Taunt

Chapter 76- Taunting Endings

Burst out laughing again.

"Oh come on, Moonie That was a good one!"

I continued to push him until he finally went into the bathroom.

He was just a baby. Period.

* * *

"I start rehab tomorrow."

That was the first thing we heard after we all sat down for breakfast at Coffee Rush. All of us had just met up, and all were dead tired, but still happy to see one another. It felt as if we all were warriors that survived a battle and came back alive. Not that the past few weeks were anything short of a battle.

The cafe was empty, since it was still early in the morning and classes were over. Everyone only had to study for exams which started in three days.

"That's great, Andre," Jamal replied.

Andre smiled back at him and lowered his head.

"I never thought it would come to that. Always stayed away from that shit, and look where I am now," Andre said.

My heart ached for him. He didn't deserve this. Gemma reached forward and placed her hand on top of his arm. Andre looked up to her in surprise.

"You don't have to be ashamed Andre. It wasn't your fault. Jackson was to blame," she said.

We all nodded. Andre sighed and nodded after a moment.

"You're right Gemma. I just...I'm just scared... what if it doesn't work? What if I can't let go of that crap?" He asked hopelessly.

Gemma stared at him, her mouth slightly agape, unsure of how to respond to that.

Just as I was about to say something, Leo surprised me by speaking first.

"What kind of a question is that, you jerk?"

All of us snapped our heads to him in surprise. Jamal had told me that Leo hadn't spoken much to Andre since he found out that he was the cause of Jackson always knowing my whereabouts. I felt gutted when he told me that Leo had even misbehaved with him when they found Andre in his room. And at the hospital, when Leo didn't go to see him, he must've felt so bad. But I know Leo isn't one to get mad over something that wasn't Andre's fault.

They're best friends.

Which is why I couldn't help but gape at him as he said those words.

"Leo," Jamal said before I could.

Leo glared at him and turned back to face Andre.

"How could you even think it won't work when you've got the best support system behind you?" Leo said, staring at Andre with such honesty that it caused his eyes to well up.

We all sighed in relief.

"We're all here for you, Andre. I'm sorry we couldn't see what was going on before. But now that we know, we aren't letting you go through it alone, you hear me? You are not alone in this. We've got you, brother."

Then, Leo got up and went over to Andre, pulling him up from his chair and into a hug. Andre fell in his arms, silent sobs racking his body as he hugged his best friend back. Jamal had gotten up to join the hug, his eyes bloodshot too. I cried as I watched the three, and pulled Gemma into a side hug as she was doing the same.

I couldn't even imagine all that Gemma and Jamal had been through. In the past few weeks, they had been our support systems. They watched everything and helped us get through it. I turned to Gemma, tears falling down my cheeks. She faced me, her face blotchy too.