Never back down - (31 Parts)

[Zane]

Amazing!!!! I love these stories!!!! It would be so awsome If Jayden got sick!!! I would love it!!! The sneezes r wonderful!! Thanks so much 4 writing these!!!

[everest]

Oh. My. God. I actually finished the next part of the story in under a week, and posted it? Forget 2012, the world is ending now.

My extremely lame jokes aside, I have been in a writing mood lately. So…

Part nine!

David’s POV

Jayden pulled into the driveway, and I pressed a fist to my mouth, holding back a yawn. Why was I so tired? At the meeting, I had felt… decent. Of course, when it comes to soccer, I always have a bit more focus.

I yawned again, not noticing soon enough to stop it. Jayden gave me a look of sympathy, and stopped the car. He got out, and slowly I followed. As soon as my ankle made contact with the ground, I pulled in a sharp gasp. Christ, that hurt more than I expected. I leaned against the car for a few moments, when Jayden noticed I wasn’t following him to the door.

“Shit” I heard him whisper.

He jogged over to me, and placed a supporting grasp on my arm.

“You okay?” He asked slowly.

I swallowed hard, adjusting to the pain. “Yeah, fine.” Jayden eyed me as if unsure. “Seriously, man, I’m fine. I can walk.

So, you can let go of me.”

Hesitantly, Jayden removed his hand. He began to walk forward, but I paused again. This time it was because of the sensation in my nose. My breath hitched, and I sneezed harshly towards the ground.

“Hu’ESSH! ETSH’uh! Hu’ITSHuh!” I couldn’t quite hold back the shiver that coursed through my body. My whole body ached. This really wasn’t my day.

Jayden slowed down, and started to turn around, but seemed to think better of it. “Bless you” He said quietly. I followed him inside, and shut the door behind me. Once inside, I let out a sigh.

Well. That was fun.

Actually, practice hadn’t been nearly as hard as I expected. Our next practice wasn’t until Wednesday, and I had nothing to do for the rest of the Sunday.

Sunday. Right. Crap.

Sunday, meaning tomorrow was Monday. I had school, and I had to go to my high school team practice. Because, even though it was snowing, it was still only October, and our season was far from being over. As I thought further, I remembered I had an English exam. First period. Crap. Looks like the rest of my weekend was going to be spent cramming. Excellent.

“David, don’t just stand there like an idiot. Go watch TV, or sleep, or something.”

Wow. Nice, Jayden. I almost couldn’t tell he was telling me to get some rest. See, now more of this I could handle. It’s the mushy ‘I’m your brother, and I love you’ type of thing that bugs me.

I limped up the stairs, ignoring the angry protest I felt in my ankle. Once in my room, I collapsed on the bed, coughing. I pushed my luck and risked a low moan, pleased when a worried Jayden didn’t come running up the stairs. Yes; he is my brother, and yes; I love him. And I appreciate everything he does for me. But that’s just it; he does so much for me. I hate making him worry about me. And, all the sappy crap is just… weird.

Lazily, I grabbed the remote from the table beside my bed and flicked on the TV in my room. Yeah, cramming could wait.

It was really hot. I eyed the switch on my wall, considering getting up to turn on the fan. But, that didn’t appeal to me.

Instead, I took of my sweatshirt. But I still felt like I was roasting, and pulled off my sweatpants, under which I had shorts. After that, I took off my shirt, and sighed with relief as I felt a bit cooler. I snagged a pillow form the top of my bed and placed it at the foot of my bed, crossing my arms over it and the placing my head in my arms. My face felt hot. I realized this meant I probably had a fever, but I didn’t really care. As long as Jayden didn’t figure it out, it didn’t matter.

I watched the TV for all of five minutes before my vision grew blurry. I let out a yawn, and tried to focus on what was going on in the show, but I grew less aware every second. Finally, I gave in, and fell asleep.

When I woke up, I was freezing. I was shivering so hard it hurt, and instinctively, I pulled my knees up to my chest. It provided little help, but I was too tired to even think of getting up. I closed my eyes, hoping that I could fall asleep again. But sleep wouldn’t come.

On my floor, I spotted the sweatshirt I had taken of earlier, and hung an arm over my bed, grabbing it. By the time I got the sweatshirt of the floor, I had grown more awake. As I shrugged it on over my bare chest, I saw the time on the clock. 7:30. That meant Jayden would probably get some form of dinner soon. We tended to eat later than the standard 6:00, but I figured I shouldn’t expect it would be to long. So going back to sleep wasn’t the best idea.

I sat up slowly, pinching my nose as my head pounded. Just breath, I thought, but in all honesty, that wasn’t entirely possible. My nose was completely blocked. Ugh.

