Chapter 3

My heart fluttered.

That was the first time he called me "Sunshine".

He described sunshine as the prettiest thing he had ever seen. Something he wished he could look at all the time.

And he decided to call me Sunshine.

___

Once back home, Lyke couldn't get it out of his head. What did Rain mean when he called him that? There were butterflies in his stomach. He didn't know what to do until Rain texted him.

Rain: "I made it home alright"

Lyke: "Phew, that's good. Fortunately you didn't get mauled by a manta ray."

Rain: "Mauled by a manta ray? Does that happen on land?"

Lyke: "Sure it does. It happened to my friend, bless his soul."

Rain: "That's so funny"

Lyke: "I know, I'm hilarious."

Rain: "Go to bed you goof"

Lyke: "Goof?"

Rain: "Yeah, goof"

The urge to ask what he meant by calling him sunshine entered his mind, but anxiety crept up. What if he was taking it the wrong way? What if he was delusional? 

Rain: "Are you there?"

Lyke: "Yeah, just thinking"

Rain: "About what?"

Lyke: "Sleep"

Rain: "Awe"

Lyke: "You just told me to go to bed!"

Rain: "I'm just joking. Good night"

Lyke: "Good night."

___

By the time Monday rolled back around, Rain's words were still in his mind.

"Lyke!" Olive called Lyke over. "How was your date?"

"Firstly," He said when he reached her, "It wasn't a date. You need to stop saying that out loud or someone is going to think it's true. It was just a nice day of hanging out and talking, that's all. I had fun. I've never seen a zoo like that, and there was a light show as well."

"What did you talk about?" Olive smirked.

"A lot of things, just this and that, about what we like. I like the stars and light reflections on the water at night and he talked a lot about the sun. How it's the prettiest thing he'd ever seen, and he wanted to look at it all the time," Lyke's heart pounded as he said it out loud.

"Hm. Never heard him say that before. Interesting," Olive smiled.

"Maybe that means something," Sana, who had been collecting her stuff, said. 

"Oh shut it, Sana," Lyke retorted.

"What are you guys talking about?" Lin joined the conversation.

"Nothing," the three of them said all at once. Lin raised his hands in defense.

Rain arrived.

"Hey guys, shouldn't you all get to class? It's getting late." He said.

"Okay, Okay let's go."

"Bye-bye!" Lyke waved as they all walked away.

"Hey. I have a late practice today, so if you don't want to stay to wait, that's okay. Maybe just pop your head in to tell me you're heading home. Oh, and you should text me when you get back. So that I don't worry too much."

"Alright. I don't think I'll be cooking today, so I'm going to head home around 4. I'll check in, so don't worry. I'll text you later." Lyke smiled, and they separated for their classes. As lunchtime approached and Lyke started to walk to the cafe, Nicky stepped out of the club room.

"Hey. Can we talk?" She asked.

"Huh? Um, I'm not sure. Let me text-"

"I already talked to Rain. He told me I should talk to you, one-on-one. I'm not going to hurt you. I genuinely want to talk to you and apologize." Nicky seemed serious, but he couldn't help but feel uneasy about her sudden change of heart. He quickly texted Rain, "Be right there", so he wouldn't worry, then stepped into the room. 

"Please make it quick. Rain is waiting for me." 

"Have a seat. Here, have some water. I also made cookies if you want some," She started.

He took the water but didn't touch the cookies, in fear they had bugs in them or something.

"I just wanted to apologize for how I have acted towards you. It's not fair that I took my anger out on you. You haven't done anything wrong. I've had a couple of days to reflect on it and decided that I was going to resign as club leader. I want you to take over. Everyone seems to like you, and you are a talented cook. What do you say?"

"I will have to think about it," he replied awkwardly.

"Take your time, if anything happens, just let me know."

"Thank you for your apology, but I've got to go now. Rain is waiting for me." He smiled, kind of rubbing it in her face. 

Joining the lunch table late, he explained how Nicky stopped him and apologized.

"She stepped down as club leader? She's been the leader for years." Olive looked at Rain.

"And offered you the position? It doesn't seem right. I wouldn't trust her," Rain said.

"Weren't you the one that told her to apologize?" He looked at Rain, confused.

"Me? No, I didn't tell her to do anything. I don't want you near her, and I've told her I want nothing to do with her, over and over again. She should understand that I'm not joking around when I tell her that.'

"Then what does she want? I can't see that it would be to make it up to me. She hated me the minute I walked into the cooking club. Sana saw it. She's been lying to ruin me since I got here. It doesn't make sense to me," Lyke looked at the water bottle and remembered the cookies, "Oh yeah. She gave me water and made cookies too. I didn't take them," he leaned in, "maybe they had bugs in them," he said with a smile. 

