The New Student

Chapter 10: Brotherhood

Hey guys, this chapter is a bit difficult for me to write cause I'm the only child in my family. To get less lonely, I call and treat my friends as my brothers and sisters. Well here's another chapter, dedicated to brotherhood.

Play the song to add special effects! (Thom Byles - The great outdoors)

Paton's POV

I laid there on the bed beside him. I thought about many things meanwhile. It was currently around six on a Saturday night. The gentle breeze rushed through the window while the last sunlight shone through the waving curtains. The lights in the hospital park/square has lit up, signaling the day was coming to an end. The picture was breath-taking. Billy was back into a deep sleep. After all, what can you do if you were him? Unlike yesterday, the hospital allowed us to stay for the night today. Veira has gone home and she would be here when tomorrow comes. We would switch shifits like that. I let out a sighed. This is all my fault. If I hadn't broken up with Dylan at that point, Billy wouldn't got into trouble now. Gosh I'm sinking with guilt. 

Play the song to add special effects! (Kodaline - Brother)

I looked at Billy's face and saw that he was sleeping peacefully. That brought me to a smile. He seemed very carefree about the ghoulish and the haters. Instead, he put his mind into his passionate: music, cooking and helping others. This made me go back into memory lane. "Hey Billy, you remember the time we went fishing? The memories... you freaking pushed me off the boat and then I pulled you in. We then just literally stripped off everything but our boxers and went for a swim. You almost drown me! Ha, how funny, I thought that fishing could never gets more boring, and when you dragged me along to show that it was actually really fun. And the first time I witnessed you cooking! I never knew where the food came from until I got sick, you cooked stuff for me, thinking that I was asleep. I walked out and scared you so bad it was like you were about to give birth to an orphan. The first time you went on stage... yeah, that time Veira took you to the mall and picked like 20 outfits for ya. The show was amazing. Speaking of music, i remembered the times you played the piano and I played the guitar and got caught. Veira could really sing very nicely but she never did, does nor will she, why? Only she knows why" I chuckled at my own statement. I must be looking like a psycho but I don't care, craziness is pure in my blood. "And when tests came, you did everything you could, but the results weren't that high. Since then, we knew that you were borned for music and cuisine. It was true, I could never sing as good as you do, never play the piano, keyboard and drum as good as you do, never cook as splendid as you do. I still remember the plays we acted together though. Remember Sleeping Beauty? Where you had to play prince Phillip while I played Diablo, the raven. You had to kiss one of hottest girl in the whole entire school which made the jocks really mad and jealous. And beauty and the beast, where you had to play the Gaston I played Lumière and Veira played Mrs. Potts. I was quite impressed that you could pull Veira into it..." I smiled while looking at the bored, empty ceiling. I sat up and looked at him, still careless as ever. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. The doctors predicted that he could leave this week. Oh Billy, how could I forgive myself for what I've done. 

I walked out the empty corridors, currently around seven. I remembered that I didn't eat anything since the morning. I walked towards the cafeteria and on my way there, I ran into my long lost best friend. We were inseparable since kindergarten but he moved in grade seven and I didn't have his phone number, nor his email, besides, he didn't have one, so had no way to contact him. 

"Fox?" "Wait,... Paton?" He stopped. "Dude, are you... 'you'?" "Yes, I'm Fox, Fox Hudson, you know, one of the nerds back in the days" he said happily. I mean, what else could you do when you met your soulmate (as a close friend) after years of not seeing them? "What are you doing here?" He said. "My brother got injured" I sighed. "I see. So the bullying hasn't dropped yet?" "Wait how do you know?" I asked in surprised. "I'm not your private soulmate" he smirked. This guy, he didn't change much did him? "You're heading to the cafeteria?" He asked. " Yeah" "Mind if I tag along?" "What if I say no?" "I'll take that as a yes" he said. Nope, not a bit.

We settled down and ate our food. He told me about his life and I told him mine. "Uh huh" he paused "So he isn't your brother by blood..." "Yeah, shocking right?" "I did have a theory about it when we used to hang out together but I gradually gave up on the idea and further investigation with so less clues. You guys wouldn't even let me touch your papers" I rolled my eyes. More evidence that he hasn't changed, still a sarcastic nerd. "Well I better head off now, give me your number" he said, putting the trays away and putting his phone out for me to type in. I typed in "... there we go" I said. "See you sometimes around dude" "you too". 

I walked back to the room and saw that Billy was already up. I bursted through the door and seemed to scared to him. "Hey Billy, how's my bro doing?" Said I trying to push down my bad feelings. I gave him a fake smiling. "Good" he smiled. "Im going to get you dinner" "Oh that would be nice" he nodded. I got him something to eat. "Wow, this is actually unexpectedly good" he complimented. "Ya kidding? This is nothing compared to what you cook, like you're comparing black and white" he giggled. I just smiled seeing that his optimistic. He done eating and we sat there talking. "Where do I start? Hmmm...". He just laughed "From the beginning. Tell me the entire thing" "Okay then. This morning we,..." i trailed off. No, this is not the good time, he is still in the healing process, I can't tell him now. "What?" He smiled. "Nah nothing, it was nothing you should care" "Tell me" he pleased. "Nope" I said, popped at the 'p'. "Please...?" He begged with his puppy eyes. Gosh this is sooo hard. I can't tell him. No. I thought for another topic to change the mood. 

"So, I heard that you talked to Dylan for me... you know, you didn't really need to do that. I don't want you to get a headache just because my problems. But still, thank you, very much..." I said. He just smiled and looked at the door, not facing me. "Nah it's nothing, I just like helping people out I guess" i smiled. I can't take it in any more. My water has been held in for too long now. I pulled him in for a hug and rub his back and let my tears fell. "Thank you, Billy, thank you very much..." I weakly said. "Nah it was my pleasure, brother bear" he replied. I just laughed. He was such an optimistic person, it's unreal. We talked for a while and around nine, Billy soon fell asleep. I still remember his favourite lullabies. I smiled and remember the memories. 

Play the songs to add special effects! (Song of the sea soundtrack)

Billy's POV

When I would was young, mum would regularly sing me to sleep. I still remember my favourite lullabies. Sister knew this song too and she could sing it amazingly well, trust me, when mum wasn't there anymore, I would get nightmares very often and Veira would have to sing me back to sleep. 

I remember once, she was on her camping trip, I slept with my brother in his room and in the middle of the night, woke up sobbing from nostalgia. He woke up and saw me sobbing and yelling on top of me lungs "Mommy, Daddy, please come back!". He did exactly what mum and sis would do in these situations and he grabbed his guitar and sang me back to sleep. He had some vocals class before so his voice wasn't very bad. When I had calmed down, he hugged and rubbed my back. "Don't worry Billy, I have you now, you don't have to worry anymore, everything is good... I fixed it now... calm down and drift back to sweet dreams.. Hush now my storeen, close your eyes and sleep..." he said. I could feel his tears holding back. He has been much more stronger than me, even more so after our parents left. I have never seen he cried. After the tragedy, he still kept a positive attitude. Veira has tried but I still caught her crying sometimes. I don't blame her.

 "...Oh won't you come with me? 

Where the moon is made of gold

And in the morning sun, we'll be sailing..."

Those words he and sister and mommy sang that I couldn't forget

... he sang until I drifted off to sleep. For the rest of the nights and the following days, I had no nightmares at all...

This time, I could feel him do the same... 

"Between the here, between the now

Between the north, between the south

Between the west, between the east

Between the time, between the place....

From the the shell, the song of the sea..."