Friday was always fish and chips day. I don't know why, but just about every school in Glasgow served fish and chips on a Friday. Maybe it was just a coincidence, maybe it was an elaborate scheme set up by the council... and maybe I didn't care. All I wanted was to run down to the green block for those delicious, greasy chips.

As it happened though, me and Jay were sitting in physics, pouring over an enormous cosmology book waiting for the lunch bell to finally ring.

Well, Jay was reading the book with rapt attention while I was staring at the clock, willing the last five minutes to tick by. After a few moments of epic concentration trying to 'use the force' to speed up time, I realised my effort was fruitless and turned back to Jay and I's desk in a deflated sort of way. My eyes flicked down to the book.

"What's the Local Group?" I asked curiously, leaning over Jay's shoulder to get a better view. He sighed.

"Did you zone out that entire lesson?" he laughed, pointing to the whiteboard where the words 'Local Group' were scrawled across the middle, surrounded by related thoughts and phrases.

"Oh... I mean, of course I didn't. I was just testing you!"

Jay nodded sarcastically. "Uh huh... So how big is the Local Group then?"

I pursed my lips, and then guessed hopefully, "Uh... five million light-years across?"

He snorted. "Not even close. Just less than ten million."

"Psh, I was only, what, five million off?" I cried indignantly. "That's less than the distance to the chippie and back!"

Jay laughed and smacked a palm to his forehead. "Um, yeah, if you happen to be talking about that chippie in another galaxy then sure. Less than the distance to the chippie and back."

I scowled and folded my arms. Sarcasm was my defence; I wasn't used to having it thrown back in my face. Although a little bit of banter could be fun...

"I liked you better when you didn't talk," I announced, snapping the book shut.

That was a complete and utter lie. Over the course of the past week, albeit with the help of yours truly and a side helping or sarcasm, Jay had opened up, little by little. It was really a fascinating process. Sometimes when I provided some clumsy, unintentional comic relief, Jay would tease me bit. Or make a light sarcastic comment before helping me up. It almost seemed like the whole shy guy exterior was just some façade to lull people into a false sense of security before he revealed his true teasing personality.

Well, that was the general idea anyway.

Jay tilted his head to one side.

"I actually wasn't sarcastic before I met you," he murmured, placing the book back on the table behind us. Now it was my turn to snort.

"Yeah, and I was the star fucking athlete. Dream on sunshine, dream on."

"You use 'sunshine' as though it's an insult," he laughed. I opened my mouth to respond but a shrill robotic ringing cut me off.

"Hell yeah! Lunch time!"

I immediately began stuffing all my stationary and jotters into my schoolbag, not even waiting for the teacher to announce the end of the lesson. Mr Rhys was a pretty laid back teacher anyway, content to sit and sip some coffee while the class chattered away, as long as there was some learning getting done. He mostly let us do our own thing like choose what books to read, what papers to study, and then he'd test us all with a big group discussion followed by a write-up in our lab books. And seeing as my class was full of science-lovers in the first place, these things just got done.

I bolted towards the door and Jay followed suit. We started a small race down the stairs, and reached the bottom floor giggling and flushed.

"Jay! Ash!"

Jay and I both spun on our heels, faces pale, when we heard the unmistakable authoritative tone of a teacher speaking.

"Uh, miss, I can explain..."

Mrs Healy grinned and shook her head. "Much as I'd like to hear your wonderfully sarcastic excuses for whatever mishaps you've orchestrated, I'm actually here to give you these permission slips."

I frowned as she handed us two yellow slips excusing us from fifth and six period, signed by my mother.

"Uh, what's this for?" I asked, flicking the flimsy paper for good measure. The slips were a vibrant yellow colour, and the reason for my absence was listed as 'personal'. Mrs Healy raised an eyebrow, and I stutteringly corrected myself, "What's this for Miss?"

"Your mum is at the gates to collect you both. Something about a hospital..."

