Seeing Buttons

Chapter 9 (T)

Chapter 9: Tired Brother

When Tommy woke up Wilbur wasn't in his room. So he went downstairs, Wilbur was sitting at the kitchen table tiredly eating cereal.

"Wilbur? Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, hello Tommy."

"Are you okay?"

"Am I okay?"

"Yes."

Why aren't you answering the question?

"Do you remember when I said that I had a nightmare?" Wilbur asked. As Tommy sat down to eat breakfast.

"Yeah?"

"Let's just say, it got worse."

Wilbur didn't sound good, nor did he look good.

"What was in your dream?"

"You getting hurt... Me getting hurt... You getting hurt and I can't help you. The usual vivid nightmare stuff."

"I'm sorry Wilbur."

"S'alright. Nothing you can do... Hardly anything I can do." Wilbur stood up slowly and took his now empty bowl to the sink.

It wasn't fair that Tommy got these fanciful dreams, (not a dream?) while Wilbur lost sleep over his.

...

Tommy spent the rest of that morning trying to find ways of cheering Wil up. He was odviously left paranoid after whatever had happened in his nightmare because he kept peering at the crevices in the walls as if there was something staring back.

Tommy asked him to play some board games with him, but Wilbur seemed lifeless as he was playing.

He didn't even get competitive during monopoly.

He asked Wilbur to watch TV with him but Wilbur just fell asleep for about five minutes, before waking again, looking somewhat horrified.

He dragged Wil outside to play in the rain with him, but Wilbur just stood at the porch, staring into space. He must've had a lot on his mind.

"Wilbur!" Tommy shook Wil's shoulder, as he stood on the porch.

"Yes Tommy?"

"Your girlfriend's here!"

Wilbur stared for a moment before saying, "I don't have a girlfriend, Tommy."

"No, you idiot! That girl you've been flirting with for days is back!"

"What?"

Tommy pointed to her car.

Sure enough, the red haired girl stepped out of the car and waved to them.

"C'mon, let's go say hi."

Tommy had never talked to the girl before but he was really hoping that she could bring the old Wilbur back.

...

She couldn't bring the old Wilbur back.

She was very nice, her name was Fawn apparently, and she didn't push Wilbur because he seemed so out of it. Wilbur seemed slightly looser when she was there but it could very well be Tommy's imagination.

She invited the two of them to help her get some of the stuff out of the apartment, and Wilbur accepted on both of their behalfs. She later told Tommy that she offered because physical exercise is good for your emotional health and might help him go back to normal. He trusted her, she seemed like she knew what she was talking about.