Hushed (Book 2 of the Silent Series)

It Was The People

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Avi quietly prepared breakfast, making sure to not wake the sleeping blonde in the next room over. When finished, he puts Scott's and his plates at the table and goes to make them both coffee.

Once the coffee is brewed, he silently walks over to where Scott was sleeping on the couch and shakes him slightly.

"Wake up." He says. Scott groans, pulling the blanket over himself and burrowing his head in the pillow even more. "Come on, Scott. It's almost noon."

Scott pushes the covers up and and slowly gets up from the couch. He sits at the table and takes small sips from the coffee.

"How are you feeling?" Avi asks.

"Better than yesterday. Thank you." Scott replies, forcing some type of fake smile onto his face.

"Anything hurting? Headache? I have pain killers if you need them."

"I'm okay." Scott was always talkative, so Avi seeing Scott answer with short sentences led Avi to believe that something was seriously wrong, something he needed to know about in order to help him.

"Do you want to talk about yesterday?" Avi asks reluctantly.

"No." Avi nods. "But you deserve an explanation." Scott takes another sip of his coffee.

"I'd like one, yes."

"Okay, umm, where do I start?"

"Do want me to ask you questions instead of you having to explain the whole story?"

"Yes please."

"Why didn't you answer your calls?" Avi asks, getting straight to the point. "I mean, Mitch and Kirstie said you weren't answering, so did Kevin, and I know you didn't answer me."

"I turned my phone off."

"Why?"

"It was making me go insane. It buzzes every two seconds and I was tired and it was so annoying and that was the only way to make it stop, other than breaking it. So I turned it off."

"Did you not want to answer anyone?"

"I was to exhausted and deep in my emotions to even form a sentence, Avi."

"Okay, next thing. Why did you show up at my door?"

"Because Alex woke up, and they kicked me out of the room. I left and I was feeling worse than usual, so I kind of just ended up here. I was so lonely. I don't know why I shut you out when you were always there for me. I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't be apologizing. It's fine. So you were lonely?"

"Yes. I was in my thoughts and we all know that wasn't good, so I didn't even realize I was at your apartment until I reached the front door."

"You said Alex is awake." Scott nods. "Do you want to go visit him?"

"No."

"Why?"

"He hates me."

"Why would he hate you? You saved him."

"Because when he woke up, he slapped me. He didn't want to look at me, so I left because I knew it was what he wanted. He didn't want me to wait for him."

"I'm sure he was just confused. He was asleep for a long time. They still had to run tests, maybe do surgery, and take care of his hygiene, not to mention giving him a ton of food to make up for the amount he lost."

"Can we move to the next question?"

"Of course." Avi says. "Why aren't you in Los Angeles with Kirstie and Mitch right now?"

"I can't leave."

"Because of Alex?"

"No." He says. "Because this is my home. Everything good happened here, and now everyone left like its nothing. I don't want to do that, so I'm here and lonely."

"You're home isn't where you love, it's who you love."

"The people who I love, left me like it wasn't a problem."

"Scott-"

"I'm so alone." He says. "Everyone I love, and have cared for, is gone. They moved away from Arlington like it was no problem, and here I am. I am struggling. Leaving Arlington is like leaving my happiness."

"But what about leaving Mitch? And Kirstie? If leaving Arlington is leaving your happiness, then what was Kirstie and Mitch the whole time? Like a side of your happiness? Think about it like this, Scott. If all of us weren't here this school year, do you still think you'd have this weird connection with Arlington? What if you had the worst year of your life? Then Arlington wouldn't be your happiness. It was the people that made living in Arlington so amazing. It was Mitch."

"I haven't thought about it like that."

"Take some time and think right now."

"You just fucked up my mind even more."

"What are you thinking right now, Scott?"

"That you're right and I'm too stubborn to realize it." Avi nods. "That if it wasn't for Mitch, my year probably would've been shit. That it isn't Arlington that made me happy, it was the people that surrounded me." Scott looks up at Avi. "I'm so fucking messed up! How could I not have noticed that! Of course it was the people!"

"You get it now, don't you?" Scott nods. "What was the best part about living in Arlington?"

"Meeting you guys."

"Not the school?" Scott shakes his head. "What about your new home?"

"Not even a little."

"Just the people?"

"Just the people."

"What do they mean to you?"

"Everything." Avi smiles. "Including you. Thank you so much, Avi." Scott says, pulling him in for a hug. "Id be an even bigger mess if you weren't here. Thank you."

"You did that yourself, Scott. I didn't do anything. I can't force you to believe it, but you choose yourself to believe it. This is all you. You should go to your happiness."

"Go to Mitch." Avi nods. "But what about Alex? Do I just leave him behind?"

"I say wait until he is out of the hospital, talk to him, then go be with Mitch."

"You wouldn't be upset if I left?"

"Scott, I'm satisfied with my life. I have Esther and my family, and I met this amazing girl. I'm okay." Scott smiles, and it was the first real smile he has had in weeks.

"Thank you! I'm going to go turn my phone on and call my mom. She is probably terrified."

Avi watches Scott skip away, a smile so bright on his face that he was sure the room was over heating. He takes out his phone, and clicks on the call button.

He dials Mitch number and waits for the rings to stop.

"Hi." He hears his voice.

"Mitch, Scott is okay now."