I stood up, but then fell back onto the bed. Wow. That wasn’t fun. My ankle hurt like hell, and on top of that, the room was spinning. I took slow breaths through my mouth, waiting for it to stop.

Then, slowly, I stood up again. Still dizzy, and my ankle was still screaming, but I could manage. I made my way to the bathroom unsteadily, and turned the faucet on, splashing my face with cool water. Then I grabbed a section of toilet paper and blew my nose.

Leaning against the wall, I sighed. Better.

“David! If you don’t get your lazy ass down here, I’m eating your pizza!” Jayden’s voice came from below the stairs. He could have it, I thought tiredly. I wasn’t really hungry.

But, I figured if I didn’t come down soon, Jayden would start worrying again. That was the last thing I wanted.

My question from the end of part eight still stands. I have yet to make up my mind, so tell me what you think. Should Jayden get sick as well? Or are you all cool with Jayden being nice and healthy to take care (or drive completely insane ) of David?

[Peachy]

Hehehehe.

[silentdreamer789]

Should Jayden get sick as well? Or are you all cool with Jayden being nice and healthy to take care (or drive completely insane ) of David?

Oh, Jayden should definately get sick! Looking forward to the next part, this is great.

[*lovely_lily*]

Ooh love the quick update I think Jayden should get sick. But not anytime soon.

[Kiwifruit]

Oooh, brilliant Two parts for me to read at once! This story is fantastic! I'd like it if Jayden got sick, though probably not til he's had a good chance to take care of David and be a good big brother lol I laughed at your 2012 joke too

[Aprilcot]

I think I could definitely fancy a sick Jayden.... Please do tell...

I love this hole thing, please continue!!!!!!!!

[obsessed]

It's a huge sacrifice to my enjoyment and personal selfish reasons, but, *exasperated sigh*, if he must also get sick... I suppose I could handle that. *sigh*

...

My own lame jokes. Of course I'd like to see that!

[cheetah]

.....

I love this. It's...beautiful.

I'll be the odd one out and say I'd rather not have Jayden sick, because I like him taking care of David, but hey. It's your choice.

[everest]

Thank you, everyone, for giving me an idea of where this is going. Drum roll, please…

I think I will write Jayden getting sick. (Sorry Tata) But no worries, it won’t happen for a while. There will be plenty of brotherly care until Jayden starts sneezing, and it will continue even after both the brothers have fallen ill. I’ve got a lot of ideas, so now my only problem is figuring out which ones to use.

Part ten!

Jayden’s POV

I glanced up as I saw David limp into the living room, where I was sitting on the couch, grabbing a slice of pizza from the table in front of me. Screw the kitchen. We almost never ate in there.

David cleared his thought, and slowly sat down on the other side of the couch. He didn’t look good. His cheeks were flushed, and if I really focused, I could see the tight shivers running through his body. But I kept my eyes on the TV in front of me, watching him through the corner of my eye. David was looking at the TV as well. But then, he turned to me.

“Baseball? You hate Baseball.”

He was right. Baseball wasn’t my favorite sport. “It was either this or the notebook.” I said.

“Uh, Jayden? Don’t we have, like, a thousand channels?” David cleared his throat again.

I rolled my eyes and handed him the remote. “Fine. You find something.”

He took the remote and turned it to the TV guide, then scrolled down the list. He gave up after about a minute, and turned the baseball game back on.

“America’s favorite pastime. Right, tell that to the rest of the world.” I grumbled.

David’s expression grew amused. “Hey, you picked it first. I’m just agreeing with you.” And then he cleared his throat.

Again.

“You losing your voice?”

“No.” But his voice was hoarse.

“You haven’t eaten any of your pizza” I said, glancing at his plate.

“I had a bite”

“Yeah, a bite. Nothing more.”

“Dude, stop. Quit being… all… motherly.”

I had gone too far. David was shutting down. He’d probably hide from me for the rest of the night if I didn’t do something.

“Sorry. So, uh… how’s school?” Wow. That was lame.

“School’s fi-“David broke off. “Fuck! What time is it?” He asked me.

“Uh… “I glanced at my watch. “8:07. Why?”

“Damn it.” He whispered. I wasn’t sure if it was because he was losing his voice, or if he was seriously upset about something.

“What David? What the hell are you freaking out about!?”

“I have an English test tomorrow. And I’m not ready, not at all. I need to cram, like, now.” He rasped.

“You sure you should be going to school tomorrow” I asked hesitantly. David glared at me. Okay, that argument was lost before it even started. “Well, guess what? I speak English. I’ll help you study.” I suggested, hoping David would go for it.

