For The Love Of A Bad Boy

XL

I'm somewhere high up. My body feels separated from the rest of me, whatever that part may be. I don't have any bruises.

I lowered my head to see what was under my feet. A building.

I'm on top of a building? It must of been a skyscraper.
Roads and cars were below, except none of the cars on the roads were moving.

Wherever I am is desolate.

"Nice, isn't it?" Mike appeared next to me.

"Am I dreaming?"

I didn't feel the need to run.

"Sure." Mike stepped towards me, "remember, I'm doing this because I love you."

He shoved me off the building. I screeched, plummeting to Earth rapidly.

I was going to die. I would not land safely.

Just as I was about to come crashing down on the ground, I jolted awake, screaming and clutching myself for dear life.

I heard someone stumble over to my bed in the dark.

"Sam, are you okay? What happened?" Noah asked, catching his breath.

I was shaking. My heart was thumping so hard in my chest, I couldn't even feel my pulse anymore. My hand swept over the opposite side of the bed.

"Where's Anthony?" I didn't recognize my own voice.

"He went home. He said he'll be back in the morning.
Did you have a nightmare?"

"Yeah. For a moment...it felt real. Is Jeremy here?"

"He's asleep in the corner. I guess he didn't hear you. Has he always been this hard of a sleeper?"

"Couldn't wake him if the place was on fire."

In the pitch blackness, I could see Noah's grin.

"Want to tell me about your nightmare?"

My hand brushed something plush in the bed. Buttons.
I squeezed him to my chest.

"Mike...he pushed me off a building, I don't know...it didn't make sense to me. Jesus, the air felt real. Sorry, I shouldn't of said Jesus's name like that."

My breathing sped up.

"Stay calm. What's your favorite song?"

"What?" I said, exasperated.

"When I have a problem, I think about my favorite song. It calms me down. So what's yours?"

"Fireflies by Owl City." I shook my head at him.

"Play it in your head."

"Noah-"

"Do it. There's a method to my madness. Promise."

I played it in my head, not feeling any different.

"It's not working."

"It takes more than one try."

When I did it again, the song played clearly. I couldn't stay concentrated long, my headache was in full swing.

"It does work." I said.

"Do you feel better?" Noah wondered.

"Yes. Thanks, Noah."

"What are legal guardians for?"

I laughed, covering my mouth so I wouldn't be too loud.

"Goodnight." Noah went back over to the corner with Jeremy.

"Goodnight."

I chose not to sleep again, in fear of another nightmare.

I needed Anthony with me.

He was like my security blanket.

I wondered where my phone was. I forgot if I had my phone on me during the accident.

I swung my legs over the bed to stand up. I gripped the bed, trying to put all my weight on my left foot, since it was nearly impossible to walk with my right. My ribs hurt that much.

"Sam, I can hear you. Why are you out of bed?" Noah asked.

"Do you know where my phone is?"

"I'll get it for you when you lay back down."

"I'll have to figure out how to walk eventually."

"Not tonight, though."

I groaned, "Phone?"

"Bed first."

So I did as he said and got back into the bed.

Noah tossed me the phone and told me to get some rest.

I stared into the darkness, fear of Mike and longing for Anthony crippling me at the same time.

~

The next morning I was more awake than ever. Dr. Greene told Jeremy I had to stay in the hospital for two weeks.

I couldn't eat the hospital food for two weeks straight. When Anthony returned in the morning, he brought me snacks.

I didn't have the chance to complain him and he was still amazing.

Anthony brought me Oreos.

Jeremy wasn't sure if that was allowed, but I had already ate half of them.

Anthony hadn't kissed me since before the accident. I jumped to conclusions and assumed he didn't want to be with me when my ex boyfriend put me in the hospital. I was too battered for him.

As for Mike, Jeremy wouldn't let me forget about him.

"You were half asleep when you said no, so you probably didn't know what you were saying. You do want to press charges, right?"

"Jeremy, I meant what I said."

"But why?"

My headache felt as if my head was about to explode.

There was so much pressure, for a millisecond I thought I was under water.

"What happened to talking about it later?" I said, rubbing my temples.

"Jeremy, Sam's tired." Noah told him.

"He's not. He's purposely avoiding the situation."
Jeremy shot back.

"Yeah, having your head bashed in on concrete will do that to you." Anthony said sarcastically.

"Stay out of this. It doesn't involve you anyway."
Jeremy snapped at Anthony.

"Actually, it does. If I wouldn't of found Sam, he would of been laying out there until school ended."
Anthony responded coldly.

"You don't have to take responsibility for Sam. He's not your kid."

"He's not yours either. But here we both are." Anthony shrugged at Jeremy.

"Just because he's my brother doesn't mean I'm not his parent."

"You guys, stop. I'm literally sitting right here. Have this fight later, I don't care, but the sound of your voices is killing my head."

They both fell silent after that.

"Is it unreasonable of me to ask you two to get along? Can you please be nice to each other?" I asked, about to cry again.

"I will if he will." Anthony crossed his arms stubbornly.

Staring off the side, Jeremy agreed too.

I couldn't be dealing with being in the hospital and listening to Anthony and Jeremy argue.

"I don't hate you, you know. I think you could be good for Sam sometimes." Jeremy said to Anthony.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Jeremy glanced at him, "when you're not putting him in the hospital."