Jay's ear pricked up like a dog's at the mention of a hospital. And I could understand why. Linda had been transferred to our local hospital due to the special care units for long-term patients on Tuesday, and while we'd turned up at the front door on numerous occasions, we'd been turned away every time.

"Um, can we leave now, Miss?" whispered Jay, clutching his own slip tightly as if his life depended on it. In a way, I guess it did. Mrs Healy nodded.

"Yes. But make sure you sign your name out at the office," she warned, looking directly at me. "Ash."

I grinned sheepishly. "Yes ma'am!"

And I tugged Jay by the wrist to the office in the green building.

"Um, why did Mrs Healy say your name Ash?" Jay asked as I hastily scrawled our names on the sign out sheet. A small smirk made its way onto my face.

"Uh... one time I had an orthodontist appointment," I mumbled, a faint blush appearing at my collar, "and I didn't sign out. I just... forgot I guess. So then everybody jumped to the radical conclusion that I'd dogged it. And called my parents. 'Course they decided to seize this ample opportunity and go all psycho parent on me, and called the freaking police. And you can guess where that went..."

I let the words die in my throat, not particularly wanting to go into the details of the fiasco. It was an embarrassing memory to say the least, and had resulted in several detentions from school, a grounding from my parents, and an official 'talk' from the police force themselves.

"That was another life-experience I could have lived without," I muttered bitterly, watching Jay chuckle. He wasn't even pretending to hide the giggles anymore and I scowled.

"Jay?"

"Um, yeah?"

"You really aren't helping."

"Oh..." Giggle. "Sorr-"

"Dude! Oh my freaking God! Why d'you apologize so much!?"

While I was yelling my tone wasn't angry. In fact, I was more curious than anything. Just slightly put out that Jay somehow managed to blame himself for every single glass of spilt milk.

"Why d'you say 'oh my God' so much if you're agnostic?" he challenged. I felt my facial features scrunch together automatically at the mention of religion and ran a hand through my hair.

"I dunno," I said honestly, heaving the ridiculously heavy office doors open. "It's more of an expression than anything else. Like when I say 'fuck you' to Lewis I don't actually want to... you know..."

"Screw him?" Jay chirped helpfully. I glared.

"Yeah. That."

We continued the walk to my mum's scarily bright lemon car in silence, me glowering at my shoes while Jay glanced at me every so often and let out a small chuckle, prompting me to shove him. But seeing as I'm a skinny little squit my efforts to off-balance him really didn't seem to do very much. At all.

As we approached the shocking little mustang, I wondered if I should have brought a pair of sunglasses. Colours as bright as that should been outlawed on drizzly days like this. While it wasn't a top-of-the-range, extravagantly expensive piece, the bright colours did look extremely out of place next to the dull grey backdrop.

"Shotgun!" I shrieked, running towards the front-door. I swung it open, but to my dismay piles and piles of folders occupied the seat.

"Um, I don't think you're going to get in that one," remarked Jay, pulling open the back door to reveal an equally large stack of colour-coded folders. I snorted.

"Good luck with that one too Jay-Jay." I turned my focus back to my own towering paperwork. "Um, mum you do realise this is a four seater car, right? And three of those seats are occupied..." I spoke slowly, as if talking to someone who didn't quite understand English. "And me and Jay constitute as two people..."

Mum frowned at me for a moment, before eyeing the folders suspiciously.

"Yes, well, I've got a lot of planning to do," she said, more to herself than me. "HMI Inspections, all the Support For Learning Assistance, and the Active Schools, and Drama timetables, and don't even get me started on the supply teacher applications-"

"Whoa, it's ok!" I cut her off, waving my arms in a panic. Last time my mum had tried to explain her job as a primary head teacher she'd literally lectured me for three hours. Seriously.

"Uh, me and Jay can just share a seat for now, yeah?"

