Early Mourning

What's wrong with him?

I can't help but wonder and think of so many possibilities that make Dane act the way he does. From the moment I laid eyes on him I knew there was something going on in his head. Just the way he walked gave me the signal that there was something wrong.

I studied the stranger closely, watching as he stared at the table before him and sipped at his water every few seconds. Enrique had told me that when ever the cafe was going slow, studying its occupants was one way to be entertained. Katie sighed beside me and crossed her arms, leaving one up to support her head. "He comes he every day" She mused quietly. I titled my head at her and realized she was talking about the boy I had been staring at.

"He doesn't talk much, in fact that's all he does, just sit there," she whispered and took out a stick of gum to chew on. I furrowed my eye brows and continued watching the boy.


Dane's like a living skeleton. His hands bony, his joints sickeningly visible and his cheeks were slightly sunken in. I wondered how he was even alive as I held him in my arms, praying that I was able to take away a small part of his pain just by being here.

"L-Larson" He whimpered, his fingers curling into the fabric of my shirt.

"What?" I hummed as I rubbed his arm. "I'm a horrible person," he cried.

"What how?" I asked. Dane just shook his head and pulled away from me.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry" He began repeating like a chant, his eyes looked up at me, tears falling from them as his breathing picked up.

"Dane, just calm down okay?" I told him soothingly. "What ever you did is in the past, okay? You can not keep beating yourself over this, it's not healthy and you may think you should be dead, but I certainly don't. You need to take better care of himself" I continued.

Dane became silent, pressing his cheek into the couch and closing his eyes. His rapid breaths turned into soft snores as his body slowly relaxed. I sighed and rubbed by jaw.

I have to find out why he's like this.