He hesitated, looking troubled.

“Come on, man. I totally had A’s in English all through high school. Let me help you.”

“I… huh… hu’etsh! He’icsh! Huh… hu’eshuh!” David sniffed and rubbed his nose angrily. “Fine” He said, before I could speak. “You can help me.”

Tbc!

[obsessed]

Aww, haha. I love when he tells David, "Hey, I speak English too."

Absolutely cracked me up.

Poor guy.

[Aprilcot]

Love it!

Next Part!!!!

[Quite Contrary]

Yay! This is so good....More!

[*lovely_lily*]

Love it!

Next Part!!!!

What she said

[alexhockeygirl]

I LOVE this story! There's just something about sick athletes....

[everest]

Thank you everyone who replied, I’m glad that you like it!

Part eleven!

David’s POV

I do not know much about the book that my English test was going to be about. And by not much, I meant the entire second half of the book was a mystery to me. I didn’t exactly read it. Somehow, I had an A in that class. But after the test, that may not have been the truth.

“David! Pay attention!”

“Huh? Oh. Sorry. What?”

“Tell me what happens in chapter nine that changes the main character’s outlook on life.”

With a sigh, I answered the question.

Jayden looked surprised. “Right. There could be hope for you yet.”

“I doubt it” I mumbled, as he fired off the next question.

By the time I had even the slightest idea of what I was going to be tested on, it was already nearly eleven. My voice was all but gone, and I had resorted to whispering. I knew a looked like shit, and I certainly felt it, but if Jayden noticed, he didn’t say anything.

Finally, we stopped, and Jayden told me to get some rest. Yeah, easier said than done. I couldn’t get comfortable enough to sleep. I was freezing, and then I was burning, and all the while I was sneezing my head off. It was pissing me off. I mean, just because I’m sick doesn’t mean Jayden shouldn’t get some sleep. But here I was, probably keeping him up with my disgusting noise.

“H’kngsht! Ingxt’chuh! He’igshuh!”

I tried to hold them in, but failed miserably. A glance at the clock told me it was 1:00. I had school tomorrow, or, actually, today! I had a practice to go to! I was the captain of my high school team, what good would I be without sleep?

I continued ranting in my head until god knows when, and then finally fell asleep.

Then in what felt like thirty seconds, my alarm went off. I glanced at it, frowning. 6:45. Wasn’t my alarm supposed to go off at 5:30? Normally, I would go for runs before school. Jayden must’ve set in to go off an hour later. I mentally thanked him. With the way I was feeling, there was no way I would’ve managed to run.

I had to be at school by 7:30, and it took 20 minutes to get there, so I figured I could take about twenty minutes to shower and get ready, and still be there a few minutes early. Or, at least, that’s the thought process I tried to follow. My head hurt like hell, and I wasn’t really up for math, no matter how simple. By the time I managed to figure out that I had twenty minutes, I only had about fifteen, so I decided I had to drag myself out of bed.

The shower felt amazing. My head began to clear under the steam, and even my headache felt slightly better. Showers, I decided, are absolutely unconditionally awesome.

Once I got out, or hopped, actually, (Bathing with a sprained ankle is not the easiest thing in the world) my nose was running ridiculously. I grabbed some toilet paper and blew, wincing at the sound. Then I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I looked a little pale, my cheeks were still flushed, and I had dark circles under my eyes. My nose was slightly pink around the nostrils. But, mostly, I just looked tired.

Once back in my room, I wrapped my ankle tightly, mentally willing myself not to limp at all today. I wasn’t so worried about being sick; I could hide that easy enough. But my ankle however, would be more difficult. I couldn’t let my team know. They all rely on me. I made the plays, and honestly, I had a feeling that if they knew I was hurt, they’d panic. So, I’d get through school first, and hopefully, in the process, figure out a way to get through practice.

Pulling on a pair of jeans and a v-neck, I grabbed a sweatshirt on the way out of my room. The stairs proved to be a bit difficult, but I managed. Jayden was waiting for me in the kitchen.

“Feeling any better?” He asked.

“Yeah, definitely.” I lied

“So you feel like shit?”

“Pretty much”

Jayden laughed at my honesty. “Alright.” He said “I wish you had time to eat, but since you took a ridiculously long shower, you don’t. We leave now, assuming you’re going to school?”

“Yeah, I’m going” I said.

“I figured. Come on.” He led the way to the door, handing me my bag. “You ready for the test?”

I had almost forgotten. “Ready enough” I said, hoping I was.

TBC

[obsessed]

Aw, now why does he get to school? Getting worse does no good.

[Aprilcot]

Love it!!!!

Please continue!!!!!!!

