Chapter 12

564 22 6
                                    

Arlo grips John's hand, "Oh god, John why...?" He asks bitterly, his lips's quivering when he felt John's finger twitch. He flinched, "John?" He asks, almost asking a question. He could hear John groan out as tears start to pool from his eyes.

"Go away Arlo..." He groans out, wincing at his back. His spine is hurt, but with a week's rest, and a dose of someone's healing ability, he'll be fine. He opens his eyes to see Arlo, his heart hurts.

"John... why?" Arlo slowly asks, and John doesn't reply. Arlo reaches a hand to wipe away John's tears. "Why did you jump...?" He questions.

John's head's spinning like crazy, he's in so much pain, that even talking is hard.

Arlo's heart clench, and he grips John's hands tighter than before. "Tell me, John." He says quietly, when he doesn't answer, he pushes John's hand away. "John! Tell me! Why did you fucking jump!?" He shouts, pulling away from John.

Students start to murmur about the two.

John bites his lips, turning to Arlo, "Arlo, you tell me. Why did you hesitate?" He asks through his pain. Arlo can feel himself flinch at that...

Yes... why did he?

Arlo doesn't have the answer yet, so he runs away. He pushes through the crowd, and run back into the school. He wants to go to the roof, he wants the fresh air-- no he doesn't.

He doesn't want to see the same scene again.

He might break down if he does.

Midway, he encounters Seraphina, who's looking worried. "Arlo!" She shouts as she crashes into Arlo, "What happened? What happened to John?" She asks, a little frantic.

"He jumped." He says, Seraphina pauses, for a moment, "Fucking god, Seraphina, He jumped!" Arlo shouts at her. He pushes past her and runs into the bathroom. Tears were flowing uncontrollably now, he's trying to bite his lips to stop the crying, be he can't.

Oh god, oh god.

Why does he still feel so sad? Why is he still crying so hard?
Because, he cares about John. He still cared about John, he doesn't care if he broke his heart, he still loves him so-- so much.

He curls up in the corner, trying to stop the crying by pressing a hand to his mouth. But, oh god, it doesn't stop.

Help, Oh god, help me.

John sighs, he closes his eyes to get a break from Arlo's contant shouting in his heart. He turns to the teacher, "Can-- you please put me out of my misery?" He asks and the teacher shakes her head. "Please, I don't... want to live anymore. I shouldn't be living." He says, with bitterness in his voice.

His teachers takes pity on him, "No I can't, John. Just be quiet for now, okay? I know talking hurts." She takes a knee down onto the grass, she turns back to talking with the dispatcher.

"God, MOVE OUT THE WAY!" John recongnizes that voice, he gently turn towards the sound, and as he guessed, it's Seraphina. "John...?" She freezes at him laying on the floor, she drops down onto her knees as she scrambles towards him, with salty tears in her eyes.

John can't look at her in the eye.

She covers her mouth, "John... why?" Oh, Arlo asked the same question.

He closes his eyes as an attempt to shut her up. The ambulance's siren's blaring in his ears, shut up, shut up for once, please. He doesn't want questions, he just wants quiet.

He's carried away on a stretcher as the ambulance rushes him to a hospital. 

There's one question that's been on his mind for the whole ride, How will Arlo react when he sees him again?

Sweet like sugar, Bitter like coffee.Where stories live. Discover now