The Neighbor Next Door

Bottom of the pit

Having a cat in his house was odd.

After MePhone had cried it out, he had insisted on going back home, because he 'desperately needed time', and OJ could respect that, though he was requested to take care of the cat for the next few days, because MePhone didn't think he had the energy to. He had went over last night to pick it up, checking in one last time, but by the time he had made it over to get the cat, MePhone had retreated to his room.

Of course, OJ had texted 3gs about all this after making it home, despite it being very late, updating him on what was happening. Thankfully for OJ-- so he wouldn't have to be the one to break the news, 3gs already knew about their father, getting back to the ginger earlier this morning. 3gs also said he would be making the trip out here to stay for a bit in a few days, to keep a close eye on MePhone.

OJ just hoped his neighbor would be okay until then. And if not, that he would at least reach out. OJ knew what it was like to lose a dad-- and he couldn't compare his upbringing with the other's in the slightest, because his own dad was good enough towards him, and their dynamic ended on a good note, but... He still hadn't been super close with him. He knew how complex it felt dealing with grief, and he just hoped MePhone wasn't going to drown in those feelings.

All of this was surely a lot for the guy. OJ was going to check on him again later today-- send a call his way just to see how he's doing, and if he doesn't answer, he'll just leave a few texts, and hope he sees them. If it gets worrying enough, he can go over and see for himself, but he didn't want to seem like he had no faith in the guy's ability not to... Well, do something to himself. A horrible thought, honestly, but he couldn't help but worry. This was a big hurdle in well... everything. OJ was sure this had ruined a lot of the progress he was seeming to make. It felt awful seeing how quickly he declined, having seen both sides of him in person yesterday, and how it was all ripped away so quickly.

He just hoped there was anything he could do to help, really.

Right now, he was wrapping up his work call. The cat had thankfully been acting polite, and well behaved through the day, as it was now just loafing on OJ's bed, soaking in the warmth of the sunlight that shined in from the window.

He was going to go pick up his kids soon, and send a few more texts MePhone's way. If he didn't get any responses, he... He doesn't really know how to approach that, but he figures he'll just have to go over and see if he's... Well, okay. That's the best he could do for now.

...

Despite wanting nothing more, MePhone found himself unable to sleep. For the past several hours, he had just been lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. He could see the sun peeking through the curtains at this point, and he knew all he was doing was wasting his time, and wallowing.

He should be better than this, but... He just wasn't. He didn't have the energy to be. He didn't even have the energy to move much at all, really.

Sitting in his dark room wasn't going to help him and he knew that. He should've stayed with OJ, or tried to text his brother by now, but his phone was on his desk-- having at least remembered to grab it from the living room floor after coming back home, but... It was such a chore. He really couldn't be asked. He just needed to figure out how he felt about this, and move on. It should be simple, but it wasn't.

He wanted to sleep, he really did. He was exhausted anyways, but he just... Couldn't. He tried, but it didn't matter how long he sat with his eyes closed, nothing was happening. Despite everything, he was wide awake, and he hated it.

So the ceiling, and his thoughts were the only thing on his mind during these hours. Too many thoughts, really. Every once in a while, his phone would ping with another notification. He still didn't have it in him to check it, but he did feel bad. He just couldn't face anyone right now. He couldn't deal with any of this right now.