Power Trip | NBANARDO

twenty three

♤ NARDO ♤

Walking into anger management, after weeks of him ditching Horace knew he was different.

Not in the way he was supposed to be.

At the signaling of his presence, Clifford was already rushing towards him, ready to start fussing.

"Horace didn't we talk about-"

"I really ain't in the fuckin' mood." He bit back, The older man catching a full look at his face.

The bags in his eyes had grown considerably deeper and Horace looked even older than his age.

Stress was in his body language, all in his form and all it did was make Clifford more concerned.

"Tell me what's wrong."

"I'm fine."

"You're not."

"Didn't I just say I was?"His irritation starting to double,"What the fuck is with the extra questions?!"

"You always pullin' me to the side, gettin' on my ass what's the point?" He got progressively more heated, feeling an anger he hadn't felt in so long.

"Fuck you so obsessed with me for?!" He screamed shoving the man faraway from his space, his breathing growing ragged.

He got into the bigger man's space, pushing and prodding at him until he was shoved onto the wall in his office restrained.

"It's cause I fuckin' care!"He yelled back, "You remind me alot of myself and damn it, you got potential."

"I ain't finna watch you get destroyed you done come too far!"He took a calming breath himself, "So tell me, what's goin' on."

All the stress that Horace had been holding onto, all the tears the fear the big wall he was holding broke apart, his whole body starting to shake.

"I don't know what to do," He confessed, "I feel like he's gonna fuckin' kill himself and it'll be my fault it'll be my fuckin' fault!"

"What?"

"Kentrell bruh,"Horace body shook gripping at his hair as he expressed himself,"He keeps getting worse and I don't know what to do, I wanna do something but it ain't fuckin' workin'!"

"Take a breath,"

"Its been a full month and some change of this shit." He looked up to his elder, eyes teary and red.

"Okay, I'ma take care of yo absences alright?"Clifford put his hand on his shoulder,"And we gon' handle this."

"He hates it here, I know he does but I don't want him gone. I know that's selfish, and its killin' me."

"Horace."Clifford chose his words carefully, "Sometimes in certain situations we have to distance ourselves from people, we love- of course we want them to thrive with us but if they're draining us it comes to a point."

"I'm scared."

"I know."He sighed rubbing circles into the younger's back."We ain't gon' let him hurt himself."

"How the fuck you know?"

"Cause you ain't alone."Clifford spoke sternly, "And I'ma need you to stop actin' like you are."

They sat in his office and talked for hours, Horace knowing what he was going to have to do eventually.

*****