HELP I HAVE NO RESTRAINT

I DIDNT MEAN tO START ANOTHER ONE BUT I GOT RE-ADDICTED TO THIS IDEA AHH

Prologue

JASON

"Adam!" I scream, and time seems to slow down.

"Why, hello, Jason, I'm Adam," he said, balancing his weight on his left crutch and shoving a gloved hand out toward me. "I couldn't help but notice the massive crapstorm you started."

"I tried to love her," I replied, frowning.

"You shouldn't have to try to love someone," this new friend of mine, Adam, snorted. "Maybe romantic love just isn't your thing, you know?"

"It's not that," I wanted to say, but I stayed quiet because this boy was all too right. I had tried so hard to fall in love with someone, anyone, but – regardless of my mom's opinion – I just wasn't built to be anyone's boyfriend. And I was okay with that.

"Hey, buddy, save the orientation epiphany for later," Adam joked. "Looks like you've got visitors."

A group of senior jocks stalked toward us, and I considered running but then dropped the idea after glancing at Adam's crutches. I couldn't leave him behind to deal with them.

"Right, broken foot," he said. "Go ahead and run, friend. They aren't after me."

"H-Hi?" I stammered, because I couldn't leave him. These guys were mean. My eyes widened when I recognized the lead jock. "Tucker."

"Heard you broke up with my sister," he growled, and his two friends smirked. "Told her you never loved her. After a year. And she was hopin' to marry your sorry self."

I chuckled nervously and took a step back.

"Yo, back off," Adam demanded, scowling at the boys, and I smiled hopefully at him.

"Oh," Tucker gasped over-dramatically. "And what is this? A boy on the side? Was poor, heartless Jason cheating on my sister?" He growled. "Is that why you didn't love her?"

Adam's eyes went wide, and I stammered. "N-No, I wouldn't-"

"Wait, I recognize him," one of Tucker's friends laughed meanly. "He's the gay that Ty broke up with a while ago."

Adam swallowed hard. "I'm not gay."

"Oh, right!" Tucker grinned cruelly. "Whatever. He broke up with you 'cause you were too wimpy to go all the way with him."

"I wasn't afraid," Adam hissed, backing up against the wall of the school as Tucker advanced toward him. I inched closer to him as well, meaning to stand up for him if things went way south.

"Then what was it? You're not religious, 'far as I know. Did you just not like him?" Tucker pinned him against the wall, and, unflinchingly, Adam jabbed one of his crutches down onto Tucker's foot.

"I loved that boy," he whispered, tears in his eyes. "And he only loved what I had to offer; which, by the way, I wasn't offering."

Tucker, having finished letting out his string of angry curses, gritted his teeth and growled through them, "You're gonna regret that."

Shamelessly, Adam replied, "Not as much as your mother regrets you."

Tucker's face went bright red, and he yanked Adam forward and then slammed him back into the brick wall of the school. He cried out as he dropped both his crutches, and I lurched forward to tug back on Tucker's arm. "Stop, let him go!" I shouted, and then one of Tucker's friends shoved me to the ground.

"This isn't your fight," he told me in a low tone, and, in all of my wimpy seventeen-year-old glory, I pushed myself to my feet anyways.

"Are you kidding? Of course it is!"

Tucker slammed his fist into Adam's face before slamming his head against the wall one more time. "Adam!" I screamed, and time seemed to slow down as he crumpled to the ground. He looked so weak, so vulnerable, so... In that moment, he was defeated, and somehow that didn't seem to fit well with the way I saw him. He was strong, brave, resilient!

And now he was vulnerable.

"Look at that, he's like a rag doll!" Tucker's friend laughed, kicking him in the stomach. He groaned in pain but made no effort to get up, and I tried to distract Tucker again only to be pushed down once more.

"Rag doll Adam!" the other friend laughed as I scrambled to sit next to Adam on the ground. Tucker had backed away, looking satisfied but also slightly worried.

"Adam!" I cried, shaking him slightly. "Oh, Notch, oh, Notch!"

"I-Is he dead?" one of Tucker's friends asked, stepping back a little.

"No, he- he groaned earlier, he has to be okay, go get the nurse! Please," I begged, "please go get the nurse, please!"

"Oh, crap," Tucker mumbled. "Nah, man, we're out. Oh, Jeb."

"Wait, please!" I called out desperately as Tucker and his friends made a hasty retreat. "Adam, wake up!"

"Gloves," he coughed, by some miracle, "help me take off my gloves."

"Adam! Oh, thank Notch, Adam!"

"Gloves," he insisted as blood began to pool slightly around his head. "Please."

"Why? We need to get you to the nurse!"

"Gloves first. They're... uncomfortable. Then get nurse."

I let out a worried sigh as I hurriedly pulled off his gloves for him. "Okay, will- will you be okay here while I get the nurse?"

"Go!" he gasped, and I darted around the corner.

I'd only run about five yards when, suddenly, a loud, strong voice filled the air. "You know, Jason," Adam called, and I froze in place. "I actually think I'm feeling better now! Also, my foot is healed. Crazy, huh? Anyways, I don't need the nurse."

And then he walked around the corner, gloves back on his hands, clothes still roughed up and slightly bloodied, but he was fine. Not a scratch on him.

"Also, uh..." He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his neck. "I've realized I don't actually like the name 'Adam' all that much. Could you call me 'Sky' instead?"

And from then on he was Sky – strong Sky; brave Sky; invulnerable, invincible Sky.

But now here we are, and I'm helpless again, small and too far away, and he's Adam again, scared and hurt and vulnerable once more.

"I can help you with your gloves," I whisper, but Adam still crumples to the ground.