Mending A Broken Soul (Mavin)

Chapter Seven: An Insider's View

Chapter Seven:
An Insider's View

"This week on The Know we have news regarding the absence of the two Achievement Hunters, Michael Jones and Gavin Free. Unfortunately, the two were in a major car accident, leaving them both residing in the hospital. On a happy note, Gavin is awake and quickly recovering. However..." Meg paused in her announcement to choke back a sob.

"However, Michael still remains in a comatose state with no signs of recovering," She continued.

I quickly shut my laptop, not being able to watch anymore. Having it announced just made it sound so much more real, like Michael was never going to wake up.

But he was going to... He had to.

Geoff said I was beginning to go into denial and he had been trying to stop me from doing so. Honestly, I'd rather go into denial then continue knowing the truth. At least while I'm in denial I'd have a false sense of hope that I could go off of.

The door opened and I jumped, watching as Brandon walked in and took a seat next to me. I smiled at him, sitting up and turning to him slightly.

Since the anointing, Brandon made daily visits to my room, along with Michael's. I liked it. He didn't talk about Michael's coma or how he might never wake up. Instead, he told me stories about Michael's past and the things he did. But today, I could tell there was something different about him. He wasn't smiling and rushing into another hilarious story about Michael. Instead, he avoided eye contact with me, staring at his folded hands.

"Can I ask you something Gavin?" He asked me.

"Of course. Anything," I responded quickly.

"What are you to Michael? I've heard so many different stories. I just... I want the true story from you," Brandon asked me.

"Well... I was his best friend," I started slowly.

"How come he broke off his engagement with Lindsay so quickly?" Brandon asked me again, making me feel like he was accusing me of something.

"Michael and I were best friends... Until... Until I tried to kill myself by jumping off a bridge," I told him.

Brandon instantly leaned back and stared at me with wide eyes. I saw the pity and shock in his eyes and I hoped that he wasn't gonna be like the others were.

"I... Wow. I didn't know. Um... Why did you want to commit suicide?" He asked me.

"There are a number of reasons, Brandon. One being that I have depression and it's been getting increasingly worse as time goes on. Another being that I went through some... Traumatizing things when I was younger. The last being that... I... I was deeply in love with your brother," I told him.

Brandon nodded slowly, unclasping his hands and clasping them again. He let out a sigh and nodded again, stronger this time.

"You were in love with him?" He finally asked me.

"Yes. And I still am," I told him.

"And... Are you guys, like, a couple now?" He asked me, slowly understanding.

"Yes, since I tried to jump off the bridge last month," I told him.

"Oh... Wow. I never really saw my little brother as being someone who... Who would date another guy," Brandon said.

"Me either," I mumbled under my breath.

"Is he, like, totally-" I cut him off there, not wanting to hear the word since I knew it wasn't true for him.