Pain and.. pain?

Jason is about to get a break.

Hihi, thanks Rosei for tips how to kill off Jason's dad, I laughed when I read your review!

I'm convinced that some higher force hates me, when ever I have plans something goes wrong. I was supposed to take advantage of the few free days after exams and go check out Paris but ended up getting sick. So instead of climbing the Eifel tower, I've been coughing my lungs out and hugging my pillow. Still sick but hopefully I'll be better before Monday, can't really afford to miss school right now.




CHAPTER 26



I couldn’t sleep even though I was exhausted, my mind was racing too much. I needed to find a way out to get the hell out of here. After shifting and turning for hours, I got up and walked to the small window facing the alley behind our building. I didn’t have a view, I had a brick wall. I fingered the old nails going through the frame all around the window and sighed. The window in my room had been nailed shut when I was eight after I had fallen asleep with it open by accident and it had rained during the night. My room had been flooding the next day and dad had gotten furious.

I turned around, facing the rest of the room and just stared at it for a moment. I had felt safe here but now it felt like a prison. I noticed the bag still by the door and went to pick it up. It was surprisingly heavy and I had to use both hands to carry it to my mattress. I sat down before opening the bag and pulling out the big water bottle first. I set it down next to me before studying the rest of the content. The usual stuff again and I sighed. I crushed the bag closed and threw it in the corner, annoyed before pulling my comforter over myself and turning to face the wall, closing my eyes. I needed to sleep so I could figure out a way to get the hell out of here.



Three days later dad was back. It surprised me that he hadn’t been gone for longer this time, I still had food left and everything.

“Go take a shower. Jonathan is going to be over later.” Dad told me from the door and I felt fear clench my stomach painfully. I got to my feet slowly and starting gathering up the things I was going to need. While picking up clothes I noticed the necklace Jonathan had given me last time and stilled. I reached out and picked it up, shoving it to the pocket of my jeans while heading towards the bathroom. My body was weak but my mind was determined.

I took a quick shower but left the water running after stepping out and getting dressed in jeans and a hoodie. I took a deep breath and unlocked the bathroom door carefully before opening it as quietly as possible. I peeked outside and listened carefully. I couldn’t see dad and stepped outside tentatively, tip toed forward and gnawed on my lower lip nervously. The door to dad’s bedroom was closed and I hurried towards the front door before he’d come out. I pulled the front door open carefully, trying not to make any noise and let out the breath I hadn’t known I had been holding in when I could slip into the hallway. I didn’t bother closing the front door, just bolted.

My heart was pounding hard in my chest when I ran down the stairs. I got to the last set of stairs before street level and picked up my speed, panic was driving me forward. I tangled in my own feet half way down the stairs and closed my eyes tightly when I felt myself falling forward and prepared myself for the painful impact. My head connected with something firm and strong arms came around me before I crashed down against the concrete steps. I took a deep ragged breath and opened my eyes carefully to see who had caught me. I was met with icy blue eyes and I paled, pulling away rigidly.

“I’m s-sorry, s-sir.” I stuttered and Benton let go of me.

“Watch it, kid.” He grumbled and I slipped past him carefully, apologizing again. I took a deep breath before taking of jogging. Cold sweat ran down my back and my lungs hurt but I kept my pace up. I had to get away from our building and hide.



In the end I had to stop. I didn’t know where I was, my legs were shaking and I wanted to keep going but I had gotten to the point where I couldn’t breathe. I was somewhere in the city and searched for a secluded spot where I could rest without drawing attention to myself. I found a back alley of some restaurant and sat down next to the big trashcans, hiding from view. I was panting heavily and tried to even out my breathing before I’d pass out.

I didn’t know what time it was but the streets seemed quiet, not that many people on the move. My hair was glued to against my head and I closed my eyes feeling sick. I was shivering from cold and hugged myself with shaky arms, trying to warm up. It was spring but the sun wasn’t out and it was windy. I pulled my knees tight against my chest and rested my forehead against them, closing my eyes. I had gotten out but I hadn’t thought things further than this. I had no place to go, no money. I didn’t have any friends or family and the one person I had thought was my friend, Troy, hated me.

