Keystone Outcasts

[buildingaspaceship]

Melanie ate as fast as she could, then stood, not saying goodbye to her family as she ran to the door, grabbing her bag from the floor and slinging it over her shoulder. She began to walk to school, pulling out her phone and reading a text just sent from Lee as she walked. She read through it and cursed under her breath, Robbie was worse.


Lee stared at his phone, waiting for Melanie to text him back. Dressed in different clothes from yesterday (he kept a stash at Robbie's house for times that he slept over) a t-shirt for the band The Pretty Reckless, and a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, Lee stood watching Robbie be loaded into the ambulance, though he kept hearing him try and say that he didn't want to. The kid was so stubborn. He licks his lips, before abandoning his friend and heading to school.

 

[CrystalSmith]

Chloe heads to school slowly, stood by herself by the wall for a while. She looks around and sighs running a hand against the wall. She was in a bad mood today, not knowing why she was like it, just happening to feel shit. She looks at her phone and then places in back in her pocket and taking out some chewing gum.


Joshua had only just woke up and hurrying for once. He changes into black jeans and a random grey top before heading to school slowly. He looks around watching everyone as they walked by.

 

[buildingaspaceship]

Melanie got to school soon, running over to Chloe and flipping her hair over her shoulder as she grins, "Chloe! I hope you don't want to go to school today." Her grin widens as Lee runs through the school gates and over to the two, "Because I think that we may have somewhere to be in an hour."


Lee runs over and wraps his arm around Melanie's shoulder, she turns to look at him, "One, get your arm off me, two, how bad is worse, and are we going to see him?" She questions, biting her lip. She was hopeful that they were going to be able to go see him, considering it was advanced science and a free period first thing.


Lee nods his head, "worse is... Well, bad if you consider throwing up on yourself uncontrollably bad." He shrugs his shoulders, then looks at Chloe out of the corner of his eye. He didn't know that she had no idea what was going on.

 

[CrystalSmith]

Chloe looks at them, "What's going on? Is it Robbie?" She asks immediately thinking to him. She looks at the others and then at Lee who clearly knew more. Joshua runs over, "Sup? Where's Robbie?" He asks looking at everyone, Robbie was never later than Joshua so he knew start away there was something up.

 

[buildingaspaceship]

Lee nods his head slowly, "Robbie got worse this morning. Like he was fine all night, yes I stayed over, they had cake, my reasoning, though it tasted a little weird..." He didn't know about the carrots in the cake, "But yeah, yeah he threw up. And I'm not saying threw up like he just threw up, like a stupid throw up. No, I'm serious. This was like uncontrollable, all over your hands every time you move vomit." He explains, "and he shook a lot." He bites his lip and looks from Chloe, to Joshua.

 

[CrystalSmith]

Chloe was looking at everyone and then glances away, "Can we go see him?" She asks quietly, she didn't want to let her bad mood get in the way of her ill friend.


Joshua was staring at the floor, "Uh, he'll be alright though, won't he?" He asks, looking up for reassurance. He was trying to find a positive side to the situation, but couldn't find one.

 

[buildingaspaceship]

Lee suddenly tears up and looks down at the floor, "I fucking hope he'll be alright, Josh, I really hope so." He bites his lip and blinks a few times. The reality that he could possibly lose his best friend was hitting him hard, just like when he had first found out about it. He takes a shaky breath and looks up at Chloe. "We're going to see him. I mean, I definitely am. I don't know about you guys."


Melanie nods her head, "If you think for a second I'd rather do advanced science than sit with one of my best friends in the hospital, then I'll throw you to Mandy myself." She claps her hand together for emphasis and makes a slight screaming noise, as though she was acting it out. "Now lets go. Right now." She looks around her, for confirmation from Josh and Chloe.

 

[CrystalSmith]

Chloe looks at Lee who looks like he's about to cry and touches his shoulder gently, "He's strong, Lee." She murmurs before looking at Mel, "Of course I'm coming." She says with a small, weak smile.


