Troubled Souls // 5SOS

XVI ∞ Brother

WARNING: The next two chapters are dark and will contain mentions of death, self-harm, and suicide. Please be aware of this and read with caution.

• Ashton •

I thought I would be the last person in the room for therapy, but when I arrive, there's still one empty seat.

"Sorry I'm late," I say to Sophie as I sit down next to Jade. "Traffic was awful."

"It's alright, Ashton," she replies, checking my name off of her list. "Do you think that's why Luke is late, too?"

I shrug in reply. "I couldn't tell you."

As if on cue, the door creaks open and there's Luke, all dressed in black. The sleeves of his sweater are pulled all the way down even though it's really hot out. It reminds me of the day we all got together for our first therapy meeting.

"There you are, Luke," Sophie says, marking him down on her attendance sheet. "We were worried you might not get here in time."

That's when I notice how puffy and red Luke's eyes are. He looks exhausted, the way Jade always looked before she figured out how to cover up her dark shadows with makeup. When he speaks, his voice is raspy and broken, like it's caught in his throat. "Well, here I am."

Sophie doesn't seem to notice the way he looks or sounds and she just nods in reply, turning to Calum. "Calum, what happened to you foot?" She asks, gesturing to his cast.

Calum explains to her what happened after our last therapy session and tells us all about what the doctor said when they found out his ankle was broken. Calum has osteoporosis that was caused by his anorexia, which is why his ankle broke so easily.

"When do we get to sign your cast?" I ask, making Calum laugh.

"Whenever you want, I guess," he replies with a shrug.

I'm trying to just keep things light, but I can't ignore the fact that Luke has obviously been crying. "Luke, are you okay?" I ask.

He had been lost in his thoughts and looks at me with surprise before his expression hardens. "I'm fine," he mutters. "Why wouldn't I be fine?"

"You just don't look very good, I wanted to make sure everything's okay," I reply.

"I'm fine, it's none of your fucking business," he snaps, shocking me.

"Okay, jeez, I'm sorry I asked," I reply, surprised and honestly a little hurt. He's acting the same way he did on the first day. I thought he had changed.

Sophie gets our attention to start the meeting. "Well, guys, why don't we start off today by sharing what happened during our week?" she asks. "Calum, obviously you haven't had the best week, what with breaking your ankle and everything."

"Well, it's not so bad, I guess," he replies with a shrug. "I got used to the crutches pretty quickly and it hasn't been all that hard to get around. But it kinda sucks that it's not going to heal up very soon. They said I'll probably have to wear the cast for the rest of the summer."

"And who's fault is that?" Luke speaks up, his voice harsh and sharp. "I mean, you did jump in the water and everything."

Calum looks shocked and offended, the same way I had felt when Luke had snapped at me. "It was an accident," Calum replies. "I didn't jump in with the intention of breaking my ankle."

"Yeah, well, things don't always go the way we plan, do they?" Luke replies coldly.

Calum doesn't reply, but mumbles something like "What is his deal?" Everyone else looks a bit confused and worried, but Sophie moves on.