Thinking Troy and the anger in his eyes when we had last seen brought tears to my eyes and I pressed the palms of my hands against them. Tears forced their way out and I sniffled miserably. It didn’t matter if Troy hated me or not, he couldn’t have helped me anyway. I didn’t want people to know about my life and I was sure Benton wouldn’t have let Troy help me. I wiped away tears and lifted my head so I could see the street. Cars were passing by and on the other side of the road a group of people walked along, laughing and chatting happily. I curled up tighter and leaned against the big dumpster, closing my eyes. I just needed to rest for a while so I could figure out what to do next.




I was woken up harshly when someone pulled me up from the ground and rattled me roughly. I wrenched my eyes open and tried to see who was dragging me forward. I got hauled out of the alley and shoved forward roughly. I fell on my back and looked up to see who had woken me up. I saw a big man with huge black eyebrows and a dirty apron staring at me with flaring eyes and felt like my heart was going to pound its way out of my chest any second now.

“Fuck off you brat! If I find you here again, I’m calling the cops!” The man shouted and I backed away from him shakily before climbing to my feet and taking off. My heart was still pounding and I didn’t feel any better than before. I dug my hands in my hoodie and started walking. I needed to find a place where I wouldn’t be in anyone’s way.




I ended up walking around the city for the rest of the night. I was exhausted and my legs barely functioned but I didn’t feel safe enough anywhere to stay put. Just when the sun was rising, I found myself standing at the edge of a park. I saw a bench not far away and made my way slowly to it. I sat down shakily and closed my eyes for a moment, feeling tired. I wanted to sleep but I didn’t have a place to go.

I sat on the bench shivering, until the sun was high on the sky and tried to get my thoughts in order. People passing by were giving me long looks and I knew I needed to move soon. I didn’t feel safe around people. I stared at the ground numbly for a moment and my eyes caught a glimmer not far away from me. I lifted my head slightly and saw a metallic bottle cap, lying abandoned on the ground. I stared at it for a moment before pushing a hand in my pocket and pulling out the necklace Jonathan had given me. I fiddled with it for a moment before standing up with determination. I didn’t have money but I could sell the necklace.




It took me a while to find a pawnbroker and stilled outside the shop for a moment to catch my breath. I hated how easily I got out of breath. I hated being so weak. I went inside hesitantly, not sure how things worked. A grey haired man with round glasses looked up from behind the counter and asked.

“Can I help you?”

“I..” I started and didn’t know how to finish, so moved closer to the counter and showed him the necklace.

“Ah, I see. Let’s see then.” The man said and took the piece o jewelry from me. I was hesitant to let go of it and scared to let the necklace out of my sight, afraid that the man would just take it without paying me.

“We don’t buy stolen goods.” The man said and I looked up sharply, swallowing nervously.

“I d-didn’t s-steal it, s-sir. It was a p-present.” I stuttered and cursed myself for not being able to even speak properly. The man cocked an eye brow at me before studying the necklace closer. After a moment of silence the man sighed and set the necklace down.

“I’ll give you ten bucks for it. If that’s not enough or you feel free to try somewhere else but you’re not going to get a better offer than that.” He said and I nodded quickly.

“No, it’s.. it’s good. T-Thank y-you, s-sir.”

The man huffed and took the money from his register. A few minutes later I was back on the streets with money in my pocket and feeling a bit better about my situation. My next stop was the grocery store to get something to eat. I walked around for a long time, trying to figure out what to buy but also to warm up. I passed by a shelf with peanuts and shuddered at the mere sight of them. No chocolate or peanuts for me, thank you very much.

After buying something to eat, I returned to the park and sat down on the bench to eat and plan. I knew I needed to start searching for a place to sleep in before it got dark but didn’t really know where to start. I had no idea how people survived on the streets. I could feel myself panicking and took a deep breath. Panic would do me no good, I needed to think.

The sun started to go down and I got up reluctantly. I didn’t want to move but somehow I doubted it would be safe in the park after dark. I didn’t know where to go and started getting nervous. I hugged my hoodie closer, shivering from cold and kept glancing around nervously, hoping that no one would pay attention to me.

I couldn’t decide where it would be safest to stop so I ended up walking for hours again. My legs were shaking badly and top it all off, it had started to rain. I felt like shit and tried to find a place to get out of the rain, hoping that it would stop soon. Unfortunately the rain only seemed to get worse, until it came down pouring. My teeth were clattering and my lips blue and I felt like I was going to pass out any minute now. I pushed my hands deep in my pockets in hope of warming them up at least a little bit when I felt something mushy inside. I pulled my hand out and looked at the wrinkled piece of paper in my hand. I unwrinkled it and realized it was Kevin’s phone number. I pushed the number back in my pocket and bit my trembling lip nervously, walking forward. I didn’t want to call him.