Joshua smiles ever so lightly, a weak and frowny smile, "Yeah, me too. We wouldn't ever choose school over seeing a friend, gah, it's like you don't know us." He says ruffling his hair slightly and looking around.

 

[buildingaspaceship]

Lee grins at them, jumping up and down on the spot and trying to get back into his usual self. "Alright. I know the way to the hospital like the back of my hand now, let's go." He smiles at them, and walks out of the front gates, when all of a sudden a teacher appears behind them, yelling for them to come inside the school. Panicking, Lee breaks into a sprint, hoping that the others weren't far behind.


Melanie yelped when the teacher appeared out of nowhere, afraid that she'd get pulled back into school so she wouldn't be able to see Robbie, but she began to run easily, and was soon waiting with Robbie for Josh and Chloe by a streetlight, her arm resting on it as she took deep breaths to regain control of her breathing.

 

[CrystalSmith]

Chloe gasps, not turning to face the teacher incase she saw who she was. She looks at Lee as he starts to sprint away and then Melanie, she starts to sprint. She wanted to see Robbie and there was no chance she'd have to stay in school instead. She stops, taking a few deep breaths and looking at Joshua who was running, slower than the others but fast enough to get away. He stops in front of them and grins, clearly out of breath.

 

[buildingaspaceship]

"Alright!" Lee grins, adrenaline pumping through him. "We escaped the horrible teachers grasp, now we must quest to find the sick and dying-" Melanie slapped him, across the face, and this time much harder than if it were a joke.


"You don't say he's dying!" She says, her voice harsher than it had been in a long time. "You don't." She looked as though she was about to burst into tears. "Now take us to the hospital," she demands, and Lee nods his head slowly, his eyes wide and his cheek red where she had hit him. He turns, and leads them in the direction of the hospital, his hands in his pockets as he walked. Melanie sniffled, wiping tears away from her eyes as she looked down at the ground, following Lee.

 

[CrystalSmith]

Chloe walks beside Melanie, "He'll be alright. He's strong, even I know that and I've only just joined this group." She murmurs, touching her shoulder softly. She understand why Melanie had hit Lee, probably why she hadn't done anything about it. She glances at Lee and then at Melanie before looking over at Joshua who was walking beside Lee.


Joshua looks at Lee and then glancing behind himself at Melanie, "...Just apologise to her later, mate..." He murmurs looking at Lee again and continues to walk.

 

[buildingaspaceship]

Lee sighs, "I won't apologise. There's no point, she knows I'm sorry. It'll just be one of those things that goes under the rug, never to be spoken about again." He shrugs his shoulders and looks at Joshua after a moment of silence, "What if he doesn't make it?" He asks him, mumbling slightly.


Melanie sighs and nods her head, "I know he will. He is strong, I know this... I just can't help but be so afraid that he might... That he might not be alright this time." She shakes her head, "but it's just worrying, and it won't get Robbie anywhere. God..." She looks at Chloe, "I'm sorry that you've been dragged into all this drama when it's only your second day here."

 

[CrystalSmith]

Joshua looks at him, "Then we stick by him until it comes to the point that he can't carry on and then we mourn and grieve and we remember him for everything he did to make us smile." He murmurs, his words getting choked up slightly, clearly not wanting to cry.


Chloe smiles weakly, "It's fine. Eh, don't be sorry. I like it with you guys." She murmurs looking at the boys in front. She looks back at Melanie, "It's okay to be scared, that's what everyone fears." She says quietly.

 

[buildingaspaceship]

Lee looks away from Josh and feels a tear fall from his face, he clears his throat, but doesn't say anything else as he walks, he pats Joshua on the back, trying to reassure him but not even being able to reassure himself.


Melanie smiles at Chloe, looking away from her for a moment, before Lee calls out. "We're here, look." He points ahead of them, and they see the dull coloured hospital, in some of the windows were stickers of suns and trees, clearly the childrens ward. Ambulances were lined outside ready to be sent off, and the whole place looked about as inviting as a burning building.