Mum nodded, still muttering to herself about Forward Planning meetings, while Jay and I somehow managed to squish ourselves into a very tight space obviously designed for only one occupant. Well, I was practically on Jay's lap, with my legs slung over his knee and one of his arms twisted around my back trying to feel for the seatbelt. I squirmed uncomfortably.

"Dude, just leave it," I snapped, shifting in my seat a little to allow room for his left arm. He immediately dropped his arm.

"Um, Mrs Jamieson," began Jay, his voice barely there. I could feel his knees shaking beneath my own and his eyes kept darting out the window uneasily. Mum smiled and nodded.

"Yes dear?"

"Um, where exactly are we going?"

She sighed and gripped the steering wheel tightly. She didn't answer for a few moments, until we pulled up at a red light and she twisted round to face Jay.

"Your mum woke up today," she said, her tone carefully monitored. "And they're letting visitors in now. The hospital called me at work. So I left right away and picked you two up. We're meeting Steven there."

Jay gulped and nodded, before whispering an 'ok,' in response. And I don't know what came over me, but my hand wandered forward of its own accord and laced my fingers with Jay's trembling ones. Confused, he dared a small glance at me, which I returned with a weak smile and a small squeeze. His fingers quivered for a second, but soon tightened in response and he turned to gaze out the window as if the small exchange had never happened.

I had to let go of Jay's hand as we climbed out the car. Mum hadn't noticed our discreetly interlocked fingers, instead focusing more on swearing and yelling at other drivers as she tried to park her car in a parent/child space. I had taken the liberty to point out that I didn't exactly qualify as a toddler anymore, but she had responded with, "Well you're only fifteen Ash, so you don't exactly qualify as an adult either. So be quiet and let me concentrate."

We took the lifts up to the long-term patient ward –floor three–. The hospital was just like every other hospital, with shiny too white floors and shiny too white walls decorated with small antibacterial hand gel dispensers at regular intervals. The putrid stench of chemicals attacked my nostrils and the sounds of anguished wails and desperate sobs did nothing for the atmosphere. Saying that, neither did the angry nurses scurrying about the halls, snapping at any visitor who got too close.

My dad was standing a few feet ahead outside Ward 12 C, chatting to a moustached female nurse. Mum ran up to him, tears leaking from her eyes, while Jay and I strolled up quietly, me keeping an eye on Jay with every step.

"Tracey," my dad whispered, sweeping her into his arms. "It's ok. Linda's awake now. It's ok."

It was a bit uncomfortable watching my parents cry. We'd never had an especially close relationship, so while part of me wanted to run up and comfort them, I just didn't know how to do it. And another, smaller part of me wanted to run up and slap them, and tell them to keep it together. For Jay's sake as much as their own!

Eventually my mum's sobbing came to a halt and the nurse looked up from her clipboard.

"Right, she can't speak just now," she told us, her tone bored. "And we can only let you in two at a time. So who's first, you two or the boys?"

I don't know why, but I, the youngest, smallest person in the group, took it upon myself to make the decision.

"Us," I stated firmly, grabbing Jay's forearm. Mum and dad didn't protest, and while the nurse looked slightly shocked, she led us in all the same. As we passed the small gel dispensers I squirted a generous helping onto my hand, immediately regretting it when I felt the slimy liquid slide across my skin. But I hastily rubbed it in all the same.

And when my eyes found the wheezing woman lying on the bed, I had the sudden urge to turn back time to when Jay and I were sitting in physics, just mucking about and having a laugh.

Jay ran forward. "Mum?"

The woman looked up at the sound of Jay's voice, and her swollen lips formed something resembling a smile underneath the fogged oxygen mask. I stood back awkwardly, as Jay knelt down beside the bed, a mixture of joy and sadness on his face.

"Hi mum," he croaked out, grabbed her hand. "It's me. It's Jay."

Recognition flashed in her eyes and she moved her lips, but no sound came out. Jay laughed weakly and held her hand so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Linda looked... bloated under the covers. I could still hear the nurse explaining her condition to my mum and dad outside. She was on steroids to help her lungs, and that's why her body had ballooned to double its size. Her eyes were puffy and straggly blonde hair was matted to the sides of her enlarged cheeks. I couldn't help but feel slightly out of place as Jay mumbled on and on about school, about sports, and surprisingly, about me.

"Oh, and that's Ash there," he said, pointing to my shivering figure. He stood up and pulled me across to the bed, while I smiled awkwardly and gave Linda a limp half-wave, with no idea what to do or what to say.

"Uh... hi Mrs McCallion," I said lamely. Jay grinned.

"Ash's great mum, he really is," he told her. I couldn't help the deep blush overtaking my cheeks. "He's really funny all the time, seriously. And he took me down to Forest Hill Park, remember that? And we found our names on the climbing frame and everything. Except someone had set the roof on fire, so it wasn't there anymore. And Ash was all, "We were such cool five-year-olds!" and everything..."

I'd never seen Jay so animated. He was chattering away to his mum, words just gushing from his lips as he desperately tried to convince himself everything was normal. After a good ten minutes of this the sour-faced nurse poked her head round the door.

"Boys I'm gonna have to ask you to step out now. Mrs J is getting pretty hysterical."

I cringed, imagining my mother red-faced and sobbing in the middle of the corridor, while Jay's face looked panicked.

"Oh, um, ok," he said, standing up from the stiff metal framed bed. He sent one last pained glance in his mum's direction.

"Bye mum," he rasped. I smiled at her.

"Later Mrs McCallion." I wasn't sure whether to add 'nice meeting you' onto the end, but, given the circumstances, I decided against it, and simply contented myself to following Jay outside to the corridor, giving the antibacterial gel a miss this time.

As soon as we were out of sight from his mother, the happy façade dropped from Jay's face.

"Oh my God," he whispered, covering his mouth with his hands. "That was the hardest thing I've ever had to do..."

I noticed some evidence of oncoming tears prick at the corner of his eye and immediately jumped into action. I gently placed a hand on his shoulder and began steering him through the maze of identical corridors. We eventually reached a large set of glass double doors leading out onto the balcony. I'd only been to the hospital a handful of times –when I'd broke my wrist, when I needed my elbow x-rayed, and when I visited my old next door neighbour Mr Stanley when he had a stroke– but it was more than enough times to memorise this little escape route.

I pulled Jay onto the balcony and led us right up to the railings so we were overlooking the patients' gardens. The atmosphere was nice up here, away from all the rush and the metallic bleeping of the equipment, constantly reminding you that there were people dying nearby. Someone had taken the liberty to place a few potted plants and some trellis along the wall of the balcony, creating a rather pleasant aroma. It almost made you forget you were in hospital.

We stood in silence, overlooking the city's outline against the rainy skyline, with Jay occasionally sniffing and wiping his nose on his sleeve, determined, for some reason, not to cry. Eventually, I had to open my mouth.

"I listen to music when I'm pissed or something," I told him casually. "Sum 41 are quite good. I've got all their albums, except Chuck. But hey, can't have everything in life."

Jay let out a watery chuckle.

"Thanks Ash."

My brows furrowed together. "Huh? But I didn't do anything..."

He looked away, avoiding my gaze. "You were there. Thanks for being there."

I really didn't know how to respond to that. But for some reason, I felt a pang of pain in my chest every time Jay sniffled or coughed. I felt a sudden urge to comfort him, to wrap my arms around his shoulder and tell him everything would be ok... But I couldn't. Of course I couldn't. That'd just be... weird.

So I contented myself to a few short words.

"She'll be ok, you know."

"Yeah."

Sniff. I blinked, staring at his shivering frame for a few seconds.

"And you'll be ok too."

Jay gave me a small, sad smile. "Yeah."

And we simply stood there, in silence, watching the bustling city below as the inhabitants went about their daily business, completely unaware of the two teary boys watching them from above.