Dream Boy

Ch16. Relationship Issues

"You're addicted to loneliness and desperation. It's the strongest emotion you've ever known, so you're subconscious tells you that it's your destiny."

Nia woke up to the bright fluorescent lights above buzzing, she was taken to the hospital when her mother got the call. She closed her eyes again and listened to the sounds around her, the beeping machines, shoes tapping against the ground as they walked, and hushed voices but they seemed distant as if they were happening to someone else.

She finally sat up but her head was throbbing. "Wow, there take it easy, Dove." A fake smile comes to Nia's face causing her chapped lips to crack a little.

"I guess I have you to thank for bringing me here."

"How do you feel?"

He ignored what Nia said but then again she didn't need the answer to know that he did.

"Better." He nods, taking out a lunchbox with her name on it while she yawns. "How long was I out?"

"You've been sleeping since you passed out yesterday. The twins said they'd grab your homework for you since you couldn't come to class and Alex told me she had to catch up with some friends."

"Oh... I should probably text them." Nia murmured as she searched for her phone and couldn't seem to find it anywhere. "Where's my..." Her attention was drawn to a lunchbox neatly placed on the food stand nearby. She inquired, her voice barely above a whisper, "What's inside?"

"I made you something, I know you haven't been eating so I thought you might be willing to try something new," he said in a gentle tone."You can't keep lying and say you're fine anymore. I'm gonna hold you accountable, even if you don't want to be."

Nia gazed at him, tears welling up in her eyes. "Why is that something my dad would say?" She regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth. "This is probably what he'd do too."

"How do you do it?" he asked.

Nia was taken aback by the question. "How do I do what?"

"Pretend you're okay," he continued. The question made sense coming from him. "You've managed to deceive everyone for a while. Even me, at some point. I don't understand how... How can you lie about all of this?"

"I'm not," Nia replied, but even to her ears, the words sounded untrue.

He scoffed. "You're lying right now, for God's sake. You've been doing it since the day I met you." Nia desperately searched the room for an escape. "But now, everything is falling apart, isn't it?"

A sad smile touched Nia's face as she felt herself drift into a distant place before she spoke in a hushed tone. "If you were stuck... doing the same thing over and over again, it would become all you know. All you could trust, all that you'd believe in. So that's my answer. It's all I know right now." A breathy laugh escapes her as a single tear falls from her eye. "Maybe that's why I'm so good at lying, David, it feels so true to me that you have to believe it." The room fell into silence as he struggled to find words.

"Dove—"

"So yeah," Nia continued, breaking into what he was about to say. "You're right..." She sighed. "About everything. I've been exhausted, I haven't been eating, and I've been hurt by what happened with Raya and what happened at the party. I can forgive you for everything else but that... I can't forgive you for that." she said, trying to leave the memory behind, though it was etched into her mind forever. "That's something you'll have to live with."

Just before he could say anything Nia's mom stepped into the room and gave her a warm hug, which inadvertently caused her to hiss in pain. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said easing up. "I'm just glad to see you awake. You scared me." She confessed.