 

[CrystalSmith]

Josh smiles weakly and sighs lightly not knowing what to say, this was killing him, to see all of his friends hurting.Chloe smiles weakly and nods looking at Lee as walk towards the hospital.

 

[buildingaspaceship]

The three of them walk towards the hospital with Chloe, Lee holding open the door for everyone else as he bit his lip. Melanie walked over to a receptionist, putting her hands flat on the desk that she was working at. "You got a Robbie Emerson in the childrens ward?" She asks, biting her lip and being hopeful that he'd made it that far. The receptionist looks through the register. "Yep, but he's currently being treated, so if you're visiting him then I'm gonna have to ask you to wait for half an hour." The receptionist smiles up at Melanie, who smiles back and thanks her before walking back to the group. "We got half an hour to wait before we can see him, so..."


Lee buts in then, "I want to get something to eat. All the commotion and I didn't have time for breakfast."

 

[CrystalSmith]

Chloe looks at each of them and nods, "I need some food anyway." She comments lightly looking around. She brings a hand through her hair and looking at the waiting area.


Joshua looks at Melanie before sitting down, "I'll just wait here, I'm not hungry." He comments quietly.

 

[buildingaspaceship]

Melanie looks at Josh and smiles a little, nodding her head. "I'll wait with you, if you don't mind Josh." She sits down next to him and leans her head on his shoulder, some hair falling in front of her eyes. She waves a little as Lee begins to walk away with Chloe, then moves and looks at Josh properly.


Lee walks with Chloe. "So how was your night, then, was it good?" He asks, making small conversation as he walked through the hospital to the cafeteria. He knew this hospital too well, from times when he would stay overnight, sleeping on a chair in the hall, waiting for Robbie to wake up.

 

[CrystalSmith]

Joshua nods, "it's fine, Mel." He comments with a small smile. He looks at her and places a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sure he'll be fine." He murmurs to Mel, waving at Chloe and Lee.


Chloe follows Lee and looks at him, "It was pretty bad but that doesn't matter. It's not even worth talking about." She murmurs quietly as they get to the cafeteria.

 

[buildingaspaceship]

"I hope so.." She mumbles, as she begins to people watch. She watched women walk in with pregnancy bumps, some more people with bald heads and sick faces being wheeled in, and she watched as families walked out crying. She always hated hospitals.


"Aw no, go on tell me, I'm here to listen." He says, smiling at her reassuringly as he walks over to a small line, grabbing a sandwich and drink of water to pay for. He hesitates for a moment before picking up a dairy milk and getting in the queue to pay.

 

[CrystalSmith]

Joshua smiles weakly, going into deep thought, staring at a blank wall.


Chloe shakes her head, "No it's doesn't matter. I just have some bad memories that I wish I could just forget." She mutters quietly grabbing a sandwich and going to the queue with Lee.

 

[buildingaspaceship]

"Oh right," Lee mumbles, getting to the front of the queue, and getting out his wallet. He paid for his various food items before stepping out of line with them in a bag and waiting for Chloe to finish paying. When she had, he walked with her back to the waiting room, planning on eating there instead of the cafeteria, so that he could get to Robbie as soon as they could. "You know you can talk to me if you ever want to." He says. He wasn't being his usual self today, instead feeling much more serious due to the events of the morning.

 

[CrystalSmith]

Chloe smiles and nods, "I know." She murmurs as they head back towards Melanie and Joshua. She yawns slightly and sits back down again next to Melanie. She opens her sandwich and starts to eat it slowly.

 

[buildingaspaceship]

Lee eats his sandwich in silence, sipping at his water now and again. He didn't particularly like the silence, but he didn't feel like talking either. His heart felt heavy, and he felt like he was walking on eggshells. After he finished his sandwich, he looked at Melanie, who had her head in her hands, her earphones in. And that's when the receptionist from earlier walked over, a clipboard in her hand. "You guys are here for Robert Emerson?" She asks, a small smile on her face. When Lee nods his head, she gestures for them to follow her, "this way." Lee and Melanie stand, following the receptionist eagerly.