"END GAME" - ᴍᴀʜᴏᴍᴇs.

050. shes okay

Travis arrived at Patrick's house, his brow furrowed with confusion and concern. He had seen on Life360 that Patrick was at Brittany's place earlier that day and immediately thought the worst. He rang the doorbell, his fist tight against his side as he waited for Patrick to answer. When the door finally swung open, he demanded gruffly,
"Why were you at Brittany's place?"
Patrick looked taken aback by Travis' accusatory tone.
"Jesus, calm down," he said irritably. "It's not what you think." He stepped aside to let Travis in, closing the door behind them.
"So enlighten me then," Travis replied curtly, following Patrick into the living room. "Last I checked, you and Brittany weren't speaking ever again. Why would you go to her house?"
Patrick slumped onto the couch, running a hand through his hair.
"When Kylie broke up with me, she said she couldn't be with someone who she knew had forced someone to do something they didn't want to do," he explained wearily. "I thought maybe Brittany lied and said I forced her to get that abortion last year," he continued, his voice barely above a whisper. "I wanted to go and... confront her."
Travis sank down onto the coffee table across from Patrick, his expression grim.
"That's fucked up, man," he murmured, shaking his head slowly. "Brittany's got issues of her own, but damn-"
"She's not the one telling lies about me," Patrick retorted hotly. "It was my mom." Patrick leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "Apparently, my mom is protecting me from Kylie," he said bitterly. "She said Ky's baby-trapping me, and that her mom's in prison."
Travis stared at Patrick incredulously. "Your mom's gone fucking insane," he declared bluntly. "I can't believe she would do something like that."
"That's what I told her," Patrick agreed, nodding vigorously. "I lost my shit entirely, Trav. I told her I never wanted to speak to her again." He sighed heavily, slumping back against the cushions.
"What about Jackson?" Travis pressed gently. "I saw what he did. did you cut him off too?"
A flicker of regret crossed Patrick's face.
"Yeah," he admitted quietly. "he's disgusting, I couldn't look at him." Travis nodded reassuringly at Patrick.
"I went to see Kylie last night," he revealed. "She's okay."
Patrick sat up straighter, his eyes searching Travis' face intently.
"Did she look okay?" he asked anxiously. "Or did she just tell you she was okay?"
Travis hesitated for a moment, considering his words carefully.
"Ky was asleep when I got there," he explained. "But Taylor was with her. She said she's gonna be okay."
A flicker of relief passed over Patrick's features, followed quickly by a wave of guilt.
"I should be there for her," he muttered, more to himself than to Travis. "Even if she doesn't want me around, I need to make sure she's okay."
Travis met Patrick's gaze solemnly. "Give her space, dude," he advised gently. "I think your fight yesterday might have triggered something for her."
Confusion clouded Patrick's expression.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, furrowing his brow.
Travis took a deep breath before continuing.
"Brock... he used to hit her," he revealed softly. "When I was at her place last night, she had a nightmare. Taylor said she gets them sometimes when something reminds her of him."
The color drained from Patrick's face as the realization sunk in.
"Shit..." he breathed, his heart sinking. "When she tried to leave yesterday, I grabbed her arm... she looked terrified." Regret and shame washed over him in waves as the memory replayed itself in his mind. Patrick's shoulders sagged under the weight of his guilt. "I never meant to scare her like that," he said hoarsely, his voice thick with emotion. "I would never hurt her, not on purpose." He buried his face in his hands, his fingers trembling slightly. "God, I'm such an idiot," he groaned, his words muffled. At that moment, Steel, Patrick's loyal Pitbull, padded over to nuzzle against his leg. The comforting presence of his canine companion seemed to ground Patrick momentarily, helping him regain some semblance of control.
As the silence stretched between them, Travis cleared his throat.
"Where's Silver?" he asked, glancing around the room. "I haven't seen her yet."
Patrick glanced down at Steel, his eyes glassy with unshed tears.
"Silver's been pissed at me ever since Ky left," he confessed, his voice barely audible. "Won't even come near me anymore."
Travis stood up, placing a hand on Patrick's shoulder.
"I'm gonna go talk to ky." he said firmly. He gave Patrick a once-over, taking in the dark circles under his eyes and the general dishevelled state of his appearance. "No offence, man, but you look like shit," he remarked bluntly. "Get some sleep, yeah?"
Patrick managed a weak smile at his friend's concern.
"Thanks, Trav," he mumbled, already feeling the exhaustion weighing heavy on his limbs. "For everything."
With a final nod, Travis headed for the door, leaving Patrick alone with his thoughts and the gentle presence of Steel curled up beside him.