Get Some Sleep

Chapter 3

   Things went on as usual around the house, as if nothing had changed. In truth nothing had, except for Tom. He started spending most of his time in his room, which wasn't unusual, but the time he spent alone was steadily increasing.

   Matt naturally began to worry. Was his friend avoiding him? If so, why? Matt hadn't done anything wrong that he knew of. If something was wrong, Tom would usually let him know right away. He wasn't the kind of person who would give the silent treatment to someone he was mad at.

   Matt sighed and crossed his legs underneath his body. He was sitting on the couch watching something with Edd, though he wasn't really paying attention to what it was.

   "Hey Edd?" The ginger man asked, causing Edd to glance over at him. "Yeah man?" He answered. Matt sighed softly. "Is.. is it just me, or has Tom been in his room a lot...?" Edd looked back at the stairs. "Hm... I guess he has been... why?" He replied, pausing the television.

   Matt rested his arm on the armrest and his cheek in his hand, looking at the staircase as well. "I don't know, I just feel like he's avoiding me." Matt admitted, wondering what Tom was doing. Was he playing his guitar? Watching YouTube? Tv? Drinking? Smoking? Sleeping?

   "Well, have you done anything to piss him off recently?" Edd asked. Matt shrugged. "Not that I can think of, no." Edd scratched his head before shrugging as well. "If you're so curious, why don't you go ask him yourself?"

   Matt's gaze followed up the stairs to where he could see the corner of Tom's bedroom door. "I don't know, I don't wanna get yelled at..." He confessed, having never particularly enjoyed being on the receiving end of someone raising their voice, but then again, who does?

   "Then don't complain." Edd retorted, starting to get fed up with Matt.

   The chubbier man carefully studied his options. He could either go upstairs and confront Tom, risking his well being, or be worried all day about his friend.

   Standing up, he decided on the former, figuring that if he got yelled at, he'd at least know why Tom was hiding up in his room. Matt made his way to the stairs, leaving Edd alone with whatever it was he was viewing on their Tv.

   He slowly walked up the steps, eyes focused on Tom's door. An anxious knot formed in his stomach as he raised his knuckles to the wooden exterior of the door. His hand barely made contact with it before it opened, Tom looking up at him with his dark, emotionless void eyes. He was again shirtless in his regular sleep wear, and had large bags underneath his black orbs.

   The smell of liquor hit Matt hard, and he would've gagged if he wasn't so used to the stench. That's just how it goes having Tom as a housemate.

   No words were exchanged between them as they had what could almost be described as a staring contest, though neither wanted to win.

   "Uh... can I come in?" Matt said, breaking the silence between the two men. Without a sound, Tom stepped aside.

   The smell only got worse as Matt came in. Looking around the room, it was clear that Tom hadn't been taking good care of himself. Half eaten sandwiches were piled on his dresser next to countless empty bottles of Smirnoff, dirty clothes were strewn about the floor, and his TV was blasting Day of the Dead.

   It didn't take a genius to tell that Tom wasn't at his best right now, and Matt wasn't a genius. "... Tom, are you okay?" He asked, looking around the room with a mixture of worry and disgust. His room was always the messiest, so seeing someone else take that role was ... disturbing, to say the least.

   Tom only grunted in response. The hair on the back of Matt's neck stood up when he heard just how close Tom was. He sounded as if he was right behind him. He was about to turn around, but a pair of strong, dark-skinned arms wrapped around his waist stopped him.