The Neighbor Next Door

Moving out

So here he was again. On his knees, at the side of the road. To his left, his dad was yelling at the teenager who had been driving the car. Someone who walked away from all of this physically unharmed. Words from his dad that were probably so vile, that MePhone couldn't process. To his direct right, a hand on his shoulder, and someone crouched down next to him. One of the two officers responding to the awful scene, trying to reassure the young robot. His ears were ringing, and despite the officer trying to direct his attention gently away from the scene in front of him, MePhone couldn't look away. It was like a scene in one of those horrible, vile movies. But it wasn't.

This was real, and the growing puddle of dark oil that was surely going to stain the pavement just seemed never ending. He could swear before the cops arrived, that he could see his brother's body still moving. His hand twitching slightly, trying to keep itself alive. Or maybe his brain was just hoping that had been the case. That he could be saved. Fixed if his dad cared enough. Which... He should, right? He always liked Red more than him anyways.

It was a scene several people on the neighborhood left their homes to check out, all standing in their yards, taking in what happened, before being asked by the second officer to go back inside.

It took a long time before MePhone could tear his eyes away from the front of the car, slowly moving his gaze down the street, before his eyes landed on his brother's sunglasses.

His most cherished item-- save for the stuffed animal their dad got him. An item that symbolized him as a whole. HIS glasses... That were just as broken and mangled as he was.

And MePhone could hear again. The sirens. The words his dad was saying to the teenager and the second officer. The soft concern from the other officer trying to comfort him, and... Even though his brother was dead, the world still kept spinning. Even though his world was over now, it wasn't for everyone else.

And MePhone started sobbing. Snapping back into the present as it was when this happened, he cried the hardest he had ever cried in his life at that point. Barely even processing the rest of the day beyond this, all he knew was such a profound sadness-- one that someone as young as he was shouldn't have to feel.

And there was nothing to be done.

.

.

.

MePhone woke up on Monday night, a full day after his initial meltdown, already crying when he opened his eyes, shooting up from where he sat on the couch, already struggling to breathe, or process anything. Even though he had countless dreams and nightmares recounting the incident that took his brother away, the mistake he made, it was never this bad. He never remembered all of the details. Something about seeing his brother's body for himself again just struck too deep. So deep, that he... He had tried to...

MePhone let out another sob, not really processing his surroundings as he put his hands over his eyes, before he heard someone say his name. Despite still crying, and not even having his glasses on, his head snapped up to look over, only to see both his brother, and OJ sitting in the separate chairs in the living room, both probably entirely concerned. His breath hitched, and he just couldn't stop himself from crying as he realized they were here. That they probably just saw him wake up the way he just did. That one of them-- probably 3gs had been the one to find him before he had the chance to hurt himself. He tried to make himself as small as possible, not having the energy or courage to run, or get away from this as he buried his face in his hands again. All he could do right now, was cry, and let everything out. He let out so many jumbled apologies, just feeling so guilty that he made so many stupid, awful choices. That all he was doing now was once again worrying the two people in his life he cared about most. After all this, he didn't know how he'd be able to move on. He was so close to doing something dire this time. Something real, and irreversible. Something that had been walked in on, and... And oh gods, no amount of apologizing would ever make up for that. For all the pain he continued to cause to everyone around him. How He was never truly going to improve, and that he really was just truly dragging them both down with him, for real this time.