The Girl With the Half Beating Heart

After their heartfelt moment of self purpose, and a lot of kissing, Alex and Acacia lie on the floor of the treehouse, staring up at the stars. Her head is in his chest, and he’s stroking her hair gently.
“Hey Alex?” She says softly, peeking up at him through her eyelashes.
“Hey Acacia.” He replies with a soft smile.
“Remember when I told you my story?”
“Yes, I do.”
“You never told me yours.”
He sighs. “I didn’t.”
“Can you please? If you don’t mind.” She asks. Alex tenses up, but he doesn’t reply. “Its okay if you don’t want to, it's just I feel like there’s a lot I don’t know. You know practically everything about me, and I only know bits and pieces about you.”
“No, its okay. I just haven’t really told anyone this, you know?” He replies quietly. She nods against his chest. “I want to start with one thing,” He begins as he sits up. Acacia lifts her head up, and sits across from him.
“Okay.” She says with a quick nod.
“Please, do not feel any pity, or anything of the sort for me. Do not feel bad for me, do not feel sad, do not start to look at me like some lost puppy after I tell you this.” He says firmly. She nods again. “And also, please do not let this change your opinion of me.” He adds weakly. “Promise me you won’t.”
She holds out her pinky, and he locks it with his. “I promise.”
He sighs. “Okay. It all started on December 14th, 1987. I was born to two happy parents, Isobel and Peter Gaskarth, in Essex, England, a town just outside of London.” He starts, running his hands up and down his arms. He’s nervous, but he’s also freezing. But there’s no way he’s going to take his jacket back from Acacia. So he continues to run his hands up and down his arms.
"I was the final addition to my happy family. It was me, my parents, and my older brother, Tom Gaskarth." He says with a gulp. Acacia darts her eyes to the side, confused. He said he didn't have any siblings. But she doesn't want to interrupt him, so she just keeps listening.
"When I was like 8, my father got a job in the states. So we moved here, to Baltimore." He says softly. "Things were great, you know as great as they can be for the average 8 or 9 year old. I had an amazing older brother who was my best friend, and I had amazing parents who spoiled the hell out of me. Basically, I had all a kid could ask for, and possibly more than that." He laughs lightly. But his smile starts to fade. "And that's when it all went to hell."
He looks up at Acacia, but quickly looks back down to his bracelets. He starts to fidget with them. Nervous habit.
"When I was about 11, my brother Tom began to fall ill. Really ill." He whispers, still not wanting to make eye contact. "At the time, I didn't really pay much attention to it. Because they told me he'd be fine. Everyone did. Including him." He adds. "You know, still remember what he told me one time. He was in the hospital, and when I asked him why he was there, he told me he was getting checked up to see if he had superpowers." He laughs, a smile reappearing on his face as he thinks about his brother. "I told my parents that I wanted a superhero check up too, but they said had to wait. That I wasn't old enough yet." His smile fades.
"But all while my brother was sick, all my parents did was fight. I don't remember everything, because I've managed to block out a lot of my childhood. But they fought. A lot." He whispers. It seems his voice is only becoming smaller. "Fast forward a few months later, and my brother was on his death bed. That's when they finally told me that he wasn't okay. That he was dying. And that hit me like a fucking train." A tear starts to glide down his cheek, but he wipes it away quickly. "I mean, he was my best fucking friend, and then out of nowhere, he's dying? I didn't understand. I still don't." He shakes his head. "I don't remember how he went, but it was alcohol related. Probably kidney failure, but I have no clue." He looks up to Acacia, who's face has a straight look. "All I knew was that my best friend was gone. And all the things we never got to do were all I thought about for a long time. They still linger in the back of my mind." He admits. "You know, I waited forever for that checkup." He says. "Even after he was gone. I swore if I had powers, I could bring him back." He laughs, feeling his eyes grow watery. "But I know I can't dwell on him. It's not good for me, and he wouldn't want that." He looks up he sky, then back to the floor of the treehouse.
"So as you can imagine, after the death of my brother, my parents were downright toxic. If they weren't fighting, they were sleeping. It was terrible." He starts to ring out his hands as he talks. "Fast forward to about a year after my brother's death, and my father's gone. He went to get some eggs he said, and he didn't come back. He was gone. Just like that." He begins to nervously chew on the inside of his cheek. He's never told anyone these things, and it feels like his chest is ripping in half.
"I still remember what he said to me the day he left. He told me he loved me, and that it wasn't my fault. I didn't understand, so I shrugged it off. He gave me the tightest hug he'd ever given me, and I just stared at him weird." He says, looking off into space. "God, I wish I knew. I wish he told me. Maybe things wouldn't have been so fucking hard, you know?" He says, talking to no one in particular. Acacia still nods, obviously intrigued. "So since her son died, and her husband left her, my mom became a drunk." He sniffles. "Even though your own fucking son's life was robbed by alcohol, you became a drunk." He laughs, shaking his head. "I don't understand some people."
"So fast forward about four years of my mothers drunken abuse, and that puts us here. My 'dad' calls this Christmas, and tries to feed me a heaping pile of bullshit." He scoffs with an eye roll. "Except one thing wasn't bullshit. He tried to call me. For years. But my mother hid it from me. To 'protect me.' I think that's a load of bull, but I don't care anymore."
"So here we are, me, and the rest of my fallen family. My drunken mother, my bastard of a father, and my dead brother. Merry Christmas." He mumbles, looking up at Acacia. She's at a lost of words. And she thought she had it bad.
"Alex, I'm, I'm so sorry." She whispers.
"What did I tell you?" He says quietly. She doesn't know how to respond. So instead, she jumps into his arms, and hugs him as tightly as she can. He hugs her back, as tears stream down his face.
"It's okay." She cooes from his chest, running her fingers down Alex's back. "It's alright, Alex."
They sit in an embrace for some more time, but eventually return to the position they were in before. Alex is laying down, and Acacia's head is in his chest.
"Hey Alex?"
"Hey Acacia."
"Are you okay?"
"I'm okay as I can be." He sighs. "I'm just damaged beyond repair."