In My Skin

CH 53 || Intervention

I'd known something was up. Suz had been acting weird the last few days—well, weirder than usual.

When I stepped out of my room and saw the wide banner hanging above the couch, it shouldn't have come as much of a surprise. It was obviously handwritten—probably by Suz herself, judging by the messy lines—but it unmistakably spelled the word "intervention."

Just great.

Suz sat perched on the edge of the couch, sporting what I could only assume were fake glasses. She wore a solemn expression, her laptop and a notebook in front of her.

"Who are we intervening?" I joked weakly as my stomach tightened with knots. I had a pretty good idea of what this was about. Sofia would be returning in a few days, and I was honestly surprised Suz had insisted on me staying with her in the first place. Especially, since all I did was hole up in her guest room.

Quietly, she pointed toward the recliner.

With a sigh, I dragged my feet across the room. Maybe I should be more concerned. I probably would have been if the thick fog clouding my thoughts hadn't numbed me to almost everything.

"Tay, this is an intervention," Suz said once I finally dropped into the seat.

I couldn't quite keep the sarcasm out of my tone as I spoke, shooting a pointed look at the banner. "You don't say."

"Um...yeah." Clearing her throat, she tucked her hair behind her ears and adjusted her glasses. "So, I think you know why we've gathered here today."

I nodded, trying to ignore the burning sensation creeping down my chest. My condition hadn't improved at all in the last few weeks, and all I'd been doing was playing video games. I was genuinely surprised she had put up with me for this long. "I was actually thinking of moving back as well."

"What? No! That's not what I meant. You need to get out of that hole, Tay, because right now, you're spiraling and—"

Just like that, the burning feeling burst through the haze in my mind. "What exactly do you want me to do?" I snapped, rising to my feet. "Don't you think I've already tried everything there is?"

"Sit your ass back down and let me finish!"

For a moment, we just stared at each other. Then I reluctantly sat, clenching and unclenching my hands. This was exactly why I'd been trying to avoid her. My temper had been on the edge these days. It could be the lack of sleep, the constant itching, or scratching. Perhaps all of it.

"I know you've been avoiding me..."

The fact that she'd noticed only stroked the fire in my veins. People liked to say that it was okay to make mistakes. Everyone did, right? But then again, everyone seemed to exclude me.

I couldn't shake the feeling that this stupid flare was my fault. I'd learned it the hard way at my old university, hadn't I? So, how come I hadn't broken up with Chris earlier? How come I hadn't realized there was alcohol in that cup? If I hadn't drunk that night—or any night for that matter—maybe this could've been avoided.

The only reason I ever had was to feel normal, be like everyone else. Except that I wasn't. And to top it off, I'd been overusing my medication. Maybe if I hadn't taken those pills for so long the backlash would be less brutal. The list of mistakes was endless. And now I was paying for it.

"How much did you sleep last night?" Suz asked tentatively.

I shrugged. "I didn't." Which probably explained the woozy feeling in my brain.

A crease formed between her brows. "Okay, listen. I did some research and found a diet—"

"I already tried dieting," I interrupted her, flinching at the harsh tone of my voice. She didn't deserve to be spoken to like this. As quickly as it came, my anger evaporated, and I slumped back. "I'm sorry... You shouldn't have to deal with this."