Arson Bros//Setting Fires In My Heart

Chapter 11

Tw: gay slur, abuse,mentions of suicide

Rich's POV
I walk home and open the door to see my dad. He's never home. He turns to look at me and stands up. I close the door and try to run to my room but he stops me. "Where'd you think your going?!" He yells. I flinch.

"To my room.."

"Why aren't you at school?!"

"I wathn't feeling well."

"Should've stick it out! But being a fag has really turned you weak and a pansy!" He then slaps me across my face and pushes me down. I want to cry but I can't or I'll get hurt worse. "Go kill yourself!" He says then walks out the house. Maybe he's right. I stand up and walk to the bathroom. I take a bottle of pills out of the cabinet and sit down on the tub.

Jake's POV
School is finally out and I'm going to see Rich. Michael said he's driving us. And the girls in Brooke's car. After about 5 minutes. I step out and see his dad pull out of the driveway with his car. I know his dad is not...not the nicest so to speak. I jump out of the car before it's even in park. "Stay here!" I tell everybody before running inside. "Rich?!" I say and don't hear anything. But then I hear broken sobs coming from the bathroom. I run as fast as I can with my cast. It's all healed. I'm getting it off tomorrow but still need to have a knee brace. I open the door to see Rich on the floor crying and pills spilled everywhere. I sit next to him and pull him into a tight hug. He cries into my shoulder. "Did you take any?" I ask quietly. He shakes his head against my shoulder. I sigh in relief. I run my fingers through his hair and rub his back. "It's ok it's ok. I got you." I kiss his forehead. After a solid 20 minutes he stands up. I stand up next to him.

"Our friendth are probably worried we thould go tell them we aren't dead." He says quietly wiping tears from his eyes.

"You don't have to."

He nods, "I would've done it. If you didn't thcare me when you yelled my name. I would've done it."

That broke my heart. I started crying. I pulled him into the tightest hug possible. "Don't ever think that I would be better off without you! Richie-" I said pulling apart to look in his face. I could kiss him. But I won't.

"I'm thorry," he said quietly.

"Don't apologize Rich." I said caressing his cheek. That's when I noticed a bruise on his cheek. "Did your dad do this?" He nods. I hug him again. "You are gonna come live with me. I won't let him hit you again." He nods then opens the door. I follow him and see all our friends sitting on the couch. I say stay and they come in anyway. Brooke jumps up and hugs Rich so tight it looks like he can't breathe. Regardless Rich hugs back. Brooke whispers something in his ear which he laughs at. I feel a pang of jealously but brush it away when they pull apart.

Rich's POV
I love Jake so much for what he's doing for me. As soon as we step into the living room, which all our friends sat, Brooke pulled me into a tight hug. "I'm sorry for what happened at school and with your dad." She knew what was happening with my dad before anyone. She's helped me through it. "But.." She adds, "Did you and Jake like get it on in the bathroom?" I laugh and push her off. I shake my head and she laughs. I'm happy I didn't go through with it or I wouldn't see her laugh again, I wouldn't see Christine become the next Meryl Streep, I wouldn't see Michael and Jeremy finally get together, I wouldn't see Chloe stop being a bitch and finally get with Brooke, I wouldn't see Jenna take over the world and the thing that matters, Jake. I wouldn't have seen Jake. Thank god he came and saved me, yet again.