I ended up taking shelter in a phone booth, curling up with my back against the door and my knees against my chest. I rested my forehead against my knees and closed my eyes, trying to sleep despite the trembling that had taken over my body.

I passed out from pure exhaustion and woke up a few hours later, with a fever. I was feeling disorientated and it was hard to keep my thoughts together. My joints were aching and I was sweating while shivering from cold and I could barely keep my head up. I leaned my head against the glass door behind me and looked up at the payphone. I stared at it for a while before reaching inside my pocket with trembling fingers. I fished out Kevin’s number and looked up at the payphone again tiredly. I knew I needed help but I was still hesitating calling the man.

I shifted onto my knees slowly, feeling dizzy and climbed on my feet shakily. I leaned on the wall to keep upright while inserting coins and dialing the number with numb fingers. I closed my eyes when I heard the phone ringing and begged in my mind for Kevin to answer. The phone rang for a long time and I was about to put the receiver down when Kevin answered in a harsh tone.

“Yes?”

I bit my lip nervously and closed my eyes.

“K-Kevin?” I asked my voice raspy and weak and there was silence in the other end.

“Who is this?”

“J-Jason.”

“Hold on.” Kevin said quickly and I heard him move on the other end. The background noises died away and Kevin spoke again. “Jason, what’s wrong?”

“I.. K-Kevin? I.. “ I didn’t know what to say and slid down to sit. I just felt so weak.

“Jason? Are you alright?”

“I.. N-No. K-Kevin, I’m s-sorry.” I whispered and tears fell down my cheeks.

“Jason, where are you?”

“In.. in a p-phone b-booth.”

“Where’s the phone booth? I’m picking you up.”

“I-I d-don’t know.”

“Can you see the street name?” Kevin asked and I heard a car door open in the other end. I tried to look around but didn’t see any signs anywhere.

“N-No.”

“Alright, can you tell me the number to that booth?”

“I-I d-don’t know. I’m s-sorry.” I whispered and couldn’t hold in the sobs anymore.

“Ssh, it’s alright, Jason. The number is written next to the dial pad, can you read it out for me?” Kevin asked and I stood up shakily. I searched for the number and inserted the rest of my coins, afraid that I would run out of money.

“Can you see it?” Kevin asked and I noticed the long line of digits written on the phone. I read it out to him slowly and rested my forehead against the phone.

“Alright, stay put Jason, you hear me? Don’t move. I’m picking you up.” Kevin said and I let myself collapse on the floor again.

“K-Kevin?” I asked carefully and let my head hung low, too tired to hold it up.

“I need to hang up on you now, Jason. Stay put and I’ll find you, okay?” Kevin said in a hurry and I closed my eyes whole muttering barely audible.

“Yes, sir.”

The phone went dead and I let it slip from my hold and drop on the floor with a clunk. I shifted so my back was pressing against the door again before closing my eyes and hugging myself loosely.



I tried staying awake but lost the battle against my body miserably. I woke up in a loud knock right next to my head. I flinched awake in panic and my heart jumped to my throat instantly.

“Jason?”

I turned my head and saw Kevin watching me through the glass with worried eyes. I let out a relieved sigh and shifted away from the door so Kevin could push it open.

“Shit, what the hell happened to you?” Kevin asked and something in his voice made me panic again. I looked up with teary eyes and saw his angry features which only made me feel worse.

“I’m s-sorry, s-sir. I’m s-sorry.” I whispered and huddled against the back wall, bringing my arms around my head to protect myself from him.

“God damn it, Jason. I’m here to help. You called me, remember?” Kevin huffed and grabbed my arm in a tight hold. He pulled my rigid trembling body up from the floor and wrapped his strong arms around me. I instantly melted into his hold, enjoying the warmth radiating through his clothes. I closed my eyes and let him carry me to his car. It had stopped raining by now and I had no idea how long I had been waiting for Kevin. He set me down on the seat and draped a blanket around me before buckling me up and moving to the driver’s seat. I let my head fall against the window and closed my eyes while pulling the blanket tighter around myself. Kevin turned on the heat and glanced at me with worry in his eyes.

“What happened, Jason? Tell me. Did your dad throw you out?” He asked and I shook my head tiredly, still cold but just barely awake now that I knew I was safe. I heard Kevin asked something again but before I could answer, darkness took over and slumped against the door.