The Abnormal

Chapter Twenty Six

The bullet is still in his skin but I'm scared that if I try and move it I could permanently damage his shoulder. "We need to get you to a doctor, I can't take that out without risking permanent damage." I put his arm in a sling to make sure he doesn't use it; I also make him sit in the passenger seat so that I can drive. "I'm fine Jamila! I don't need a doctor I can use my arm just fine, see?" He tries to move it but his face turns into a grimace of pain and he throws up outside of the car. "Yeah you look great, never have I been more attracted to you!" I laugh for a good few minutes and I realise that it's the first time I've felt properly happy. John lets out a laugh so at least he has a sense of humour, "Okay if you've finished laughing at my pain we should get going if we want to arrive before it gets dark".

After an hour I realise that John's being very quiet, "What's up John? You haven't spoken for about two seconds which is highly unusual, you okay?" He looks nervous, what for I don't know. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I was just thinking about what it was like back home and maybe we shouldn't go back."

"What?! Why wouldn't you want to see your family again? I thought you were happy when you got your memories back, do you want them to die? I thought you were happy to go back?" I'm very confused, I will never understand that boy. "That's a lot of questions" He laughs, "Of course, I want to see them again it's just... I like you Jamila and I don't want to lose you if we go back". Why would he lose me? "What do you mean 'lose me'? I'll see your annoying face every day at school!" I can see my concerned face in the mirror and when I see John he looks really... sad?         "You never talked to me at school, you avoided me like I was the plague! Why did you do that by the way?" Oh no. Now to tell him that my parents and brother and everyone I know hates him. Why is being friends with John Sanders so hard! And why won't I let myself like him? "Well... Okay, I'll just say it. My parents told me to stay away from you. So did my brother, best friend, teacher and basically everyone who I asked about you. They all hated you and told me I should too. I didn't want to but I was young, they convinced me to." He nods his head like he understands. "I'm not that bad you know. My parents tried to make me help them sell things but I always felt uneasy and guilty. I actually reported them once to try and get them to stop and I watched in horror as they paid the guy off! I never wanted that life but I couldn't get away because I needed to be married and have a kid on the way. Trust me if there was a way to get away from them I would do it". I don't know what to say to that so instead, I reach over and hold his hand and give him a sympathetic look, "It'll be okay. Maybe after all of this, the rules will relax and you'll only need to be married! I could always be your fake wife" I laugh. He looks a lot happier than he did before which is good, "You'd do that?" He asks. I don't know, would I?               "Of course! You're my friend."

"Right............

Friend."

After a few more hours it starts getting dark and since we're both exhausted we decide to stop the car and sleep until sunrise and then we're off again. If only I'd listened to John and not gone back, it would have made everything so much easier.......