Part Nineteen

I woke to my mother’s sobbing. I tried to tell her not to worry, but as soon as I moved, pain shot through my body, mostly from my stomach. I must have made a sound, because my mom stopped crying instantly.

“J-James?” she choked out.

“Yeah?” I croaked.

She squeezed my hand. “Rosa wants to know. I’ll go tell the others.” The warmth from her hand melted as she left the room. I couldn’t even manage a protest.

I pulled my eyes open. I was in my room, my bed to be exact. Somehow the past events didn’t call for a hospital this time. I wished I was in the hospital, because then the doctors would numb up the pain.

Seconds later I heard the thunder of several people running up the stairs, and my door was thrown wide. John and all six of his group shoved into my room with my mom right behind them. John looked a little worse for wear, and Rosa dropped to her knees at the side of my bed. She had tears in her eyes.

“I’m sooooooo sorry, James,” she told me. “That punch was meant for the other boy. Are you okay? Do you see anything out of the ordinary? Have you been having strange dreams?”

“Rosa,” Em said, touching Rosa’s shoulder. “He just woke up. Give him some—”

“I need to know if… if there are any lingering side effects!” Rosa shouted. Her outburst made my head hurt.

“We know, Rose,” John practically growled. I noticed his eyes were red, but no tears escaped.

“I—I need to know…” Rosa whispered.

A coughing fit caught me off guard, and the others looked at me worriedly. When I recovered, I asked, “What’s up?”

They explained to me that Trist wasn’t who he said he was. I could hardly believe them, but I heard them out. They told me he was an instigator in some evil plot they wouldn’t expand on. They insisted he was bad news, and that I should never have hung out with him. It was bad enough that he taught me all that he had.

I couldn’t believe it. Trist had been my best friend since I met him, next to Rich, of course. I had total trust in him. I could tell him everything, and it sure seemed like he had told me everything. Or at least, he was about to.

I scowled. “Next you’ll be telling me to watch out for Rich as well,” I muttered, hardly containing my anger.

John looked shocked. “What are you talking about?”

“Trist is one of my best friends, and you’re saying he should be my enemy? So what about Rich? Should I refuse him, too?”

“That’s not what we’re saying at all,” Levi supplied. I practically growled at him; he didn’t even know Rich. Why should he care?

“James,” John said, “we’re not saying all of your friends are traitors. Tristin has just been… an unlucky acquaintance.” I could tell he didn’t mean it that nicely at all. “Please, James.” I reeled. He looked so sincere…. “I don’t want you hurt any more than what’s happened already. Please, just… just think about it. C’mon, guys. We have work to do.”

John and his group left solemly. Mom asked if I was hungry and left as well.


 
“But there was something about that Tristin....”

The thought nagged at me again.