A Shot Into Darness

Sorry it isn't longer! I have a ton of classes! Hope everyone enjoys this as much as the first one.

I love criticism, but please be nice about it. All characters are over the age of 18.

~Cassie

____________ Jason _____________

The first thing I heard was this consistent beeping. It was high pitched and annoying as hell. The second thing I heard was hushed conversation. I was able to make out two voices, one sounded like my mom and the other sounded like Mrs. Smite.

I groggily opened my eyes. The light was harsh and blinding, and I closed them again. I heard frantic whispering and tried opening my eyes again.

"Jase, Jason can you hear me?" my mother grasped my hand and said. I tried to open my mouth to reply, but there was a tube down it. I began to panic and thrash around and some nurses came in and injected me with something.

I began to doze off again and heard my mom telling me she loved me.

I woke up again, this time without the tube down my throat. The annoying beeping was still there, and I still had the oxygen mask on, but otherwise, I didn't seem to have any restrictions. I tried to move my head, and suddenly, my mother was there.

I breathed out in relief and attempted to open my mouth and ask what happened. My voice wasn't seemingly able to work.

"Honey, can you remember anything?" She asked, holding my hand. I closed my eyes and heard someone screaming my name. Cold steel was entering my heart and the laughter of a truly evil being hammered my ears. Then there was silence and someone telling me he loved me. Sweet pressure on my lips and then whiteness.

"Kinda Mom. What happened?" I breathed out at barely a whisper. She looked behind her at one of the nurses and they shared a look. I wasn't able to read it.

"Sweetie, maybe you should sleep a bit." She said, not looking me in the eye. I felt my heart beating faster. Henry? I didn't see him. Is he all right?

"Mom. Tell me. I need to know. Is Henry ok?" Mom ignored my first questions.

"Henry is fine. He went home briefly to take a shower and get something to eat. He really hasn't left your side since they starting bringing them in." She said.

"Who is 'them' mom?" I asked, fearing her response.

"You were in a school shooting. One of your classmates, Kevin Earls, went crazy and began shooting students. He shot you in the chest, when you escaped from the classroom and ran to the cafeteria. It is a miracle you are alive. Maybe I should call the doctor in to talk to you." She shot out, looking at me as if I was a ticking time bomb about to go off.

"How many mom?" She started pityingly at me and sighed resentfully.

"Ten."

How could something like this happen? How could something of this magnitude happen to me? I wasn't anything special. I wasn't anything unique. I was just a normal boy in what I thought was a normal life.

I shook my head at my mother and closed my eyes.

__________________________3 weeks later______________________

Bridget Dee. Emily Hayes. Sally Dare. Evan Whitmore. Caroline Sanders. Jack Sherry. Julian Moore. Ms. Madison. Harold Massey. Kevin Earls.

I tried to go to all of their funerals, minus Kevin's, but with my chest encased with bandages and gauze and my leg in some sort of weird wrap, it was difficult. I had to learn how to walk after I got shot in my leg, and underwent intense physical therapy that I am still dealing with.

Not to mention losing my best friend. My mom said Henry spent every waking moment in my room before I woke up. I haven't seen him. I don't know what happened, but suddenly he was ignoring me and wouldn't answer my phone calls. I had no idea what happened, or if I said or did something when I was asleep.

My chest ached whenever I thought about him. I had enough trouble breathing with my chest, but when I thought about how Henry hated me now, I couldn't breath at all.

Today was the first day back in school for Westfield High. I wouldn't be going till tomorrow. I heard from a couple other of my friends that I was the worst injury. A couple people got scratched, and one person got shot in the arm.

I poured myself a glass of milk. Sometimes milk just comforts me. I sat down to watch Lost on the TV and drank my milk.

I awoke to the sound of the phone ringing. Mom had gone back to work once realizing I was going to survive. I'm surprised that they didn't fire her after all the time she spent in the hospital.

I groggily got up and stumbled my way to the phone. Its persistent ringing was giving me a headache. Did I mention that my pain meds were a bitch? I mean, sure they give me happy feelings and no pain, but I feel like a 70 year old drug abuser while on them.

"Hello?" I said into the phone.

"Jase. It's me." I stood up straight in surprise. Even though he didn't say his name, I knew it was Henry. His voice was inscribed into my brain. I thought rapidly about what to say, and wanted to just be cool, but my feelings took over.

"What do you want Henry?" I said, perhaps a little to harshly than I should have. I could almost feel his despair coming through the phone.

"I want to talk. Can I come over?" He asked, sounding a bit hesitant. I sighed, knowing I wouldn't sleep well until I found out what he wanted.