"Ewww, stop it," Sana shot a wad of scrambled eggs right in the center of his face.

"Bro just got egged."

"Egged? Is that what it's called?" He grinned at Lin and threw the wad at him.

"AYE. Stop it." Olive snapped.

"You have egg all over your face," Rain laughed as he wiped Lykes face with a napkin. The rest stared and Sana, eyes unmoving from Rain and Lyke, smacked a napkin in Lins's face, hitting him in the nose and causing him to yell. Lyke burst out laughing and Sana apologized to Lin holding his nose. "Stop moving Lyke, there's egg all over." Rain said.

____

After his final class ended, Lyke went to the gym to tell Rain he was heading home. The team hadn't started practice yet, so Rain came over.

"Heading home?" He asked.

"Yeah, I have a lot of work to do. Sorry I can't stay and watch. I need to stop procrastinating."

"I understand. Just make sure you text when you get home. Remember you can text Olive too. I won't be able to respond but I should be able to glance at my phone. I'll take a break so I can see if you made it.

"Okay. I'll text Olive. If she doesn't get a text, then she can call. Just don't get yourself in trouble looking at your phone. I don't want to be the reason you get in trouble." Rain looked unsure but nodded.

"Be safe."

"I will"

Once he left the gym, he told Olive he'd text her when he arrived home. After initial confusion, she understood and said she would be waiting. Before leaving, he stopped by the cooking club briefly to say hi then started walking towards the exit.

*Ding*

"I'm starting practice now so I can't respond. Did you text Olive?"

"Yes. I told her to call you if I don't text her."

He smiled down at his phone. No matter how much he told Rain he was okay, he would still always worry. 

"When will you be done?" Lyke asked.

"About 8. Can I call you after?"

"Yeah! I'll be waiting. Better not be late."

"Okay. Better not fall asleep then."

Seeing Lyke smiling at his phone, Lin walked up and immediately started questioning.

"Why are you smiling like that?" He asked, glancing at Lykes phone. 

"Nothing. Go away, dude."

"No, you were texting someone! I know you were, I saw it."

"So what if I am," Lyke laughed, "none of your business."

"Of course it is, I'm your friend."

"Have Olive and Sana told you nothing?" He said to pique Lin's interest.

"So they know and I don't? Am I even part of the group anymore? What about Rain? Does he know?"

"All about it, buddy."

"Come on!" Lin looked dejected. 

"Alright, I have to get home and do work. I'll see you tomorrow,"

"I'll see you tomorrow. I'm going to go bug Sana for information now."

"Have fun with that. I saw they were making pies. Hopefully she doesn't smash one in your face," Lyke laughed and turned away, drawing nearer to the exit. 

Then he felt a stare.

He spun around, but nobody was looking at him. They were all engrossed in work and conversation, so he continued walking. Thirty seconds passed.

A familiar smell.

He felt his heart get ripped out of his body.

Once again, he spun around, frantically searching for the familiar black jacket.

It was nowhere.

But then he saw it.

Standing at the entrance, just slipping away around the corner.

Turning around, Lyke ran as fast as he could back to the gym, barely staying on his feet as he fell to the ground, catching himself with his hands. It felt like he was moving in slow motion, being followed by a billowing wave of water ready to engulf him. Suddenly, he slammed into the side of the gym door, knocking the wind out of himself.

"What the hell?" He heard one of the players say from inside.

"What happened? Why are you guys looking over there?" Rain yelled at the players, slightly curious.

"I think someone just ran into the door?" They laughed.

"Alright, take a break. Get some water. Let's go, get away from the door, I'll deal with it." Rain barked.

Lyke pushed himself up and ran in, meeting Rain's eyes.

"Lyke? What's wrong?" Rain asked.

"I saw him," Lyke struggled to say, the pain crushing him.

"Where??" 

"The entrance. His jacket." 

"It's okay," Rain said as he attempted to pull Lyke into a hug.

"No, no, it's not okay. It's not okay."

"Breathe, Lyke. You can't hyperventilate like that. Here," he grabbed the water bottle from Lykes bag, "Drink some water."

Once Lyke calmed down enough, Lin came and searched the entire area surrounding the entrance, but didn't see any glimpse of the man. Rain would have, but he had to continue his practice.

"Are you sure you saw this guy? I didn't see anyone like you described." Lin asked. 

"I don't know. I don't even know anymore," Lyke put his head in his hands.

"Do you want me to walk you home? I think we are going the same way anyway."

"Yeah, we are. You don't have to walk me the whole way."

"Are you sure?" Lin asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure."

They waved to Rain as they left, smiling and nodding in reassurance that everything was okay. But although Lyke was smiling, he didn't feel okay at all. He just wanted to save Rain the stress.

