Chapter 15

"Oh, uh, what are you doing here?", he continued, looking nervously towards his bed.

"Can we talk? I promise, it won't take long".

At hearing those words, Dustin's eyes lit up with interest. Although he didn't trust Jonathan as far as he could throw him, he still wanted to hear Jonathan out.

So, the two boys walked side by side outside the house, past the gate, and down onto the sidewalk.

"I can't really believe you came down here after school", Dustin mumbled in shock as he started walking beside Jonathan.

Jonathan stared ahead at Dustin's shoes, not saying anything and trying hard not to let Dustin see that he was blushing.

"But, I guess that I understand why you did… Why are you avoiding him? Because he was mean to you, right?"

When Jonathan nodded sadly, Dustin furrowed his eyebrows slightly.

He knew that he couldn't really judge anyone, but what happened between Jonathan and Lucas was pretty obvious. Dustin was just happy that it hadn't gotten physical. Even though he knew that they both cared a lot for each other, sometimes they were oblivious when it came to being honest with each other. And although neither one would admit it to themselves, it hurt the other sometimes.

"I wish you didn't feel that way, man. It doesn't matter what he said or did to you or anyone else. If Lucas doesn't love you the way you love him then he needs to realize that himself. But you need to forgive him. Like, right now", Dustin added, giving Jonathan's shoulder a gentle nudge.

"I know. Believe me, I know", Jonathan replied weakly, causing Dustin to stare at him.

"Do you think Mike loves you too?"

Jonathan'a gaze snapped upwards and he met eyes with the shorter boy, who looked genuinely worried. He shook his head rapidly at Dustin's question.

"No. No, no, he doesn't."

Dustin's heart sank. He knew Jonathan didn't feel the same way. Maybe Mike did and maybe he never confessed to him because he didn't want to risk losing his only friend, but even if he didn't confess to Max, the two of them still seemed to be very close. Dustin knew it hurt Jonathan to watch them grow apart because they used to be inseparable when they were kids.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing…"

"If it's anything, then tell me. Come on… It's me!"

Jonathan remained silent for another minute before finally answering Dustin. "Lucas and I…we aren't exactly getting along lately", he admitted reluctantly, glancing down to the ground.

"Oh… You guys fight a lot?", Dustin inquired.

"Yeah, all the time", the taller boy chuckled bitterly as he glanced up at the sky, noticing the dark clouds gathering above him. "We're fighting more often than we ever used to, and that scares me. What if we don't work things out this time? I… I can't afford to lose Mike again. I just can't. You guys have no idea."

Once again, Jonathan lowered his head, unable to look into Dustin's pleading eyes. Instead, he stared at the cracks in the asphalt. As an uneasy silence fell upon the two boys, it didn't take long for Lucas to notice that he wasn't coming back any time soon. He had told Dustin he was going to stay and practice with Jonathan alone. So, he walked toward the gate and tried to figure out where the older boy had gone. After searching in vain for several seconds, he spotted an unmistakable figure standing next to a car parked across the street. Seeing as Jonathan's car had keys in his pocket, he immediately assumed that something was wrong. After approaching the car cautiously, he saw a large puddle forming on the sidewalk. He could see a large amount of blood dripping from Jonathan's right foot.

Instantly, Lucas's eyes filled with fear as panic set in. He couldn't bare to leave Jonathan to bleed on the sidewalk, even though his foot probably wouldn't kill him. Not wanting to wait another second to call 911, Lucas quickly fished out the car key from Jonathan's pocket and unlocked the vehicle. Carefully lifting his injured friend's leg into the truck, Lucas sped off down the road.

* * *

The sound of a car horn caught Mike's attention. He turned around to see an emergency ambulance pulling into the driveway.

Without thinking twice, he jumped out of his seat and rushed over to the ambulance. Once inside, he saw his mom lying lifelessly on a stretcher inside the back of the ambulance. Her hair had fallen out of its tie and her face showed signs of severe bruising around her eye.

As the paramedic strapped her down carefully and placed several IVs connected to her arm, Mike watched with teary eyes, waiting for them to announce her condition. He didn't care that she was unconscious. He just hoped that she would be alright.

When the EMT noticed the worried look on Mike's face, she gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

"She'll be alright, son", she assured him. "Don't worry too much.", she added, smiling kindly at him.

The small smile on Mike's face slowly faded as he felt his chest tighten. His mother, whom he loved dearly was going to be okay. She would get better and she was going to wake up soon. He knew that.

However, something still bothered him. What did she mean by 'don't worry too much'? Was his mother sick too? Had she somehow become infected after being infected? The thought of her possibly dying gave him goosebumps.

Mike' eyes widened as the realization hit him. She must have been infected. Did that mean that they would eventually find out who was responsible for infecting her? He remembered his suspicions that El had died. They were right. That was definitely the only possibility that could explain how his mother's infection could be spreading like this, he thought. He knew that he needed to keep a closer eye on her and try and make sure that nothing happened to her in order for her to heal faster.