Jake

CHAPTER NINE

Kyle and Jake stumbled out of the bar together, laughing.

“God, I’m sssoooo wasted!” Kyle declaired.

“Ugh,” Jake replied sympathetically. “Me fffuckin too.”

“Kyle!”

Kyle looked up to see who had called his name. He swallowed hard and whispered to Jake, “Dude ’sfuckin Cindy…”

“Yeah? So? Say hi, dipshit.”

“Heeey Sscindy!” Kyle replied trying to appear as sober as possible.

She caught up to him and giggled. “Having some fun, huh?”

“Yeah, you know… guys night out,” Kyle said indicating to Jake.

“Hm, sounds fun,” she said sarcastically. “How would you guys like to have some real fun?” she asked smiling broadly.

Kyle raised his eyebrow and looked over at Jake who was leaning against a lamppost for support. “What do you have in mind?”

“Weell,” Cindy began, “there’s this party… the girls and I were just headed to it,” she said motioning to her friends. “Wanna come?” she asked with a hopeful look in her eyes.

Kyle looked at Jake again. “Hey man, what do you think?”

Jake shook his head looking at the ground, “I don… I dunno man… I think… I don feel s’good…”

Kyle walked over to Jake and slapped a hand onto his shoulder. “C’mon man… yer juss drunk… and ya know how ya fixss ’at?” he paused for a second. “Ya drink an-nother beer!” Kyle pulled Jake upright and turned to Cindy. “Wure cool…”

Cindy giggled and then said, “Good. Come with us.”

The boys followed the group of 4 girls down the street a couple blocks to a fraternity house on the outskirts of their campus. When they stepped inside Cindy stepped in front of Jake and said grinning, “I’d hate to do this to you, but I’m gonna steal Kyle from you for a while.” She winked and took Kyle’s and led him away, leaving Jake to fend for himself.

Jake was seeing double. ~Jake, man, you over did it this time.~ Jake found a wall to lean on, not far from the front door. He stood for a moment just watching the scene in front of him. There were girls everywhere who were scantily clad and plenty of guys pursuing them. Everyone was drunk. Jake couldn’t spot one person who he could assume was more sober than not.

It had been almost 7 months since Samantha left him in the fall semester. Graduation was fast approaching and he was beginning to feel lonely. He still loved Sam, he always would, but she had made it clearer and clearer that she would never forgive him for what he really didn’t do.
Just then he felt a tug on his arm. He turned to see who was trying to get his attention. He didn’t know her.

“Hi,” he said, curiously

“Hello” She was blushing. She just stood looking at him for a moment.

He decided to make the first move. He stuck out his hand and said, “I’m Jake.”

“Laura,” she replied smiling.

“Niceta meetyou.” ~Uh, I’m so wasted… Idiot.~

“Likewise.”

Another awkward pause.

“Um, you’re... friends with Kyle?”

Jake chuckled. ~Now I get it.~ “Yeah, but uh… he’s kina busssy with someone at the momen, so I wouln’t try to…”

She laughed at him. “No, no. I’m not interested in him. I just noticed you came in with him. I take a class with him.” She paused. “He’s a nice guy, but… He’s just not my type.”

“Huh,” Jake said thoughtfully. He smiled before he said, “So whadiss?”

She reached up and moved a strand of hair that had fallen in his face. “You,” she declared, grinning ear to ear.

“Hm,” he said in thought once again.

She shifted, seeming a little more confidant now. “So, uh, you want a drink?”

Jake was staring at the floor distantly. ~God, my head hurts. Why is the floor moving? Am I really that drunk?~

“Jake?” Laura asked, eyebrow raised.

“Hm? Oh… nah… I think I had enough…”

She laughed. “I’ll say.”

~Oh, this is not good.~ Laura was now 4 people dancing and waving in front of him. Her and everyone and everything else in the room. The floor was bending at crazy angles, as though it had turned to a wooden sea. ~Not good, not good…~ Jake tried to step, and almost fell over before Laura leaned him up against herself.

“Jake, are you okay? Are you gonna puke?”

“No, I…” ~God, AM I gonna puke?~

Laura tried to guide him towards the bathroom, but it was a more difficult task than she had anticipated because he was stumbling all over the place.

A blackness began to blur the edges of Jake’s vision. ~Oh shit…oh shit I forgot…~ He tried to say something out loud but Laura couldn’t quite make it out.

“What did you say?”

His head hung listlessly.

“Jake? Jake!”

His body slumped. His weight was too much for her and he fell to the ground. A group of people turned around to see what had just happened. Laura threw herself on the floor next to his head and tapped his cheek lightly.

“Jake! Jake! Wake up!”

“Does he have alcohol poisoning?” a voice behind her asked.

“Should we call 911?” another asked.

“MINORS GET OUT NOW!” someone across the room shouted. “IF WE GOTTA CALL THE AMBULENCE I DON’T WANT ANY OF YOU HERE!”

A mass exodus of underage partiers began to take way.

“Jake?” Laura still tapped him on the cheek.

His eyes opened ever so slightly and he whispered something to her.

“What?” She leaned and put her ear near his mouth to hear.

“I forgot to take…”

“Jake?” Kyle said flying around the corner

Laura looked up at him. “H-he just passed out… I don’t know what happened!”

“Did he say anything?!” Kyle asked, his heart racing.

“H-he said he…he forgot to take… something… he didn’t say what,” Laura said, her voice quivering.

“Yo! Do we need to call the hospital or what?” some big Jock from across the room called.

