stupid for you ↝ ryden

10.0

it's august, nearly ryan's birthday. his 18th one.

ryan's asleep, but his phone starts ringing, waking him up. he doesn't bother looking at the caller id before answering a groggy, "hello?" 

"ryan?" 

"yea, who's this?"

"i'm brendon's mom." 

ryan instantly panics, "is everything okay?" 

"um," she pauses slightly. "brendon is in the hospital." 

she explains a little more, before ryan shoots out of bed, slides on his shoes, and jogs out of his house. he grabs his bike, pedaling it out of the garage and to the hospital mrs. urie told him. he doesn't mind the summer air on his face. he's rides faster than he ever has. even faster than when he was being chased by a group of bullies when he was 10.

he finds his way to brendon's family. brendon's little sister was waiting for ryan. he greets brendon's mom with a hug. 

"ryan, can i talk to you for a moment?" she asks, pulling him to the side.

"yeah, what's going on?" he asks, his hands shoved into the pockets of his pajama pants.

"the doctor told me they don't think brendon has much more time. he's fought hard, but they're thinking this is the beginning to the end." 

ryan's numb to the news. he's not even aware he's crying until brendon's mom hands him a tissue. ryan sits in one of the uncomfortable waiting chairs. staring at the tiles on the floor. his face is stone cold, he's like a statue with a stone face full of sadness.

they let him into the room in the morning. brendon looks so... fragile. the opposite of his normal self.

"ry!" he says cheerily as ryan enters the room. "i was asking for you, they wouldn't let you come see me."

"hey b. how do you feel?"

"i feel like i'm on top of the world." brendon jokes, his smile a little softer than usual.

they spend the whole day together until ryan has to leave. he's so afraid of what's to come, terrified is a better word.