Everything in Between

Chapter 22

Mike

Dave called me and told me that Chester wasn't feeling well. It worried me. What if he's getting those flashbacks again? It was scary the first time it happened when I was around him. It was so sudden and I didn't know what to do.

"How about 'examine all these questions honestly'? It kinda fits what we're saying here."

I nodded,"Yeah, that sounds pretty good. Damn, how do you even?" I chuckled. He lay down on the bed and stretched.

He shrugged,"I just really like writing music I guess."

Then he looked at the ceiling blankly and grew quiet. I thought maybe he was thinking about something, but then he started to whimper.

"Dad, stop. I'm sorry, please stop." He continued to mumble and whimper quietly.

I looked over at him, worried. "Ches?"

Then he started screaming."Dad! Stop! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, please stop! Don't do it!"

I wrapped him in my arms, with no clue how to make him calm down."Shhh, Chester, you're with me. It's gonna be okay, shhh."

After a few minutes he calmed down and blinked a couple of times."M-Mike?"

"I'm here."

He started bawling, "I'm sorry Mike. I'm sorry."

I shook my head and went downstairs, hoping Dave and Chester would be there already. Dave was barely opening the door with Chester in hand."Mike-" Dave began, but I rushed towards Chester and grabbed him in my arms.

"It's okay, I'm here." He buried his face in my chest and stayed quiet.

"Anna and Samantha were part of it."

"What did they do?"

"He said that they were harassing him the whole way here. I don't know, they were just being real bitches."

I felt anger rise in me. Of course it had to be Anna. And why drag Sam into this?

"I should go. You two need time together." Dave turned around to leave.

"Dave?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks, you're a good friend."

He smiled,"Not the first time I've heard that. You know I'd do anything to help my friends out."

He left and I sighed. I looked down at Chester, who still had his face buried into my shirt. "You need sleep Ches."

He looked up at me. His eyes had dark circles around them."Okay, as long as you're with me."

I led him to my bed. We both lay down and he was already out as soon as my head hit the pillow. I wrapped my arms around him and held him against me. I started to drift off.

Brad and Mark were my best friends when I started middle school. I didn't have any friends before then. I was always made fun of for being half Japanese.

"He's Japanese, you know, those people that blew up Pearl Harbor. My great grandfather died there."

"That sucks man, stupid Japs," two guys were walking past me as I was putting things away in my locker. One of them smacked my head as they walked by.

A kid with really puffy hair was at his locker next to me. "Well that wasn't really nice." He closed his locker and turned towards me."I'm Brad."