It Only Takes One

He stepped into the store his grey hoodie was soaked from the rain. The red canvas backpack was soaked too possibly making a few of his homework assignments wet and his green calculus spiral notebook.

He saw people glance at him some had their eyebrows raised.

At this point, Jaxon didn’t care how wearing sunglasses on a rainy day and in a store drew some odd glances towards him. It didn’t matter he had worn them for the sole purpose to cover up the black eye he’d received at school today. He pulled his hood down and went over to the small section where he could grab a pair of headphones. He picked some grey ones and headed to the register. The man who usually worked the register an older man who was a bit lanky who wore a blue button shirt tucked into a pair of khakis his nametag read Kody. He rang the headphones up.

 “That’ll be eight dollars and seventy-four cents.”

 Jaxon handed him a ten-dollar bill. Kody put it in the register and gave him his one dollar and twenty-six cents in change and his freshly printed receipt he took both and his headphones. He stuck the headphones in his backpack and the change and receipt in his wallet. He stepped outside pulling his hood back on. It was a full-on downpour now and thunder could be heard. Jaxon gripped the straps on his backpack and headed home. 

When he got home his Mom was there waiting for him as soon as he stepped into the house.

“There you are!” 

She exclaimed seeming a tad angry.

“Where were you school let out nearly an hour ago and why didn’t you answer any of my calls?”

“I couldn’t.”

“Did your phone die?”

“Yeah.”

“So where did you go after school let out?”

“I went to the store to get a new pair of headphones.”

“Really the third pair this month?”

He nodded pulling out the receipt and headphones to show her as proof.

She sighed handing both items back to him. 

“Also why are you wearing sunglasses during a rainstorm?”

“I have a headache.”

He knew it was a lame excuse but it seemed to work.

“Okay, I’m sure you have homework to attend to so head to your room and  first dry off and change into some dry clothes before you get sick you’re drenched from the storm.”

He nodded heading up the stairs throwing his backpack on his bed before quickly changing.

He unzipped his backpack and as he had previously expected his notebook and homework assignments were wet not so much that they were ruined so he set them flat side by side to dry on his desk and turned the desk lamp on. He removed his new headphones from the package and plugged them into his phone and played his music library on shuffle. He trudged into his bathroom looking in the mirror he took off his sunglasses folding them and placing them on the edge of the sink. The black eye was pretty prominent. He returned to his room grabbing the bottle of foundation and concealer stick before heading back to the bathroom. He’d gotten good at hiding bruises he’d received. He didn’t want his parents to know they’d only contact the school and make his problem a thousand times worse. 

As he applied the foundation he thought back to school today.

He had been walking to second-period history class with Mrs.Jameson. His headphones were on and he was listening to music.

While he was heading down the stairs he was pushed falling down the stairs and landing face-first on the floor. 

He heard laughter and felt anger brewing in his chest. Of course, it was Lucas and his goons, Aaron, Caleb, and Kyle. They’d made Jaxon their punching bag when he’d returned to school after the accident. He set down the bottle of foundation and now began to apply the concealer as he remembered how he had to struggle to get off the flat floor on his own and back on his feet. His large leg brace that was constantly on his left leg that he kept hidden over his baggy jeans made it difficult. Not one person stopped to help despite a large number of faculty and students being out in the hall they just passed by as if he was never there, to begin with. He’d finally managed to regain his footing after dragging himself to the stairs and grabbing onto the guard rail finally being able to pull himself to his feet.

It seems someone had taken his headphones when he couldn't spot them.

After eighth period, the end of the school day he went to the boy’s bathroom seeing the black eye.

He’d put on the sunglasses he had in his backpack and left.  He sighed as he put the makeup back his black eye now camouflaged as if it had never formed. The previously damp homework sheets were now pretty much dry so he began working on it. Jaxon had just finished all of his assignments and was reading over his calculus notes to prepare for the test tomorrow when his Mom called him down for dinner. His Dad now home was sitting at the table by his Mom. Three identical red plates set on a placemat were on the table. Each had a piece of meatloaf and a side of a small caesar salad and some mashed potatoes laid out on it. Jaxon sat down putting his hand around the glass of ice water that was also sat upon the placemat before taking a sip and gently setting it down.

