A CROWN OF THORNS.

II.

Charlie's POV:
No one still hasn't heard anything from Todd; the group is currently in the rooms where we used to do our study groups with Neil.
Pitts is panicking that Todd might have also gone down Neil's path; he seemed somewhat empty when he left.
Meeks and Knox are comforting him, but it's noticeable that they also fear it.
Cameron is facing the window, just showing his back to everyone as he didn't want anyone to see his eyes wettening, but you could see from the reflection of the window.
It was starting to get dark. Todd's parents in the halls were worried as they quietly argued about how they let their own son just leave like that.

Todd's POV:
My head hurts,
My vision was all blurry as I started to regain it by blinking and looking around the room that wasn't mine.
Seeing a crown of thorns on the table,
Neil.
He's the only thing in my head, and he won't leave. I feel like the world was tormenting me with Neil at this point, but where was I?

The door creaked open.
"Todd, was it?"
It was Mrs. Perry's mother.

"Mrs.Perry?"
I pulled the blanket covering my body off of me that I didn't even notice; I just now notice my wet clothes and some snow from before melting into them.

"I couldn't just leave you all alone in the cold snow," she explained as she went to the crown of thorns, gently taking it in her hand and moving to sit down at the edge of the bed I was sitting up in, placing the crown on my lap, her hand holding mine in a comforting way.
I looked at Neil's crown on my lap, my eyes wide. I felt a weird disgust in my stomach, feeling like I was about to throw up from how sad I was.

3rd person POV:
"Neil really loved you, Todd."
"Please don't say that."
Todd murmured. He didn't hate the fact that Neil loved him; it was just the way everyone kept reminding him of it. It was like torture to him.
He pulled his hand away.
"Did-" Mrs. Perry tried her best not to tear up again.
"Did Neil ever seem odd? Like, was he ever upset? Did someone ever make any rumors about him?"
The main thing that ever made Neil upset were his parents, but Todd couldn't just say that out loud; he would make Mrs. Perry just break down right there.
"No, not any that I know of; he never really seemed upset."
Todd stopped,
He remembered the time when Mr. Keating talked about how they would all die one day and how he gave a quick peek to look at Neil, seeing his expression, and he just seemed so. Todd couldn't put it into words, but that was the moment Todd got reminded that Neil was way more than just a happy best friend; he also felt emotions like every other human being.
He got broken out of his thoughts as he realized where he was right now, with Mrs. Perry looking at him with pure worry in her eyes.
He decided to try and say some of the truth in a way that wouldn't break her heart.
"He was usually just upset about the fact that his father..."
He stopped again when he heard a small sob from Mrs. Perry. He shouldn't have said that; he regretted it now.
"Oh god, Tom." She sobbed, a cloth tissue at her nose, wiping her tears.

"I think I should leave now."
Todd spoke before he got up, out of bed, and headed towards the door.
"Todd-honey wait-" Todd didn't listen; he found the situation a bit uncomfortable—the way his hand kept being held and how he was just possibly laying in a bed that could have been Neil's. He didn't even notice that he held the crown of thorns with him. He looked down at it, a bit shocked.
Mrs. Perry caught up.
"Todd please-"
"My parents are probably worried; I have to leave." He spoke as he walked through the house and the creaky wooden floors that Neil also once walked on.
"I already informed your parents; they should be on their way." She tried to explain, coming to a stop, a bit confused as she saw Todd had stopped, and when she stepped closer to see what he was seeing, he saw Mr. Perry for the first time, the first time after he last saw him pulling Neil to the car after his theater play.
Todd mumbled under his breath, his hands shaking, a slight anger growing inside of him.

Mr. Perry soon realized he was being watched, and when he looked, he saw the puffy-eyed boy standing at his creaked open door.
"Hey!-what are you doing here?" Mr. Perry got up and marched towards him, yanking the door open and seeing his wife standing beside Todd, her hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner.
"Todd, come on, honey."
She led Todd a couple steps away into the dining room.
"Don't touch me." Todd slapped her hand away, moving away from her touch and heading towards the door.
"Who the hell do you think you are to touch my wife?!" Mr. Perry asked, and Todd now understood what Neil went through.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Perry."
Todd murmured, but it was loud enough for Mrs. Perry to understand, and her husband was quick to
march towards Todd.
Taking him by the shoulder, roughly turning him to look at him,
"Who the hell do you think you are, boy? This is my house and my wife; who do you think you are to just walk into here like you?"
"Well, it was Neil's house too!"
Todd suddenly yelled over Mr. Perry's aggressively spoken words.
Mr. Perry slightly steps away from the mention of his son, taking his hands off of Todd.
"This was his home too, but you know what??"
He asked,
"It never felt like 'fucking home to him!"
He yelled,
"He'd be so sad..so sad that he couldn't be everything you wanted him to be..how much you awaited from him.. But hey, look at you. You awaited so much from him, but you never did much yourself, did you?!"
"And now he's gone! He's gone, and you won't tell me anything about it!!"
He yelled, his sentence ending in a slight screech as he stepped forward. His eyes, which were filled with so much emotion and pain, met Mr. Perry's first angry but now softening gaze.
"Neil,honey-"
Mrs. Perry stepped into the argument with a small mumble, quick to realize what she just called Neil's friend.
"Neil? Neil? Neil—god, I'm not your damn son!"
He slightly kicked the leg of the dining table they were standing at.
Mrs. Perry just gave up at this point, going to walk back to stand at the other side of the table to wipe her tears with the cloth tissue she had.
Todd felt terrible for what he was saying and doing, but he couldn't stop.
His gaze shot back to Mr. Perry.
"Why did you do that to him?". "How could you possibly put your son through so much pain and not even notice it?!"
He spoke, tears welling up in his eyes as he didn't take his eyes off of Mr. Perry's face once. He wanted answers; he wanted them so badly.
"I just wanted what was best for him."
"Best?" He was out of breath, slightly laughing, and looking around to see if he heard that right.
"You know, Mr. Perry. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but you really are a bad father."
"Oh, shut it!"
Before Todd knew it, he was shoved into the wall behind him. A shelf was built on the wall, now above Todd's head, as multiple pieces of stuff fell from the shelf.
A small picture frame shows Neil hitting the ground.
The glass was crashing against the floor, right at Todd's feet, and small glass shards were jumping out everywhere. Todd was quick to cover his eyes, but he unexpectedly felt a sharp pain that quickly faded on his cheek. Opening his eyes and feeling his cheek, his fingertip was flighty and covered in blood.
His hand shook from the sudden, loud noise he had experienced, but he pulled himself together.
Trying to say something, but he was out of breath. Mrs. Perry was quick to rush over.
Wiping Todd's cheek with the other end of the cloth tissue, she asked if he was okay, but it was hard for Todd to focus on anything she was saying.
"I should leave." He spoke, heading to the door and opening the door, stepping out the first quick steps before Mrs. Perry yelled.

"Todd!" She held onto the doorframe.
"Mrs. Perry, please just let me be."


"Neil's still alive!"

She yelled.