Only Sleeping ✔️

Chapter 18 | Mason

Who is everyone's favourite character?

If you didn't read the author's notes a while back, Hank is hands down my favourite character.

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The unbearable burning I feel inside me makes me want to tear myself inside out. Hearing Will call himself a waste of space was like being hit by a freight train. Words I never wanted to hear from him and I'm the reason he's saying them. The worst part is I can't do anything. I want to punch something, or scream, or drown my sorrows away in a never-ending glass of tequila, but I can't. Because Gage Jackson is sitting next to me in the locker room angry and confused.

"Am I the fucking world's shittiest brother or what?"

I shrug, but Gage continues anyway.

 "What the fuck happened? I should have known something was off"

I wince because somehow my fucked feelings for Will have hurt everyone I care about. I try to console Gage because none of this is my fault and if I was more of a man maybe I would just own up and tell him that, but I don't. 

"Maybe he's seriously just having a bad day dude" 

Gage shakes his head.

 "No. Will doesn't swear, ever. If he's cursing like that something must really be getting to him. I mean he called himself a waste of space!"

H growls "Fuck, do you think someone called him that!? I'll kill the fucker!" 

I nod, my thoughts exactly when I watched the guy call him that and more. I clench my jaw Will should have never been close enough to Shawn to hear that shit. This was exactly what I was scared of, people as good as Will should never get close to people as fucked up as me. 

The bell rings and Gage punches the locker closest to him "Shit!"

I sigh standing "Gage..."

 I clench my hands to try and keep myself composed.

 "I know you're upset but Will's old enough he'll tell you if he needs your help"

Gage looks defeated "Will he?"

I sigh not having an answer for him. We don't talk about it again, instead, we both get changed for practice in silence. I don't bother going home after practice instead I go work my shift at the bar. 5 hours later I round the bar and take a seat.

Gary lifts a brow "You staying?"

 I nod and wave my hand in a hand-it-over motion.  "A bottle"

He shakes his head "C'mon kid there's no reason for that"

 I glare "A bottle Gary" 

He sighs "I'm cutting you off when I see fit Mason"

I roll my eyes "Whatever."

He hands the bottle over and it's the only thing I focus on for the next three hours.

I stumble into the house at 3:00 am and thankfully Shawn isn't home. I couldn't care less.

I struggle to make it up the stairs and Hank's door opens making me cringe. Fuck.

 "Mason? Are you good?"

I grunt trying to stand up and appear normal "I'm fine" 

Hank's face hardens "You're trashed"

I shake my head "I'm not, I just had....had uh a f f fuck, a few drinks" 

He glares "Are you fucking kidding me?!"

I narrow my eyes "Don't ssswear Hank" 

He shakes his head "Unbelievable! You promised!"