"Sure. I'm home alone right now. You have a key to the house, and I'll be in my room." I shrugged my shoulders in resignation. So much for being angry at him. My heart knew that every time that Henry would come calling, I would be there as soon as possible. That's what you do with someone you love.

I was laying on my bed when I heard the door open and close. The sound of footsteps gently running up the stairs floated to my ears and I closed my eyes. My door opened.

"Hey." His voice was breathless and lusty and my pants tightened around my crotch. I began thinking cold things. I looked up at him, and his eyes were averted away from my face. I sighed. He was here to tell me that we couldn't be friends. I don't know what I did to deserve this, or if I said anything in my injured hospital haze, but I knew deep in my heart it was over.

"Hi Henry." I said.

----------------------------------Henry-------------------------------

He sounded so sad and dejected. He didn't look to good either. He was leaning over his bed, holding himself up with one hand. He was almost deathly pale and I could see the blue veins running through his arms.

He looked good too. His hair was tussled and kept falling into his eyes. His eyes, oh his eyes, they glistened a deep navy. I had never seen his eyes so dark. Normally, they were the color of the ocean, swirling with many light colors of blue. Today, they seethed with something and it scared me.

I had to do this though. I wouldn't be able to live with the feelings inside of me unless I got them out. Even if he rejected me, even if he hated my guts, he had the right to know. It was necessary. It was the reason I stayed away. I couldn't stand him in that bed, looking like a broken doll. I stayed until he woke up, and then I slipped out. I knew he would need time with his mom.

"I have to say something. I know you wont like it, but I need to say it. I know we probably wont be friends anymore after this." I stopped to take a breath and just as I was opening my mouth again to speak, he held his hand up.

"Henry. Stop." His words were so powerful, I froze on the spot. "I know what you are going to say. I'm not quite sure what I did, but I'm sorry. I know that you don't want to be friends. I know that this is the reason why you stayed away for so long. It's all right. Walk away. I know you have gone through a lot, and you don't need some hurt buddy to lean on you. Not to mention the fact he is gay. So leave. I'll be all right." He turned away, but not before I saw a silver tear fall out of his eyes.

This was not all right.

"No, Jason, that is not what I came here to tell you. You have to know that you are the one I come to first. You are the one I trust the most and I wouldn't have made it this far in life without you. I accepted you when you came out, but this started before that. Four years ago, I looked at you and I didn't see my best friend. I saw someone I want to cherish and touch. Hold as he falls asleep. It scared me Jase. That is why I slept around for Freshman and Sophomore year. I love you. I need to get this, this bug, out of me. I know you don't feel the same way, and I just needed to let it out and let it go." I breathed a sigh of relief. It felt good to finally let these feelings out of my body and to know that the decision no longer rested on my shoulders.

I dared to look up. He was staring at me with some sort of pain in his eyes. I doubted myself for the millionth time on whether or not I had done the right thing by telling him. His hair was still messy and his body was slumped in exhaustion.

"I think you need to leave now." He said, staring at me with resignation. I had to fix this, I had to make this right. I stood up, and walked over to where he was standing by the door. This opportunity would only come once. I had to.

-------------------------------Jason--------------------------------

He looked at me with something in his eyes. Some inner conflict was brewing, and I didn't know what it was. Inside, my heart was soaring because he loved me. But he said it like it was something he needed to get out so he could move on, and that pressed some magical button. I wanted him out of the room and out of my life. Maybe for only a couple weeks, or even a few months. I don't think he would like that idea though. I looked back into his eyes and saw that he had come to some conclusion.

I opened the door for him and ushered for him to leave. He did the exact opposite. He gently took me and pressed me back against the wall and stared deep into my eyes. He leaned down and took my lips with his. The pressure was very light at first, testing the waters to see how I would react. I broke and kissed him back, taking his upper lip in mine and caressing it. The kiss escalated from there. His hand, previously holding my hips carefully, ventured up to my stomach, and slid under my shirt. He outlined my ribs and my lightly defined abs. His lips ravaged my face and his hands took control of my body. Not like this. I loved him, but the hurt was too over the top. I wanted Henry with every fiber of my being, but he needed his feelings gone. This might be some sort of closure for him. I couldn't deal with that.

"Henry. Stop." He began nibbling on my neck, which distracted the hell out of me. His hand was now dangerously close to my unfortunately rock hard cock.

"HENRY. Please." I said, begging him to let me go. He heard something in my voice, and looked up at me. The lust was clear in his sea-glass eyes, but there was also pain and regret. He wrenched away from me and ran out of the door.

At the slam of the front door, I collapsed onto the floor and began sobbing.