He Stole My Heart ✅

47 - Sarcasm as coping mechanism

"You want to talk?" Kevin asked Zack. Kevin stood beside Zack's hospital bed and I took the chair.

"What is there to talk? I'm fine so both of you stop those pity stares you were sending my way." Zack snapped, his fingers playing with a silver ring in his hand.

"And what is her highness doing here?" He continued asking Kevin ignoring me.

"I wanted to come," I told him.

"Why? Because you missed me and can't pass another day without looking at my handsome face." He teased like always but the twinkle in his eyes was missing.

I stayed quiet but then again he asked in mock horror.

"To shower me with sympathy? No thanks, I'm fine."

"Kevin let's get out of here man, this hospital smell is killing my appetite." He directed his focus to Kevin bored with my lack of response.

Kevin and I looked at each other confused. What is wrong with him? He is sounding like the same Zack I have ever known since freshman year. But you can't miss the absence of playful glint in his eyes. His eyes seemed dead...devoid of any expression

I know what he is doing. Acting like he was fine when he is not. And he is doing a very bad job at it.

"Kevin I missed watching last night's game. Did you watch it?" Zack asked coolly like that was the most important thing to talk about right now.

"Why are you acting this way?" Kevin hissed in anger.

Okay, that was a first seeing Kevin so irritated and so angry and I can't blame him. Zack is getting on my nerves too.

"What's the wrong man? Did you miss it too? Damn, we have to watch the reruns then."

"I'm going to get some breakfast for us." Kevin left irritated. Because he would have snapped at Zack if he stayed for another minute.

Zack opened his mouth to speak but I cut him before he could utter a word.

"If you are planning to make small talk for my sake or act funny, then drop it. I'm just here because you are my friend and I care for you. If you ever need someone to talk to or listen to you then you know I'm here... for you."

Zack just stayed quiet clutching the ring in his palm, which now I think belongs to his mother. I don't blame him for the way he acts, cause I know that feeling where you just curse your every breath. Hating all the pity and sympathies.

I just stayed silent because I don't have words to comfort his pain. Back then I was lucky enough to have the Browns treat me as their own.

"How do you get out of this pain?" He asked all of a sudden. His voice was low and brittle, he sounded so much in pain.

"You never will. Their absence will always haunt you. But we need to learn to move on with our lives and they will be in a better place seeing us happy."

After Kevin brought some breakfast, the doctor checked Zack and told us he was good to be discharged. We sat in the car, with Kevin taking a shotgun and I sat at the back with Zack.

"Can we just go to my home before we leave? I need to pick a few things." Zack asked.

The car halted in front of Zack's building. I waited with Kevin outside the apartment looking around the surroundings. The whole apartment building looked smaller than the house I'm currently living in. The streets were narrow and dingy.

After a few minutes, Zack came back with a duffel bag. "Is that all you need," Kevin asked.

"Yes"

The rest of the journey is quiet and the lack of sleep from the night before made me doze off in the car.