Oh Boy! (BL)

6 - The Burden of Friendship (1/3)

Why the hell does a brat like you have so much cash?

The grey-haired woman behind the hospital's cashier didn't need to say the words for me to know exactly what she was thinking. The look she gave me while counting the dollar bills spoke for itself. I did my best to ignore the line of people behind me and smiled the most innocent smile at her critical face through the acrylic glass window that separated us.

I earned that money, I wanted to tell her, but I wasn't so sure myself. I might not have hurt Clay physically, but still, it felt as if my hands were drenched in blood. Blood that kept dripping from each dollar bill gliding through the cashier's hands.

Not saying more than a hmph, the cashier printed out the invoice with the open amount and handed it to me while already calling the person next in line.

Freed from the burden of my blood money, I took the elevator up to the fourth floor. It was quiet at mom's ward, the sister who was on schedule graced me with an irritated side glance before minding her own business again. When I carefully opened the door to mom's room, I was surprised when seeing that the second bed in the room was now occupied. The woman lying under the blankets was sound asleep but, still, it was a soothing thought that mom would no longer be alone in that room.

Despite me trying to be as quiet as possible because I didn't wanna wake her up, the visitor chair was screeching anyway when I sat down next to mom's bed.

Wincing, I expected the roommate to wake up any minute; which she didn't. Phew.

I spent the remainder of my Thursday afternoon sitting at mom's bedside, quietly talking to her about things she already knew but that would make her happy anyway. It was a one-sided conversation, as always, but the possibility that she might hear at least a chunk of what I was saying kept up the hope inside of me.

When I left the hospital, it was pitch black outside and a part of me was afraid; expecting Drake and his friends to jump at me behind the next corner, but I reached our apartment without further incidents. Well, except...

The door had just fallen into the lock when my phone vibrated in my pocket. Half expecting it to be the cheerleader of madness, I lifted the phone and my mouth turned into a frown.

Pls, text me when you get home – Clay

Sighing, I let myself fall onto the worn-out cushions of my couch bed. When Clay had asked me for my phone number just before dropping me off in front of the hospital I had been startled momentarily; unsure what he needed it for. Certainly, I hadn't expected it to be for something like this. Typing back that I'd made it home safely, my mood sank. This would've been so much easier if he were a dick like his teammates and didn't act...like someone who cared.

And the more caring he got...the more of a coward I became.

When Clay waited for me at the school gates the next day, I did as little as nod in response to his cheerful greeting. He invited me to their table during lunchbreak...and what did I do? I turned around and sat down at the always vacant table next to the trash cans. But no matter what I did, and no matter how unfriendly I was, Clay would always smile at me.

Which made me even moodier, and mentally absent.

"Cover! Cover! Cover!"

I got dragged out of my daydream, right onto the battlefield where I barely managed to avoid the Saber guild's attacks. With the number of shots that had already hit me, the pointer of my LP-bar was already touching the red area. Clover did his best to heal our wounds, but there was only so much he could do.

"Sorry, guys," I muttered and took cover behind a big rock.

They grumbled. "What's happening?!" whined Horny. "Boss! You got hit! Like a million times!"

"I know." I rubbed a hand over my face. My mind was busy, still remembering the way Clay smiled when he wished me a nice weekend. I sighed.

"Boss..." AOL wondered. "We're here if you wanna talk about something."

"Anything," Lady Lad added sympathetically.

They were right. They were my friends - my only friends. But I couldn't tell them. Not yet at least. "I'm fine, promise." But I wasn't the only one absent in this guild meeting. Literally.

"Where the heck is Defender?!" cursed Lady Lad. Her arrows were our last chance to survive this mess and getting out of the tomb.

Good question.

"Has somebody heard of him?" I asked and was casting a protective shield at the same time, hoping we could escape with its help.

Horny7 finished a level-seventy knight before getting under the shield as the last one of our guildmates. "Sh*t! He never missed out on a raid event! Even gramps AOL makes it all the time!"

AOL snorted.

"I hope nothing happened," wondered our healer, Clover, while I made our loss official by using a teleportation spell.

"Sh*t!"

"So not ladylike, Lady Lad."

"Shut it, Horny! That was crap! This raid could've moved us up to the top twenty guilds in WizQ! What is he even thinking?!"

They cursed and they screamed insults. All directed against Defender. My hand gripped the mouse tighter. "Stop judging him before we know the whole story!"

"But, boss..."

"No!" I barked at Horny7. "Whatever reason Defender has for letting us down today, I'm sure it's a good one."

He'd never let us down for nothing.

Horny was pouting.

And we didn't talk about it again.