Chapter Text
With the permission of a doctor, Lucas pushes me into an elevator. I’m in a wheelchair which is somehow more comfortable than the bed. The doctor said I wasn’t supposed to go out for another day or two, but he’d allow it.
Lucas pushes me into the elevator then steps out. He tells me to wait downstairs in the lobby. Says he just needs to help Max out. I nod with a smile. Soon I’ll finally be out of this stuffy air, even if only for a minute.
The elevator dings and grinds to a halt as it reaches the lobby. The doors open and I have to lean with my body and use my one able arm to roll myself out. It’s a challenge, sure, but I’m not about to give up. I can’t stand it here.
I wait next to a coffee shop. The sweet, sweet scent of the little beans fills my nostrils. I watch customers come and go. One is a man, about my age. He turns to look at me and smiles and for a second I swear to God it was his face. Tyler was there. I look back and the person isn’t there. Shit.
My breathing must speed up because I’m practically heaving air in. I glance around in a frantic motion, but his face only remains for a few seconds. By now I can’t shut out his voice in my head.
You begged me to fuck you..
No one will ever love you..
What would they think of you now..
I don’t know why this is happening. There wasn’t anything bad that happened, so why can’t I stop shaking. How come I’m so scared and so numb and so cold and so small all at once? I feel like a pathetic, lonely child.
People are staring at this point. I can feel their eyes hitting me everywhere his hands did and it feels disgusting and I really just want to implode and—
“Will!”
A voice? I open my eyes to see Lucas carrying Max bridal style. Someone pulls a chair up and he sits her down.
”Will?” Max’s voice come through strong and calm. She reaches out and - after fumbling around for a minute - she takes my hand. I breathe a shaky breath in. It comes out verging on a sob. Beyond embarrassing. “It’s just me and Stalker here. Just us.”
”I- I- swear- He- I saw him- he- he- I-“
Max wraps her arms around me. I can’t help but just cry there. I continue apologizing as tears stream down my face.
Today was supposed to be nice. And now I went and ruined it.
”Hey, do you wanna head outside?” Lucas asks softly. I nod and sniff and am pushed outside by a nurse who I don’t know while Lucas carries Max.
Max is set down on a bench next to a somewhat familiar face.
”Erica?!” I’m sure my eyes are wide and teary and I have mucus running down my face.
”It’s about time you got here,” She eyes me and then looks to Lucas. “He looks like he hasn’t bathed.”
”Erica!” Scolds Lucas.
She shrugs, “Just the facts.”
And I’m laughing again like nothing happened. Max and Erica make conversation - mainly Erica telling Max embarrassing things about her boyfriend - as Lucas blushes and pushes me away a bit. Once we’re a good distance apart, Lucas sits on the ground opposite me.
”So, you and Max?”
Lucas blushes again and rubs at his cheek. “Ah, yeah! I mean I think?”
”You think?”
”We haven’t exactly talk about like what terms we’re on. I mean like we’re talking obviously and we’re close and all but like still I just don’t know.”
”Like friendly talking or?” I ask him.
Lucas groans, “I- I don’t know. Like we talk and play around like friends but then she kisses me and we’re like together but I just..”
I try to stifle my laughter, but fail horribly. “I’m sorry,” I sigh. “Okay, so it sounds like you guys are dating. I mean Erica did refer to her as your girlfriend. Max didn’t deny it did she?”
”Well, no, but—“
”Hear me out! My mom did this when she was dating Bob. She never really explicitly told him, she just started calling him her boyfriend,” I add the next part on quieter, “Granted they watched crap movies and exchanged saliva every day.”
Lucas smacks my non-injured arm lightly. “I’m telling your mom you said that.”
”No please mercy—“
”Too late for mercy, I’m gonna tell her and then she’ll love me,” He says with a smile. I roll my eyes.
This is normal. Normal teens do this.
•~ ♥︎ ~•
The hospital room feels maybe a little less lonely throughout the day. Max and Lucas spend time with me until mid afternoon when they have to go meet someone else. We say our goodbyes and they leave.
After months of radio silence, it’s been nice to see the two of them. Max, still so strong after everything she went through, and Lucas who never stopped fighting. I decide that once my arm works again I’ll draw them a picture. Maybe something from when we were little.
Maybe something new.