a/n: as i mentioned before, this is an old story. please pay no attention to the horrible display of gang inclusion and asthmatic dealings lol.

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A couple of days passed and after long thought, I decided to go and see Arson. Kristen had to do something for class so I went alone.
It was weird walking into the hospital again after that night but I asked the nurse where Arson's room was and she directed me to it. After that conversation that I overheard Chandler having with the doctor in regards to Arson's medical bill (including therapy), I decided that I was going to help them out a little. Well, mostly for Arson, but still, Chandler had a dream he was reaching for and getting this far to drop out seemed unfair. I had enough money to spare so it wasn't a big deal to drop a load on them. I don't know how much it cost (I'm not that nosey) but I felt I should help out.
I knocked on Arson's door and opened it up. He was looking at the hospital TV, looking bored out of his mind when he looked at me. He blinked in surprise and then gave me a smile.
"Hi... Uh, I forgot your name, sorry..." he said, his face blushing just a little from the embarrassment.
"Being drunk tends to do that." I said, sitting in the chair beside his bed. "It's Jane."
"Right... Sorry..."
"It's a way too common name. I'm not offended."
He nodded and looked back at the TV.
"Cable sucks here..."
"Hospital TV usually does... How's your arm?"
"It's okay. The surgery was a bitch but it's better than having no arm at all. It hurts like hell... Luckily, I got this little clicky thing to use if it gets too much." He said, showing me the morphine line.
"Gotta love that."
"Why are you here? Did I damage something in your house?" he asked with a frown.
I frowned back at him. "Do you always act like this towards those who come to see you?"
"If you didn't notice, I'm a drunkard, an asthmatic, a gang member, and just got shot up and thrown in someone's yard. I don't think I'm on anyone's list for good Samaritan."
"You must have some friends. Didn't you mention some kid the other day?"
"Liam? Well, he's the only friend I've got. Things got frazzled between most of the friends I had and eventually we lost touch. I've known Liam since I was three."
"I see."
"So, why are you here, Jane?"
"I came to give you this." I said, handing him the envelope.
He took it with his left hand and his eyes narrowed a little when he gripped it.
"Is this money?"
"Uh... I don't know..." I said, feigning ignorance.
Arson made a face. "I'm not that stupid, you know. Gang member, remember? I know what a wad of cash feels like in an envelope. Do you feel sorry for me or something?"
"No."
"Then what's with the money? We don't need charity from you or anyone."
"Tell that to your brother."
"We can do just fine!" he growled, shoving the money back at me. "Take your petty cash."
"I'm not here because I feel sorry for you, Arson." I growled, shoving the money back in his chest. "I came to see how you were and offer my help. You do realize that your brother has to take all his tuition and use it toward the bill, right?"
"Huh?"
"Chandler has to use his tuition money to pay for your bill."
"He never told me that..."
"Well of course he's not going to tell you. That would make you feel bad, kind of like how you feel now."
"He told me that he had money saved up from work that he would use..."
"All I know is that when the doctor showed him the amount of money he would have to pay for everything, Chandler almost broke down in tears. The first thing he said was that he would have to drop out."
Arson gave me a frightened look and looked at the money in his hand.
"Are you threatening me?" he asked, his lips pursing.
"No. I'm telling you the truth. So, you can take the money I'm willing to give you or not. I won't take it back."
Arson sighed and opened the envelope up to count the money. He gawked when he saw how much it was.
"What the- How can you have this!?"
"Uh... secret."
"Secret what? I want to know..." he said with a look. "Making an investment like this is amazing."
"Don't you worry about it. How long did they say you have to be in the hospital?"
"Just for a couple more days. They need to check and make sure the bones are healing correctly and then I'll be free for a while."
"Does anyone know you're in here?"
"If you mean by gang members then I don't think so. I go by a different name out on the streets." He said, wiggling his black eyebrows.
"I see. Well, I have to get going. I mostly came to give you that. Don't tell Chandler that it was me, alright? He'll be even more of a pain in the ass than you were about the whole thing."
Arson laughed a little and nodded.

********************

Three days later, I was walking out of the gates from the college and tripped, throwing my term papers everywhere. I cursed a storm as I chased after them. I got most of them back with the help of some nice people but one was flying away quicker than I could run after it and I stomped my foot. I don't know what part of it it was but most likely it was one of the most important documents.
I stuffed all the other papers in my bag, some of them soggy from a puddle, and went over to bang my head on a tree.
"If you're going to lick it then do that somewhere else." I heard someone say and I turned around.
"Arson... what are you doing here?"
"I live with Chandler so I wait for him at the gate... What are you doing?"
"Not about to kiss a tree... I was going to bang my head on it."
"Why?"
"I lost a paper."
"This thing?" he said, holding up a paper.
I looked at it and grabbed it. I squeaked when it was the paper I needed.
"What a stroke of luck!"
"I almost threw it away but I saw your name on it... You doing anything today?"
"Go over these papers and hope that some of it is legible for next week. Big test coming up."
"Don't you have to go to Harvard for law school?"
"Yeah but you have to take the preliminaries first."
"I see..." He handed me the paper and stuck his free hand in his leather jacket pocket. "So, you free?"
"I just said-"
"Who wants to sit at home and go over boring documents? It's a nice day outside and Chandler is going to be late anyway. Some big breakthrough or whatever."
"But I-"
"Come on, Jane. Or are you ashamed to be seen with me?"
"Now that's not it. It's just that these are really important and the test and..." He continued staring at me with those pools of molten onyx and I finally just sighed, knowing that I would never win this argument. "Fine... You hungry?"
"Starved. Oh, Chandler was ecstatic about the money. He told me to thank whoever it was that gave it to us and that he'd be indebted to them whenever I decided to tell him who it was and as long as it wasn't someone from the gang I was in."
"Was?"
"I quit. That's another reason I'm here. I have to keep moving or someone will spot me and beat me up." He said like it was something fun.
"Um..."
"Have no fear, I won't let anyone hurt you."
"But you have asthma."
"And you're a klutz. I saw you fall flat on your face."
"Thanks..." I said flatly, straightening my book bag out and hanging it on my shoulder. "I know a good hot dog stand."
"Cool."

******************

"So are you really on the run from your former gang?" I asked as we sat down on a park bench.
"Yeah. That was one of the two reasons that I got shot last night."
"One of the two?"
"Yeah. The other is a secret."
"I see... Then why are they still after you?"
"Could you put some ketchup on this for me?" he asked, holding out his hot dog.
I opened the package and squirted some on the wiener. I gestured to the mustard and he nodded for that too.
"Thanks..." He took a bite out of it and I waited for him to finish eating. "You're right this is good... They're still after me because of money issues."
"You steal something from them?"
"They think I did... And I think they just found me. Play it cool and act like you don't know me."
"Huh- What-"
"What's up, Sheldon? Got yourself a new friend?" a slim looking guy with greasy hair and an even greasier smile said as he sat between us.
"Of course not, man. My arm got shot if you didn't know and so I asked this nice lady to put the ketchup on my hot dog." Arson replied in some fake gangster voice.
I rolled my eyes as I took out my documents to act like I was just going over papers and stuff as the greasy guy stood up with Arson. They walked over toward a tree and I faked horribly at trying not to eavesdrop on them when I saw the greasy looking guy fall over and Arson started running.
"Get up, let's go!" he yelled, grabbing my hand and pulling me.
I almost lost all my papers again as we moved.
"What about your asthma!?" I yelled.
He laughed a little. "I'm sure I'll suffer for it later!"