STUCK | MxMxM

Chapter 26

A/N: With a day's delay cuz I was sick :D :D :D 

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The soft cough of William pulled him out of his little memory lane. It had been a while since he thought about that specific time in his past. He knew his eyes were probably a bit teary now so he looked down and what his eyes fell on first was his lighter. Joe said something but his ears didn't really feel like listening to anyone at the moment. Suddenly he felt... exhausted.

Grabbing the lighter, he opened and closed the lid a few times, focusing on the metal's clicking sound as a way to distract himself from the awful feeling that was piling up inside him again.

"Babe?" Joe said, putting a hand on his.

"I'm gonna go to the gym." He replied, without looking up.

Standing, he took his cigarette packet off the table. Bringing it up to his face, he pulled one out with his lips and said, "Don't wait for me. I'll probably be there for a while." before lighting it up and stuffing both things into the pocket of his sweatpants. Pulling the hat of the hoodie over his head, he grabbed his phone, wallet, and walked out.

The more steps he took under the rain and the more drenched he became, the heavier it got to breathe. He knew he was about to have an attack. That had been the reason for leaving abruptly. His breaths were shallow now, his entire body flinching, twitching and overreacting to the slightest sounds. There were too many people out and he was scared of all of them. Theo started to run aimlessly. He ran fast, turned into this street and that alley, just wherever it was that could get him away from people. By the time his legs were about to give in, his lungs weren't allowing any air in anymore. He found himself in an alley full of filthy dumpsters but he didn't have it in him to take even a step anymore. Coming to his knees, he only managed to crawl his way to the wall and leaned against it, punching his chest as he heaved desperately to get air in. He felt so helpless, so scared, so... lonely. Why hadn't he taken his car like he was supposed to? How could he have forgotten to do so? How was it that he'd realized he was walking under the rain only when he was completely drenched and quite far from his apartment? Why did he have to prove his father right by being so stupid all the time? He felt so tired of... life. The vibrant blue of the sky turned blurry before it was replaced by the darkness of his eyelids as he passed out.

"Sir? Sir, can you hear me?"

Someone was calling him. No, someone was slapping his face lightly but it still hurt a lot. He wanted it to stop but was unable to move his lips. After many tries, he managed to open his eyes slightly.

"Sir, do you know where you are?" The voice asked.

Theo only shook his head once before closing his eyes again, wincing in pain. His body hurt all over. And... it was nighttime now.

You think you're gonna make something of yourself with that stupid brain of yours? You're gonna die in some rundown neighborhood, alone. No one can save a dumbass like you. No one.

His father's words rang in his ears again. More came as his eyelids were forced open and he was faced with the fact that he was outside at night all alone. He was scared but there was no energy left in his body to even show his fear anymore.

"Sir, we're gonna take you to the station with us, okay?" It was a police officer talking to him. He could see her better now.

"N-" He wanted to say no but his voice failed him. His throat felt so scratchy. Had he cried that hard? Or did he catch a cold? And why was he there in the first place?!