The Misadventures of Jake Foley

Jake's Misadventure #30: Time's a-Changin'

As the hours passed, Tristan is more and more restless. Hospitals always creeped him out. 

"You're ready to go home." Tristan situates himself on a wheelchair.  Jake rolls his eyes. "You're not able to walk?" 

"No I cannot. I'm injured. I need you to push me." After a couple of teasing jokes about being injured, Jake pushes Tristan along the hospital hallways. 

"You think Gerry will let me back in?"

 Jake nods his head certainly.

 "Of course. Who do you think is going to take us home? I don't have much leg strength to push you all the way home." 

Jake finishes chuckling as he eyes the familiar vehicle directly out front. Tristan slowly rises from his wheelchair. Tristan awkwardly avoids eye contact, instinctively resting a palm atop his ribs. The sliding door clicks when shut as Gerry drives home not saying a word. Tristan sinks to his seat, obsessively looking into the silence too much. Arriving back at the Foley residence, Gerry wraps around his driver's seat. 

"I wanted to apologize to you, Tristan. I can't help but feel a bit guilty about the thing's that have occurred. If I didn't kick you out, you would've been safe in the house. I didn't realize how unsafe the streets are these days." Gerry shakes his head, guilt weighing on his shoulders. 

"I'm just grateful you're willing to take me back in. Especially after all of the thing's that have happened. If I were you, I would've done way worse than just kick me out. I'm just grateful you didn't." 

Gerry smiles.

 "If I'm being honest, of course, I thought some of the thing's you're implying. But I would be doing everybody an injustice by treating you like some stranger. You're more like family now." Gerry's tone turns dim for a moment, creating a stir for Tristan and Jake situated in the  backseat. 

"Which means we can protect you when you come forward with who did that to you." Jake immediately makes eye contact with Tristan. 

" I wasn't able to get a good look at him Mr. F, all I really saw were grimy shoes." Jake chuckles before collecting his inappropriate laugh. 

"We should get inside." 

A soft knock is heard at the front door, Jake rises from the couch and quickly opens the door. He smiles wide as Beth enters the house. Tristan rolls his eyes before turning his attention to the television. 

"It's been a while since we all have hung out. So we're going to kick it old style." Tristan flashes a grimaced look, causing Jake to feel uneasy. 

"No pun intended." 

The trio finds themselves downstairs in the basement, crowded around the wide TV.  Jake rises from the couch to fetch a drink, the injured Tristan soon follows. 

"Foley, I want you to swear to not tell Beth anything about what happened. She clearly has baggage with that D-bag, so I don't want any complications." Jake opens the can of soda before passing it. 

"If you say so." 

As the school year begins to wind down, the students of Wesleyan High become drowned in homework and important tests. Jake and Beth walk the halls together, blatantly ignoring the eyes that still stare as they walk. 

"I've been catching Tristan actually working out. I hear him late at night. This morning, he comes walking into the kitchen and reaches atop of the fridge to grab cereal and I swear his arm is completely different." Beth nods her head, 

"He's working out a lot because he thinks that can somehow change the past." Jake shrugs. 

"I don't know what it is, but I'm hearing him grunt downstairs and now he shows up days later with a ripped arm? Perhaps he is planning his revenge?" Beth's eyes dart to Jake's, inquisitive about the events that occurred that night.

"Revenge? He told us he didn't know who did it." Jake shy's away from her eyes.    

"I promised not to say anything." Beth rolls her eyes. 

"You and you stupid boys always keeping secrets between each other. I can only assume you two didn't tell me because you two think I can't keep a secret?" 

Jake continues to look towards the ground, avoiding eye contact. 

"The reason why we didn't tell you is that it involves you, sort of." Beth draws near Jake,                   

"What do you mean?" Jake sighs. 

"It's because it was Devin. Devin O'Lowry, your ex." Beth stops in her tracks. Her inquisitive look changes to guilt. 

"Why didn't you knuckleheads tell me anything!? Why am I the last to know about anything?" 

"It has nothing to do with you. Tristan told me in the hospital and told me to swear to not tell anybody about this. I'm breaking his wishes by even telling you." Beth lowers her head, guilt riding on her shoulders. Jake rests a palm atop of her shoulder, his thumb grazing her shoulder. 

"You have nothing to be guilty for. It's all my fault. I lost control and put my hands on him. And now he's seeking revenge." 

"Seeking revenge on you?" Jake nods. Beth sighs, stopping directly in front of her next class. 

"I'm assuming that's why Tristan's working out in the basement. Because he's planning on getting revenge on Devin?" Jake shrugs his shoulder once more. "I'll keep you posted." Beth nods, embracing Jake into her arms. 

Both hearts flicker opposite of one another. Lingering eyes and low chatter can be heard as the two separate. Jake keeps his head low and quickly walks to his next class, missing the intense glares coming from the opposite side of the hallway. Devin curses underneath his breath when he sees the two friends embrace. Devin slams his locker and heads towards the gym. 

Jake arrives home. Closing the door, he looks to his left near the single chair and notices Tristan's backpack. The basement door is open, grunts and the sound of weights banging against the floor can be heard. Jake walks down the wooden stairs as they creak and groan with every movement. Tristan is seen doing pushups with dumbells. 

"Hey! You're home pretty early." Tristan nods, continuing with his routine. Jake glides to the fridge and opens up a can of soda. 

"I've been thinking about this whole change you've been doing lately." Tristan abruptly stops in the middle of a pushup and launches right up. He walks slowly to the white rag resting on the edge of the couch and begins to pat the sweat off of his skin. 

"Yeah?" Tristan begins to down cold water from his navy blue water bottle. 

 "I've been thinking about this since the hospital. You're planning on getting revenge on Devin. And I would like to help you get your revenge." Tristan for the first time appears to be surprised. 

"I'll have to admit, I never saw this coming." Jake scoffs for a moment. 

"Because I'm responsible for all of this. I'm responsible for Devin's anger, I'm responsible for him jumping you, I'm responsible for you going to the hospital- all of it." Tristan raises a curious eyebrow.

"I was at this party on New Year's Eve and I saw Devin but it appeared that he was with another woman. I wasn't aware that Beth broke up with him days prior, so I thought he was cheating on her. Then, I punch him in his face in front of everybody who was at that party." 

"He asked me where you lived. Of course, I didn't tell him and his cronies jumped me." Tristan throws the rag top the edge of the couch. His jaw appears to be clenching as his mind goes through the events that have occurred. Jake walks to him and places a comforting palm on his shoulder. 

"Whatever I can do, I'll do. We'll create a new memory, a memory you'll remember fondly." Jake smirks. 

"What's your plan? I'm all ears."