"So who is this guy?" Lin suddenly asked while they were walking down the street.

Lyke struggled to find words.

"A friend," He replied.

"I see. He must not be a real good friend if you reacted like that."

Silence.

"Sorry for bringing it up," Lin said as he realized Lyke was still upset.

"No. No, it's fine," Lyke took a big drink of water.

"If you're comfortable, can you tell me why you're so scared?" Lin asked, softly.

"It's nothing." He laughed it off and took another drink.

"Look," Lin started, "You can always talk to us, you know that, right?"

He nodded.

"Seriously." Lin stopped, "Are you okay?"

"Hm? Oh. Yeah, I'm okay. I've made it this far, haven't I?" Lyke responded.

"You can make it far and still need help."

They both stood in silence for a minute.

"Sorry," Lin apologized again.

They continued walking.

"I seriously am fine. I'll live," Lyke stumbled.

"What is going on? Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just tired. I had a long day." He looked at Lin and blinked away a growing tiredness.

"Can I have the rest of that water?" Lin asked.

"My water? Sure?" He grabbed it from his bag and handed it to Lin.

"Can you walk straight?" Lin said cautiously.

"What are you talking about? Do you think I'm drunk or something?"

"You just don't look too good. You've been walking uneasily for the last few minutes."

"No, I haven't. This is because of the post, right? You think I'm on something." His heart broke a little as he thought about what Lin was thinking. How easily he assumed the worst of him.

"Lyke, I'm just worried about you. Do you need me to walk the rest of the way with you? This is where I separate from you." 

"I said I'm fine. Just go home, I'm fine." He walked away from Lin who stood there, staring as he went. 

"I'm home." He texted Olive, seven minutes after separating from Lin. The time was 7:00.

Olive: "That's good. Hey, I wanted to ask you something."

Lyke: "Hm?"

Olive: "Lin just came in and told me about your walk. Are you inside?"

Lyke: "No. I still have a little bit of walking I think."

Olive: "But you said you were at home"

Lyke: "Almost. Sorry"

Olive: "Where are you?"

Lyke: "I don't know. Home."

Olive: "Send me your location."

Lyke: "How do I do that?" 

Olive: "Can you find your house?"

Lyke: "Yeah"

Olive: "Lyke, did you take something?"

Lyke: "No I said I didn't"

Olive: "Okay. I believe you. Can you see your house yet?"

Lyke: "Yeah. I'm going to go in."

By the time he reached the house, exhaustion had already taken over. He struggled to keep his eyes open, his legs felt weak. His head was pounding.

Olive: "Are you inside?"

Lyke: "I don't know what's wrong"

Olive: "What do you mean? Are you okay?"

Lyke: "I'm tired. My eyes don't work"

Olive: "You need to get inside. Do you need me to come over? What's your address" 

Lyke: "Don't come over. I'm going inside." 

Olive: "Are you okay?" Just then, Lyke fell over. He knew exactly what was going on, but he didn't want to admit that to Olive. How would he look in her eyes? How would he look to Rain? Staggering back up to his feet, he rushed into his house, slamming the door behind him and locking it. 

Lyke: "I'm inside now. It's okay, I'm just going to bed. Thanks for checking on me." 

Olive: "Lyke, you need to be honest about what is going on. I don't think you're okay." He read the text but he couldn't respond. As soon as he reached his bedroom and closed the door, everything went black.

___

He called Lykes cell phone over and over, but he never picked it up. It was 8 o'clock exactly. He wasn't late, not even by a second.

"I don't know what happened. He was responding and said he was inside but he never responded. I've been trying to call you for an hour." Olive said, panicked after Rain finally picked up the phone.

"Shit. My phone was on Do Not Disturb. Where are you?" 

"Lin, Sana, and I are walking towards where Lin separated from him. We don't know which house to go to. When can you get there?" 

"I'm on my way. Get ready to get in my car when I get there." His heart was in his stomach as he raced towards Lyke's place. He hoped and prayed Lyke had just fallen asleep. In any other circumstance, he would have assumed that he did. But with the way he had been acting and the fact Lin let him walk home when he could barely stand created a pit in his stomach. He wouldn't respond to anything.

"Get in," Rain said as he pulled up to the three standing on the side of the road. As they piled it, he stared at Lin.

"What happened?" He asked.

"I'm sorry. He just seemed so angry. I thought he needed space so I didn't walk with him."

"Lin just tell him what you told me," Olive consoled him.

"He was stumbling around a lot, denying he took anything but he couldn't even walk straight. He just said he was tired. I took his water bottle because I thought it may be something else," Lin took out the water bottle he had grabbed from Lyke's bag earlier, "But it's just water. After he drank from it, he started acting like that." He explained to Rain.

