As he was running through the path that was dimly lit he saw a silhouette of a crouched body leaning against the wall. Running up to him he crouched down. His blood ran dry when he saw that Callum was unconscious. He shook Callum a couple of times but he didn't respond.
His body started trembling as he thought of all things that could be wrong with Callum. Taking off his jacket he covered him with it then picked him up and carried him back to the lockers. Yelling for his coach, the man came out ready to berate him for being so loud but froze when he saw Callum's bloody face.
"W-what happened to him?"
Chris, "I don't know, phone the ambulance he's unconscious!"
His coach flinched. This was the first time he has seen the calm and collected Chris so scared and hysterical. Running back to his office he dialled for the main office and told the secretary to phone the ambulance and get the schools' nurse to come down and check up on him.
Chris sat down on the ground with Callum in his arms and took out his handkerchief from his pocket and wiped away the blood on his face with his trembling hands. Throwing it down he felt for his pulse by his neck and by his wrist. Slightly relieved that his heart was still beating, he moved the hair stuck to Callum's face.
He saw that his hand was trembling and closed them into a fist. Wrapping both of his arms tightly around Callum he leaned his head down against his and the tears started streaming down, whispering into his ear, "I'm so sorry I wasn't with you. If I never picked you up we wouldn't have bumped into them, you wouldn't have gotten into an argument with them. I should have stopped them but I didn't. I'm such an idiot, I'm so sorry Callum."
His coach came out of the office to tell him that they were on the way but stopped when he saw the scene before him. Callum's face was now clean and he could see him clearly but didn't know who he was. For Chris to hold him so close to him, they couldn't be strangers and he knew Chris's girlfriend so what was going on especially since Chris was so open about his sexuality?"
~~
The nurse came rushing into the locker room and dropped down beside Chris and Callum. Feeling his pulse and positioning his head properly on his shoulder, she said, "Don't worry, he's still alive." Chris glared at her with his red eyes.
Not long after the nurse arrived the principal and the security guard came. They saw Callum unconscious in Chris's arms then turned to the coach and asked what happened. The coach told him about Chris's strange behaviour before he found Callum then told him it seems that the two were close and that Chris shouldn't be close to another because he has his girlfriend.
The principal walked over to Chris and asked him who he was and what happened. Telling him his name and the boy who told him that Callum was taken by the three girls. When the principal asked him who the junior was he couldn't recall the boys face in mind.
The ambulance arrived on the field and they brought a stretcher into the locker room and gently took him from Chris but he didn't want to let Callum go. The principal then told him he should go with him because he couldn't leave and still had to phone his parents and the police.
Inside the ambulance, he held onto Callum's hand praying for his well being. Arriving at the hospital he had to stay outside in the waiting room as they examined him and treated him. Thirty minutes later they were done and he was allowed to go see Callum.
Sitting by Callum's side he brushed his hair away from his face then took out his phone and took a picture of him as a keepsake. Just as he was about to fell asleep while holding onto his hand a man stormed into the hospital.
He headed for the reception desk and asked where Callum's room was. After being shown the way he walked in and stood there frozen. His son was laying on his back with a drip attached to his arm. He slowly walked in stopping at the bed while balling his hands into a fist.
After staring at his son for a moment he quickly caught the tear about to drip down his cheek and wiped it away. Opening his eyes he saw Chris sitting next to Callum asleep.
His eyes widened with anger but quickly calmed down remembering that his mother said he had a friend with him. He thought it would be Chelsea but it wasn't her it was a male friend instead.
Upon closer inspection, he saw that this boy was holding hands with his son. It almost took everything of him to keep himself from waking Chris up and choking him.
~~
Walking out of the room he went to find the doctor in charge of Callum to ask about his condition. Learning about the damage done to his son's body his heart dropped. Seated outside the room he waited for his ex to arrive.
Chris's phone rang him awake, it was Simon.
"Mn?"
Simon, "Chris dude where are you, the police are here questioning us all, they said I must call you to come and answer questions too."
"What's it about?"
