Chapter 14

       It didn't take long for the whole school to be talking about the car crash. It didn't help that it was all over the news, that five high school students were in a huge car crash, leaving one of them paralyzed.

       And it definitely didn't help how the news said the name of all of us, and everyone at school knew the Smythes and the Princes.

       The worst part of everyone talking about it was that different stories of the crash were being told. Some people were saying what really happened, others were saying I was speeding to get away from the police, and others were saying I was drunk driving.

       That only caused the teachers to hold an assembly about the safety of driving. It was killing me, having to sit there and be reminded about what I did.

       Orchid, Alan, and Wilder all kept trying to tell me it wasn't my fault, but there was something I could have done to stop the crash from happening. I could have swerved off the road and slammed on the breaks, but I didn't. I let the car crash.

       I felt even worse when I saw Nolan finally come back to school, only to see him in a wheelchair. I hadn't been able to visit him in the hospital, no matter how badly I wanted to, because I knew Grayson wasn't going to allow it at all. I didn't even blame him for being mad at me. He would have been just as mad if it was anyone else driving.

       I hesitated for a bit before walking over to Nolan, with Jerome standing behind the wheelchair. "Nolan, I am so sorry for this," I said. "This wouldn't have happened if I had just been more careful."

       Nolan furrowed his eyebrows. "Are you really blaming yourself? Atticus, it wasn't your fault. It was that other car. He was speeding, and he wasn't supposed to be going down that road. Seriously, if you crashed into that car, the damage would have been a lot worse because both cars were driving fast."

       "But you're going to have to live with this while all of us walked away from the accident all fine," I said. 

       "Well, yeah, but I'm not blaming you," Nolan said. "The doctors said if I'm lucky, I can go into surgery that will repair my spine and I can walk again. I'm already on the waiting list, but it can take months or years to actually get into the surgery. Besides, in the meantime, Jerome is allowed to come to school with me to help me out."

       "And the best part is that I get to bug his wonderful uncle," Jerome said. "He's going to get so mad having me in there."

       "Don't bug Uncle Tony," Nolan said.

       "I can do what I want."

       Nolan rolled his eyes and looked at me again. "And if I were you, I wouldn't take what my dad said to you at the hospital to heart," Nolan said. "It wasn't your fault at all. Our family just doesn't have the best of luck when it comes to cars."

       "Really?" I asked.

       "Really," Nolan said. "My parents were in a car crash when they were teenagers, and that caused my mom to be paralyzed as well, so my dad is just being reminded of that. My mom knows it wasn't your fault though and she has been trying to convince him of that."

       The bell for the first period rang, so Jerome said, "Ooh, is it Tony's class?"

       "No, that's second period," Nolan said. "And you're not going to bug him, or else you probably won't be allowed to stay here with me."

       Jerome sighed. "Fine. I'll just bug him outside of school."

       They headed off to Nolan's first class, so I went to mine.

       Jerome ended up bugging Nolan's uncle anyway.

       I got to the second class before they did, so I was able to see the irritation on Mr. McCormick's face when Jerome walked in pushing Nolan's wheelchair. "Sup, Uncle Tony?" Jerome said.

       Mr. McCormick sighed. "I'm not your uncle, Jerome."

       "Okay, but I am dating your nephew," Jerome said. "And we'll probably get married soon, so you're technically my uncle."

       "That isn't who it works," Mr. McCormick said. "Just sit down and please, don't distract the class."

       "Oh come on, this is my we're talking about," Jerome said. "I would never."

       He totally did.

       Well, not fully since everyone was working on their own assignment. "Hey, Tony," Jerome said, which made Mr. McCormick look up from his desk. "You should help your nephew out. He's struggling with question seven."

       "I'm not," Nolan said.

       "The answer is oxyhemogoblin."

       "Oxyhemoglobin."

       "What?"

       "It's oxyhemoglobin, not goblin, and that's not the answer. The answer is carbonic anhydrase."

       "No, it's not."

       Mr. McCormick sighed. "Jerome, I told you, you can't distract the class. You're lucky Mrs. Goth is letting you stay with Nolan to help him out."

       "I'm not distracting the class," Jerome said. "And I am trying to help Nolan."

       "Not with his schoolwork," Mr. McCormick said. "You're only supposed to be helping him do stuff he is unable to do."

       "Clearly he's unable to do his schoolwork if he's getting it wrong."

       "Alright, remind me what question seven is," Mr. McCormick said.

       Jerome looked at Nolan's schoolwork. "Which of the following substances assists in the maintenance of normal blood pH?"

       "That's carbonic anhydrase," Mr. McCormick said.

       "I told you," Nolan said.

       "What? No way," Jerome said. "I should know this. Biology was my strongest subject."

       "You got a D in biology," Nolan said.

