Taken Away

Alex was slumped in the office chair. He was at his first therapy session. His mother decided that this was what was best for him. He needed to talk about his feelings and since he refused to speak to them about it maybe therapy would be helpful.

He stared resentfully at his mother talking to his therapist. Alex had refused to speak for the entire 45 min; he had nothing to say to some lady who knew nothing about his life. The one person he wanted to talk to was the one person who he could no longer talk to. He felt tears well up in the eyes and struggled to keep them under control. When his mother came back over he was full out sobbing and she just wrapped her arms around him, rocking him in an office waiting room full of people.

*
Alex was lying quietly on his bed, his duvet pulled up around his shoulders. His mother had taken him home and laid down with him for a while, rubbing his back soothingly until he fell into a fitful sleep. He had woken up alone; his mother had left him a glass of water and some Advil. He took a small sip of water, but left the dull ache in his head alone. Pain was something he deserved. He missed Jenna terribly, but mostly he missed Zack. No matter how angry he was, or how much he blamed Zack, he still wanted him right now. He wished Zack was here to wrap his arms around him, to tell him that everything was going to be ok. The fact was though that nothing was ok. He never deserved to be happy again. Alex sat up slowly and opened his bedside drawer; he dug to the bottom and pulled out a picture. It was of him, Zack, and Jenna. He sat holding it for a minute before he pulled out a lighter and set it on fire.

*

Zack fidgeted in the backseat of the car. He had tried to convince his parents he was feeling ill and should just stay in bed but his mother had taken his temperature and then forced him to get dressed. He had been in bed all day thinking about tonight and the anxiety was actually making him feel sick.

“Zack, aren’t you excited to see Alex?” His mother asked him, turning around slightly in her seat to get a better look at him. Zack just shrugged, he felt he might vomit if he opened his mouth.

His stomach only got worse as they pulled into the driveway of the Gaskarth’s house. He hadn’t been here since a week before summer, the night before Alex left. He shook the memories from his head and dragged his feet as he walked behind his parents to the door.

He put on his best fake smile as Isobel opened the door and hugged them all, leading them into the living room.

“Zack, Alex is upstairs in his room; he was taking a nap before you guys got here. You can head on up though.” She smiled at him and watched as he slowly stood up from the couch.

He coughed slightly to clear his throat, “umm ok.”

He traipsed slowly up the stairs to the last door on the left. The outside of the door hadn’t changed and Zack gradually worked up the courage to knock quietly and push open the door.

He looked in to see Alex curled up in the corner of his bed, his hair a mess and his mouth slightly open as he breathed, deep in sleep. Zack leaned back against the wall, just watching Alex sleep. He accidentally bumped the door though and it closed with a snap. Alex must not have been sleeping as deeply as Zack thought because he jumped at the noise sitting up and staring blankly at Zack, mind still clouded with sleep. He slowly started to wake up and seemed to realize who was standing in front of him. Zack watched as Alex’s eyes glazed with tears and he glared at Zack.

“What are you doing in here?”