How To Stay Afloat (BxB)

Chapter 109: You wanna see crazy?

The next day is not better. At all.

I wake up exhausted. But I for once don't wake up from a nightmare. Maybe it is a little better than yesterday.

I sit up and look around the room, finding Austin missing from my bed.

"Austin?" I call out confused.

No answer.

I look at my phone. It's almost 7 already. I should get ready for school and leave in 30 minutes.

I stand up and put on clothes and then go to the bathroom to search for Austin first.

I open the door to Caleb's room and find him also gone.

I scratch my head. Where is everyone?

I walk over to the stairs and hear talking downstairs.

I sit down on the top stairs, trying to listen in as I hear my dad mentioning my name.

"Maybe he should just stay home for a few days." Caleb says. "I mean I can also stay home and keep a look on him. You said he doesn't wanna go to a clinic."

"Caleb. We already made a decision." Dad says firmly. "I already scheduled an appointment for right after school."

I feel my heart beat faster as I realize what's going on. They wanna send me away. They lied to me.

"That's ridiculous. You can't just pick him up from school and drive him to some clinic and expect him to accept it." Austin argues.

"You know what happened last time when we told him." My mom points out.

"But it's not right. He doesn't want that." Austin says angrily.

"We get that you don't want him to leave, but he needs professional help. Everyday he stays here he's closer to snapping completely." My dad says.

"Oh come on. He's capable of deciding on his own. He might be out of it, but he's not gonna run off and hurt other people or himself." Caleb says.

"I'm on your side, but did you see the scratches?" Austin says. "He's already doing that."

"Exactly." Dad says. "We thought it would get better, but it's only getting worse."

I look down at my arms, looking at the scratches all over my forearms.

Am I really a ticking bomb ready to explode? I don't want to go to a clinic. It was horrible and only made me feel worse last time.

"But we gotta talk to him at least." Austin says.

"No. He'll find out once he's there." Dad says. "Everything else is too dangerous."

Dangerous? Am I dangerous now?

"That's bullshit." Austin says. "You can just talk to him normally instead of lying in his face. You think he just accepts that?"

"Austin. I appreciate your concern, but we've watched him get worse long enough. This is the only way." My mom says.

"He won't be able to graduate. You do realize that?" Austin says.

"We talked to his teachers and his grades aren't looking good anyway. He'll just repeat the last year. Like you did." Dad says. "Maybe he can also do schoolwork from there and graduate normally. I'm sure we can figure something out."

Austin scoffs. "That's not your decision."

"Watch your tone." My dad warns him angrily. "He might be 18, but he's far from mature, so we make the decisions."

They really think I'm an incompetent screw up who can't take care of himself.

I don't wanna be locked up. I can't do that again. I just can't. It's gonna make me feel worse. I just know it. I just know it!