       "You know what else I got a D in?"

       "Jerome," Mr. McCormick said in a warning tone.

       "What? I was going to say calculus," Jerome said. "I didn't do that well at school."

       Mr. McCormick sighed. "Just....let Nolan get back to his schoolwork."

       When biology ended, it was time for lunch, finally. I was starving and couldn't wait to eat something since I didn't have breakfast.

       Ever since Orchid and I started dating, I would sit with Wilder, Orchid, and her brothers if none of them were leaving the school for lunch. Most of the time, Nolan went out with Jerome for lunch, but I was guessing it wasn't going to happen now.

       I was still feeling really guilty that Nolan was paralyzed because of me.

       I was walking with Orchid to our lockers before we went to the cafeteria. "So, how is everything at your home?" I asked. "It must be really stressful."

       "Kind of," Orchid said. "It's actually not too bad, though. My parents changed the office on the first floor into Nolan's bedroom for now so he doesn't have to somehow get upstairs, and Jerome is staying with us for a bit to help him out."

       "I feel really bad about it," I said. "If I was just careful and paying attention...."

       "Atticus, seriously, it isn't your fault," Orchid said. "Everyone that was actually involved in the crash doesn't blame you. We know it wasn't your fault, so please stop beating yourself up over it."

       "I can't help it," I said. "I feel like I could have done something to prevent it."

       "Everyone always feels like they can do something to prevent any circumstance," Orchid said. "But you can't change it. That's life. If all of us, especially Nolan, doesn't blame you, then you shouldn't feel like you could have done something because really, you couldn't. It was either crash into the car, or crash into the tree, and we all agree that if you crashed into the speeding car, it would have been a lot worse."

       "I know, I know, but...."

       "No. No buts. Let's just go to the cafeteria and get something to eat."

       I sighed as Orchid grabbed my arm and led me to my locker first so I could out my biology textbook and notebook away, then we went to her locker. Afterwards, we went to the cafeteria and bought a lunch before sitting down at the table Wilder, Alan, Nolan, and Jerome were already at.

       Shortly after Orchid and I sat down, a group of girls in our grade walked up to the table, one of them being the most annoying girl in our grade. Janelle. "Hey, we heard what happened," Janelle said. "We wanted to make sure you're all okay."

       "It happened a few days ago, and everyone was already talking about it the day after," Alan said. "You couldn't have asked us then."

       "Uh, no, because we never had the chance," Janelle said before looking at Jerome with a smile. "Hi, are you a new student here?"

       And that was why she wanted to come here, to flirt with the 'new guy'.

       Sucks for her because he was both taken and gay.

       "Oh, no," Jerome said. "I'm just going to be here to help Nolan get to classes and do other things he can't."

       "So, you know the Princes then?" Janelle asked. "I should warn you, they're a toxic family."

       "And there it is," Orchid said. "Always finding the perfect opportunity to tear us down. Don't you have anything better to do?"

       "I just want to make sure he doesn't get caught up with your family," Janelle said.

       "Aww, how considerate," Orchid said sarcastically.

       "I'm being serious," Janelle said. "I don't want someone as good-looking as him to be caught in your messed up family. Seriously, we have you who....well, you're you."

       "And she's pretty damn special," I snapped.

       Janelle waved her hand in my direction as if she was dismissing me. "Then there's Alan, who doesn't fit in anywhere. And then Nolan. Poor, little gay Nolan."

       "Whoa, Nolan, you're gay?" Jerome asked. "How did I not know that?"

       "I've been meaning to tell you," Nolan said. "It just never came up."

       "It never came up?" Jerome asked. "You mean, even though we talk, like, all the time, it never came up?"

       "Nope."

       "Hurtful," Jerome said before looking at Janelle.  "Sorry to break it to you, but the Princes aren't a messed up family."

       "So you don't care that one of them is gay?" Janelle asked. She was always trying to convince Nolan that being gay was wrong, and saying she could help him.

       She was really annoying.

       "Well, I sure hope he is," Jerome said. "I don't know what I would do if my boyfriend is straight. And seriously, Orchid is right. Don't you have anything better to do?"

       "Yes, so please leave and leave us the hell alone," I said.

       She left, thankfully. I didn't know how anyone was able to put up with her.

________________

Poor Tony. He had to deal with Poppy, somewhat Grayson, Ryder, and the triplets, and now he has to deal with Jerome. cx Protect Tony at all costs.

I TRIED BIRTHDAY CAKE OREOS AND IT WAS SO GOOD. My little brother kept trying to get some though, so I had to tell him it was all gone. But then he saw me eat one and he didn't believe me. Oops.

AND THE EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS ISN'T WORKING AGAIN. It gets so annoying when it just all of a sudden stops and sometimes, it takes days before it's fixed. -.-