Hold Fast

That night, Kellin and I made the attempt to remain in his room, but it was short lived. We heard footsteps coming up the stairs and Kellin told me to hide in his closet. I didn’t want to leave him alone, but I obeyed and hid inside, listening to the commotion going on outside. Moments after I made it into the closet, his bedroom door was flung open.
“No! Stay away from him!” Kellin’s mom screamed.
“Stay out of this!” His dad yelled back. “I already told you that there isn’t a choice for you two.” I peeked out of the crack I had left in the door. Kellin’s mom was in tears and Kellin was sitting at the head of his bed, knees pulled up to his chest.
“Now, you.” His dad turned his attention to his son. “Pack your shit. We’re leaving.” Kellin didn’t move. This made his dad angry and he walked over towards him. Kellin cowered away from him and I nearly burst through the closet, but his dad didn’t hit him. He grabbed him by the collar and pulled him towards him. “I said, pack your shit.” Kellin just nodded. His dad dropped him back onto his bed and left the room. Kellin’s mom was sobbing in the doorway and I stepped from the closet to go over to help her stand.
“Kellin?” I asked. He was staring at the doorway, tears streaming down his face. He shook himself a little and stood up and walked over to his mom and I.
“Vic.” He looked up at me. “I need you to leave before he comes back.” I blinked at him, completely confused.
“But Kel-“
“Please.” He stared at me, eyes pleading me to just listen to him. “I’ll be ok.” He gave me a weak smile. I stared at him for a moment before regrettably nodding my head. I didn’t like this idea. Something bad was going to happen, and I wanted to stay with Kellin and his mom.
“Vic, sweetie.” I turned to Kellin’s mom. “I’ll do what I can.” I knew that she was trying to make me feel better, but I knew that it was hopeless. But I smiled at her and gave her a hug. She returned it and I stood to leave, pulling Kellin up with me.
“I love you Kellin. Don’t ever forget that.”
“I never could. I love you too.” I kissed him before making my way over to his window. I climbed out and down the tree that was outside. I took one last look up at his window, waving goodbye. He gave me a small wave before disappearing.
I ran home, crying the entire way. I burst through the front door, almost slamming it shut, and ran to my room. I threw myself onto my bed and began sobbing. Kellin was going to be taken away and there was nothing I could do about it.
I must have been crying pretty loudly because I heard my door open and close and then someone sat on my bed. They rubbed my back and I knew it was Mike. He always did this when I was upset. The gesture calmed me down a bit, and my sobs soon turned into shaky breaths. I slowly rolled over and look up at my brother. His eyes were full of concern and I almost started crying again.
“What happened Vic?”
“His-“ I choked. “His dad…”
“Whose dad?” I blinked back more tears and took a deep breath.
“Kellin’s dad… he’s… he’s taking him.” Mike’s eyes got wide and he pulled me into a hug. He didn’t say anything and just let me cry into his shoulder. I was glad he didn’t try to tell me it would be okay. I was so tired of hearing that lie.
Mike stayed with me until I fell asleep, having finally worn myself out with the crying. I woke the next morning with swollen eyes and a massive headache. I must have overslept because I could hear everyone downstairs. As I rolled out of bed and slowly changed clothes, I heard the doorbell ringing. My head snapped up. Kellin… fuck.
I ran from my room and dashed down the stairs just as my mom opened the door. Kellin’s mom stood on the other side. She looked just as bad as I did and my heart dropped into my stomach.
“My god, are you okay dear?” My mother explaimed as she led Kellin’s mom into the house.
“He came back…” she whispered. Obviously my mom knew what that meant because her eyes got wide.
“Michael, go get a glass of water.” Mike stood from the couch and ran to the kitchen. Kellin’s mom turned and noticed that I was standing there, wide eyes, and a look of dread on my face.
“Vic… I…” she began crying again. My mom helped her over to the chair in our living room and Mike came back with a glass of water and a box of tissues. After he set those down, he walked over to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
“Now, take a deep breath and tell me what happened.” My mom kneeled in front of Kellin’s mom, rubbing her back slowly.
“Eddie took him back.” My mom’s mouth hung open slightly and my worst fears were confirmed.
“How… how could he just take him?” Kellin’s mom pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to my mom. She read it and sighed mournfully. She turned to me, giving me an apologetic look.
I ran. I ran from my house and down the street. I didn’t care where I was going, I just needed to get away from here. Away from the pain, away from the memories. He was gone. Just like that. Everything was finally working out. Just when everything was pretty much perfect, poof, he’s gone.
I hadn’t even realized that I had left down until I almost ran into a tree. I wiped my eyes and hunched over, trying to breathe. I dropped to my knees and sobbed uncontrollably. Nothing could have comforted me at this point.
I pulled myself up from the ground and kept walking. This place looked really familiar so I wasn’t going to panic about getting lost. I rounded a corner and stopped. I was at the bridge. Great, I try to run away from my problem and it comes back to smack me in the face.
I walked over to the middle of the bridge and went to the ledge where I first saw Kellin. Without really thinking, I lifted myself up and stood on the edge, looking down at the ravine below. It was probably a thousand foot fall to the river below, but I wasn’t scared. All I felt was numbness course through me. I walked a little on the ledge, getting really close to the edge, but not trying to be stupid. As upset as I was, I knew that killing myself would just make things worse, especially for Kellin’s mom. She would feel like it was her fault, and she did not deserve that.
I held onto one of the support wires and leaned over slightly, letting the rush of anxiety pass through me. It was nice to just be able to feel something other than pain. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and I almost ignored it. I had a text from a number I didn’t recognize. It wasn’t from here. Curiously, I opened the message. A small smile crossed my lips.
*I have a message from Kellin for you. I’ll call tomorrow when I know more about his situation. He wants me to tell you that everything’s going to be okay and that he loves you. –Justin*
I typed out a quick reply and jumped back onto the solid surface of the bridge. Maybe things would work out. I just needed to be patient.