True Friendship

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It was another long day. Krusty had been arrested, so Mel was free from work. He had only left his job a few hours ago. He had promised to meet Marge, Waylon, and Moe at the library.

"Mel, you look kind of upset." Marge stated.

"It's just Krusty. Nothing big." Mel sighed.

"Did he abuse you again?" asked Moe.

"Yeah. But I'm free for awhile. He was arrested today." Mel gave a weak smile. He was bleeding from earlier today.  His hand stung, but it seemed that everything else was alright now.

"I've heard there was a book club," said Waylon. "I knew you'd love it."

"Thanks. I'd love to, but there's just so much on my mind right now." Mel sighed.  It was hard not to think about Krusty.

"I have bandages." said Moe.
"Really? That would be great. Thanks." Mel smiled and let Moe clean him up.  The rest of them talked about anything and everything. It was nice to be able to relax like this, without Krusty, but Mel was traumatized by Krusty’s abuse before his arrest that morning.
As they were all heading out to dinner, Mel felt a slight vibration in his pocket. When he pulled out his phone and saw who it was, his heart began racing.

Mel read the message and suddenly threw his phone across the entire library. He began shaking.  "Fuck!" he shouted.

"Mel? What's the matter?" asked Moe. Mel knocked some books off a shelf in distress.  Tears were falling down his face.
The rest of them rushed to see if Mel was okay. They found him crying over his phone on the floor.
Moe picked up the phone and read the text. Everyone gasped when they saw what it said. “Oh shit.” Marge said.

Krusty had escaped.

"He doesn't know we're here." Moe tried to comfort Mel.

"HE'S GONNA KILL ME!" Mel panicked.  He couldn't breathe. He couldn't control himself. He was breathing erratically now.
"Hey, hey." Marge put her hands on Mel's shoulder. "Calm down, it'll be okay. We can fix this."
"No one can fix this!" Mel screamed. Tears still streamed down his face.
"You're gonna be fine." Moe said calmly. "We're here with you."
"Mel." Waylon stepped closer to Mel. "Breathe. In for four seconds; hold for five; hold for seven. Out for eight; hold for nine; out for ten..."
Marge grabbed Mel's hand. "You can do it Mel. You need to calm down for me." Mel nodded shakily.
"Come on, Mel. Breathe with me. In for four; hold for five; hold for six; out for-"

"IT HURTS!!!!" Mel fell to the ground.  His chest burned. He cried loudly as Waylon held onto him.

"Oh God, what's happening?" asked Moe, rushing to Mel's side.
"There's nothing we can do. This is a panic attack." Said Marge, helping Mel sit up.  "Take deep breaths." She coached.

"Oh my." Waylon said.  "His breathing isn't even normal anymore. It sounds awful."
"How am I supposed to calm down when my boss might kill me!?" Mel screamed. "I can barely breathe! This hurts!" He sobbed louder.
"This could be serious Mel." Marge said. "What if Krusty comes back for revenge?"
Waylon looked worried. He had seen how angry Krusty got. "What are we going to do Marge?" He asked.
"We're going to take care of you until your boss has calmed down." she told Mel.
"And then?" Asked Waylon.
"Then we wait. Hopefully he doesn't find us." Marge replied.
Mel wiped away the tears that were flowing. "Do you think he actually means what he says? About being happy to kill me?" He sniffled.
Marge frowned and squeezed Mel’s hand. "Don't worry about that right now.

Mel was sitting on the library floor as his friends cleaned up the mess he made.  He was crying again. "I'm so scared guys. What if he actually goes through with it? If I die tomorrow because of a simple panic attack."
"Shh." Marge rubbed Mel’s back gently. "It won't happen."
"It will! Look what happened yesterday!" Mel cried.  He started hyperventilating again. His friends had to grab him by his waist to keep him sitting upright.
"Mel, please stop. Stop panicking. Just breathe. It will be alright. We're here to help you." Marge pleaded. "Just breathe."
Mel stopped crying and sat there panting heavily. Waylon held him close to him while he did so. "That's right buddy. Deep breaths."
A couple moments later, Mel finally calmed down. He leaned against Waylon's chest and took a few moments to catch his breath.
"Are you alright now?" asked Moe.  "Let's get out of here."
Mel stood up slowly and grabbed his bag. He slung it over his shoulder and followed his friends outside into the cold, rainy night.
After a few minutes of walking, they reached the bus stop. As soon as they arrived, Waylon turned around to his friend. "Are you okay? Do you feel better now?"
"Y...yeah, thanks." Mel breathed. He glanced at his friends. "Sorry for causing trouble. But I don't want any more incidents like this ever happening."
"Well that's fine too." Marge assured him. "Now let's go home. It's getting late."
Mel shook his head. "I'M NOT SURE I CAN LEAVE RIGHT NOW."
"Why not? Don't you want to go home?" Moe asked.
"Yeah but..." Mel trailed off.  He didn't know how to explain why he wanted to stay.
"If you don't want to leave, we'll make it a sleepover." Marge offered. Mel's eyes went wide.
"Like a movie night?" He questioned.  He wasn't sure what he expected, really, but this definitely wasn't it. It was nice to hear though.
"Yep. Like a sleepover. Come on."
Moe and Marge opened their arms to hug Mel. Mel hugged them back, relieved that they understood his situation.
Mel climbed into the back of a truck and sat between Moe and Marge. Once the truck stopped, Waylon and Marge helped Mel into the house.
"So where's your room?" Marge asked once they were inside.  Mel gestured toward his room. "Okay. Come on."
Mel followed Marge into his bedroom. "Do you need anything?" she asked.
Mel shrugged. "Maybe some hot chocolate." he answered.
"Okay. Be back soon."
"What movie are we watching?" Mel asked excitedly.
"It's not set yet." Marge said softly. "But we're gonna watch something good."
Once Mel was tucked in bed with his hot chocolate in his lap, Marge and Waylon sat on the other side of the bed. Waylon turned on the TV while Marge flipped through Netflix.

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⏰ Last updated: Aug 25, 2022 ⏰

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