January 9th by Jason Tru, Jason Tru (best ebook reader ubuntu txt) 📕

August got up, and walked into the bathroom, taking off his shirt, getting ready to take a bath. He splashed water on his face with his hands as he stared into the mirror with a smile that's unbreakable. He kept staring into the mirror as he wet his hair with the water, pulling it back, and holding it all to the side. '' A new friend. Haha '', he giggles with himself. '' I wonder if he's working tomorrow. I wonder when I'll see him again. '', he'd question with the smile still glaring. August's eyes slowly turned red, once more and his veins started showing at the side of his neck. August gradually froze, as his smile refused to end. Panicking, he tried to talk to call his mother, but his words never left. It was as if he's talking but the voice chooses not to sound. August hastily started falling to the floor, as his body started to refuse movement. Using his brain, he swiftly knocked some bottles off of the sink's counter, as he fell, having them break, making a loud noise. '' August? '', Kathy asked, from downstairs, as she heard the noise, looking around in a suspicious manner, but having no reply, she exclaimed in fright, '' AUGUST! ''. Kathy dropped her bottle of nail polish that she was painting her nails with as she bolted up the stairs, bursting to his room.

With the door being jammed with his shoe, Kathy began to scream even harder as she started kicking the door until finally knocking it open. She looked around horridly, trying to find him, before noticing a stream of water, running from his bathroom's door. When she reached into the bathroom, August was laying on the floor without movement, with the sink overflowing, nearly covering his face with water. She quickly grabbed his arm, and dragged him out, trying with all of her might to carry him, being that he's taller than her, but only managed to reach him to the staircase. Kathy, at this point, was confused and screaming, trying to figure out how she's going to carry him downstairs and to a hospital when she has no car. She bursted out of the house, as she banged on the Asher's door - Caleb's parents -. '' Help! Someone, please help! '', she pleaded. Caleb's dad ran out, and grabbed Kathy firmly, trying to calm her down to understand what she was saying. Kathy could not speak. She just grabbed his arm and pulled him to her house, showing him August's body on the staircase. Michael, Caleb's dad, ripped the key off, out of his wallet and slammed it into her chest, as he ran up the stairs, trying to lift Caleb. Having the key slammed into her chest, with no words, she understood what he meant as she ran to his car and started it, driving it over, nearly knocking down a garbage bin. Caleb, through all of this, was out cold in sleep.

Beth woke up and ran to the doorstep to witness what's happening. Michael nearly slid down the stairs from the water of August's body, while trying to reach the door. Beth ran down and opened the back door quickly, as she held August, pulling him in the car, while he laid on her lap. Kathy then got out and ran to the front seat, while Michael took the wheel, racing them to the nearest hospital.

At the hospital, August was rushed on a gurney, strapped down, while other nurses prepped his head, putting an oxygen mask on his face, running with the gurney's movement. The doors slammed behind the gurney, keeping August's mum and Caleb's parents out. They all just sat outside, in a moment of silence and thoughts. Beth then grabbed Kathy's hand, along with Michael's, as they bowed their heads while she said a light prayer. '' And, God; please watch over her in the ER. Please put your hand over her head, heal her and let the light fix her. Don't let her be hurt '', she'd go on, for over a half-hour, before ending. '' How old is she? '', Beth asked, holding Kathy's hand. '' Well, seventeen. '', she'd reply in a lower volume. '' She's seventeen? But, she didn't come in yet? Late bloomer? '', Beth would question in an odd manner, gesturing at her breasts. '' No, it's a boy. His name's August. '', Kathy replied, turning her face. '' But, she doesn't have any muscles. I meant, 'he'. '', Beth would reason, looking back at Michael, then to Kathy. '' I know. '', Kathy responds, moving her hand away from Beth's, folding them, as she tried to keep herself warm.

After about, two hours of silence, the doors were open. The doctor signaled them in, nodding his head. As they walked in one-by-one, they saw August, sitting on the bed with needles, an IV hooked up to both arms, and an oxygen mask over his face. He was still shirtless and somewhat wet, and his body soon began to shiver. The nurse moved the locks of ice-cold, wet hair, stuck together, in front of his face, and pulled them to the back, as she swirled them in a little washed-out blue towel, trying to dry them. '' Did he take his medication? '', the doctor asked, looking at everyone, not knowing which is the parent. Kathy raised her hand timidly, '' He did; well, I thought he did. ''. '' Well, mister... '', '' August. '', '' Right, Mr. August here, his heart disease is getting worse and he can't afford to be missing his medication for that and his diabetes medication, not to mention the insulin shots. We've found his files and he doesn't seem to be one hundred percent, per se. You can't afford to be missing these things. '' he warned, waving the papers. '' Yes, sir. '', Kathy'd respond as she reached over to August. '' Oh, no. We want to keep him here for a bit, '' her hands pulled back '' just to see how he'll react and what's going on. We're not keeping him overnight, but just for a few hours. Maybe, two or three? '', '' Oh, alright then. '', Michael would agree, in an understanding manner as placed his arm around Kathy's shoulder and walked her and Beth, both outside.

