Hollow - LS

14| Depressed

14| Depressed

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"The bravest thing I ever did was continuing my life when I wanted to die."

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Depressed

Adjective

(Of a person) in a state of general unhappiness or despondency.

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The silence is loud after he said he was with a friend.

From where he was standing, he could see that she was trying to think over the small number of friends he has and which one he could be hanging out with.

But what comes next is something that Louis expected to happen.

Quickly, her face scrunches up in anger and her eyes narrow. "What friend?" She stands up, and places her hands on her hips. "And why didn't you tell me? Imagine my surprise when I went to pick you up and you weren't there."

"I-I-" He found himself stuttering.

His mother didn't seem to notice. "So where were you? And this time, tell me the truth."

Louis tries not to say something rude and thinks over how she normally isn't always there to pick him up, but today she was. In that moment, he decides to keep quiet. And that only seems to anger her more.

"Well? Are you going to answer me?"

"I just did." He whispered, and hated how unsure she was making him feel. "I was with a friend."

"Do I know this friend?" She asked.

"No." He shakes his head. "You don't."

"So you skipped a support group meeting to hang out with a friend?" She asked slowly, digesting it all. "Am I hearing that correctly?"

"Yes." He nodded.

Silence followed after that, and Louis almost didn't want to look up at his mother. Because when he did, he saw nothing but disappointment and sadness lingering in her eyes. Her face still showed anger towards him, but now there was more disappointment than angry.

"Sometimes you make me so disappointed in you, Louis."

And for the life of him, he couldn't understand why.

"Go to bed." She said afterward. "We will talk more in the morning."

He couldn't shake the look she gave him. It followed him as he walked into his room to change, and it remained with him until he felt his phone vibrate right before he was supposed to turn the light off. It seemed to disappear as he read the text he was waiting for.

Hey, it's Harry. I made it home okay.

He turned off the light with a small smile on his face, and tears forming in his eyes.

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When Louis woke up the next morning, he expected to start his day out simply. He woke up early, and got ready as he always did, and leaned above the railing upstairs to see if his mother was already downstairs.

From above, he could hear her moving around and talking softly to herself. But thankfully, she didn't say anything towards the upstairs direction, so Louis continued getting ready until he was prepared to face his mother. Or at least, mentally prepared.

For a couple of minutes, he stands at the top of the stairs and takes a few deep breaths to calm down his nerves. He knows that he shouldn't be nervous in his own house, but he can't help it. Last night ended on unsettling terms, and Louis now feels slightly uncomfortable in his own house. Down below, he can still hear his mother talking, but now it seems like she wasn't talking to herself.

Confused and curious, Louis stops and walks down the stairs. He reaches the kitchen a half second later, and spots who is sitting there, and stupidity replaced the confusion he felt a second before.

Instead of it being a welcoming neighbor, it's two familiar people sitting near his mother. They both seem to be drinking coffee and talking politely, but stop once they notice Louis standing there. Louis felt his body tighten up when he spots the familiar smile that he saw at the night of the event.

Eleanor gets up from the chair first, and gives him a tight hug. She quickly moves away before Louis could even register she was giving him a hug or even return it. He can sense that disappointment in his mother's eyes again, and that begins to make him feel uneasy.

"How are you, Louis?" Eleanor asks lightly. "I didn't hear back from you."

His mother butts in. "Didn't hear back from him?" She moves her gaze towards her son. "You didn't respond back to her?"

"I forgot." He lies.

Eleanor shrugs like she isn't all too bothered by it. "It's okay. I'm glad to see you now!"

"Me too." He lies again.

He politely says 'hello' to her mother, and moves to grab an orange from the basket on top of the stove. Eleanor follows him, and moves to stand next to him. "I was wondering if you wanted to hang out?"

Louis finishes peeling the orange, and thinks over the question. Here he was, just waking up, seeing Eleanor for the first time in a while, and having been asked to hang out. His mind and body don't want to, and for a second he thinks about telling her no.

Even though he knows that will disappoint his mother even further, he can't find it in himself to care or even pretend like he wants to hang out. And suddenly that feels like a first for him. But before he can honestly say how he feels, his mother interrupts him. He looks over at her, and it's almost like she could sense that he wanted to decline the invitation because she sends him a warning look.

"He would love to, Eleanor." She says in a voice that sounds so different from the night before. "Very kind of you to ask. Isn't it, Louis?"

Louis doesn't bother to argue with her. "Yes, it is."

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A/N: I'm so sorry for the late update, but I hope you guys enjoyed it! (: