Chapter 38|Touché, my rabbit friend

"My tattoo is gone," Caleb said to me in dismay.

"What do you mean it's gone. You know that tattoos are permanent right?"

"I know that H, but it's just gone."

"I'm sure you're just overreacting, it's not like a magic trick, you can't just go abracadabra and-"

He turned around and pulled down neck of his shirt so that his shoulder was showing (he refused to wear hospital gowns and claimed that they were all trying to look at his butt). Aside from a jagged scar which was probably a few inches long, there was nothing.

"Where did it...where did it go?" I asked, utterly confused. I mean yeah, he'd been shot, but that doesn't just come as a built in tattoo remover.

"It's holidaying in Hawaii," he said blankly.

"Your sarcasm game is strong today." I commented.

"My sarcasm game is always strong," he admitted modestly.

I shook my head. "I worry about you."

"You know what I worry about?"

"What?"

"How much this is going to hurt when I put myself through the skin stabbing process again. People who say that shit doesn't hurt are lying. They're crying on the inside."

"You're getting it redone?" I asked curiously, ignoring his interesting perspective. I was kind of used to it.

"Of course," he replied like it was an obvious choice. "But I'll definitely get it on my other shoulder. This scar makes me look badass."

I snorted. "Yeah sure, whatever you say, Batman."

He sighed, throwing his hands in the air. "What did I tell you about exposing my true identity!? I can't just superman my ass out of this dump if the bad guys come after me. I should be able to though. Why does superman get to fly, but not batman? DC needs to get their priorities straight. Bats can fly, supers can't. Supers aren't even a thing, so I win."

"Yeah bro, you win," I said. "You know, if I didn't know you, and you weren't, well, you, then I say that you're high right now."

He grinned. "No, you're the one that's high H, high on my personality."

"See," I said as if proving my point. "Definitely not sane."

"Ahh, but I never had a claim to sanity."

I patted his head. "Your future is bright."

"And yours is..." he trailed off as he stared at something behind me. "Am I hallucinating or is there a safari animal outside my door?"

I frowned, turning around to find Ryan leaning against the doorframe.

I rolled my eyes. "Safari animal, really?"

He grinned sheepishly. "What? Giraffes are safari animals."

"And you're a moron," I said pointedly.

I heard Caleb reply with an 'ouch' as I walked over to Ryan. His lips quirked upwards.

"Hey," I greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I went to your house to pick you up so we could go to school together, but you weren't there. Your dad told me you were here."

"Oh," I said, nodding in understanding. "But I thought you said you weren't going to school today."

I was happy to see him, don't get me wrong, but it was only the day after the funeral and I figured he would need some time to himself before he started interacting with people again.

He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Trust me, there is only so much pity lasagna a guy can eat."

"You don't like lasagna?"

"No, I just don't like eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner." He said seriously. "And I swear to God, if I hear their wedding song one more time, my head will explode." He sighed again. "I just feel like dad would want us to get on with our lives, and not get hung up on things in the past that we can't change. I'm going to have to go back to school at some point, so why not start now?"

I nodded, admiring his resilience to all the shit that life was throwing his way. "Okay then, let's go."

I yelled a quick goodbye to Caleb. He yelled back 'bros before hoes!' I'm pretty sure he was calling Ryan a hoe.

~*~*~*~

I drove my Jeep into the school parking lot, Ryan sitting shotgun. He had walked to the hospital instead of driving, to clear his head. Well, that's what he told me anyway.

We walked hand in hand through the parking lot and up to the school building. People seemed oblivious to the major crisis that had just happened in Ryan's life, which I guess was a good thing. He seemed to be pretty intent on keeping it within a few select people. My guess is that he didn't want it going around the rumour mill, and getting out of hand, which is fair enough. Also, he had already told me that he didn't like the sympathetic looks that people gave him once they found out. Despite the image he had, he was a sensitive guy, people just didn't necessarily see that side of him.

When we reached my locker the whole group was already there. Tara looked down at our linked fingers and smacked Kyle excitedly. I rolled my eyes at her antics as Kyle clutched his upper arm where he had just been hit. Both Lee and Justin, followed by Kyle, did that bro hug, handshake thing with Ryan. He obviously let go of my hand at that point. I mean, it would have been awkward if he didn't. I had a feeling that everyone excluding Tara knew about Ryan's dad. Tara had a big mouth, so telling her something that she couldn't share with anyone else usually wasn't a wise decision.

"Oh my God!" Tara suddenly blurted.

All of us looked at her. "What?" I asked.

"I have to pee so bad!"

I faced palmed. Why she felt the need to share that with me, a bunch of guys, and everyone in the hallway, I don't know. As I've said before, sometimes sharing is not caring.

She shoved her phone at me.

