Chapter 2- Altoids

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Jack's POV

"There we go," I said to myself, feeling accomplished. I had just finished prerecording a months worth of videos. I turn all my monitors off and grab the flash drives with the prerecorded and edited videos. I pad over to my bed which is where I had left my open suit case. I'm going to be staying with Mark to go to PAX east, and we both agreed that we haven't seen each other in a while, so I'll be staying there a month. I'm actually really excited! Mark is my best friend and I can't wait to be in America. I start to sift through the cloths on my bed. I did all the laundry last night so I could find a months worth of cloths and also Mark is bound to have a washing machine, so I doubt I'll need a whole months worth. I packed a bunch of t-shirts of all colors and I packed a few long sleeve jumpers. I threw in blue and black jeans. I also packed my suit in case we do anything fancy. I tossed a bunch of socks in there as well. I was going through my mental check list, when I subconsciously started walking over to the drawer on the left side of my bed. 'Do I need it?'
'Should I?'
I opened the drawer and stuck my hand in to find it. It was under a pile of paper work. I picked up a little old tin that read 'Altoids's on top. It was Jermz. I felt my eye try to tear up.

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9 y/o flashback
We were in the closet searching for the old game controller. I came across so many cool things while looking though. Dino toys, binoculars, old dib-dab containers. Then I found an object I had never seen before. I held it up to my face and read
"A-Altoids?" Jeremy looked up at me.
"Oh hey! Yeah I got those in America!" He pulled them over to his face and opened the little white and red tin. I looked inside and there were 2 tiny little dots. "Take one Sean! They're little candies!!" He popped one in his mouth and smiled. I took the last one and slowly put it on my tongue. It was a Weird texture. The candy seemed to have turned to some sort of dust on my teeth when it broke away. I really liked the way of the tin. Jeremy must have noticed. "Hey! Sean if you really like that tin you can keep it I have another one somewhere."
I looked up at him and gave him a goofy smile as I shoved it in my jean pocket.

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I brought it over to my suitcase and was about to put it in the side pouch when I hear a clink inside of it. "Huh? What was that?" I opened the tin and looked wide eyed at the small metallic object in the Altoids tin.
"N..no."
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My mum finally got around to picking me up at the police station and took me home. I went straight to my room not listening to what my mother had to say. I laid on my bed. Unable to focus on just one thing.
But when I was able to I wish I hadn't. I just then realized all the bruises on Jeremy. All the bruises that would come from nowhere. "How did I not notice"
"He was my best friend and now he's gone"
"I should of noticed." Then my mind went to the lines on his arm. I had seen the same lines on my older sister once. Before she had moved out, she told me they were from our cat, Tiger. I knew Jeremy didn't have a cat but I hadn't been over in so long maybe he got one? I pulled up the browser on my computer and typed in "red lines on skin" I looked at all these medical pages and I was about to close my browser when I scrolled over. 'Self harm'
"W-what's that?" I whispered to myself. I clicked the link.
'How to help a friend who has started self harming'
I scrolled down and clicked the tagged link
'What is self harm'

'Self harm is a method used by people who can not healthy deal with stress or bad things happening in their life. Most of these people turn to self harm in a time of need. Self harm can be very addicting one you start.
Some methods of self harm include:
Burning
Scratching
Cutting
Hair pulling
Interfering with the healing of wounds
More+'

I clicked the cutting link and an image of an arm with the same lines shown.
'Cutting is when someone uses a razor or a sharp object to mutilate or break the skin.'

I lost it. I started to cry and scream. I got very angry and something came over me.
I ran into the bathroom and grabbed my mums shaver.
"IS THIS WHAT YOU DID JEREMY?'!" I pulled up my sleeve and bit the cap of the shaver.
"DID YOU THINK IT WAS OK TO DO THIS?! DOES THAT MEAN I CAN DO IT TOO NOW??"
I put the razor part to my skin and tugged it towards the side. I screamed. I did it again and I started crying. I made three lines on my arm
Once I had noticed what I had done I got scared I threw the shaver at the door. I sat in the corner shaking and balling my eyes out. My mum must have heard me and ran in. She looked down at me and she started to cry. She called 999 and began to hold me. She cried with me and told me everything was going to be ok. She grabbed the first aid kit. And tried to stop the bleeding until the ambulance came. "Sean listen to me baby, they're going to wanna keep you for a little ok baby? But I'll come visit you as much as I can." She kissed me and tears kept rolling.
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I lost it. I completely lost it.
I picked up the razor and looked at my arms.
The last time I did this I was 17.. 5 years. I'm about to throw 5 years down the drain. I looked at all the little white lines going up and down my arm. I placed the little thing closer to my elbow bend and I pushed it in to my skin and pulled. A little whimper escaped my lips from the sting but in a few seconds it was replaced with an all-too-familiar pain I missed so much. I did this 2 more times. I put the razor back into the Altoids tin and put it in my suit case. I grabbed the first aid kit on my bed mantle and wrapped up my arm in gaze.
I grabbed my suit case and carry on and walked out the front door locking it turning off all the lights and securing the house to be empty for a whole month.
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