Simon, "I don't know but I overheard them say that one of the boys were beat up pretty badly and taken to the hospital."
"The one that got beaten up is Callum."
Simon, "Huh?"
"Yeah, I'm here with him at the hospital."
Simon, "..."
"..."
Simon, "How is he doing?"
"I don't know but he was in a pretty bad condition when I found him."
Simon, "Do you think it's about what happened this morning?"
"That's what I've been thinking this entire time, I don't know who it was but it can only be someone that was present this morning."
Simon, "Fuck man, what are we going to do?"
"What do you mean what are we going to do, whoever did this is going to pay for what they did."
Simon, "No shit, alright, since the principal didn't mention who it was I'll stay silent too for now but if I am questioned then I'll speak the truth."
"Yeah, see you."
~~
Her father quietly stepped into the room and looked down at Chris who had his lips pressed against Callum's hand and his eyes closed.
Raising a brow he said in his deep and mature voice asked, "Who are you?"
Chris's heart dropped as he jumped up in fright. He looked at the man standing at the door in shock. His handsomeness was overwhelming. The fierce eyes looking down at him bore a hole through his chest. "I… My name is Chris, w-who are you-u?"
"I'm his father. What's your relationship with my son?"
Chris, "uh... An acquaintance."
"Oh… Well, this is the first time I am seeing an acquaintance kiss the others hand and falls asleep while holding hands. I am going to ask you again and you better not lie to me… what is your relationship with my son?"
Feeling like hiding under a rock Chris gave in, "I-i'm in love with your son sir," he ended in a whisper.
~~~
"Where's my son?" Yelled Ms Stride in the hall. Her ex, Mr Shrade Daniels, looked at Chris once more before placing his coat on the bed and walked out. When she saw him come out of the room she immediately went to him with tears in her eyes. "W-where is my baby, where is he?"
Holding onto her he said to her, "Genevieve, calm down first, Cay's asleep, your yelling will just wake him up." Ms Stride tried pushing him away but couldn't, his grip was too strong. Collapsing in his arms she gave up. The nurses came over with water to give her.
After calming down, Mr Daniels walked with her into the room. She was so shocked that she fainted.
Moving away from the only chair in the room, Chris told Mr Daniels that he could put her there. Looking at Chris after putting his ex down, Mr Daniels said, "Why don't you go home?"
Chris, "I can't, I left my car at school."
Sighing Mr Dainels said, "Come let me take you back to school and in exchange, you tell me what happened at school this morning."
Leaving, Mr Daniels told the nurses to look after his ex and that he would be back soon.
In the car, Chris told him what happened then told him about the junior who told him about Callum. On the outside, he seemed calm but on the inside, Mr Daniels was swimming in rage. He realised that he did not know his own son, he did not know that he had a sharp tongue.
"So, how long have you been interested in my son."
Looking at Mr Daniels, Chris felt frustrated, why was this man cross-questioning him about this topic again.
Chris, "Since the beginning of this year."
"Why?"
Chris, "I-i don't know, I just started liking him."
"Does he like you?"
Chris, "I don't think so."
"Why?"
Chris, "Because he likes my friend."
"..."
~~
Arriving at the school the principal and police were outside, on their way to return to the police station. Seeing Mr Daniels and Chris, the principal informed the police that Chris was the one who found Callum and they went to question him. They asked him the same questions as Mr Daniels and Chris went on further telling them about the conflict between Callum and the girls from the cheerleading team.
At this moment the final bell for the end of the school day rang. Chris felt so tired from the stress and was a little jumpy, he wanted to head home shower up then head to the hospital.
Mr Daniels was talking with police and the principal while he walked into the school building to his locker. The pupils in the hallway separated in two groups lining up against the walls as they watched him walked down the hallway. Confused he looked around but too lazy to ask what's wrong.
They started whispering amongst each other and pointed fingers at him. The group of friends he was part of walked over and seeing the strange atmosphere they looked at Chris's whose back was facing them, busy in his locker.
Ashton, "Chris, you're back?"