"Are you sure that was the only thing he drank?"

Lin nodded.

"Give me the bottle," Rain said and Lin handed it over.

With the lid still on, he tipped it over. The tiniest amount of water dripped from the very top of the lid.

"Didn't he say he got this from Nicky?"

Silence.

"Just drive, Rain."

As they approached, the pit grew in all of their stomachs.

"It says he's in that house. Is that his?" Olive said.

"Yeah, it is." A wave of relief washed over them all.

Rain pounded his fist on the door but it was followed by nothing but silence. 

"Is the door open?" Olive asked as she turned the handle. It didn't budge.

"He must have still locked it when he went it. I'll just break it down," Rain said.

"But that's technically breaking in, you can't do that."

"I'm not going to wait any longer to know if he's ok, Lin," He stepped back and slammed into the door repeatedly until it swung open. The sound of pieces of metal clinking on the floor rang out. 

"Is everything okay?" They all whipped their heads around to see a man from a distance, walking up to them. "Well? What do you think you're doing breaking into this kid's place? I'll call the police," he got closer, shining a light in their eyes. Then they smelled it. Rain's eyes widened. 

"Orange and Lavender," He said. The man, about Rains age, stopped. He was close enough now Rain could see what he was wearing; a black jacket with patches. 

"Leave. Now," Rain said but the man had already turned around and was walking away as fast as he could.

"Rain," Lin hit Rain's arm repeatedly, "that's the guy Lyke saw earlier, right? The one he was terrified of? Should we go after him?" Lin started to move but Rain grabbed his arm.

"No. We technically don't know what he did wrong. There's nothing we can do. What matters right now is Lyke," He turned around and they all stepped into the house.

"Guys, look at how many locks he has on his door," Sana said. He looked down at the remaining fragments of the various locks and then up to the door.

"Hey, his phone is on the floor over here," Lin called. Rain rushed over and into the room close to it. Lyke was on the floor, motionless.

"Lyke? Lyke wake up," Rain shook him gently, then harder after he still didn't move.

"I'm calling 911," Olive said.

"Is he breathing? It just looks like he's sleeping," Lin asked. Rain leaned his head down to Lykes's mouth and heard faint breathing.

"Yeah, he's breathing."

"They're asking what he took," Olive yelled from the other room.

"Give me the phone," he said, "Just go over and sit with him."

"Hello?" Rain started.

"Hello, can you tell us what he took?"

"I think there was something in a water bottle he drank from. I don't know with what."

"Okay, who gave him the water bottle?"

"Possibly a student at our University."

"Why would they do that?"

"I don't know," He paused, "Can you send officers?"

"They're already on their way."

Just then a commotion came from the other room

"Rain come here!" Olive yelled.

He ran back to the bedroom to see Lyke partially awake, throwing up where he lay. 

"Lyke," he rushed to him, "Lyke, are you okay?" He leaned his head back on the floor, looking at Rain intently through half-open eyes.

"I'm here. You're okay, you're okay," He assured him.

"Rain, " Lyke said through slurred speech, a tear running down the side of his head.

"I know. I know. It's okay, you're okay now." Rain slightly propped Lyke up, holding him tight in his arms, running his hands through his hair. 

"I'm sorry." 

"Why are you apologizing? It's not your fault." Rain paused. "You realized what was happening, right?" He asked. Tears swelled in Lyke's eyes as he nodded. Rain just pulled him closer, hugging Lykes head to his chest. 

"It's not your fault, It's okay now." 

___

Lyke spent the next couple days in bed, unmoving and not eating. He didn't speak a word to anyone. While they came over often to make sure the man didn't come back, Sana and Lin worked on fixing the locks on his door. Lyke lay just like a corpse, breathing in and out his own misery. It was as if he were a ghost of himself.

"Lyke? Can I talk for a minute? You can just listen," Rain came in one day and sat down next to his bed, "Are you awake?"

Lyke shook his head.

"Okay," Rain paused and took a deep breath, "It's about the police report. They can't prove Nicky was the one who put something in the water bottle. We tried everything. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Lyke responded.

"Don't say that. It's not okay, Lyke. You are not okay. How long are you going to let yourself be like this? You won't eat. You don't get up. How are you supposed to live when you're laying there, torturing yourself day after day?"

Lyke sat up and looked at him for the first time in days.

"What makes you think I want to live? Since you've known me, has anything gone right? Every time it looks like it's getting better, I'm reminded I was put here to suffer. Why would I want to live a life no one cares for? Why would I want to live a life that nobody wants to cherish?" Tears welled up in Rain's eyes.

"Why are you crying?" Lyke asked.

"Don't say that. Please don't say that. Please don't say you don't want to live. I'm sorry I don't understand what you've been through. I don't know how to even begin to fix it all, but I need to try, so please don't say that."

