For the Last Time

Chapter 14

A/N: I will be introducing a new character in this chapter. His name will be JJ who played one of the leading characters in Great Men Academy. The image above does not belong to me. It belongs to the person who uploaded it on the internet.

James' POV

Even though I graciously let Perth take over with giving his lunch to Saint, just to avoid any further conflict, I was not going to let it end just like that.

"Saint, you know that spinach spaghetti noodles with veggie meatballs are your favorite dish," I said, watching closely as Perth furrowed his eyebrows, "They are here in these styropore packs with the strawberry melon drinks. Actually I brought two packs of those hoping to have lunch with you here, but unfortunately it's not going to happen because someone else seemed to have the same idea. So I'm just gonna leave them here. You can warm them up for dinner later with your mom."

"Thank you, James," said Saint's mom, "they have a microwave in the hospital cafeteria which visitors are allowed to use."

"Thank you, James," Saint also said.

"Of course," I said, "just so I want you to realize that I am the more mature and better person here."

I couldn't resist letting that last jab in before I bowed to Saint's mom and left the room.

Perth's POV

I was boiling mad inside at all the remarks of James but I tried my best to keep my cool.

I wheeled the bedside table beside Saint and took out the styropore packs that contained the assorted seafood pad thai. There were three packs because I had ordered an extra one for Saint's mom and Saint's mom was very grateful for it.

I listened as James said his goodbyes. My hands curled into fists when I heard James saying to Saint, "I just want you to realize that I am the more mature and better person here."

It was true that James was older than a grandfather when compared to my age, that much I will admit, but I cannot agree that he is the better person.

After I laid out the styropack and opened it and gave Saint the plastic utensils for him to use, I excused myself to him and his mom. I said that I needed to use the restroom. I told them to go ahead and start eating their lunch.

I went out looking for James, expecting to find him by the hallway where the elevators were, but he was no longer there.

I took the elevator that opened up, hoping that I would catch him in the lobby or even outside the entrance of the hospital.

I ran out of the elevator as soon as it reached the lobby.

I saw him just in time walking out of the hospital double doors.

I rushed up to him and grabbed him from the back and turned him around and punched him on his jaw.

He almost fell but kept his balance.

He rushed back at me and gave me an uppercut making me stumble backwards.

I probably would have fallen to the ground but I fell against a passerby who was walking behind me and caught me.

"JJ! What are you doing here?" James asked the stranger in surprise.

"I was coming to look for you," the stranger said, "I went to your house but your mom said you were here at the hospital visiting a sick friend."

Then the stranger turned to me, "And you are welcome for catching you to keep you from falling."

"Thank you," I said belatedly, "but it's your ugly friend here who started all this trouble."

"What did you say???" James asked, advancing toward me threateningly.

The stranger quickly went to James pushing him away and pulling him towards the hospital parking lot where his car was probably parked.

I went back inside the lobby and took the elevators back to the third floor where Saint's room was.

"You took a while," Saint said, looking at me a little suspiciously.

"I'm sorry," I said, "there was a long line at the men's room."

I was of course lying through my teeth, and I was sure that Saint did not believe me, so I was grateful that he let it slide.

"Come and eat the lunch that you brought for us," said Saint's mom.

I joined Saint and his mom who were already half way through their lunch.

"This tastes really good," said Saint's mom.

"Yes," I agreed as I took a forkful of the padthai, "The Jade Terrace restaurant really makes very good pad thais."

Saint had not said anything about how the padthai tasted.

With a breaking heart, I remembered how James had said earlier that he had brought Saint his favorite dish of spinach spaghetti noodles with veggie meatballs.

I was crying inside at the thought that James and Saint had fun times together in the past, a long, long way before I had met him and therefore James probably knew so much more about Saint than I did.

James had so much more advantage over me and there was nothing that I could do about it.

I turned my face away from Saint so that he could not see me wiping away a tear that escaped from my eye.