Turning around and looking at them they stopped in their steps, looking at him in shock. Frowning he asked, "What?"
Simon pointed to his own neck and said, "You have blood on you."
Rubbing his neck, Chris couldn't feel anything, pulling his hand back and looking at it he saw red dirt on his hands. Sighing he closed his eyes and rubbed them, they were burning.
Simon walked up to him and passed Callum's bag to him. Looking down he asked, "Whose is this?"
Simon, "The one in hospital."
"Oh..." He took it and held it in his hands. Ashton's eyes squinted, "You know who it is?"
Simon looked the other way not answering him then Ashton turned his gaze to Chris who was looking down at his phone. Dillon walked up to them with a smile on his face, "Yo, what are we waiting for?"
Sensing the awkward atmosphere, he ignored them thinking it was something trivial. He was about to head out when he spotted the bag in Chris's hand and asked, "What are you doing with Cay's bag?"
Putting his phone away Chris picked up his pace and left them behind. Ashton looked at Dillon, "Cay's?"
Dillon, "Callum."
Ashton, "Huh?"
~~
Arriving at home, Chris's phone was ringing nonstop. Dillon heard from Ashton and Simon what happened and started panicking. He phoned Chelsea and told her what happened. Samantha, Terry, Ashton, Dillon and Simon were all trying to get hold of Chris but he ignored their calls.
Taking a shower and telling his parents what happened at school he felt depressed. He ended up telling them that he was planning on leaving Samantha for Callum but the whole situation got complicated. Mr and Mrs Zander were shocked that something like this actually happened at their sons' school and that it might have something to do with Samantha, the girl that they saw as a daughter.
Feeling repulsed Mrs Zander and Chrystal Zander, Chris's younger sister told him to leave Samantha this instant, they couldn't have someone like her apart of their family. Mr Zander could see the conflicted expression that his son wore but did not say anything. It was his future and he had to decide what was wrong and what was correct.
Chrystal urged Chris to break up today with Samantha and that she would go with him to her house now but Chris didn't. He told them he was too tired and wanted to go back to the hospital instead. Frustrated, Chrystal gave in on the condition that he would let her go with him.
Chuckling, he shook his head and agreed. Mrs Zander wanted to go too but Mr Zander told her that its best if they didn't crowd the hospital. Reluctantly agreeing she let her son and daughter leave but told Chris that by the end of this week he better break up with Samantha.
~~
Arriving at the hospital, he saw that Dillon and Chelsea were there. Chelsea's eyes were red from crying. Ms Stride was awake and had reddish eyes while Mr Daniels was conversing with the doctors.
Greeting Dillon and Chelsea, he walked into the room and saw that Callum's eyes were open. Seeing Chris enter the room he tried smiling but his face was still sore.
With the help of his mother, he sat up properly with a pained expression. Panicking Chris rushed to his side and helped him saying, "Why don't you rest some more?"
Shaking his head Callum said, "I want to leave but my parents are forcing me to stay here."
Chuckling he asked, "Why are you so stubborn?"
"It's in me."
Chrystal walked in slowly like a thief and stood behind Chris. He introduced her to Ms Stride, Chelsea, Dillon and Callum. Smiling to herself she whispered into Chris's ear, "He's pretty."
Turning his face he said, "I know, hush before they hear you."
Rolling her eyes she pushed him aside and stood beside Callum grinning at him. Looking at this strange girl he asked, "Why are you smiling at me like that?"
Chrystal, "My brother says he fell in love with you, are you going to be my sister-in-law, well brother-in-law in this case?"
Chris, (つ﹏⊂) [This idiot!!]
Dillon, "No wonder you were acting so strange!"
Chris wanted to crawl under a rock and hide. Callum saw how embarrassed he was getting and shook his head. Never has he ever heard of such nonsense.
Chrystal, "My mother was going to come with but my father said she must not be forward."
Looking at her with surprise written on his face Callum said, "I'm glad she didn't come, it would have been weird!"
Chrystal, "Why?"
Callum, "I'm not dating your brother so why must she come, if she did I would rather die!"