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I didn't mean to make you cry."

"Stop apologizing to me. You don't need to apologize for anything." Rain replied. 

"Okay then stop crying," Lyke finally got out of bed and bent down where Rain sat, wiping his tears with the sleeve of his shirt. Their eyes locked for a second.

"Rain!" Olive suddenly pounded on the bedroom door. 

"Stay here," Rain said with urgency as he got up.

"Why? Rain, what's going on?"

"Just stay here." He closed the door behind him.

"He's here," Olive said, terrified.

As he walked outside, he saw Sana holding back Lin from the same man who had shown up days prior.

"You need to leave," Rain said.

"Who the hell are you people and why are you here? I know the owner of this house very well but I don't know you."

"I'm the owner of this house," Rain lied, "And I have no clue who you are. Now leave before I make you." 

"Is that a threat?" The man said walking forward. Rain, meeting him in the middle of the empty lot in front of the house, shoved him backward.

"You little-" The man threw a punch and Rain swiftly returned it. Before he knew it, the two were in an all-out fight on the ground.

"Rain?" He heard his name ring out and the fight stopped. Rain slowly looked up, the color draining from his face. The man also lifted his head to look towards Lyke who was now standing in the doorway of the house.

"So he does live here," the man said as he got up quickly and started speed-walking towards Lyke. Rain lunged at him, tackling him to the ground. 

"WHY CAN'T YOU LEAVE HIM ALONE?" He pulled the man back up to his feet and out of the corner of his eye Rain saw Lyke running towards them.

"Stop it!" Lyke screamed as his body collided with the man, both of them slamming onto the ground.

"Ah, shit," the man said, grabbing Lyke, "That's no way to say hello to somebody babe."

"Leave him alone," Lyke said while kicking his feet to get away.

"Him?" He turned to look at Rain and then back to Lyke, smiling, "I didn't come for him anyways. Why? Is he your new toy? Stop kicking me goddamn it. I SAID STOP-" He started to yell, inches from Lyke's face when he reached for his pocket. Lyke immediately stopped. Rain started walking slowly towards them.

"Stop. Stop Rain. Just stop. He has a knife." Rain froze for a second but then quickly lunged forward to get the man off Lyke.

"Please don't hurt him," Lyke begged as the man held the knife towards Rain, "I'll do anything, just don't hurt anyone, please." Tears slid down Lyke's cheeks as he trembled underneath the man pinning him to the ground.

"When I say, you're gonna get up and walk with me."

"Lyke, don't do it," Rain said.

"I have to Rain, I have to do it," He choked out.

"No, you don't have to-"

"Get up now," The man demanded as he moved from on top of Lyke.

"Lyke, please, I know you're scared-" Rain begged.

"SHUT UP! Go. Walk behind me." 

Suddenly Rain ran forward, grabbing the knife blade, tearing it from the man's hands once his attention wavered. 

"RUN LYKE," He yelled and Lyke sprinted towards the knife which was now lying on the ground as Rain continued to fight the man. 

"Stop it, Ti." Lyke held the knife at his throat, prompting him to back away with his arms up.

"You wouldn't do it, would you? Come on, Lyke." Ti said calmly.

"Leave. Leave now or I will," He said with shaky hands.

"I doubt i-"

"SHUT UP. JUST SHUT UP ALREADY! Do you really think I wouldn't? I'll kill you. I will kill you if you lay another hand on him. You can do whatever the fuck you want to me but if you EVER, EVER touch him again, I will fucking kill you," Lyke screamed at the top of his lungs until his throat was raw. He didn't even seem to realize that Ti had already started to back up once he realized he was at a disadvantage. Olive grabbed Lyke's shoulders, guiding him back into the house, and just like that, it was over.

"Why would you fight with him, Rain? And why did you grab the knife's blade? Look at your hands," Lyke in a strangely calm manner as tears were still running down his face. He scrambled to find gauze for Rain's hands but was shaking so bad that he couldn't even probably apply it, his hands unable to move the way his brain wanted. Olive grabbed him once again and moved him to the couch where he leaned against her. He looked completely shell-shocked; emotionless and drained of any and all color.

"What did I do?" He whispered softly, "He's going to kill me."

"He won't touch you ever again. We can call the police, we can make a report so he won't ever be able to hurt you."

"No police," Lyke repeated, panicked. "No police, don't call the police. I won't ever forgive you if you call the police," he said quietly and then fell silent.

"Did he fall asleep?" Lin asked confused.

"...I think so," Olive replied.

"Good, just let him sleep for a while. How are my hands?" They looked at Sana who had taken the gauze from Lyke and was now looking at how bad the damage was.

