During dinner, Joshua sits across of me. I have a feeling that he is looking at me, but that's probably just me being delusional. Though when I glance at him from under my lashes, I catch him looking at me a few times. I still keep my head lowered, because I can vividly remember how pissed off he was with me yesterday.
It's still chaotic as hell here, but at least Zelma and Zina's friends are gone now. They are fighting again, with Zoey screaming in frustration that they should "be f***ing quiet!" while Kelly attempts to keep them quiet and fails.
To be honest, I had completely forgotten Joshua would be here this weekend, until Jamie mentioned it. It was that weekend of the month again. I was actually wearing my khaki shirt and denim knee-long shorts, just because I needed it after the whole humiliation that was yesterday night.
Joshua has a bit of a bruise on the left side of his face. I just hope it's not because of me. Dang it, he's too much of a gentleman, no need to take blows for me!
After dinner, I help with the dishes -so it won't happen, like, tomorrow morning or something- and tell Jamie goodbye. 'See you in church!' He fake-pukes and I laugh.
So, our plan is that I just walk out and that Jamie will push Joshua a little bit. So I walk to the door and say: 'I'm leaving!'
'I'm walking you home.'
I turn around in a bit of a shock. That was hella fast. Also, Jamie is still in the kitchen, looking at me wide-eyed, while Joshua comes out of the living room.
wOW-
He just uttered those words himself?
'Are you still going to open that door?'
'Ahh, heheh.' I open the door quickly and put on my shoes with shaky fingers.
A few minutes later we walk towards my house, side by side on the pavement. We've been quiet for a while, but now we're on the main way of the village where the traffic is more so it doesn't feel so loud when I talk, so I blurt: 'I'm sorry about yesterday night.'
Coincidentally, Joshua says the exact same thing at the exact same time.
'Sorry, you go first.' I say.
'No, you go first.' he says.
I just nod. 'Okay. I really didn't intend on upsetting you. If I had foreseen this, I wouldn't have gone. I shouldn't have offered to go to the bar. I was wrong. But I don't understand, why are you bothering? I- I can protect myself.'
'With this?' He points at my thin arms.
Ouch. The worst thing about is it that he's right, my arms are not strong at all.
'I can do a bit of martial arts, okay?' I mumble, blushing.
'Then why didn't you use it yesterday?'
'I...' I'm trying to find an answer, but I don't know. 'Anyways, I won't bother you anymore. Just keep on living your life. And I can walk home on my own from here, no need to walk me all the way to my house. Thanks for everything. For pretending to care for me.'
I start walking away quickly. I don't really want to hear what he has to say, he will probably be nice to me again even though I don't deserve it. My body is tense, and I keep myself from looking back, because if I do, I won't be able to run away again. I'm going to hope again. Going to get hurt again.
In a glimpse, I see that the street light is green and cross the street. But as I'm in the middle, I hear Joshua, yelling my name. 'Jay! Watch out!' Followed by a claxon. I look to my side, seeing a car approaching me rapidly, and freeze. I can't move. It's like that bad dream where you suddenly forget how to move exactly at the moment you need it the most. I just watch that car coming closer and I close my eyes as my life flashes before my eyes, like a movie, all the happy moments with Joshua and Jamie, my childhood... and then, I feel the blow.
The blow of a body throwing itself at me to push me away.
Then, the awful sound of that same body hitting the car's bumper, that comes to a stop too late.
Everything seems like a dream after that. The sounds around me fade, my vision blurs, I can only hear my own anxious heartbeat when I see Joshua, laying on the pedestrian crossing, dark blood contrasting darkly to the white stripes, his eyes closed. His blood, the same colour as the street light I saw wrongly, in my own damn stupidity.
Joshua... saved me.
***
Word count: 768
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Double update but it's not like people read this sh*t lmao
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Escape || an LGBT+ story (DISCONTINUED)
Romance!!!DISCONTINUED!!! Jay is a soon-to-be-18-year-old nontransitioned and closeted transgender boy, who can't wait until the day he can escape his strict christian environment to transition. But his life is thrown into an arcade when it gets intertwine...
