The infirmary was empty when Luke and Trey arrived. It was a rather small room and it looked almost abandoned. An unmade bed lied in the corner and a shelf filled with multiple medical supplies took up most of the remaining space. The nurse was busy typing on her computer and only dismissed Luke with a sign of the head. It seemed like she had better things to do than help a student. Appart from the sound of her fingers running on the keyboard, the room was silent.

"Hey Trey? Why don't you sit down I'll look for something to disinfect the cut on your cheek okay?" Said Luke as he started going through the shelves, the nurse not moving from her spot.

Trey sat in silence. He still couldn't wrap his mind around what had just happened. He touched his cheek where the knife had nicked him. He wasn't even bleeding.

So why had Ash gone wild like that?

"Aha! Found it." Exclaimed Luke as he saw the small white spray.
He carefully disinfected the thin cut before putting a band-aid over it.
"All done! Do you want to look into the mirror? I added a little something." He smiled.

Trey turned his head and saw the small pink band aid. He didn't really need it, but he appreciated the fact that Luke was trying to cheer him up.
"Thank you." He mumbled.
The dark thoughts came back and he pinched his eyebrows in frustration.

Luke sighed and sat on the stool next to the infirmary bed. "Okay what do you want to know Trey?"
"What? N-nothing"
"Don't lie to me, you've got that look on your face."

"What look?" Asked Trey, eyebrows rising again.
"That look! Exactly that one, when you look like you want to ask sometimes but you're refraining from it."

"N-no I don't look like that."
"Yes, yes you do. So what do you want to know? Come on it's your chance."
"Uhm.

How did Ash end up here?"

"It's that bad huh?"
"Why do you say that?"
"You just called him by his nickname. I'm not stupid Trey I know what it means. You're mad at him."
"Maybe..."

"Yeah you're totally upset I can see it. Well I can only reveal my side of the story, the rest isn't for me to tell."

"Your side of the story?"
"I've known Ash for a long time, I knew him way before we got here."
"Wait. You were sent here together? What, why? What happened?"
"Slow down, let me explain" Luke chuckled humorlessly.

"We were best friends. For quite some time actually. We met in kindergarten and we were inseparable. His parents would always joke about it. We even started high-school together but sadly, everything went wrong from here on.

His father died in a car accident while driving him to school one day. When the rescuers found them, Ash was desperately trying not to faint from the shock, and his hands were covered in his dad's blood. He tried to drag him from under the car, but because of the trauma his brain went through, he wasn't strong enough.

He was rushed to the hospital and survived but spent the next month blaming himself for his father's death. He didn't eat, didn't sleep, barely came to school and almost never talked to me. His mother desperately tried to comfort him but she was just as sad and lost as he was.

And then he started hanging around the wrong crowd, ditched school, ignored his friends who gradually stopped worrying about him and left him alone.

"But you didn't"

"I couldn't Trey.
He was so miserable and Jake was really a good person. He was like a second father to me so I thought I understood what Ash was going through. But in reality, I had no idea what was going on inside his head.

Nobody did.

And the worst of it was that he wouldn't speak to me. And trust me I tried so hard to help him, to make him talk, to stop him from hurting himself-"

"What? H-he hurt himself?"
Luke grimaced.
"Shit. I wasn't supposed to tell you that. You can't tell him that you know Trey." Luke warned him.
"He may like you very much but everyone has secrets they don't  want to reveal."
"I promise." He whispered.

"Anyway, he really wasn't in a good place. And one night, he knocked on my window. He used to sneak into my room to play video games on school nights when we were younger, but he hadn't done it in so long.
I was confused.

But he looked better so when he told me he was okay I believed him. We spent most of the evening talking. We talked about the past, about his dad, about school. I thought that I was finally getting my best friend back, and I was grateful.

But I was wrong.

Even if I instantly noticed that something was different I didn't mention it at first. He used to be a really touchy person but he started to keep some distance between us and the others, he always washed his hands and when he didn't he kept them tucked in his pockets. I always thought he was still trying to overcome the traumatic event.

And one day I saw them by accident.
They were so damaged Trey...
I had never seen something like that before.

They were extremely dry, blood caked his knuckles, his skin would split everytime he moved his fingers. I was concerned but he would just shrug it off.

And then I noticed more things. They were small at first but they became more noticeable after some time. He wouldn't touch anyone, did his best not to bump into people in the hallways, always sat alone in class. He even started working out a lot.

And he always washed his fucking hands.

All. the. time.

And one night, he asked me to meet him outside and told me we were going to have some fun. I was intrigued but I followed him. We smoked on my back porch like we used to and then he told me to follow him.

We somehow snuck into a closed shop and then he started smashing everything to pieces with the baseball bat he had brought. We were high and I wasn't really thinking about the consequences so when he handed me another bat I joined him. We wrecked the place. But if it was a way for him to cope then some part of me was fine with it.

And then the police showed up.
I don't really remember what happened after because I wasn't that used to drugs and I almost passed out, but I remember them taking him away by force. I remember the look on his face when they grabbed him and tried to shove him into the police car.
It was a look of pure terror and rage.

I had never seen him like that, it was awful.

I didn't see him for a whole month after that. They said he went to therapy but rumor had it it wasn't going well and he was going insane.
Plus, when the school principal learned what we had done, he kicked the both of us out. Only because it could dammage their pristine private school reputation.

Bunch of idiots."

"And that's how you ended up here. It's so sad." Finished Trey.

"It is. And he never spoke to me again. He never spoke to anyone actually.

Until you showed up.

I don't know what happened but he slowly warmed up to you. He was very careful at first, he didn't want to hurt you and he was probably scared of his own feelings. He was living again. I swear, I saw it Trey. I saw the way he looks at you like you're the most precious thing in the world. And I guess to him you are.

But then what happened? Why are you both like this?"

"It's.
Complicated."

"Trust me Trey I can understand, I know him better than anyone."
Trey felt a strange pang of jealousy at Luke's words but he pushed it away. Now was not the time.

"He almost killed them Luke."
"Who? Almost killed who?"
"Those boys, the ones who were after him."

"Oh right. You weren't there this morning so I kind of figured you would find out one way or the other.
The truth is that each time those damn doors close, those who stay behind challenge him. They are after his strength, they want to finally humiliate him like he humiliated them.

It was occasional at first, but it became worse when you came here. He does it in order to protect you Trey. He would rather they attack him than you. He doesn't want them to hurt you, he wouldn't forgive himself if anything happened to you. Just like with his father."

"But why be so violent?"
"He doesn't know anything else. It's not his fault. I don't know exactly how he got to where he is now, but he's in deep, and it seems like you're the only one who can help him.

He just wants to protect you Tey." Luke finally said, kindness filling his eyes.

Trey was shaken. He didn't know how to react, he needed time to process all this information.

"I think I'm better now thank you for telling me all this. I need to go back to my room, I can't miss training."

"Okay you're sure? You know you can stay here if you want."
"I'll be okay thanks."
And with that he left the infirmary.

He wanted to talk to Ash so bad but he knew that he also needed his space for now. So he was glad when he found the dorm room empty. He changed and headed to the court where he spotted Ry frantically waving at him. Trey waved back with a shy smile.

He could use a distraction right now.

{Yeyy chapter 21 is done! What do you think about Ash's back story? Want to know more? And how do you think things will be from now on? See you in chapter 22 to find out!}