Page 3 of Boys Like You

I send Damien inside, telling him if he behaves as best he can, we can spar again when we come back for dinner next week and I’ll teach him some moves. His face lights up for all of two seconds before it drops; he must have been promised things in the past and been let down. He moves slowly inside.

“Hey, kid.” He turns and looks at me. I walk over to him and take off my leather necklace with a shark tooth attached. My dads got it on a trip they went on recently. “Take this. You can give it back to me when I come next week – call it collateral. If I break my promise and don’t show up, you keep it, but ask Mumma B if I have ever missed a dinner in ten years.”

He looks over the necklace and really does smile this time. He slides it over his head and runs inside, calling out for his sister.

Rocky and Rory are chatting with Levi when I join them. Levi knows where Maximus is; we all have GPS tracking on our phones. Maximus knows we use it when he needs space.

“He’s down the beach about a kilometre towards town.”

We all nod and start walking at a brisk pace. The sun has fully set and the beach is pitch black besides the moon’s reflection. We all walk in silence. Maximus has been off lately, more so than usual. When we checked in with his folks, they assured us he has been attending extra therapy sessions. We have a feeling his latest anxiety stems from girls – none show interest because he is different, never taking the time to get to know him. It’s their loss; they miss the chance to see how loyal and caring he is. Though I’m sure he doesn’t see it that way.

We walk in silence; no words need to be said. We have all been off. This time of year is exceptionally hard for all of us.

“Is that him?” Levi asks, pointing to a black figure in the distance.

The four of us break into a sprint. When we’re close enough to see that it is Maximus, we run faster. He’s rocking back and forth wildly, his hands covering his ears as he hums to himself. He has panic attacks from time to time, but this is the first time he’s had one without saying a word to any of us. And that isn’t like him at all.

Barely lucid, the sound of humming keeps me awake. I thought I was dreaming at first, or maybe I am dreaming, and the sound is something trying to wake me. All I can concentrate on is the cold. The air feels like razor blades against my bare skin. I try to keep my eyes open, but no matter how hard I try nothing happens and the darkness takes over.

Voices swirl through the air, but I can’t make out who they belong to, or how many there are.

“Are you okay?” someone asks. I try to say no but I realise the voice isn’t talking to me.

“Of course he isn’t okay; he’s having a panic attack.”

“Where are your headphones, Maximus?”

“No. No. No.”

“Okay, you don’t have to use them; just breathe, we are all here.”

The chatter goes on for a few minutes until I hear a collection of swearing and then soft footsteps approaching.

“Is it a person?”

“No, it’s a fucking seal, Rocky. Use your eyes, it’s a damn naked girl.”

Naked girl. I’m naked. I try to curl further into a ball. A girly shriek comes from one of them.

“I think it moved, it’s alive.”

“Calm down, Rocky, before you scare Maximus more, and the girl,” a deep husky voice says.

“Mercer, take off your jacket. Rory, call triple zero.” This one’s voice is different, sterner, and in charge. “RORY, call triple zero, don’t just stand there.”

Something soft touches my skin making me flinch. “Hey, it’s okay, help is coming. My name is Mercer, me and my friends will make sure nothing happens to you. You’re safe now.”

I can’t speak, my head is fuzzy. I feel like I’m slowly dying, and death might be easier, less painful. The voices softly chatter around me, but it’s Mercer’s I focus on; he tells me everything will be okay, that I’m safe. I didn’t know I was in danger, but maybe I am in some kind of trouble. If I am, at least I’m safe now.

***

The pounding in my head causes a groan to escape my lips, my throat so raw I feel like I have swallowed wood chips. Attempting to move, a crash of pain explodes through my body like a freight train.

“I think she is waking up, get the nurse.”

“Rocky, stand back, man, you’re in her personal space.”

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