'' Well, I'm just going to drop Beth home, okay? I'll come back for you and August in a few. Are you okay, waiting here? Or, do you want to come with us? '', Michael asked, as he stretched and folded up his sleeves. Knowing that she should just avoid time alone with them, she nodded her head and assured them that she'll be okay. Kathy gently dozed off, laying her head back on the cold hospital chair, while Michael and Beth drove left.

With the car in eye's sight, Beth nudged Michael on the arm. As she reached the car, she wiped a bit of dew off of the window, creating a small circle, allowing her to see inside. '' What do you have to say about August? '', Beth asked in a rough manner. '' Well, I'm not sure. '', responded Michael, while they both got in the car and started on their way. '' It gave me the shivers when she said that it was a boy. It isn't right. '', '' Well, I mean, it looks like his body is like that. He looks so feeble and frail. '', '' No, and what about Caleb? Boys are supposed to have muscles. They're supposed to have strong shoulders, they're supposed to have strong belly's with abs. At his age, that's not right. '' she nagged in disgust. '' I guess so. '', Michael would slur. '' ...God's children. Boys should be boys, girls should be girls. '', she kept going on and on, while Michael agreed, tuning her out a bit with the radio while driving. '' I can honestly say that if that was my son, then I'd have no son. '', '' But, what if it was Caleb? '', '' It doesn't matter. '' Beth growled.

With semi-loud cracking of stones under the tires, they pulled up at the driveway of their house. Beth sighed for a moment, '' What should we do? '', she questioned, running her unkept, short, bitten fingernails along the hem of her skirt. '' Hey, not out problem, remember? '', he'd respond lightly, placing his large hands on the steering wheel. '' I'd suppose. I just don't want 'it' around me or us, or, anything. '', '' Shh, just go and get some rest. Don't wait up for me, I don't know how long they'd take. I'll just go wait by a coffee shop. '', they agreed, before both waving and departing. Michael soon reached and eased his way into a parking lot at a nearby coffeehouse. He fixes his clothes and steps out, nearly stepping into a puddle, watching that one, not paying attention to the one in front of him. '' Crap '', he blurted, as he knelt over, rolling the damped edging of his pants up, tucking it in the back of his shoe. He then hissed at the puddle before storming into the coffeeshop. '' One coffee please, no cream, two sugar cubes. '', he orders, '' You've got it. '', the woman at the coffee shop assured in an annoying, pissed off sense of one, with a yawn, before making it. '' One cup, no cream, two cubes. '', she tiredly recited, handing him the coffee before walking back to her seat at the register to lay her tired head on the desk, only to doze off.

Michael just sat there with the coffee in his hand, swirling the little spoon in it, as he just spaced out into thoughts. His mind kept racing in circles about August. He was unsure about it, but hated August. He thought that August was disgusting, but wasn't sure if it was because August was sick or if it was willingly. His body kept twitching while he thought over and over at August's appearance. His eyes just went into space, thinking of August's face and body and hair; he looked like a girl, but he also looked like a boy. '' Was he gay?... '', he'd question, in a whispery voice, trying not to allow anyone to hear, even though he's alone in the coffee shop with no one else in sight besides the sleeping waitress. He never met someone like this before, nonetheless touched one. '' What exactly happened? '', he'd sip his coffee. Realising that he'd spend more than a half-hour, there, he got up and slid the cup next to the sleeping waitress's head, and walked to the car. He silently started the car and slowly drove back to the hospital, to meet Kathy and August.

As soon as he walked in, it was as if Kathy sensed it; her eyes opened immediately, and automatically, she stood. They both walked over to the doors and knocked, waiting on approval to enter. The doors opened and the doctor gave them a piece of written paper, to where he wrote a prescription, and stamped it. He then gestured them that they can leave. The both held August's arm around their necks, as the toted him to the car.

Looking around like a wild animal, August jumped to the sound of Michael, rolling down the window to the car. '' Oh, you want it up? '', he'd ask, but August just stared at him in fear like a scared little, wet puppy. August didn't even know how he got there. '' Ha, up it is. '', Michael lightheartedly chuckled, as he sat at the wheel. While driving home, all August did was watch outside, and see the moving houses and colors, as he gradually started catching his senses and started thinking of his friend once