He headed for the automatic doors. Jacob followed him, glad to get out of the noisy, crowded ER. He’d only spent ten minutes there, arriving just in time to watch Felix vanish into the nurse’s office. But ten minutes was long enough. Everyone was stressed and pained and gross in there.
Jacob reached for the cream the nurse had given Felix.
Felix handed it over. It looked cheap, Jacob noted with disapproval. He would go into the pharmacy later and see if they had anything better.
“I have to buy my own bandages,” Felix said as they crossed the parking lot toward the bus stop.
“I’ll get you some,” Jacob said distractedly. He handed the cream back and watched Felix stuff it into his pockets. “Someone called you an Uber to take you to the hospital?”
“Doyouhave ambulance money?” Felix demanded. He held up his injured hand, wiggling his bandaged fingers. “It’s not even a big deal.”
Jacob took Felix’s hand carefully, turning it around to examine the burn. It coated most of Felix’s left palm, the bright red skin just visible under the bandage.
“How did you evendothis?” he demanded, incredulous.
Felix pulled his bandaged hand out of Jacob’s grip. Apparently, he had tried holding it under cold water while the Uber came to take him to the hospital, but that hadn’t helped much.
“I lead a mysterious life,” Felix said breezily.
“You had to go to thehospital,” Jacob said. “You’re really not going to tell me?”
They arrived at the bus stop, Felix craning his neck to see the arrival times. Jacob didn’t bother, his eyes fixed on Felix as he sighed.
“Fine,” Felix said. “I was…” Then he stopped. He looked down at his bandaged hand, flexing his fingers. “You know what?” he continued, marching toward the bus stop seats. “I’m not gonna tell you. You don’t deserve it!”
Jacob spluttered. “What the hell doesthatmean?” He tried to grab Felix’s shoulder.
Felix shoved his hand away, whirling to face him with such anger that Jacob shrank back. “It means you should’ve told meagesago that you don’t want to live with me!” Felix hissed. “I looked forward to that shit for years. Idreamedabout it! Our big adult life in Indianapolis, just the two of us!”
“I gave you the whole semester. You have time!”
“I don’t wanttime! I’m not pissed abouttime, asshole!”
“It’s still the two of us,” Jacob said. “Nothing will change.”
Felix scoffed. “We have always lived a five-minute walk away from each other. And when that changes? When we’re not at the same college, when we’re in different jobs living fuck knows how far apart? Come on, man. It’s all downhill from here.”
With that, he marched off. The bus was here, Jacob realized numbly. He followed Felix aboard, his ears ringing.It’s all downhill from here. It’s all downhill.
Felix swore, wrenching Jacob out of his spiral. He was stabbing at his phone, glaring at the screen. “One second,” Felix said. “I just gotta… gotta top up.”
He was out of money on his MyKey, Jacob realized as he watched Felix swipe into the bus card app, his bandaged fingers almost dropping his phone.
Jacob stepped up to the bus driver. “I have him. Two, please.”
“It’s fine,” Felix said.
“I have him,” Jacob repeated.
The bus driver didn’t even raise an eyebrow. Jacob paid for them both and headed toward the back of the bus, as they always did. Felix followed, and for a moment Jacob thought this was just another of their usual fights they would immediately forget.
Then Felix sat behind him. It shouldn’t have mattered. But he’d never done that before, not once since they started taking the bus in Indianapolis.
Jacob stared out the window, his side suddenly ice cold. Felix was usually there, their arms bumping casually as the bus took them back to campus.
All downhill from here, Jacob’s brain whispered as they got off the bus.
Like hell. He was riding this out until Felix told him to fuck off.
