark room. The room wasn’t dark as the first dream. Dim lights illuminated around me. Medium sized silhouettes formed a few feet in front of me that looked to be kids. I stood up and walked over to see what the commotion was. I look and see that the boy from the last dream was being beat to death. All the other kids stood and laughed at the cruel event. I ran through to try and stop the event, but the silhouettes were intangible. Every time I tried to grab ahold of the boys beating the other boy, my hands would go right through them.

            Suddenly, the room went dark once again. Everyone had disappeared. The boy reappears behind me. I turn around to see that he looked to be in a bedroom. The boy was crying with a razor blade to his arm. Echoing throughout the room I could hear a woman crying and furniture being thrown around.

            “Ouch,” I shouted.

            I look down to see a cut on my arm. “Where’d this come from,” I ask.

            I look to the boy and see drops of blood falling off his arm. Suddenly, I saw more cuts appearing on my arm. This is so painful. I squeeze my arm trying to ease the pain, but the cuts continued to form on my arms and a few on my legs. The cuts began to ooze blood when finally my body from the shoulders down was covered in blood. “Please stop,” I scream at the boy.

            The boy stopped and just lied down on his bed and continued to cry. He then vanished into the dark, once more. The lights reappear a few feet away from me. I walk over to see once again the boy being harassed by other kids.

            “Ouch,” I say.

            I pull up my shirt to find a bruise on my stomach. However, this was hard to see with the little light and my body covered in blood. This was followed by more bruises and a few cuts on the face. I collapse to the ground in pain. After a few minutes, it stopped. Looking up, I saw that the boy was in the same position I was in. Another silhouette appeared beside the boy. The silhouette looked to be a boy with spiked hair. The boy extended his hand to help the other up. As they connect hands, the cuts, scratches, and bruises all started to fade away along with the blood on my body.

            I look around and the lighting in the room became brighter. The two boys faded away, but quickly returned. The beaten boy looked extremely better. Along with the two boys, two girls appeared with them as well. Laughter could be heard throughout the room. However, it was not mocking laughter, but genuine happy laughter. A smile appeared on my face as I listened to the cheerful laughter.

            Afterwards, other silhouettes appeared of the two boys and two girls riding bikes, skate boarding, hanging out, and etcetera. The lighting in the room became incredibly bright and instead of the room being filled with silhouettes, it was filled with actual people. I could see myself, Kian, Andrea, and Shelby all having fun. Looking at me and Kian, I had this feeling of safety and peace. A feeling I hadn’t felt in a long time. A bright light appears in my face. I close my eyes it was so bright.

(Real World)

            I awake to see Kian still beside my bed in a chair sleeping. I grab his shoulder and shake him. He wakes up and says, “Hey, Ricky! How’d you sleep?”

            “Great,” I say. “I remember everything now! I remember you saving me from those bullies, and everything!”

            “That’s great, Ricky,” Kian says and instantly hugs me.

            “Kian,” I say. “I need to tell you something.”

            “What is it,” Kian asks.

            “All these years, we’ve stuck by each other,” I say. “All those years, I had these feelings for you, but I was always too scared to say how I felt. The funny thing is, I’m not scared anymore. Kian, I love you!”