I can't wait for the torture!!!!

Sorry...

[cheetah]

...no words for PWNess.

[*lovely_lily*]

Haven't been this excited for school to come in a long time

[Kiwifruit]

I had to laugh at the part where he was calculating how long he had to get ready; I do the exact same thing before getting up xD And usually waste about five minutes in the process lol. It just keeps getting better! I love the brotherly care going on, even if most of it IS rejected; their relationship is so sweet

Boy oh boy am I looking forward to school...

[everest]

So, I’m back with more! I’m going to break my lazy streak and post the next part right after this one, simply because I like it better than the one I’m posting now. So, hopefully you guys like it!

Part twelve:

David’s POV

The English test was easier than I expected. It kind of made me mad, since I spent all that time cramming. But, I guess it helped.

At the moment, I was just finishing up my last class of the day. The teacher was going to talk to very end of the class, apparently. So far, there was no homework, and less than a minute left. Practice was right after school. I still hadn’t exactly figured out how I was going to manage. Just wing it, I guess?

The bell sounded. Everyone filed out of the class, a few of my teammates telling me they’d see me at practice. Yeah, they’d see me. They would all see me.

I walked out of the classroom, and grabbed my backpack from my locker. Then I headed towards to locker rooms. A few guys were already changing. Suddenly, I was incredibly aware of my ankle. It was wrapped. So, hoping none of the guys would glance my way, I quickly changed, shivering as the air hit my skin. I felt lightheaded. The room was spinning ever so slightly. Shakily, I leaned against one of the lockers.

Then, I became aware of my teammates staring at me.

“You okay?” Chris, starting right wing, and also my closest friend on the team, asked.

“Yeah” I said quickly, pulling away from the locker. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You sure? You really don’t look good…”

“Yeah, I’m sure” I said, slightly annoyed and resisting the urge to sniffle.

Chris looked like he wanted to say something more, but apparently thought better of it. We both followed the rest of the team out of the locker room.

Our coach was waiting for us outside. I respected him, and he knew what he was doing, but Coach Anderson was no Coach Hendrix.

He didn’t bother to greet us. The first words out of his mouth were, “Suicides.”

What?!?! Suicides?!?! Briefly, I imagined sprinting as fast as I could and bending down to touch the line. If I somehow survived that, then the sharp turn would get me. Not to mention the fact that I would have to run back, turn, and run even farther the next time. Normally, I would have no problem with this. I always finish first, followed by Chris. But today, with my ankle, and the way I was feeling… I didn’t think I could pull it off.

“Or at least, that’s what is waiting for you guys, if you don’t win tomorrow’s game.” He finished.`

We all breathed a sigh of relief, me especially. Thank god.

“Go warm up” Coach Anderson instructed, and the team jogged out onto the field. I began to follow them, when the coach called me back.

“David, wait. I want to talk with you.” Déjà vu, I thought. Somehow, though, I thought that the conversation I was about to have with Coach Anderson would be very different from the one I had with Coach Hendrix.

“Okay” I said, walking back towards him.

“I want you to run today’s practice” He said.

“What? Um… why?”

“You’ve played with these guys all season, most of them longer. You know them, and you probably have a better idea of what they need to work on then I do. We really need to make this practice count, as we have a game tomorrow.”

“Umm.. Sure.”

“Good. Thank you, David. Now go warm up.”

I jogged out on to the field, hardly noticing the pain in my ankle. I was planning out the practice in my head. Maybe… just maybe… I could make it through this practice without anyone noticing what was wrong with me.

Once we were all warmed up, coach called us to the center of the field.

“Listen up, team. Your captain, David, is going to be running the practice today. I trust him to get you guys ready for tomorrow. David, what are we going to do?”

“I was thinking we could scrimmage, and stop the play whenever you see something that we could have done better?” Simple, but effective. The best way to learn was by doing.

“That sounds great.” Coach Anderson stated. “But I won’t ever stop the play. I’ll leave that to you.”

“Okay” I said, a bit unsure. Coach was digging around in his pocket, when all of the sudden, he pulled out a whistle.

“Here” He said, handing it to me. “It’s one of my spares. Keep it, lord knows I’ve got enough.”

“Thank you.” I said, accepting the whistle. This was good. Now I didn’t have to scream at the top of my lungs as much.

Even so, this practice was going to suck. My head was still pounding, and my legs felt weak. My throat hurt, and my nose was running. And, of course, my ankle absolutely refused to give me a break.

This was going to be a long practice.

[everest]

Part thirteen:

Jayden’s POV

I pulled into the parking lot of David’s school, getting out of the car. I walked over to the soccer field, wishing the parking lot was closer to the field. Sure, a little walking was no problem for me, but I had a feeling it wouldn’t be as fun for David.