"The right one is cut pretty good but I don't know if you'll need stitches. The left one is only superficial so I'll just wrap it for now. Do us a favor and don't grab a blade again?"

"What else was I supposed to do? Allow him to leave with Lyke? Then what?" He was met with silence. "My hand will heal, but whatever happened in the past still hasn't healed for him. How can I let him go like that? Who knows what he's done? What he'd do? It would have made those wounds even deeper. It would kill him. Besides, I didn't blindly grab it," Rain lifted his arm to show his cut sweatshirt, "I used my sweatshirt as padding."

"Are we really not going to call the police?" Lin asked.

"We aren't. Lyke said no so we have to respect that."

"But technically you got hurt too, it's not only Lyke's problem now. You have the right to file a report."

"I said no, Lin. Even if I did get hurt, it's not my place. As much as we want to help, if he doesn't want help then there's nothing we can do. There's no knowing what happened and it's selfish of us to assume that we know anything at all," He stood up, "Is he hurt anywhere?"

"I don't think so. Just some scrapes, probably from when they fell to the ground," Olive responded.

"Okay. Here let me take him."

Rain took him gently from Olive, laying him down in his bed.

He felt sorry he had to experience what he did because of his actions. After hearing him say he was only on earth to suffer, he was put in another situation. In such a short amount of time he had been through so much yet Rain felt he repeatedly failed to protect him.

As he looked down at Lyke peacefully sleeping despite facing someone he knew as the devil, he felt sorry. 

Rain closed the door behind himself and sat next to Olive on the couch.

"What do you think will happen once he wakes up?" She asked.

"I don't know. He probably won't leave his room for a while. The same as the past couple of days." He turned, "We might have to put him in a hospital if he doesn't start eating."

Olive sighed and nodded.

"I don't know what to do to help him. He won't tell me anything. He just keeps it all to himself, like he's seeing how much he can take before it all crumbles down on top of him. I wish I knew even the tiniest bit of was going through his head."

"Do you remember that first day when you bumped into him? What you told me?" Olive asked. 

Rain nodded.

"You said you met somebody special. Someone who you wanted to protect. You saw him struggling, you knew that kid had gone through hell. You told me, Rain, that you would stop at nothing to help him."

"I won't, but everything I've done until now has only hurt him. I don't know if I've done a single thing right. At the end of the day, haven't I just destroyed him even more?" Rain responded.

"Rain," Olive looked me in the eyes, "I think you've done more than you know. That day after he got attacked in the gym, he asked me where you went as soon as you left the room. He wanted you to come back. The day you asked him to go to the zoo with you, he called me right before you did so that he would look nice. He waits for you to finish practice so he can talk to you. He threw himself in front of you so you wouldn't get hurt today. He walks with you every morning, he texts you to let you know where he is. If anything, he finds comfort in you. Even if you don't know what to do now, stay by his side. He just wants you to be there."

"But if I'm not there, if I can't be there and something happens, I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive myself. Even that night when I was at practice, he was suffering and I didn't know. What if he didn't lock the door? What if we hadn't gotten there when we did? Those thoughts keep going through my head. I can't sleep knowing I might not be there the next time he needs me."

"Lyke is strong. Just because you aren't there doesn't mean he'll fall apart or be in trouble. But that makes me think; now that that man knows where Lyke is, what do we do? I don't think he will give up. Surely he'll be back."

"Lyke can't stay here. I won't let him. Even if Sana and Lin fix those locks, Ti can just break down the door again. It's too dangerous for Lyke to stay here," Rain said.

"Where will he go?"

"He can stay with me. Ti won't be able to get him there," He responded.

"But what if he won't go? That would put you at risk and Lyke won't do that. He'd rather go with Ti than you get more involved."

"Either he comes with me or I stay here with him. I won't debate."

"Okay then," Olive put her arms up, "Should we both stay here tonight?"

"No, you should go home with Sana and Lin and get some rest. I can stay here tonight. I'll text you in the morning."

"What about school tomorrow? Are you coming?" Olive asked.

"I'll have to see how he's feeling. I shouldn't miss but I can if I need to," He lifted his hands, "I have an excuse to miss a practice at least."

___

My alarm went off at the usual time.

Taking a shower, the dirt washed off my hands until only scratches and bruises remained. I stared into the bathroom mirror for what felt like an eternity, drawn in by somebody I wasn't sure I knew anymore. The more I stared, the more angry I felt. Angry at myself and at the world. My head hurt, overflowing with emotions which I had to bury.

Lyke grabbed medicine, stuffed it in his bag, and left for school. When he exited his room, he was surprised to see Rain asleep on the couch.

"Rain?" There was no response.

"Rain," He shook him awake, "Are you ok?"

"Hm? Did I sleep in?" Rain said drowsily.