"Why do I have this?" I asked, looking at her expectantly. She was clearly busting according to the little dance she was doing.

"Well I don't wanna drop it, then I would have to fish it out and touch the toilet water. That's just gross," she explained, still jumping around like a lunatic.

"Tara," I said patiently.

"Huh?" She said, looking at me with wide eyes.

"Bathroom."

"Oh right." She scurried off in the opposite direction of the bathroom, and I rolled my eyes. "Tara!" I shouted in her direction.

She stopped, spinning around. "What?"

I pointed to where she was supposed to be going. She smiled sheepishly. shuffling past us again. "I totally knew that," she claimed.

"Yeah, sure you did," I muttered, passing her phone to Kyle. He looked to me for an explanation. "You're the boyfriend. That's your job now, congratulations."

"Yay," he mumbled sarcastically. I chuckled at him. Tara was hard work, like really hard work, but I could tell that he liked her, and judging by the detailed explanations on their sexual encounters, Tara liked him too.

The bell rung. I tried to imagine the beautiful Brendon Urie's voice instead of the shrill sound but it was just too difficult for my brain to comprehend.

Ryan took my hand again. "I'll walk you to class."

"You don't have to," I protested.

He grinned. "I'm trying to be a gentleman sunshine, just go with it."

I rolled my eyes but smiled. I had to admit that he was cute. I'd be lying if I said he wasn't.

We passed Erika on the way to my math class, to say that she didn't look impressed would be like saying Crowley is just a demon. Correction, he is the fucking king of hell. I think Crowley would like Erika, they seem to have the same morals; none. Actually, I think Crowley would get sick of her and just toss her into purgatory. Then Benny could kill her. Yes, good plan.

I waved and smiled as we walked past her.

Ryan laughed at me. "You really enjoy winding her up, don't you?"

I shrugged. "It's fun."

We arrived at my math class and kind of just stood outside as people filed in. Honestly, I was just putting off going in there. I did not enjoy math in any way, shape, or form, and in my opinion it shouldn't exist. It just makes my life miserable. Kind of like Erika. Holy crap, a similarity between Erika and something that requires a sufficient amount of brain cells.

"Are you gonna go in there or just stare at the door all day?" Ryan asked with a smirk, quirking an eyebrow.

"I would rather just stay here," I said with a sigh.

"Come on it won't be that bad, we have art together next period," he reasoned.

"Yeah, you're right," I said, standing on my tiptoes and pecking him on the lips.

He seemed surprised. "What was that for?"

"We're dating now right?" I asked rhetorically, leaving him standing there as I entered the classroom and prepared myself for the mental abuse to Hazel, also known as math.

~*~*~*~

Lunch came around pretty quick after second period with Ryan, which was quite interesting. Alex was acting really strange. Even stranger than usual. I had been observing him during art class, and he was either just really nervous or on drugs.

Don't do drugs kids.

Tara had texted me saying that one of her teachers was making her stay in during lunch because she didn't hand in a paper that she was supposed to do. I knew for a fact that she wouldn't have even started it. She was literally the queen of procrastination.

I was the second one to make it to our table. Kyle had arrived before me, and was munching on a carrot.

"Hey," I said as I sat down.

He waved in response.

"Quick question, why are you eating a carrot?"

"Why are you not eating a carrot?" He replied indifferently.

"Touché, my rabbit friend."

Lee and Justin piled in next to Kyle, who looked extremely disappointed by the fact that they were interrupting his carrot eating.

They looked at me as if they were waiting for me to say something.

"What do you want?"

"How do we talk to him?"

I shook my head. "Talk to who? Try to be more specific."

Justin looked around, making sure the person wasn't there. "Ryan," he hissed.

"Uh, with words. That usually works."

"But what do we say?" Lee asked.

"Just act normal. He won't like it if you make a fuss about it." I paused. "And please don't be awkward about it, he's still the same guy."

"Yeah but he's just so-" I had been so sidetracked that I didn't notice Ryan approaching. I kicked Justin in the shin to shut him up.

Ryan sat down next to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Hey," he said.

"Hi," I responded with a smile.

Ryan looked over at Justin with a frown. "Are you okay dude?"

"Oh he's fine," Lee answered for him. "We were just saying that he had a really low pain tolerance. See." He punched Justin on the arm.

"Shit man! What was that for?" Justin exclaimed.

"Just trying to prove a point dude, you really don't handle pain well."

Justin smacked Lee upside the head. "Shut up."

"Our friends are losers," Ryan stated, watching the two squabble about who had the lowest pain tolerance.

"Hazel?"

I sighed irritably. Speaking of losers.

"Alex, I thought I told you that I forgave you. What do you want now?" I didn't even have the energy to be angry at him anymore.

"Just listen to me," he pleaded.

"I'm all ears."

"Erika blackmailed me into doing those horrible things," he started.