The field was in the back of the school. There was a decline sort of thing, and if you were looking at the school from the back, it would seem like it was on a hill. Maybe it was. Could hills have only one side? I didn’t know, and frankly, didn’t care.

I stood at the top of the hill thing, glancing down at the soccer field. It was at the bottom of the decline, and had some small bleachers around it. Nothing compared to the field we played on. As far as high school fields go, I suppose it was fairly nice, though.

It looked like they were scrimmaging. I started trying to pick out David, hoping he wasn’t playing. All of the sudden, a whistle sounded, and the players froze. I located the source, shocked to realize it was David. He cleared his throat, and began to speak.

“Jake, there was a hole, right in between Ben and Derek. You could have broken through, instead of bringing it up the side.” Suddenly David broke off, coughing. A few of his teammates inched closer to him in slight concern. David regained his control, clearing his throat. “Sorry. Anyway, Ben, Derek, watch each other. It’s important to know where the other defenders are, we don’t want to give the other team any favors. And Jake, if you get the chance, go for it. It’s a lot easier to score if we break through in the center rather than a cross.” He coughed again.

The players nodded their heads, and then I heard another whistle. All of the player’s heads turned toward the coach.

Coach Anderson. I smiled. He was a good guy. I remembered him from my days of high school soccer.

“Good practice, boys. Go home, and get some rest. Eat a good breakfast. We’ve got a game tomorrow; I want you all at your best.”

He turned to David. “Anything else you want to add, son?” David seemed to flinch at the use of the word ‘son’ but quickly recovered.

He shook his head. “No. I think that’s it.”

Alright. Go and get changed, and I’ll see you all tomorrow. He patted David on the back, and walked off the field. I walked to the other side of the locker room, and waited for David. All of the parents were waiting in their cars in the parking lots, and I was the only one outside the locker rooms.

One by one, the players filed out, mumbling polite acknowledgments to me as they passed. Ten minutes passed before I saw any more players, when all of the sudden the door opened. I expected to see David, but it was his friend, Chris. He greeted me briefly, and then spoke in a more serious tone.

“David’s the last one in there. Something’s up with him. He kept telling us all he was fine, but he looked exhausted. You should go in.” He gestured toward the locker room.

I thanked him and walked in, taking in my surroundings. I hadn’t been in the locker room for years. It hadn’t changed at all. This wasn’t the time for reminiscing, though. Quickly, I located David.

He was sitting on one of the benches with his head in his hands. His breathing was heavy.

“David?” He looked up at me, his face pale. Suddenly, his face scrunched up, and he dipped his face back into his hand for a set of sneezes.

“Hu’ITSHoo! ETSHuh! He’ISHHoo!... huh… hi’eh… Hi’ISHHuh!”

They shook his body, and when he looked back up at me, he seemed miserable.

“Bless you.”

“Thanks.” He stood up slowly, swaying a bit. I was about to reach out and steady him, when he grabbed me instead. My body grew tense with shock, but I quickly relaxed, not wanting him to let go. David stepped a bit closer to me, and leaned his body against mine, surprising me again. His breathing was still heavy, and his body felt way warmer than it should. I felt sympathy for him. He must have been exhausted.

I wrapped an arm around his shoulder, offering him more support as I led him out of the locker room. Is this how he was feeling during his practice? If so, he hadn’t let it show. He seemed sick, yeah, but not like this. And then there was the matter of his ankle. It was bothering him immensely, I could tell. He had given up on trying not to limp, or maybe trying not to just wasn’t working anymore. I was mad at myself for letting him go to school today.

We reached the car, and I opened the door for him. David got in, mumbling a thank you. I nodded, and went over to my side of the car.

“You okay?” I asked, shocking myself with the beyond stupid question.

“Good enough” He answered. Damn him! He obviously felt horrible. I wanted to return to that moment in the locker room, where it seemed like he was finally ready to admit it. No. Of course not. David was the most stubborn person I knew. He wouldn’t ever give up.

I bit my lip against my frustration. Now wasn’t the time to go off on him. But I had to say something. I couldn’t stand the silence.

“So you helped coach the practice?” I asked, remembering my observations from before.

“Yeah” He said. And again, silence.

I tried again. “Speaking of coaches... what did Jim want yesterday?” I said, remembering how he had called David back into his office to talk.

David looked a bit surprised at my question. He began to answer, however, and I grew anxious with anticipation.

Tbc

[obsessed]

Aw poor thing.

[*lovely_lily*]

Oohh suicides, poor David. haha what happens next? What happens next?