"A bit. What's with your hands?" Lyke asked.

"They hurt. I think I need to change the bandages," Rain sat up and Lyke realized how pale he looked.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"No, I've felt better, admittedly." He responded.

"Just lay back down. Take some medicine and I'll grab new bandages and water for you, okay?" Rain nodded. Lyke noticed his phone on the table buzzing. Olive was texting him.

Olive: Are you coming to school today?

Olive: How's Lyke?

Olive: Hello?

Olive: Is everything okay?

Olive: Should I come over?

Lyke: "Hey it's Lyke. I think Rain is sick so he's not coming in today. I'll stay here and make sure he's okay."

Olive: "Do you need me to come over? I can miss a day."

Lyke: "I'll be fine. You can come over after classes if you want, but you shouldn't miss any more school. I'll text you if I need anything :)"

He grabbed water and bandages for Rain but when he came back, Rain was already asleep again.

"Rain, wake up and take some medicine."

"Hm?"

"Take some medicine," He said and put some in Rain's hand, "here's the water."

"Thank you," He said and swallowed them.

"Let me change your bandages." 

"That really hurts," He winced in pain.

"I'm sorry, but you need to change them. It would feel worse if it got infected."

"Is it bad?" He asked

"You'll be okay," Lyke responded.

"Okay doctor."

"I'm going to wrap it up for now. You should see an actual doctor, not an 18-year-old." 

"I don't like doctors. Too many needles. I like you better," He said.

"What are you saying," Lyke laughed. 

"Really, I don't like needles." 

"We can worry about that later. Why don't you go back to sleep for now."

"Can I have my phone? I told Olive I would text her." He asked.

"I texted her for you, don't worry. She'll probably come over later."

After Rain fell asleep, Lyke got up and texted Olive immediately.

Lyke: "I changed the bandages on his hand. He needs to see a doctor, it doesn't look good at all."

Olive: "Okay, we can take him later. Does he have a fever or anything?"

Lyke: "Yeah, his forehead is really hot. I gave him medicine earlier. Hopefully that will bring it down."

Olive: "Okay. Just keep checking on him and I'll be over around 4, alright?"

Lyke: "Alright."

Lyke sat on the couch opposite Rain, not sure what to do. The medicine he had given him didn't seem to do anything. Beads of sweat began to form on his forehead despite Lyke's efforts to keep him cool. As he wiped Rain's face with a towel, a knock on the front door caused Rain to wake up.

"What was that?" He asked.

"It was just a knock on the door. It's probably Olive." Lyke replied and got up.

"Wait," Rain clutched Lykes wrist, "What if it's not."

"It's okay. I promise it's Olive. You can let go." He yanked Lyke back as he tried to walk away, causing him to fall over and land on the floor in front of him.

"Just text her first. Make sure it's her."

"Okay," Lyke said softly.

The first thing he saw when he opened the phone were texts from Olive.

"Look," He put the phone where Rain could see them, "Olives said she's here."

"Okay. Okay," He closed his eyes and released his grip.

"Sorry, he wouldn't let me get the door unless he knew it was you."

"That's okay. How is he?" Olive asked.

"He's been sleeping all day. I didn't know what else to do besides the medicine. He's still burning up. Also his hand; it doesn't look good."

"Should we take him to the ER? That would be quickest, I mean."

He bent down and shook Rain.

"Is it okay if we take you to the ER?" He asked.

"Is my hand bad? I thought Sana said it was okay."

"Sana isn't a doctor, as smart as she is. We should just get someone to look at it."

"Will they just look at it?" He asked.

"They probably will have to give you a shot if you don't want to be in pain while they look at it," Lyke replied. 

"I don't want a shot, I don't like them."

"Rain, you should have someone look at it before it gets worse. It hurts, right?" 

He nodded. 

"Can you come with us then?" 

"Okay." 

Rain lay in the backseat of the car, his head in Lykes lap. Lyke held his face to keep his head still while Olive hit bumps in the road. 

"I think you're going to wear a hole through his forehead, Lyke," Olive said.

"Hmm?" He looked up.

"You've just been staring at his face this whole time."

"Oh. I didn't realize," He said quietly.

"What's wrong?" Olive asked.

"Nothing."

"Are you thinking this is your fault?" She said.

"What do you mean? I was just thinking about something-"

"It's not. He made the choice willingly." Olive cut him off.

He sighed and continued to look down at Rain peacefully sleeping. 

"What an idiot," He whispered, placing his hand on his forehead. "He's still super hot. When will we be there?"

"A couple more minutes. We've only been driving for 10 minutes tops."

"Really? It feels like it's been an hour."

"Are you not from this area? Anyone would know it's not a terribly long drive."

"No, I'm from a small town where it takes forever to get anywhere. I half expected you to say we still have an hour and a half to go."

