Ultimately | Skephalo

28

The movie was shit,

And no, not in a funny way, in a "I want to tear my eyes out" kind of way.

Out of every movie in the theater, they chose the worst one, all because his friend just needed to see one of the actors, who, to be frank, was horrible.

The ride back Zak's apartment was quiet, not comfortable, not uncomfortable. There was certainly something rising up in the air, but it was hard to tell exactly what it was.

Back in the apartment, Zak made himself and Darryl a glass of water, wanting nothing more than to bury himself under piles on blankets that called to him from his bed.

Instead, he sat down on the couch, phone in hand, gazing at himself through the reflection of the TV screen.

Alone.

That's the only way he could describe the feeling.

He felt alone even as his best friend sat down next to him.

He felt alone even when the flash of a screen appeared in front of him.

He felt alone for the rest of the day.

They had two days.
Two days until Darryl went back home.
Two days until Zak would be left alone in a place that couldn't be more crowded.

It was a shame, really, the feeling that found its way through the man's veins, injecting him with poison that sunk into his brain, leaving nothing left but the shell of someone he thought he knew.

What a pity. His brain coaxed.

"Skeppy?" His friend called from around the hallway, poking his head in to look at the man who was pulled so tight into a ball.

Tilting his head up to look towards the doorway, his voice failed him.

He hummed in response.

"I'm.. Leaving in a few days, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go to the park with me?"

Although tempting, the voice of his friend trembled in hesitates, seemingly worried, perhaps nervous.

Looking away from his friend, a pit dropped in Zak's stomach, guilt rushing through his body as he tried to explain how unwell he felt.

His voice failed him once more.

Frowning was across the room, Darryl nodded softly, understanding as always.

"That's okay, we can... We can go before my flight."

Right.

Logically, that would have made Zak frown, that would have made him spring up and get his shoes on, following whatever the latter had in store.

He stayed in place. Voice failing him.

Unable to see--or ignoring--the way his friend's face fell, Zak kept himself busy while he stared daggers into the floor.

He was supposed to be happy. Why wasn't be happy?

Why were his thoughts bringing him back to misery?

Maybe he wasn't enough for himself.
Maybe he knew that.

One day.

He had one day until Darry left.

He had one day and he thinks he couldn't feel any worse even if he tried.

His stomach knotted, nauseous where he stood as he bent down to tie the thin laces of his shoes.

Yesterday, Darryl happened to be out. Zak had no intention of figuring out why.

So, as the boy headed into the living room to see his friend had already packed, ready to leave, his heart sunk deeper in his chest.