I continued walking out of the sight of the surrounding crowd. Many eyes were staring at me, and then the dreaded whispers started again.

  ‘How could he just take that’

  ‘He should have just stayed down’

  ‘They shouldn’t have stopped’

  ‘That was a couple hundred paintballs’

  While not as bad as the usual rumors, the pure malice of some of the people was still amazing. It was starting to get to me, but I had to remember ‘I alone stand tall’.

  Nobody decides my path except myself, their emotions mean nothing.

  I let out a cold sigh, and continued to limp, my back limiting my movements. The pain was unbearable, but there was literally nothing I could do about it. Even if I was injured I couldn’t just roll over.

  I was sure if I went to the hospital I would be kept for a couple of days. I could not and would not miss Johnny’s parade. I continued to limp as far as I could, and I swayed my shoulders forward to go even further.

  Suddenly, my arm was grabbed from behind. I flinched from the pain, but realized it was Abby.

  “You need to go to the hospital.” She said, a desperate look in her eyes.

  “I can’t go to the hospital…” I said while opening my hand.

  “I have something just as good.” And Abby placed my phone in my hand.

  I checked the video I had her record, and It was perfect. She ended the video just as I yelled, ‘Cut’.

  The entire video was me being surrounded by the bagheads, then getting rained down on by hundreds of paintballs. The video did not have me fighting back, and it wouldn’t need it.

  “Thank you.” I said, and then my breathing worsened, so did my back. My pace stiffened and I started relying more on Abby.

  “You're welcome, but what do you mean by something better?” She asked half curious and half worried.

  I opened up my contacts, and called Amanda, the nurse.

  “Is this Azure?” Amanda’s voice came from the other side of the phone.

  “Yes, I am sorry for not calling sooner.” I answered politely. Meanwhile Abby was just staring at me curiously while we continued to limp forward.

  “You are damn right for apologizing. I wanted to talk to you more.” Amanda said pitifully.

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  “I would also like to talk more with you. By the way are you doing something right now?” I asked, becoming a little more desperate.

  “Not really, why?” She responded normally.

  “I need your help.” I responded.

  “With what?” Her tone instantly changed more seriously.

  “I need your medical expertise.” I added on with a wisp of pain in my voice.

  “Did you hurt yourself again? Where are you?” She asked very quickly and I could hear movement in her background.

  “I did hurt myself, and I am at Hendrick’s park.” I said weakly.

  “I will be there soon, so please stay well.” She then hung up on me.

  “Who was that?” Abby asked.

  “That was Amanda, a nurse friend of mine.” I spoke.

  “Why did you tell her we were at Hendrick’s park?” She asked as we passed the school gates.

  “I can not let people see me get picked up from school.” I replied and my vision blurred for a second. I was starting to feel my body even more. My head was pounding, back was on fire and getting stabbed by needles, my legs were sore, especially my ankles, and my stomach was sick.

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, and I told myself ‘control, self control’. I had to be able to control my body even if it didn’t want to.

  “And why is that?” Abby asked, ignorant to my pain.

  “Never show weakness to the enemy.” I answered slowly.

  We continued limping step by step to Hendrick’s park. Fortunately, Amanda was already waiting there for me with her arms crossed.

  “Why didn’t you tell me where you really were? It makes me think you enjoy walking when you're half dead.” She said confidently, before she saw me at least.

  I was a literal rainbow, and my condition was not that bright.

  “What happened to you?” She asked immediately, taking me from Abby’s exhausted arms.

  “Paintballs.” I said the singular word.

  “Please help him.” Abby said.

  “Of course, what happened to him?” Amanda said seriously.

  “He… he got hit by hundreds of paintballs… without any protection.” Abby said hesitantly.

  Amanda Immediately traced the paintballs to my back, which was easy with trails of paint leading away.

  She ripped off my shirt, and I heard a yelp from Abby, I could tell even Amanda flinched.

  “We are going to the hospital right now.” Amanda said and started leading me to her car. I could see her making many complicated decisions and calculations in her head.

  “NO, we can’t go to the hospital.” I replied with all that I could muster.

  “And why not?” Amanda looked at me with a serious glare.

  “I cannot go to the hospital.” I repeated weakly.

  “Why not?” She asked again.

  “I cannot go to the hospital.” I repeated even more desperately.

  “WHY NOT?” Amanda finally yelled.

  “Because I will miss something that I cannot miss.” I said mustering up more strength.

  “You are unwilling to miss this, even if it means you are permanently crippled, even if it costs your life?” Amanda stared at me even more seriously than she was before.

  “Even then.” I responded.

  “Did you hear me? You could very well die from this.” She said desperately.

  “Even then, I will never give up, not even if I am six feet under, even in hell I will keep trying.” I said, the words coming from all my emotions. From my deep hate, frustration, sadness. Everything I had felt till now, even the slight moments of happiness I needed to protect. Those emotions were my life till now, and how could I deny my life burning away just to tell me, keep going.