Call me Nate {Natepat}

15

I'm in a room. White floor. White ceiling. And glass walls.

Everything is so bright, I squint until my eyes adjust to the lighting. As everything becomes clearer I see Mark, Jack, and the rest of my friendship group, standing behind the glass wall.

"Help me please!" I press my hands against the glass, my voice strained and cracking as I cry for help.

"Who's that weirdo girl." Felix spat to Mark, who shrugs and turns his back against me.

"I don't know, some freak in a zoo." He replies

"Come on." Jack tells them.

"Help me! Please, Mark!" I call. Mark freezes, and a glimmer of hope threatens to shine, letting his group walk on before turning to face me, walking towards the glass.

"I don't need you anymore Nate, you're useless to me, freak." I notice a black chord, Mark reaches for it, ignoring my pleas. He pulls it and the glass goes black and I'm left, a crying mess.

I turn to another wall, Mrs Donavan and some other teachers at school stand behind it, surely they'll help?

"Miss! Sir! Mrs Donavan please! Help me!" She throws her head back and cackles evilly, reaching for the chord.

"Goodnight Nathan." She scoffs my name in a fashion that makes even me want to hate it, before yanking on the string and turning the glass to darkness.

I turns to the next wall. My parents are there, with me. But this was another improved better me, a biological boy, as I can tell from the bulge in his own black skinny jeans. He was naturally handsome, no bags under his eyes and no bruises on his arms.

"Mom! Dad! Please! Get me out of here!" I cry, wanting nothing more at that moment than a hug from my parents.

"Why would we want you?" My mom scowls at me.

"When we have him, a real boy, our son." My dad spits, it burning my heart like fire.

"I AM YOUR SON!" I yell, pounding on the glass, tears roll down my face as the better me pulls the chord and everything goes black once more.

The room looks very different now. White floor. White ceiling. But three black walls.

I turn to the last one, my last chance to be freed from this hell.

Matthew Patrick stood behind the glass. In the same outfit he had worn to the dance. Tear streaks trailed down his cheeks, from his brown eyes which were puffy and bloodshot.

He stared at me sadly.

"Matt! Please! You gotta help me!" I pound the glass, hoping somehow by some luck or chance I could make a connection.

He stares at the chord helplessly, almost like he doesn't want to pull it.

"It'll be okay, Nate I promise, you're gonna be fine." I can't trust him, so I keep banging on the glass, I need to get to him, I have to, I can't let myself be trapped here anymore.

Suddenly as I'm about to give up, a small crack forms in the glass and a shadow of a smile creeps on to his face, but not a wicked smile like the others, one that's calming and comforting.

I let out a breath but then his smile fades as he stares at his arm, slowly rising towards the chord.

"Matthew no! Please I'm fucking begging you, don't do this to me Matt! Please!" I yell at him, placing my hands against the glass, tears spilling down my face as he cries with me, staring at me helplessly as I do, him.

"I'm sorry." He whispers, his voice raspy and cracking. He tries to pull away, I can see the concentration in his face, but nevertheless he squeezes his eyes shut as he pulls the string coating my entire world in darkness.

I scream.

I hear moving, cranks turning, and suddenly all four, now darkened, walls are closing in on me, and there is nothing I can do to prevent it.

Wailing in defeat, I slump to the ground pathetically and start to sob. I cry my heart out. Letting all the sorrow and abandonment I had felt, in the time I'd been stuck in this wretched place, pour out in the form of warm salty tears.

And just as the walls were about to crush me

A faint beeping filled my ears, Gradually becoming louder as I came back into reality. I slammed my hand down on the alarm clock, sitting up and letting the events of the night prior crash over me like a tidal wave.

I flopped down on my bed again

The nightmare was better than this.