"Where are you from then?" Olive asked.

"Reeds."

"Reeds? That's not too bad of a drive."

"Yeah, not too bad."

"Did you move here for school?"

"Yeah, something like that," He replied.

"Something like that?"

"Yeah. Something like that."

"That means you probably haven't explored much, right?" Olive smiled, "You'll have to let us all take you around sometime. Show you everything."

"Okay," He smiled back.

"Alright we're here," Olive said as they pulled into a crammed parking lot. He shook Rain slightly to wake him up.

"Good morning, Sunshine," Rain said.

"Good morning," Lyke smiled, "How are you feeling?"

"Mmm," He answered.

"What does that mean?" Olive asked.

Lyke shrugged his shoulders.

"Did he just call you Sunshine?"

"Alright we've gotta get up now," Lyke dodged Olive's question.

"Why, I'm comfy," Rain mumbled in response.

"Rain, you have to get up. My legs will fall asleep."

He got up quickly.

"I'm sorry. Are your legs okay?" He said, concerned. Both Olive and Lyke laughed at his concern.

"I'm fine. Let's go."

____

Compared to the number of cars in the parking lot, the people in the waitroom were very few. After waiting for the number of patients to dwindle, they finally got Rain to see a doctor.

"You said he got this fever after he got cut?" The doctor asked.

"Yes, the morning after. "

"That probably indicates there's an infection developing. I'll clean it thoroughly and then we should put some stitches in. Does that sound alright?" The doctor looked at Rain who nodded slowly. "Do you have any questions?"

"Will there be a shot? I really can't do shots."

"We will do two shots of some numbing. Just a quick pinch for both." The color drained from Rain's face hearing the doctor's response, as if he had just died for a moment.

"Rain, it's okay," Olive said half laughing at her tough best friend gone wimp.

"Don't laugh at me," He looked away from her, embarrassed, "This is why I never told you." Lyke shot Olive a stern look.

"Okay, okay I'm sorry. We're both here, so there's no reason to be afraid. Look, they even have cool bandaids."

"Don't listen to her."

"I'm just trying to cheer you two up, don't be mean to me."

"Be quiet, you aren't helping Olive." Rain snapped.

As the doctor returned, Rain clutched Lykes hand with his less injured hand, even though it was uncomfortable.

"Don't squeeze so tight. You'll hurt this one even more that way." Lyke said.

"Am I hurting you?" Rain asked.

"No?"

"Then I don't care. I need to hold something."

"If I say you're hurting me, will you let go?"

"Mm," Rain grumbled.

"Then you're hurting me."

"Ahaa, please. PLEASE."

"I'm joking, Rain. Calm down," Lyke laughed.

"Better be."

"Did you even notice you got one shot done already?"

"Huh? Is that what that was?" Rain's eyes grew wide.

"You're welcome"

"We use that method with younger kids, you know: distracting them by talking with them, " the doctor said, smiling at Lyke.

"You're like a giant kid when you're sick," Lyke said as he pat Rain on the head, "You know?" "No, I'm not. I'm just tired."

"Okay then. How are you feeling? Other than tired"

"Sick," He grumbled.

"Oh ho, I wouldn't have known."

"I feel very hot like my eyelids are on fire."

"Did the medicine help at all?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Second shot is done." The doctor said.

"Oh. You did it again?"

"Yeah, sorry buddy." Lyke smiled at him.

"Mmm," Rain grumbled again as he dug his head into Lykes's stomach. "Can I rest my eyes?"

"Of course," Lyke replied placing his hand on Rain's head again.

"May I ask how you got this cut? It's very deep, it will need a lot of stitches." The doctor asked.

"I meant to ask you that too," Lyke said

Rain lifted his head and looked up at Lyke with a confused expression.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what happened to your hand? What did you do to get those cuts?"

Rains eyes searched Lykes face for any sign that he was joking, but he couldn't find one. 

"Is something wrong?" The doctor asked as Rain removed his hand from the table and felt Lykes head.

"You aren't making any sense, Lyke. Did you hit your head?"

"No. When would I hit my head."

"Maybe when *that* happened?"

"That happened a while ago though."

"Is everything okay?" The doctor repeated.

"Yeah. Yeah, everything is okay." Rain said nervously, "Olive. Come here."

When Olive walked over to Rain, he whispered something in her ear then she left the room.

"Is everything okay, Rain?" Lyke asked as the doctor started to stitch.

"Yeah. Just wait for Olive. She'll be back."

"Why? You're scaring me."

"Do you really not remember yesterday?"

"Yesterday? Yesterday I went to school and then went home with Lin. Then I went to bed?"

"That's all? Are you sure that's all?"

"Yeah. I'm sure"