Part Three
Zach was standing in the kitchen with a glass of water when it happened.
He dropped it.
It slipped right through his hands and onto the floor, shattering into pieces. The noise alone made him freeze for a long moment as he felt his heart rate quicken, expecting bad things to follow: He tried to shake it off and knelt down to gather the glass, not realizing how badly his hands were trembling until they were in his line of sight.
His breath quickened as he pushed the glass around, forming a pile. He was mumbling numbers to himself.
Drew came into the kitchen as soon as he heard the noise. He bit his lip with concern at the sight. "You alright?"
The voice distracted him. "Shit...y-you made me lose count."
Drew frowned and knelt in front of him, picking up the pieces. "What are you counting?"
Zach latched onto his wrist. "Stop! I didn't..." He felt light headed. He swallowed hard, his grip loosening on Drew. "I didn't..."
Drew dropped the pieces and grabbed onto Zach's shoulders to steady him instead. "Zach what are you talking about?"
He shook his head back and forth, pushing himself away from the glass, away from the pain. "Sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry."
Drew sighed and grabbed up the pieces. "There's nothing to be sorry for. You're okay."
Zach was craving her touch. He wanted her comforting arms wrapped around him, drowning out his pain. No.
"Am I?" His voice tore in two. "Do you think I'm okay?"
His hand found its way to his arm, where he ran his thumb across the word she left. Breathing was hard, but it was bearable.
Drew's concern loomed over him. "I think you're in the process of getting there," he said softly.
Zach ran his hands down his arms. He craved warmth. He got up off the ground and looked down at where the glass had been. He wondered how many pieces there were.
"You look distressed."
Zach met his eyes. "That's one word."
Drew took a step forward until he was in arm's reach. He extended his arms out and Zach shuffled gratefully into them, burying his head in the crook of his neck, clinging onto his sweatshirt. "Thank you," he breathed.
"If you ever want to talk about it, I'll listen."
Zach knew that, he just didn't want to talk about it. "Thanks."
That night didn't turn out much better for him. He was laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling for awhile until his eyes finally got so heavy that they shut.
He suddenly felt the collar around his neck. He grasped onto it, trying to pull away. It didn't matter which way he sat or stood, he was suffocating. He felt rain on his skin. But whenever a drop landed on him the sound of glass shattering rang right between his ears. The rain was crashing down, breaking and threatening him.
"There there," her voice bounced off the walls, drawing him in.
She was on the other side of the room, holding an umbrella over her head and beckoning him towards her. He stumbled forwards, gulping the air upon the sweet release of the collar. The rain was still shattering all around him. It fell clear, but landed red. No matter how fast he ran towards her, he didn't seem to get any closer.
"Help me," he reached out to her. "Please."
She shook her head, refusing to leave the safety of her umbrella. "You can do it. Come on."
