Living for the Music

I let him lead me into the house, moving slowly. My body ached, but it was bearable. Seth kept one hand on my shoulder protectively, and after what seemed like an eternity, I stumbled into the warm house.

My teeth were chattering as I collapsed onto one of the chairs, too tired to even try to take off my boots. “Sophie?” Seth asked, kneeling beside me. “You can’t go to sleep yet, okay? We need to get you upstairs.”

“Don’t wanna,” I muttered, letting my eyes fall shut.

There was a moment’s pause before I felt arms wrap around me. “No!” I cried, struggling. The arms didn’t move, they were too strong…

And they were gone. I wrapped myself into a small ball, trying to steady my breathing. “You okay?”

I shook my head. There was another moment of quiet before I opened my eyes. Colors seemed muted, dull. Seth was sitting across from me, being careful not to touch me. I ignored his worried look and stood up to begin my path down the long hall – anywhere I could sleep.

“Here.” Seth pushed pass me to open the door to his bedroom. “It’s all yours.”

I glanced inside before backing away. The room looked so… masculine? It looked like Aaron’s room. “What’s wrong?” Seth asked, looking slightly confused and… hurt?

“I can’t,” I whispered. “It – it –”

“It’s okay,” Seth soothed, carefully reaching towards me. “It won’t hurt you.”

“No, I whispered, still moving backwards. “I can’t.”

“Okay,” Seth agreed. “Let’s… can you make it upstairs?”

I nodded, taking a deep breath as I gripped the railing. I pulled myself up one step at a time pausing every few steps to catch my breath. I could feel Seth watching me closely, but it was all I could do to stay awake, much less talk to him.

Finally, I reached the top. I closed my eyes, leaning against the wall, trying to ignore the pain throbbing through my body. “Sophie,” Seth said gently. I felt a light hand on my shoulder.

“Whaddyant?” I mumbled.

“Keep moving,” he coaxed. “We’re almost there.” I stumbled forward, only able to see dark shapes. Somehow, I managed to make it to a room that seemed familiar. Still, all I could tell you about it was that it had a bed.

I collapsed onto it, shifting anxiously, trying to find a comfortable position that didn’t hurt. I ended up on my back with my head tilted at an awkward angle. The pain was still there – all the Ibuprofen in the world couldn’t make it disappear – but it was dull enough for me to handle.

I felt a light hand brush my hair off my face. “What did he do to you?” the boy whispered.

I was too far gone to reply. The darkness closed over me and I would've been happy to sleep forever.