"I'm yours."

~{1}~

<| (part 1 | third person | early morning | Owen's 'house') |>

It was early in the morning, Owen had been up all night, not playing games or talking to friends, but he had been throwing up and killing himself inside. He didn't want to be alive, but he had to, he had no choice, and needed to live. Not for himself, but for others, like his younger sister from foster care whom he now takes care of alone at only 16 years old, like the one friend he has online named Derek.

Owen finally left the bathroom at about 6:50 AM because he needed to wake up his sister, Nora, who was still asleep. Owen didn't need her to know what he was doing to himself, she wouldn't get it, she would worry too much.

"Nora, wake up." Owen said softly as he opened the curtain to Nora's room.

Nora soon woke up and Owen got her ready for school, then walked her to school after getting dressed himself. Owen left after dropping off Nora so he could get to school, but he didn't want to go to school, the people there hated him. It was not fair, nothing was fair...

Owen reluctantly walked to school with his head down, watching his shoes as he walked along the sidewalk. He really hated school but there was nowhere else he could go, his parents had abandoned and disowned him, so that was a no-go, and he didn't know where his only friend lived.

When Owen made it to school, he just walked away, he wasn't going to bother going anyways, he knew all the stuff, so he decided to just not go. Owen walked to a park about 45 minutes away from his school, then sat on a swing, it was one of his favorite things to do. Owen took out his phone and dialed a familiar number, his one and only friend.

"C'mon, pick up..." Owen said to himself.

"Hello?" Said a voice on the other side of the line.

"Hey!" Owen was happy Derek had answered the phone.

"Why are you calling?" Derek asked, clearly confused.

"I feel like shit again. Why else would I call?" Owen was right, he didn't call often, he usually texted.

"Fair. Want to talk about it?"

. . .

After a few hours, Owen and Derek finally ended the call, Owen didn't want to, but Derek had things to do. Owen just sat on the swings for a bit longer, not wanting to go to school still, but it was his only choice, even though it was a choice he didn't want to make.

Owen started to walk back to school reluctantly but made it there eventually. He walked into the school and realized an assembly was happening in the gym, so he walked over quietly and opened the door slightly. But upon seeing what was happening, he ran straight to the bathroom and started to throw up again, even if there was nothing to throw up. But soon, Owen wasn't alone, someone had come in and was just sitting on the counter.

Owen walked out of the stall after a bit, and when he looked at the counter, he saw a boy who was a year older than him. He recognized the boy as someone who had bullied him relentlessly in the past. When Owen could see the boy properly, he saw the boy was crying while looking at his phone.

"Mark?" Owen finally said after some consideration.

"Huh!?" Mark said, having not noticed Owen when he came in.

"Hey..." Owen responded.

"Oh, it's just you. Thought you were one of the guys I hang with." Mark said as he looked back at his phone.

"What cha doing? What's got you crying?" Owen was a little concerned, so he had to ask.

"Nunya." Mark said quietly.

"Really? 'Nunya'?" Owen was a little confused.

"Yup, Nunya." Mark said as he slid off the counter he had been sitting on.

"Cool then." Owen responded.

"But in all seriousness, my girlfriend broke up with me. Remember Alice, yeah, her." Then Mark walked out of the bathroom.

<[675 words]>