Claustrophobia (Boy x Boy) ✔

16) YOU DID WHAT?

*Ian Romero's POV

You know that oppressive feeling when you are certain something bad is going to happen? Somehow you just find yourself restless and unable to unwind, even if you're not quite sure why. Maybe it's the little signs that your subconsciousness picks up without you even noticing. 

I had had that kind of weight on my shoulder since this morning. At first I thought it had something to do with the fact I was going on a date with Callie after school, but soon I realised it had everything to do with Cody.

Not just for the obvious reasons. Not just because he slept in the class or the fact he looked like one wrong word could demolish his world. Not just because he skipped most of the classes. There was something else, something more subtle that gave me a feeling something would have to give in.

Today was the day. I just knew it.

So, after the last class was over, I wasn't hurrying home to get ready for my date. As a matter of fact, my mind couldn't have been any further away from Callie.

I wasn't exactly following or looking after Cody, I was just somehow taking my time before I'd go home. As a result I was walking in the empty hallways after all my friends and classmates had hurried home. 

Or well, not all of them. 

"Did you hear how he begged? He's so pathetic." I heard Jeremy's voice behind the corner before I saw the trio sauntering towards the main doors. 

"Yeah. Who does he think he is?" Bryce huffed. They didn't notice me yet, so I just quietly followed after them.

"He's back in the closet, that's just epic." Jeremy snickered. 

"What did you do this time?" I accosted, making them turn on their heels to face me. For a second or two they looked startled, until they realised it was me and they visibly relaxed. 

"Ian, what's up?" Bryce grinned.

"Nothing much, just on my way to see Callie." I placed a fake smile on my lips and walked to them. Then I continued: "So what was so epic?"

"Nothing. So you're —" Jeremy began.

"No really, I want to hear it. Come on, you can trust me." I continued with a grin. Bryce, Jeremy and Kaleb glanced at each other, wondering whether or not they should tell me. Then, eventually, Bryce spilled the beans.

"Where is he?" Once I heard them mentioning the closet, the grin dropped from my face.

"What's it to you?" Bryce knitted his eyebrows. 

"Just tell me where he is." I compelled with a low voice. It was taking pretty much everything to keep myself from grabbing his collar and forcing the truth out of him.

Apparently they could see I was serious, because Kaleb opened his mouth and told me what I needed to know. Then I was already walking away.

"Who's side are you on exactly?" Bryce's voice echoed in the hallway, but I didn't stop to answer. I'm pretty sure they could already put the pieces together.

As soon as I knew they couldn't see me anymore, I started running. 

Cody used to be my closest friend and I used to know all his secrets. I might not be his friend or know his secrets anymore, but I do know one thing he is afraid of more than anything. 

Hearing my footsteps echoing in the hallways, I thought about the time when we got stuck in a stockroom when we were ordered to get more books for a biology class. Cody hadn't just panicked, he had completely freaked out. So badly it scared the hell out of me. If the fear was still as bad as it used to be..

By the time I made it to the classroom door, I was out of breath, but I didn't stop. In the classroom everything looked normal, except there was a familiar black backpack forgotten on the floor and the small closet at the end of the room was jammed shut with a desk.

I knew I was in the right place and I knew it was the right closet when I pushed the desk out of my way, so it was alarming I couldn't hear anything behind the doors. Cody wasn't telling me to let him out, he wasn't banging the door, he wasn't making any sounds.

"Are you okay?" I breathed as soon as I got the door open. Inside the closet, crammed in the small space, Cody sat completely still. His knees were pressed against his chest, his head was bowed and his curly hair covered his face. 

"Cody?" I asked cautiously and reached my hand so that I could touch his shoulder. Cody didn't react in any way and I had one frightened thought in my mind: is it possible to die from shock?

"Oh god.." I bemoaned and tugged Cody in my arms out of the closet. Every muscle of his body was tensed up and his eyes were wide open.

"Oh god, no.." For one stagnant moment I truly thought Cody was dead. I swear that was the scariest moment of my life.

But when I hugged him tightly, sitting on the floor in the empty classroom, I could feel how his chest was rising and falling. I could feel the throbbing of his heart. I could feel how his body trembled ever so slightly. 

Then Cody grasped his arms around me and started crying. His face was pressed against my chest and I could feel how the fabric of my shirt moistened from his tears. 

"Shh, it's okay, I'm here." I whispered, caressing his back with my hand.

***

When I took Cody to his home, its rooms were empty and dark, but Cody didn't switch on the lights. He hasn't said a word, not even when I followed him inside. I'm not sure if he didn't realise I was still with him or if he just didn't care.

I was wondering if there was some deeper state of fear when you simply get so scared you stop feeling anything at all. So scared you have to shut it all out in order to not lose your mind. If there was, I'm pretty sure that's what was going on in Cody's head.

He reached his hand and opened a door that led us to a small plain room. There was nothing that would give away anything from the person whose room it was, but I knew right away it was Cody's. Something about the room made my heart ache.

Cody didn't slump on the bed, instead he sat down tardily. I took off his shoes and helped him to undress his hoodie, leaving on his jeans and a white t-shirt. There was still the same blank look in his eyes. Then he lay down on his side and pulled the blanket to his chin. 

When I looked at Cody curled up under the blanket, the red and puffy eyes that were closed and his curly hair even more unruly than it normally was, I couldn't bring myself to leave. Instead I sat on the edge of his bed, thinking I would leave as soon as Cody fell asleep. 

I thought about all the possible ways I could make Bryce, Jeremy and Kaleb pay for this. I wanted to make them suffer for every horrible thing they had done to Cody. This time they had gotten too far and I was going to make extremely sure that they knew it too.

♡♡♡

Question of the day:
What's your favorite word?

(Me: void and chaos. Apparently I can never pick just one..)