The Devolution of Reality

Part 4

"Targeted treatment and treatment response can vary from patient to patient"

Michael woke up early in the morning for school. It had been two days since the last time he took his pills, and he hadn't seen Lucy or Jack recently. Michael looked out his window and noticed he had a direct view to Sam's bedroom. He remembered meeting her and thought maybe he might be able to make a new real friend instead of just another Voice. In fear of scaring her, Michael decided to take his pills. He walked out the door in his black hoodie but this time with no music on because he wanted to walk with Sam to school. He saw her leave her house and intercepted her path.

"Hi Sam....." He approached her cautiously because he still had no idea of who she actually was.

"Wow Mike, you managed to remember my name. I feel so adored."

"You sure like to use sarcasm a lot." Michael thought Sam was funny and kind of pretty, but he never really bothered with emotions of attraction because all the girls usually thought he was some kind of monster. In reality Michael was handsome and loved sports, but his mental state drove most girls away.

"You noticed?"

"It's funny, so I'm ok with it."

"I wasn't going to stop anyways." Michael smiled because this short girl had such a tough personality for such a petite person.

"I want to get to know you better."

"You are very straight forward there Mike, I take it subtlety is not your strong suit."

"I don't talk to a lot of people, other than the Voices." Sam's interest peaked again, as she realized this might be her chance to delve into Michael's mind.

"The what?"

"Oh, sorry Dr. Timbs says I shouldn't mention them to other people." Michael became afraid that his slip of the tongue might drive Sam away or freak her out, but she just became more interested in what he had to say.

"It's okay Mike, I don't mind. I think you're pretty cool and that those other assholes at school are just afraid of what they don't understand." These words resonated in Michael's head. It was almost as if he had been waiting to hear someone say that for his whole life. Michael's heart started to beat faster and his chest felt heavy. He never felt this before and it scared him.

"Um, Dr. Timbs says I have schizo something." Michael never really paid attention much to what Dr. Timbs had to say because Jack and Lucy convinced him not to trust the doctor.

"Paranoid Schizophrenia?" Michael looked at her with surprise; she had astounded him twice today. Never had he found someone who understood his condition, let alone talk with him.

"Yeah that and apparently I can see and hear things you can't. But it all seems real to me."

"What do you see?"

"Who."

"What?"

"You mean who not what. So far I've met Jack and Lucy. They are my friends that no one else can see. I draw them though, so that maybe it might help somebody to believe me."

"I believe you Mike."

"Really?" Michael's eyes widened and it almost had seemed that this big 17-year-old boy was exposed to something he had never felt before. He didn't even know what to call it. All he knew was that it made his hands sweat, his heart beat, and made him breathe heavy. He didn't know whether to like it or hide it. All he wanted was to talk to Sam.

"You know I'm a writer. Maybe I can show you some of my writings while I look at your pictures?"

"I would really like that!" For the first time in months Michael became ecstatic and happy. His problems went away without the help of music.

"Haha alright Mike, I will see you in second period." Michael wanted to spend all day with her and just talk.

"Wait, where are you going?" Just as he said that another classmate walked up to Sam and kissed her. It was Kyle Maxwell. Michael shared one class with him and knew that Kyle didn't like him. He would talk bad about Michael when he had his headphones in or when he wasn't around. He thought Michael was a psycho, but at least had the decency to not talk bad about him when he could hear him. Michael watched as Sam passionately kissed Kyle while he held on to her in her gray cardigan, black shirt that had some odd band on it, and light blue jeans. All those new feelings he felt talking with Sam disappeared and all of a sudden Jack and Lucy were standing in front of Michael.

J: "Mikey, Mikey, Mikey. Snap out of it bud. She doesn't want you, she's got numb nuts over there. And honestly I think we should teach ole numb nuts a lesson."

L: "Hehe looks like our little Michael has fallen head over heels for short, sarcastic, and easy on the eyes."

M: "Sam is my friend."

J & L: "We are your friends."

M: "Yeah but I feel a weird friendship for Sam."

J: "News flash Shit-for-brains. That ain't friendship, you've had a boner for her ever since she moved in next door."

L: "I think it's cute Jack. But nothing's going to happen if Kyle is still there."

M: "What should I do?"

J: "Stab him with the machete we got in the closet and dump the body in the river outside of town."

L: "Don't do that unless you want to spend life in prison with Dr. Timbs every day. No you have to seduce her with those pretty blue eyes of yours, make her forget all about Kyle and then fuck her brains out. She's just another slut anyways."

M: "Don't call her that! She's nice and pretty."

J: "Spare the sappy shit Casanova, by the looks of her she could satisfy most guys in this hell hole."

L: "Go make a statement to Kyle and kiss the little tramp in front of him."

M: "Stop calling her names! She is Sam!"

J: "Just stick your tongue down her throat already."

Michael was starting to become a little more resistant to the Voices, but ultimately still listened to them. He walked over to Sam as she was talking to Kyle.

S: "Oh hey Mike."

K: "You actually talk to this freak?" Just as he had finished his sentence Michael decided to make his "statement" like Lucy said, except Michael was too nervous to kiss Sam so he took a page out of Jack's book. Michael swung as hard as he could at Kyle and hit him right under the jaw, where his brother Mark always told him to aim for in a fight. Kyle was dazed but got up and hit him back. Michael had been in fights before so he wasn't fazed much by the punch. Sam broke the two up and sent Kyle to class as she walked with Michael to his Calculus class.

S: "He had no right to call you freak, but Mike you can't just fight everyone that says that to you, especially not my boyfriend!"

M: "But Jack and Lucy said I needed to make a statement."

Sam started to ponder what Michael had meant by "statement" or what he even had to state. She wanted to know more about the mysterious Michael Brooks.

S: "You like music right?"

M: "Yeah it calms me down when I don't want to hear the Voices anymore."

S; "Listen to this"

Sam pulled out a pair of red and black headphones and plugged them into her phone. She turned on a song and put it in Michael's ear.

M: "What is this?"

S: "Do you like it?"

M: "Yeah! I usually just listen to Eminem, but this is good and new!"

S: "It's My Chemical Romance. Take these headphones, they'll block out more noise than those shitty pair you have."

M: "Thank you Sam. You're nice."

S: "Shut up and go to class. Oh and please no more fights. I'll take my phone back when I see you next period, for now just enjoy the music."

They walked separate directions. Michael couldn't wait to walk home with her later.