Approaching Normal // third book in Dementophobia series

two // you should be afraid of me

--Bowser's P.O.V--

It seemed like Benji's swim practice lasted forever, but eventually, it was over much to my relief. His teammates invited him to go out and eat, but he ultimately turned the offer down because he had to drive me home and he knew that I would be extremely uncomfortable if I ate with them.

I kept trying to tell him that mom could have come and got me, but of course, Benji insisted on driving me home, causing me to feel guilty for him not being able to go to dinner. I was honestly the reason why Benji couldn't do or have a lot of things. He didn't have his own room. He missed birthday parties when he was younger. He even had to drop out of the swim team last year. All that was because of me.

I felt like a burden and that was the reason why I stayed silent most of the ride home.

The moment we walked in the door at home, the smell of my mother's cooking drifted into the foyer, my stomach growling. Benji headed towards the kitchen and I turned to silently sneak up the stairs to our room but was stopped by my seven-year-old sister launching herself at my body.

"Bubby!" She yelled as I picked her up in my arms with a grunt. "Can you teach me more of the piano tonight? Please!"

I shook my head, running my head through her blonde hair and setting her down once again. "Not tonight, Candice. Bubby's feeling really tired, but I promise that I will teach you something tomorrow, okay?"

My little sister's face took on a look of disappointment, but it quickly vanished as our mother stepped into the foyer. Candice darted towards, causing a small smile to appear on my face. "Bubby said he would teach me more piano tomorrow!"

"He did?" She exclaimed, ruffling her youngest daughter's hair. "Well, then you better go sit down in the dining room for your supper where you can get ready for bed afterwards. You want to have your rest for piano pratice tomorrow."

"Okay, mommy!" Candice ran out of the room and my mother turned towards me, a concerned look on her face. She stepped towards me, resting her hand against my forehead.

"Are you feeling alright, Bowser? Your head's a little warm and I heard you say that you are really tired tonight. You usually always teach Candice piano no matter how tired you are."

I backed away from my mother's cold hand. "Momma, I'm fine. I'm just tired because I'm not used to going out and actually doing stuff. I really am okay. Honestly."

Truthfully I felt a bit light-headed, but it wasn't a serious enough matter to bring up to my mother. I knew she would drop everything and drive me to the emergrscy room in a heartbeat. That was the last thing I wanted.

She must have detected the sincerity in my voice because she sighed. "I'm sorry, Bowser. I just worry a lot." She ran a hand through her blonde hair. "You can eat up in your room tonight if you want. I'll bring it up to you when it's ready."

I smiled. "Thanks, momma."

I made it halfway up the stairs before stopping and turned around. "Oh, I feel bad for disappointing Candice, so can you ask Dad to show her something on piano?"

My mother nodded. "I will, you just go up and rest, okay?"

I didn't protest at all and quickly made my way up to Benji and I's room, pushing open the door and plopping down onto my red bedsheets. My entire  body felt extremely tired as I closed my eyes, but I knew I probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

I usually never did.

•••

After I ate, I fell asleep and a few hours later, I woke up drenched in sweat and my throat raw. My mother was bent over my body, concern written all over her face and I automatically knew that she had to shake me awake.

"Bowser, honey," she said, softly, running her hand through my sweaty hair. "It's okay, you're okay. It was just a night terror again."

I wiped the tears off my face before taking a deep breath. My head turned to the right to see Benji faced away from me, his shallow breathing giving away the fact that he was fast asleep.

"At least he didn't wake up this time," I mumbled, leaning against my mom's shoulder. "Did I wake up anyone else?"

She shook her head. "No, baby, you didn't. Dad and I are the only ones awake. We've been awake since you all went to sleep."

I turned my head to look at the digital clock that was resting on my nightstand. It was a little past midnight, my body felt extremely tired and I was sure that the dark circles under my eyes probably couldn't improved any.

My mother must have noticed my dazed look because she gently shook my shoulder and her words came back into focus. "Do you want to get in the shower to wash all the sweat off of you or do you want to wait until the morning?"

I ranked my hands through the wet strands of hair and I sighed. "Since Benji's meet is at two and all the rest of you guys have to take showers tomorrow as well, I'll take mine now. Hopefully, I can go to sleep afterwards."

My mother nodded, standing up off of my bed and quickly leaving the room to go start the shower for me. It took me a minute to gain the energy to stand up and when I did, my legs felt weak, like I was going to collapse at any moment. I swore I saw Benji's body move like he was going to help me, but then decided not to. However, when I looked, he was fast asleep.

I felt like I was going to puke as I leaned against the doorframe of the bathroom, feeling extremely lightheaded.

"Bowser, maybe you should just wait until the morning to shower," my mom suggested. "You look like you're going to be sick."

I shook my head. "No, no, I'm okay. I can just sit down and get it over with."

However, it was apparent I was not stable when my mom had to help me take off of my clothes and help me actually step into the shower like I was five years old again. 

"You don't have to stay in here, momma," I mumbled, lathering my hair in shampoo. "I'll call for you if I need help."

My mother's blonde hair fell over her face as she quickly shook her head. "I know I don't have to stay in here, but I want to. Besides, your father is watching some basketball thing on tv and I can't stand watching the sport. It's so boring."

I smiled, slightly at her remark. Although my parents had their own opinions and small disagreements, they were perfect for each other.

That made me feel sad for some reason.

A/N: The chapters start progressing from here in length and plot.

-L.A