Therapy

The sun's rays beamed through the blinds in Alex's bedroom, hoping to get him a little happier. There was no hope; everything that had happened, happened, and everything Alex wanted at the moment, he would never get. He wanted Peter back; he wanted to take back everything he had ever said to Peter. He wanted his brother back.

Alex's eyes fluttered open and he almost got up like he usually did, but remembered what had happened not six hours earlier. He shut his eyes tightly and blinked the tears away, letting them cascade down his cheek. Maybe if he did things normally, it could get Peter off his mind. So Alex stood from his bed and walked downstairs, seeing nobody but his father in the kitchen.

Steven looked up from his coffee mug and into his son's eyes; he looked so much like Peter it hurt. So he had to look away. He knew it'd hurt Alex, but he didn't want to think about Peter right now. Then he looked at Alex's attire and furrowed his eyebrows together, "Where are you going?"

"School," Alex sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Sure enough, Steven observed the backpack slung on Alex's shoulder, half-open.

"Are you sure about that, Alex?" Steven looked at his son sadly. "I mean - after everything that's happened - don't you want to take a break? Forget everything?"

"I figured going to school would take my mind off of it," Alex sighed, knowing his father didn't believe him. "Dad, I'm fine. Just - please let me go to school today."

Steven sighed, "Alright. But if you need to come home; just call. I'll understand, son." Steven inwardly cringed at the word 'son,' then he watched his only son left walk out the door.

Alex walked down the driveway and to the curb to his old Sedan. Then he stopped and looked back at his house; regret filling his eyes. He slowly made his way back inside, then looked at his crying father at the kitchen table. "Dad?" Alex sniffed, causing Steven to look up.

Both embraced each other tightly and cried, "We'll get through this, Alex."

"I know, Dad," Alex cried, then wiped the tears from his eyes. He walked back out the door and to his car, then got in. When he got to school he ignored all the stares of everyone and focused on finding his friends. Jack, Rian and Kara stood next to Rian's locker, sad looks on their faces. Alex sighed, braced himself, then walked up to them. All three had looks of disbelief on their faces, but didn't want to bring anything up. "Hey guys."

"Hey," Rian said softly, then they all made their way to their first classes. Alex sat beside Kara in Chemistry; he could feel her glancing at him every few seconds. He knew that the question was burning inside her.

Mrs. Walker made her way toward Alex, a look of sorrow on her face. Softly, she laid her hand on his shoulder, "I'm so sorry, Alex. Take as much time as you need on your assignments."

Alex sighed, then nodded, showing her he understood.

Kara sighed as well, then looked over at him, "I'm really sorry, Alex."

He was getting frustrated at everyone's apologies. It wasn't their fault; they didn't need to give him their sorry crap. Alex stood up suddenly, walking out of the classroom; he slammed the door, causing Kara to jump in her seat. She raised her hand, "Can I go talk to him?" Mrs. Walker only nodded sadly, gesturing toward the door.

Kara slowly made her way outside, then around the corner. She looked down and saw Alex set against a locker. Kara dropped her tote and sat down beside him, taking his hand in a friendly way. A tear fell from her eye as she looked over at him. She'd never seen Alex so down. There was a lack of life coming from him and it scared her. "I don't want to say I'm sorry, Alex." He looked up at her with a look of confusion, "I get it. You don't want to be treated any differently. I just want you to know I'm here. You know - I was close to Peter, too. We all were. So we're all going to stick together for the time being."

Alex shut his eyes, holding in the tears. Then he let them out and rested his head on Kara's shoulder, "I just feel like I'm the one to blame for all this, Kar."

"It's not your fault, Alex," She shook her head, lifting his chin up to her level. There was moment of silence as Alex nodded, intertwining his fingers with Kara's tightly. She smiled a little at his gesture, then kissed his forehead lightly. "Let's go back in there."

Alex sighed, smiling a little, then he wiped his runny nose, "You're the greatest, Kar."