Underdawgs

Chapter 8

I wake up on Sunday morning in a daze, not knowing if the throbbing pain in my head is due to a hangover or the fact that one of my closest friends might have died in the last 48 hours.

      I finally get through to Spike in the afternoon and my heart lurches as he lays it on me. He and Kev managed to locate the hospital DJ is at and have spoken to a nurse. DJ is in a critical but stable condition and is under 24-hour observation. He's lost a lot of blood, but accordingly to the nurse he was lucky: the blade missed all his major organs. He's out of surgery and is now conscious but very weak.

      'But you can't go see him yet,' Spike tells me.

      'Why not?'

      'It's too red hot at the moment. The cops are sitting on him in case any of the Graffers show up to finish him off.'

      'They're not going to show.'

      'I know, but try telling the cops that.'

      'I will, if you tell me what hospital he's –'

      'Kev said to lay low,' Spike cuts me off. 'Just a couple of days 'til it cools off.'

      'Spike, seriously? It's DJ we're talking about.'

      'I know, man. I wanna see him too, but we'll all get done if we go now. Just hold tight and I'll buzz you when we think it's all good.'

      The line goes dead. My fist connects with the bedroom wall, little bits of plaster and dust falling to the floor. I'm relieved and thankful DJ's alive, but I can't shake the sick feeling that it's all my fault.

                                                                                        ******

I can't sleep that night, or the night after. In school I'm distracted and irritable, and every time I let my mind wander I start thinking of DJ and all the horrible shit he must be going through.

      If there's one positive that comes out of the whole ordeal it's Lily. Almost by accident I find myself spending more and more time with her. We hang out almost every lunchtime and walk home together after class. I love this time with her – not only does her personality attract me, she keeps me distracted from my own problems and the real world. It's a lot easier to get to sleep at night when I'm thinking about her and not everything else.

      We don't discuss again the things we talked about at her house, her kindness when I was vulnerable only makes me like her more. She is smart – bloody smart – and funny.

      Liked by everyone at school. Despite myself, I know I'm falling for her.

      But even as the thought comes to my mind, I push it away. We live in two very different worlds, and anyway it's only a matter of time before she gets into a relationship. She's already been asked out twice after drunken hook ups at parties – both of which she rejected.

      She seems to be holding out for someone, perhaps an older guy or someone from where she grew up. Whatever it is, when they finally cave to her charm, our friendship will end and I'll go back to the guys and she'll go on to do bigger and greater things.

                                                                                        ******