The Unspoken Words--a Novella (COMPLETE)

Jonan-3 (Edited)

"We're so sorry," Mr. Shun apologizes again and again as each of Jonan's classmate exit the room.

They leave in an awkward hurry, and Gabriel leans beside the door, desperately hoping to remain unnoticed. He is thankful that no one tries to ask him what was going on.

Inside, all who remain are Mr. and Mrs. Shun, Jonan, Amelia, and Gabriel's father.

"We're so sorry," he says again. "I don't know what's gotten into Jonan's mind, Mr..."

"Morin," Gabriel's father says.

"Yes, Mr. Morin, is your son okay?"

"He'll be fine. We've all been there, boys in their teens," he says assuringly, "besides, Gabriel should have stood up for himself."

"It's still Jonan's fault. He shouldn't have done that under any circumstances..."

Jonan faces the clean tile floors as he tries to calm his mood. His consciousness like a candle burning between strong winds. Every time Gabriel returns to his mind, the candle flickers. He sees Mr. Morin leave and spots Gabriel as the door opens. He resists the urge to stand. Jonan needs to go out there and confront Gabriel. He needs to find out what he knows and what may have been. But what's the use? He can't even leave the hospital bed without help.

The door clicks shut, and the frustration of immobility fills him with dire dread. He would have never imagined walking to be a luxury.

Amelia sees her brother and is almost scared. Her brother, who was always so bright and happy to see her, sighs, shoulders sagging. Any closer, she thinks they might collapse. She puts her hand in her pocket and grips the beaded lucky charm she made at home. It gives her courage.

"Jonan. Jonan? Jonan!" She tugs at his sleeve. "Jonan!"

He shrugs his arm away. "Not now, Amelia."

"But I have something to show you!" She jumps up and down to get his attention.

"I said, not now."

"But I made a lucky charm—" Amelia waves the beads in front of Jonan's face.

Something overcomes Jonan, and, at that moment, he slaps the strand of beads from her hand.

The charm clatters onto the floor and slides to the underside of the bed. Amelia freezes in shock.

"Would you just shut it!"

Amelia gasps before welling up in tears.

She starts to cry, half frightened, half dejected. "I just wanted to help...I just wanted you to get better soon," she says, between hiccups.

Only then does Jonan realize what he's done. He tries to think of something comforting, anything, and then he feels a sharp pain as Mrs. Shun slaps him across the face.

"She is your sister!" She fumes and picks up Amelia, hushing her gently. "I know that this is a hard time for you." Her eyebrows knit together, revealing wrinkles on her forehead that tell more struggles than she's willing to share. "But we're all sad, Jonan, and nothing gives you the right to blame your anger on us or your little sister."

Before Jonan could apologize, Mrs. Shun ushers Amelia to the restroom and leaves. They pass by Gabriel and his father on the way, and Gabriel notices her, whose silhouette quivers with rhythmic sobs.

When Gabriel arrives in the car, he regrets ever coming. He had been so determined to tell Jonan the truth, to tell him everything, only to leave the notebook in the car and barely spoke a word.

He doesn't notice his father looking at him through the rearview mirror, with a solemn expression on his face and his jaw clenched tight.

Gabriel is too absorbed in the cover of the notebook, and the car starts. Everything he has experienced so far seems so surreal. He still holds a sliver of optimism that perhaps he was mistaken, that he had only imagined the writing on the notebook, for this was much easier to pass off as a Déjà vu.