Saved Me

19

Warnings:
-Mentions most things that happened

George's POV

~ A Few Weeks Later ~

I was staring at Clay's empty spot in the classroom. Ever since he got outed, he had been missing. His parents seemed to hate him at first, but went to the police since no one knew where Clay was. They sent out an amber alert and everyone was looking for him since he left in a fragile state.

Sapnap told everyone he saw Clay last and that he left with a vague excuse of going home. He apparently said that he would miss him a lot and that he wasn't safe. After leaving, no one ever saw him again...

It was such a big drama at school now that everyone left me alone too. Quackity and Karl helped me since I sat in a wheelchair with my broken leg and my two broken arms. I was allowed to do all my school work on the computer and no one commented on it anymore.

I looked up when the door to my classroom opened and the principal walked in. 'I want everyone to come to the cantina.'

We all listened to this and Karl pushed my wheelchair there with Quackity next to us. No one was talking because we all thought the same thing. Would Clay be dead? Even though we weren't great friends, I still missed him a lot.

Karl put my wheelchair down next to all the chairs that were set up already. They sat down next to me and we waited for everyone to come in as the principal stood in front, tapping his microphone to see if it worked.

'Hello everyone...' he started. 'All of us know that Clay, our senior student, left school after some drama here. The police are doing everything they can to find Clay, but recently a good friend of Clay came up to us to tell us that Clay had been using a lot of drugs too.'

I looked around the cantina and saw Sapnap nod slowly with tears in his eyes. I was pretty sure he told them since he was his best friend.

'Now we know Clay is addicted to alcohol, smoking and a lot of different drugs, the situation got more hopeless. We've been searching for two weeks and a few days and we have no sign that Clay is still alive. We are not giving up, but the chances that we lost him are really high...'

It was quiet until I heard a loud sob coming from Sapnap. He jumped up with tears streaming down his face and then ran to the podium. 'Can I please say something?' he whispered as he sobbed loudly.

The principal nodded and Sapnap stood behind the microphone while his face was filled with tears.

'Clay is not dead,' he started. 'I don't want to believe it and I'm not going to believe it. He told me he'd come back, he told me he only needed a break. He's not dead, I don't want you to give up on him.'

His voice was full of pain and sadness, the voice cracks showed that he was fighting to get his words out and not burst into tears.

'Clay is my best friend, a brother to me. I've never regretted anything more than not accepting him for being gay. After he left, I talked to multiple people who were gay, trans, bi and I think to someone who was pan? I'm still learning, but I wish I did this earlier. Being gay is NOT a choice and not a disease. Clay is fine, he's gay and that's it.'

I smiled and Sapnap seemed to look at me for a second.

'I was raised homophobic and I hate that I've never looked at it in a different way. I didn't really have a reason too because everyone around me thought the same. I had no idea that Clay liked guys and if I knew, I wish I would have done this earlier.'

I saw some people nod slowly like they realised this was the same for them.

'And George,' Sapnap suddenly started.

I looked back up as he had another tear roll down his face.

'I'm so sorry... I bullied you for so long and I want to ask you to forgive me. I'm never doing this again, I'm down to be expelled and I'm going to open up about my actions too. I bullied him with his voice, his height, his delayed puberty and bone disease. I was a dick and I make this undone or right anymore.'

I looked at him with an open mouth as he scanned the cantina with his eyes.

'I'm just a sixteen year old guy who has no power, but I want you to stop bullying George. Maybe you're going to laugh at me now, BUT GEORGE CAN GET HOPELESS,' Sapnap suddenly screamed as he grasped onto the microphone.

I looked at him shaking from anger.

'AND LOSING CLAY BECAUSE OF HOMOPHOBIA AND BULLYING IS ENOUGH ALREADY. IF WE LOSE GEORGE TOO, I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO LIVE WITH THAT!' he yelled, punching the table the microphone was on. 'I'm not making this mistake again... George, I love you for who you are and for being way stronger than anyone here would be able to.'

I had red cheeks from excitement as Karl stood up to push me to Sapnap since I pointed to him. Sapnap immediately stepped down the podium and looked at me with tears in his eyes. No one could hear us anymore and Sapnap rode me to the side of the cantina when the principal started talking again.

'I'm so sorry,' Sapnap whispered. 'I'm a dick and I just realised that I am. Clay... he's my brother, my best friend and my buddy. He left because of bullying and I don't want you to leave too.'

I couldn't resist anymore and had a tear roll down my cheek. 'I just felt worthless,' I whispered. 'Like no one wanted me here.'

'Yesterday, I googled a lot of things about your disease and I feel like it's getting worse, isn't it?'

'Yeah,' I nodded slowly. 'Why?'

'Do you have therapy?'

'Not a lot,' I answered. 'My father works so much to pay for my health care and my mother doesn't work so she can always be here for me. A physical therapist would be too expensive.'

'I talked to my parents and whatever you say, I'm going to pay for physical therapy for you. Next to that, if it gets really bad, I'll buy a wheelchair that you can drive on your own. When is your scoliosis surgery?'

'I'm not sure, whenever I stop growing but I don't grow much so we wait for the testosterone pills to work and see if I'll still grow,' I replied.

'I know you'll have to lay on your bed a lot after that surgery so I'm visiting you every day and I'll make sure you'll have the time of your life even though it seems dark.'

'Thank you so much,' I whispered. 'This means the world to me and I'm bad at thanking people or showing my appreciation, but I'm really glad you're this sweet to me.'

'Can I give you a very careful hug?'

I nodded and ended up hugging with him for minutes while we both cried. After that, he sat with me and let me rest my head on his shoulder since I was really tired. He didn't mind and I eventually fell asleep.

1254 words