The same continued the next day. Sam wouldn't even look at anyone, much less talk, and worried the hell out of both June and Charles. Simon and Madeline were probably really worried about the boy, too, but they didn't show it. But they, unlike him, were positive that Sam just needed some space and that he'd be perfectly alright after the exams were over; they'd tried to convince Charles by saying the same. Maybe it was too overwhelming for him - having to manage exams as well as having so many people caring for him. It can get draining to care for so many people, yes, but having too many people care about you was just as equally draining, if not more. At least, that's what they thought. As much as they knew Sam, that was most likely the case.
But Charles wasn't taking any of it - he wanted to talk to Sam and ask him what the matter was. He didn't like this guessing game they were all playing and nor did he like the fact that Sam didn't respond to any of his texts. He'd unblocked June, but June had enough sense in him not to bombard Sam with more texts so he just let it be, standing as clueless as Charles.
Right after their fourth exam, Charles raced out of his class as fast as he could and went into the room Sam would be in. He knew the room - he'd asked June. But when he went there, all he saw was a mop of brown hair resting on the desk and Charles was immediately reminded of the day he saw Sam in a similar condition and had walked away. Without saying anything. He could vividly remember - no, he could feel - the emotions that flooded his entire body that day. The way his brain continuously fed him thoughts he didn't want, the way his heart felt as heavy as a boulder, the way his stomach dropped with the feeling of uselessness. He wasn't going to repeat himself, not again. So, he tried to get into the class, but saw that the teacher was still there and was collecting all the papers. He waited there for some more time, not wanting to leave Sam be miserable, but was soon forced to leave, forced to let history repeat itself, as the bell rang.
Once school was done, Charles didn't try to hunt for Sam again. He just decided to let him be, let him do what he thought was good for him. But, the problem was, Charles knew that what Sam thought was good for him was, in fact, not at all good for him. He unnecessarily beat himself up and put himself down, thus deepening the self-hatred he had for himself. Choosing not to say anything, but rather text, Charles took out his phone to send Sam a message, hoping it wouldn't be ignored the way all of his other messages were. He didn't want a reply, he just wanted Sam to read it. Read it and be reassured that he has at least one person in the world (other than June, of course) who saw worth in him.
Charle_s
sam
whatever it is you're in
please know that I'm here, okay?
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YOU ARE READING
Two Introverts ✔
RomantizmWhen Samuel finds himself lost and incapable of facing his problems and the whole lot of insecurities he'd built up from childhood, he comes to realize that he can't fix all of it all by himself -- and that it's okay to ask for help. It's okay to be...