He picked up his fork and began to eat his dinner.

His parents began their usual dinner conversation.

Involving his Dad asking his Mom how her day went.

She’d respond good and ask him how his day at work went he’d reply the same good.

Good, Good, Good.

In Jaxon’s opinion, it was a flat answer. 

The kind of one-sided answer that had no real meaning behind it.

“So how was school today Jaxon?”

“Good.”

Dammit, he said the same thing.

 He knew one hundred percent it wasn’t a good day at school it never was a good day at school.

“It was busy all lot of assignments for tonight but I got all my homework done and studying in for the calculus test tomorrow.”

His Dad looked at him.

“I know the accident was over a year ago but I’m sincerely hoping that it hasn’t been causing trouble for you  at school or the brace isn’t.”

Jaxon quickly looked down pretending to be studying his dinner.

He hated talking about the accident especially with his parents.

They seemed at times to blame him for it when he’d done nothing wrong.

He stood up from his seat at the table.

“I’m going to my room.” 

He told his parents.

“But you haven’t finished your dinner and-”

“I’m not hungry.”

 He told his Mom bluntly cutting her off and making his way up the stairs.

He closed his door and lied back on his bed. He turned his phone on and plugged in the charger.

He slowly looked through social media but found nothing interesting. He decided to check the local news.

Which turned out to be a huge mistake.

When he saw the first article pop up the headline made his stomach churn.

Motorcyclist responsible for crashing into an innocent teenager while speeding is released after an eleven-month sentence

Jaxon saw the article was posted only a few minutes ago. 

He set his phone down unable to bring himself to read the entire article.

He locked his bedroom door, changed into sweats, and turned his bedroom lights off. Before curling up under his comforter. 

He eventually managed to fall asleep.

When he awoke the next morning he got ready making sure to cover up his black eye once again.

 He headed downstairs his parents were up and ready for the day conversing while drinking there morning dose of caffeine.

“Jaxon we saw the news article.”

His Mom told him as he has his back turned towards them sitting down as he put his sneakers on.

Once he had his sneakers on he slowly stood and faced them.

“So did I.”

“We figured as much.”

His Dad told him.

“You don’t have to go to school today.”

His Mom said quickly.

“I’m going.”

“Jaxon it doesn’t seem like a good idea I think you need a day off to relax.”

“Come on it’s not like it’s going to be the talk of the whole high school.”

 He told them before heading out the door.

Unfortunately, it was the talk of the whole school.

Lucas and his goons spread out through the school and as loudly as they could read the whole article out loud.

Jaxon headed to homeroom which was just a study hall.

He sat down at an empty desk.

“That’s him right.” 

He heard a female voice speak up from the back of the classroom.

“The guy who was hit by a motorcycle?”

“That’s him, Jaxon Willams he has a crippled leg too it has brace over I think.”

“Must suck to be him.”

They laughed in a high pitched tone.

Jaxon heard another voice then.

“That guy is probably suffering and you are too stuck in your shallow ways to realize it.”

He turned and saw someone he didn’t recognize a guy possibly the same age as him.

The two girls seemed to blanch at his words. Their lips were shut tight.

He looked to Jaxon and suddenly he was sitting at the desk next to him.

“Hey, Jaxon right?”

“Yeah.”

“My name is Adam Bekker.”

“Hey, I’m sorry I don’t recognize you are you new here?”

“Yeah, I just started school here Monday of this week.”

“Thanks for sticking up for me or….”

Jaxon stumbled speaking not sure what to say.

“No problem you seem surprised though has it been a while since someone has stuck up for you?”

“You could say that.”

He smiled at Jaxon.

It was a genuine smile, not a fake sympathetic one.

Nor a mocking one.

It was a happy smile like the one you’d give your best friend.

“Hey, Jaxon it only takes one person to help another person out to change their day or their outlook on life even if it’s only for a short while.”

For the first time in a long time, Jaxon felt happy.

“It only takes one.”

Jaxon made a mental note to remember that.

It only takes one.

It only takes one.

It only takes one.