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'Hey I've been looking for you, meet me at my locker' we've been at school for almost 4 hours and I haven't seen Jax since this morning. I get to my locker and wait.

After waiting awhile at my locker I walk to his locker and I scan the halls for him buthe's no where to be found. Looking down at my phone screen I click on his name calling him. The phone rings then goes to voicemail "hey I'm at your locker, where are you?" I hang up as I walk up to his locker. Standing there for a while I don't see him coming from any directing, no text, nothing. Looking left I see Summer walking and laughing with her friends

She gets closer "Summer" I call out to her and she stops walking in front of me "have you seen Jax?"

She shakes her head no "he texted this morning asking to have lunch, I replied then nothing"

"I've been looking for him, I called, texted, I can't find him"

Waving her friends off she comes closer to me and we face each other in front of lockers "what's happening?"

"I don't know I mean he's fine he has to be, I just wished he'd answer my texts or calls"

"He doesn't even have a class right now, let me ask some people" she takes out her phone and starts to text. "This isn't like him" she looks back up at me

As I'm about to say something her phone dings she quickly looks down at it "what does it say?"

"Savanna says that Reggie saw him a while ago on the field where that old tree used to be" Butternut

"I gotta go" I turn to rush away

But Summer calls me "Mitch wait wait! Someone else said they just saw him in study hall" she reads the text. We both take off down the hall until we get to study hall, walking in we look around. "Mitch" Summer whispers tapping me

Looking in her direction I see him sitting in the same corner I found him that day. Head buried between his bent knees with his arms folded around him, walking towards him I bend down next to him while Summer stands behind us "Jax?" I whisper his name as I reach my hand out to touch him.

Jumping he looks at me, eyes full of tears he sees me "Mitch!" He jumps to my chest "help me I can't get out of here" he whispers crying as he hugs me.

Pulling away "come on I'll get you out" I help him stand up, rushing to his other side Summer grabs his arm and we help him out of the room. Getting as far as possible from that hallway, we stop and he calms his breathing "tell us what happened" I say as he leans against the wall, Summer and I stand in front of him

"Can you just take me home please?" He look at me holding back his tears

"Do it" Summer whispers

"Come on" I wrap my arm around his waist and he wraps his arm around my neck

"I'll call you later" Summer says as I take him away.

•—•

"I wanted to prove to myself that that room wasn't going to affect me" he starts to talk as I drive, turning to look at me he adds "you know like in the movies." He continues to talk "I walked in there and I was fine, but then I got stuck. I never thought about how painful it was to be in there during the fire and how hard I tried to get out, I was so weak" he starts to cry again

"No you weren't!"

"Then why couldn't I get out today, it felt like I was right back in the fire stuck behind a burning door"

"I'm so sorry Jax" I try to keep my eyes on the road but I just want to look at him

"It's my fault, I wanted to prove something to myself." He doesn't say anything else after that.

Getting to his house I walk him in and set his stuff down. "It's going to be ok I promise" we stand in his house and I hug him holding him tight

"Please stay with me" he asks

"Of course."

Taking him to his room we lay in his bed and his head rest on my arm, I slowly run my fingers through his hair "I'm sorry I ruined today"

"Shut up no you didn't" he quietly chuckle. "You just weren't ready"

"I thought I was"

"I know but if you block something out of your head that doesn't mean it goes away." Jax was gone for a week and when he woke up no body gave him time to cope with what happened "did you get to talk to the counselor at least?"

"No I wasn't scheduled until after lunch, what'd you guys talk about?" He looks up at me waiting for my answer and I look down at him

"Just... the fire"

"Oh, was it helpful?"

"Yeah in a way." He looks away and I continue to stroke his hair "maybe if you explain to her what happened today she can help you"

"Yeah maybe."

Jax falls asleep and I try to figure out what to do, he's not ok and I couldn't see it, no one could. Sneaking out of the room I walk to the living room and take out my phone calling Summer "hey" she answers

"Hey"

"How is he?"

"I don't know, he fell asleep"

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"When he woke up from the coma did Jax ever talk about the fire with you?"

"Not that I can remember"

"Me neither. He told me that he tried to prove to himself that the fire and study hall didn't affect him, but when he got in there today it felt like he was back in the fire, he was stuck."

"Oh my god" I hear the words slowly "we never gave him a chance to talk about it"

"No we didn't, so he just held it all in and ignored thinking he was ok."

"What do we do?"

"I don't know, I told him to talk to the counselor"

"The one at school?"

"Yeah you didn't go see her yet?"

"No I skipped my meeting, it sounded boring"

"You should go talk to her Summer she can really h-"

"Mitchell?" I hear behind me as I'm talking. Turning around Jax's mom stand in front of the open door staring at me confused "what are you doing here?"

Hanging up the phone on Summer I walk closer to her trying to keep my voice down "it's Jax something happened"

"Is he ok? I got a call from the school saying students saw him acting weird and now no one can find him"

"He's fine he's sleeping" she takes a reliving sigh "but Mrs. Wenson something happened today that not even Jax expected"

"What happened?" She drops her keys and purse on the nearest surface

"He went back to the room he was stuck in to prove to himself that the fire wouldn't affect him. He got stuck in there"

She gives me a weird look "I don't understand"

"When Jax woke up from his coma no one asked how he felt, about the fire, about almost dying. We forced him back to his normal self without letting him try to understand what happened"

"What are you saying?"

"I don't know, but until we get him to talk about it to someone I don't think he should go back to school."

She sighs  "I'll go check on him. Thank you for bringing him home." She walks away heading for him room. I stand at the door way and she sits on his bed slowly petting his face and hair "my baby" she whispers "I'm so sorry you had to go through that..." I quietly walk away giving them time alone.

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