STAY

21.

After that moment, things started changing. For the better this time. Michael wanted me to come visit him at the hospital more often. The doctors had told him he had to stay for one or two weeks more to make sure that everything was healing correctly. It seemed natural to me that he had to stay for so long, but I suspected that it was his parents who wanted him to stay longer. To make sure nothing happened to him.

I think that this was the start of our relationship. Anyway, I didn't want to tell my parents. I wasn't sure why. Something just made me feel uncomfortable with the idea of my parents knowing. At least for now.

Anyway, I went to the hospital almost every day visiting Michael, making sure he was okay and to see his improvements. He was getting better and better, and his walking was improving as well. Apparently he had hurt his leg pretty bad during the fight with David, but it was getting better.

I had not seen David anywhere. The thought struck me that maybe he had been injured as well, but I shook the feeling out of my head and tried not to think about him. He had done enough damage to me anyway.

I started going to school again, and tried to hang out with Daniella and Christina again. We all just acted as if nothing happened. If Christina still felt bad for what happened at the party, she was pretty good at hiding it. I decided to keep quiet about what happened at the hospital and her form of relationship with Michael. I knew that it would bring more trouble to everything that was going on, especially for Michael. We didn't need to have the whole school talking about us, especially not right now. And his gang leader, who I later got to know was actually pretty nice, didn't like the idea of me being with Michael. I don't think it was personal, I just think that he didn't like the situation one of his gang members was in, which was understandable.

After school, it was usually Eduardo who would drive me to the hospital. We started becoming really good friends; laughing, joking with each other, being rude to each other in a funny way. He was the type of guy friend that I always wanted to have. I did however try to get Eduardo to tell me more about the gang that he and Michael. I also wanted to know more about the other. And he did. Eduardo told me some things about how things worked, but I knew he kept some things out. Things he wasn't allowed to tell someone else that wasn't part of the gang. This was a form of ritual we always had before we went to visit Michael in the hospital, and I did enjoy it.

***

I entered his hospital door together with Eduardo. This time, Michael looked fine. He didn't seem to be that tired and he told us that the doctors had said he was able to go home in a couple of days.

"Now they just want to make sure that everything is working fine and that it has healed properly", Michael said as I sat down next to him on the hospital bed and Eduardo took his usual seat in one of the chairs.

"We really hope you can come back soon", Eduardo started. "We miss you at boxing practice dude. I need some competition when I practice."

Michael laughs before he answers. "Well you know I will always kick your ass"

"Maybe not for long", Eduardo teased him, before focusing on the hockey game on the TV.

Michael grabbed my hand and pressed his lips against it before he looked at me with concerned but calm eyes.

"Have you seen David around?"

The question didn't surprise me, but it made me feel uncomfortable thinking about him suddenly appearing at school again.

I sighed. "No. Not even once, and thank God for that..."

"Yeah, well you did quite a nice job with shutting him up this time Michael", Eduardo laughs and Michael has a big smile showing off his perfectly white teeth. I couldn't help but smile too. But I was curious. I wanted to know what Michael had done to David. But maybe it was for the best if I didn't.