"Yeah, you said that."

"But I never actually told you how she blackmailed me," he looked around to take sure she wasn't listening. "She told me about Ryan's dad," he looked at Ryan. "I'm sorry man, I really am. She told me that if I didn't help her, or if I told anyone, she would tell everyone about him."

I wasn't surprised. She had blackmailed Ryan the same way.

"I'm sorry for the poster thing," he said to me. "I didn't want to do it."

I nodded. He looked between us, then turned to leave.

"Alex wait," I said, halting him. He turned around. "I'm sorry too. For the way I treated you."

He smiled. "Don't worry about it."

His smile vanished as Erika appeared. He had the oh-my-God-she's-going-to-kill-me look on his face.

She sashayed over to Alex, bypassing us. "Well, well, well what do you think you're doing?"

"Uh.." He gulped.

"You know what I think? I think you just poured out your little heart to the wicked bitch of the west."

I emitted a snort. That was pretty good. I'm going to use that.

"You know what else I think?"

You? Thinking? Well done, round of applause.

"I think that you broke our little agreement."

Blackmail and agreement is not the same thing.

"You know what that means, don't you Alex?"

She shoved past him, first stepping on a chair next to a nearby table, then onto the table itself. I knew what she was going to do so I stood to go and stop her. Ryan caught me, retraining me with one arm.

"Let her go," he whispered in my ear.

"Why?" I asked frustratedly.

"You'll see."

Erika stomped her high heel three consecutive times on the metal table. Heads turned in her direction, and pretty soon the while cafeteria was silent, waiting for whatever announcement would follow.

Erika cleared her throat. "Hello everyone. As you all should know, I'm Erika and I just wanted to say that there is one student among us that may not be who you think they are."

Whispers erupted throughout the room. Erika looked so pleased with herself. I rolled my eyes, I just wanted to smack that smug look off her face.

She clapped her hands. "Okay everyone, calm down. Now, I'm sure most of you know Ryan Martinez, my ex boyfriend. You probably know him for his good looks and not much else. But I know his secret. He put his dad in a coma."

Ryan tensed next to me. I couldn't understand why he wouldn't let me roundhouse kick her in the face.

"Yes, you heard me," she continued. "Ryan made his dad drive him to a football game that he was playing in. They got hit by a drunk driver and his daddy ended up in a coma, and he doesn't even tell anybody because he's embarrassed. He practically kills his own father, and then disowns him. That's the kind of person Ryan is."

She smiled at the crowd, who were dumbfounded by what she had told them.

Ryan stood up, and walked over to the same table that Erika was currently climbing down from. She bumped his shoulder on the way past, muttering something that I couldn't quite catch. He stepped onto the table, staring past the glares he was receiving from pretty much everybody watching.

"Thank you for those words of bullshit Erika. I know that none of you want to hear from me right now, but please just listen. I know things about Erika that she wouldn't want you to know either, but I'm not going to stoop to her level and tell you because this isn't about her, and its not about you either. What she said is true, my dad did go into a coma after we were hit by a drunk driver on the way to my football game. You can hardly call that my fault. I never forced the alcohol down the other drivers throat, I never made him get into his car or fall asleep at the wheel. All of that was out of my control. You have no idea how long I blamed myself for that, I banished all things associated with the crash out of my life. I quit football, I refused to drive for a long time, and I don't drink. I was never embarrassed by my dad, he was still my dad. He will always be my dad. I just didn't want to be defined by my past, when you tell people that your dad is in a coma they treat you like you're a fragile piece of glass, and you'll shatter at the slightest touch. Everyone has had shit things happen to them, that's life, but they make you who you are," he looked at me. "And I like who you are. If people can't accept you for who you are, tell them to shove it. That's what my dad always told me to do. My dad passed away a few days ago. When I walked out of the funeral, Hazel Harper followed me, just to make sure I was okay. She is truly one of my favourite people in the world. I don't know what love feels like, but I think what we have is pretty damn close."

By the end of his speech a lot of the girls in the room were teary eyed. I was grinning from ear to ear. He basically just said that he loved me.

Ryan jumped down from table, wearing a grin to match mine. He swooped me up in his arms.

"My dad told me once that if a girl doesn't scare you then she's not the one," he whispered.

"Do I scare you?" I whispered back.

"You scare the hell out of me sunshine."

~*~*~*~

Okay, so I may have mentioned something about terminal in an earlier chapter because originally he was going to have cancer, but the car crash worked better. So kindly erase the word terminal from your brain.

This is the last chapter *cries*. I promise to write an epilogue to give you guys the happy ending that I know you all want.

Thank you guys for being amazingly amazing and making it all the way to the end. I love you all.

There will be no sequel...but I will be publishing a new book at some point after this is edited so look out for that.

Thanks again.

There is no next time :(