Kyle stood stunned for a moment. “Hospital?” he muttered to himself. He shook his head and snapped back into action. “No… no hospital… who has a car here?!”

“I do,” Laura said.

“Help me get him up,” Kyle instructed. He bent down to his friend and Laura and he hoisted Jake up so that they were on either side of him as he hung limp in the center.
“Where are we taking him?” Laura asked concerned

“Home,” Kyle replied.

They carried Jake down to Laura’s car and laid him down in the back seat. “You drive,” Kyle instructed. “I’m gonna sit back here with him, and make sure nothing else happens.”

Laura nodded without speaking and ran around to the driver’s side of the car. Once they had pulled out Laura asked nervously, “What’s wrong with him?”

“He’s sick. He need’s his injection,” Kyle replied.

“Injection? Like… for diabetes?” Laura asked confused.

“Um… sure,” Kyle replied.

Laura didn’t press the issue any longer. She drove up to the boys’ dorm building and hopped out of the car. She helped Kyle lift Jake again as they had before and carried him into the lobby.

“Where’s his room?” Laura asked.

“Fourth floor,” Kyle replied.

“How are we gonna get him up there?!” Laura asked staring up the stairs

Kyle paused for a moment. “We’re not… Let’s lay him on the couch.”

They carried him over to the couch in the lobby. Once they had laid him down, Kyle bolted up the stairs to his room. He ran over to Jake’s desk and fished around in the top drawer until he found the syringe and the small bottle that belong with it. He ran back down the stairs with it and exploded into the lobby.

“Got it!” he announced.

He stuck the needle in the small bottle, just like he has seen Jake do many times in the past, and then froze.

“What?” Laura asked with an urgent look in her eyes.

“I… I don’t know how much to give him,” Kyle replied.

“Guess?” Laura suggested unsure.

“I… I can’t, I could kill him,” Kyle protested.

“We have to do something!” Laura cried.

“Okay… okay…” Kyle thought for a moment. “I’ll give him a quarter of the syringe.”

“Are you sure?” Laura asked, eyes wide

“Of course I’m not sure! Didn’t I just get done saying I didn’t know how much he needed?!” Panic was evident in his tone.

“I’m sorry,” Laura apologized quietly.

“I’ve seen him do this from across the room, but it always looks like it’s about a quarter of the syringe.”

Laura nodded.

“Sit him up and pull his sleeve up,” Kyle instructed.

“Don’t diabetics take the shot in their…”

“He’s not diabetic!” Kyle chastised. “Just pull his sleeve up!”

Laura did as he asked and Kyle stuck the needle under Jake’s skin and squeezed the plunger.

They laid Jake back down on the couch and sat and watched him intently.

“How long?” Laura whispered.

“I don’t know,” Kyle replied.

After fifteen minutes Jake began to mutter in his sleep. Kyle and Laura attempted to wake him, but they couldn’t. Another fifteen minutes, Jake moaned and shifted a bit.

“Jake?” Kyle said gently shaking his friend. “Jake? C’mon buddy, wake up.”

“Mmmuh,” was the reply he got.

“Jake! C’mon, wake up!” Kyle was lightly smacking the side of Jake’s face now.

“Uhhhwhaa?” Jake forced his eyes to open slightly.

“Jake! Oh god, you scared the shit out of me!” Kyle exclaimed.

“Kyy…?”

“Yeah, man.”

Jake opened his eyes more and said, “Kyy… Kyle, wha…?

“You passed out.”

“Yeah,” Laura added. “I was talking to you and you started to look sick. I tried to take you to the bathroom cause I thought you were gonna…”

Suddenly Jake threw his head over the side of the couch and vomited on the floor. Laura shrieked in surprise. Jake coughed, taken by surprise of his sudden need to throw up, and Kyle patted him hard on the back.

“It’s alright, man, we got you.”

Jake wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and collapsed back on the couch. “That… that was gross…” he managed weakly. “Sorry.”

Laura smiled, “No, it’s fine. I’m gonna find someone to get this cleaned up, okay?” She stood and left to find the Resident Assistant’s room.

“Thanks, Kyle,” Jake said sincerely to his friend.

“No problem buddy. You can’t die yet, I’m the only one that gets to kill you,” Kyle joked.

“Mmm.” Jake nodded slightly in agreement.

By the time Laura had made it back with a mop and the RA, Jake was feeling a little better and was able to stand up.

“You okay?” the RA asked.

“Yeah… I’m fine, I just wanna go lay down,” Jake replied.

The RA nodded and Kyle helped his friend to his feet.

Kyle got Jake into bed and was at his desk surfing the internet when Laura walked into their room.

“How’s he doing?”

“He’s fine,” Kyle said. “He fell asleep right away.”

Laura nodded as she walked over to Jake’s bed. She sat down on the edge of it and stroked his hair.

“That was scary,” Laura said, looking up at Kyle.

“Yeah, but he’ll be fine,” Kyle assured. “As long as the knucklehead remembers to take his shit from now on.”

Laura nodded again. “What is it for anyway?”

“I’ll let him tell you if he wants,” Kyle replied.

Laura watched Jake sleep for a moment before looking at Kyle again and asking, “Can I stay?”

“What?” he looked at her with confusion on his face.

“Can I stay? Do you think he would mind?”

“I mean… I guess… I don’t care,” Kyle replied, curious.

Laura nodded. Kyle watched as she crawled into bed behind Jake, who was laying on his side. She pulled up close to him and put her arm around him, spooning him from behind. Kyle shook his head in disbelief and then went back to what he was doing.