how to save a life

8: a new headband.

Reki woke up slowly, noticing a warm presence holding his hand and every once in a while warm lips on his cheek. Once he was awake enough to keep his eyes open and sit up he looked over and saw Langa.

The blue haired boy looked over at him and immediatly smiled sadly, "hey baby..." He said as he tucked a piece of Reki's red hair behind his ear.

"Hi.." Reki said, avoiding eye contact. He wasn't sure why. He felt nervous. He didn't want to tell him what happened. He didn't want him to feel bad or worry.

Langa took his hand and pulled up Reki's chin, "hey. I love you." He was teary eyed, "and don't you ever forget that okay."

Reki sniffled, holding back tears. He tried to wipe his nose but found that an oxygen mask was in the way. Soon tears were flowing down his face.

He took off the mask and pulled Langa into a kiss. In front of everyone. His sister sat there with her jaw dropped, somehow she hadn't figured out that the boy Reki had been sneaking out to go skate with was this kid.

Langa heald the back of Reki's greasy red hair and heald the kiss. They broke off and Langa wiped the tears off of Reki's face.

"I love you too." The red haired boy mumbled. His leg was in a thigh high, straight, red cast. He was in a hospital gown but he felt his chest wrapped in soft bandages. There were tubes going into his arm from a pole.

Langa sat next to him and continued to comb his fingers through his hair while they sat there in comfortable silence.

"Hey I got you a new headband." Langa said after a few minutes. Reki looked over, the oxygen mask back on his face.

"Oh! I see you saw my new bald spot." Reki joked darkly, taking the headband. It was a dark blue with a fun design on it, a nice change from the worn black one he found in the women's section at Walmart.

Langa laughed awkwardly, aware of the spot but unaware of how it happened.

"how did that happen?" He asked.

"My dad decided it was a good idea to ✨throw me across the room by my hair✨" Reki said, trying not to remember everything that came after that. He felt exhausted.

"Oh no. Well that wasn't very nice of him was it." Langa said sadly. Reki almost smiled, "you have no idea."

"You're right, I don't. I'm sorry I can't help you more." Langa said. He was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed.

Reki grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him down next to him, "it's okay. Does it look good on me?" He asked. Langa smiled at the way the new headband heald back his floppy red hair, "it looks great."

Joe walked over to them, "can I talk to Reki alone for a minute?" He asked. Langa nodded and climbed out of bed.

"What?" Reki asked curiously, sad that his heat source was gone. Hospital blankets were literally just thin white sheets.

Joe knelt down at his eye level, "what are we gonna do? I can't send you back home, but if we get legal people involved something bad will happen..?" Be asked, not know the extent of what "bad" meant.

Reki looked at him seriously, "he said he would- he said he would kill us." Joe's eyes widened.

"It's not safe for you to stay there anymore." Joe said, "so what can we do?"

Reki sighed, bringing his hands up to his face and pushing his palms into his eye sockets, "I don't know." He said shakily.

"I- don't know. I don't know what to do anymore." He said. "Hey. It's okay, we are gonna figure something out." Joe said.