Don't Come Close

Chapter 1- Trevor

Since the day Athena died, I haven't been sleeping well. I went from sleeping 12 hours at a time to 7, which Michael said is actually better for me.

The nightmares are what keeps me up. There is the one with Athena shooting everyone. Lester, Michael, her Uncle Brad, the strippers, my neighbors, and then me. My eyes always open right up when she shoots me.

The one that really stays with me is the one where I burn down the strip club, and Athena was still inside. She wasn't dead after all, but because of my guilt and sadness she was. I would have to take myself into the main room of the crowded strip club to reassure myself it was still there.

Tonight was the one of me getting a follow request on Lifeinvader by someone with the same face as Athena, but with a different name, but the last name almost always being Philips. After that recurring nightmare, I always search all of Lifeinvader for anyone of the name. Anyone resembling Athena or has anything that reminds me of her, I have Wade find her.

People can come back from the dead. Michael did it. And Athena did once before already. I don't see why she would come back if she purposely is hiding from me again. I drove her away obviously. And thinking this way drives me to drink.

It was 1:30 am. I wandered out of my office, down the hall into the main room of the strip club, As I walked to the bar, I glanced over and saw Franklin sitting next to the stage. The last time I drunkenly opened up to Franklin, it led to Athena coming back to me. So I preceded to the bar to get drunk. Eventually, Franklin found his way to the bar. He joined me, and I patted him on the back.

"What's good man?" He asked.

"Nothing. Everything is terrible. I wish I would just drink myself to death."

"You good?" I groaned. He sighed, "Obviously not. Sorry, man. I don't want to sound like Michael, but you should talk to someone."

"Yeah, I'll talk to you."

"I mean like a professional. Like pay someone to hear about your problems."

"Why would I do that when I can talk to you for free?"

Franklin shook his head, "Cause that's not what people in Los Santos do. They go to a therapist and bitch for 45 minutes at a time, don't follow their advice, and then go back again."

"Maybe its because I'm not meant to live in Los Santos. I should go back to Sandy Shores. Focus on my business" I glanced around the club. "I have some business to handle here first." I nodded goodbye and stumbled back down the hall to my office to try to sleep.