Let The Walls Break Down

“What the..” I looked up from where I was crouched on the ground, sorting records. The source of the crash that had alerted me was someone laying on the ground in front of the door. I jumped up, running over to them. “Oh my God..” It was a boy about my age, battered, bruised and bleeding. He whimpered in pain, and my hands fluttered over him, not knowing what to do. I knelt down to get a better look, and gasped in shock. The boy was Jack.

“Jacky ! Oh my God, what happened to you ?” I took him gingerly in my arms, trying to get him to tell me what had happened. I had never seen a sight more horrific than this- Jack with a black eye and a bloody nose, obviously beaten, crying and cringing in pain. I pulled out my phone and called 911, still holding him in my arms. He clung to me hard, and held up his phone. It read “I went for a walk and some guy beat me up. I don’t know who it was or why, he didn’t rob me or anything. What did I do Alex ?” the last sentence broke my heart- some sick bastard had gone after him for no reason and he automatically thought it was his fault. I would find this guy and do him worse than he did Jack, that’s for sure.

“I don’t know Jacky, but it wasn’t your fault okay ?” I murmured. I brushed his hair out of his eyes and tried to sit him up. I looked him in the eye and said “It’s gonna be okay Jack.” He grabbed my hand and squeezed it tight. We held hands until the ambulance came.

In the ambulance, they had to cut Jack’s shirt off to see the extent of his injuries. But it wasn’t sexy like it sounds, when his shirt came off, tears sprang to my eyes. His chest was covered in dark purple bruises, especially his ribs. They were large and looked painful, and when the medics probed at his ribs, Jack let out a cry of pain. I cowered in the corner of the ambulance, watching them stick Jack with various needles. When we arrived at the hospital, they pulled Jack off and whisked him away, leaving me in the waiting room with an armful of paperwork. I couldn’t call his parents because I didn’t have their number, so for now it was just me and Jack.

When I was finally permitted to see Jack, his injuries looked worse, if that was possible. I rushed to his side, smoothing his hair again. He gave me a weak, forced smile. It hurt me to see one of my best friends like this, and I wished that it were me instead of him. He told me the whole story, and I realized it was all my fault. If my phone had just been on silent, then I wouldn’t have gotten Rian’s message and I would have been with Jack. He wouldn’t have gone on a walk, and we’d be at his house right now, safe. If it hadn’t been for me, Jack would be safe.

So many scenarios ran through my head, all of them things I could’ve done that would have prevented this. It seemed like every time I was with Jack, he got hurt. First, his ankle when we were hiking, then, his feelings when we were at the party, and now, he had a black eye and broken ribs. I wasn’t good for him.

I took his hand in my own, “Jacky. I don’t think…I don’t think we should do this anymore, I don’t think we should be friends. We just aren’t the same type of people, you know ? We aren’t good for each other. I usually just end up hurting you…I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I let this go on, but it’s time to break..whatever this is off.” He pulled his hand out of mine, shocked. This wasn’t what I truly wanted, but I thought it would be better for Jack. If it meant that Jack would be okay and he wouldn’t be in pain anymore, then I could live with it.

In the waiting room when I was sitting there alone, I learned a lot about me, and a lot about Jack, and a lot about us together. I cared too much for him, it wasn’t good for either of us. I was his best friend, if something went wrong between us he wouldn’t have that anymore and I couldn’t do that to him. I couldn’t be THAT guy. I wanted to date Jack, but I just couldn’t. So now I was being the guy that walks away for the greater good of the one he cares for. I’m that stupid guy in the Lifetime movie that leaves in the beginning so that the main character can find the one they’re actually meant to be with.

I didn’t want to hurt Jack anymore, yet I was leaving him. I thought back when we first met, when I had told him that I would never hurt him.

Yea, well I guess in the end, everyone turns into the person they swore they’d never become.

I stood and started walking out. I had reached the door when I heard a voice behind me

“Wait. Don’t leave, Alex.”