self-destructive empathy ; setosolace

8

My disruptive behavior has probably instilled fear in Ty since he's taking his time at he rest stop. It's been about forty-five minutes, give or take, and there's still no sign of his return. Starbucks is always reasonably busy, but now he's just stalling. Initially, I didn't plan on leaving the safety of my car and facing my own harsh consequences, but Adam would probably be way beyond pissed if we didn't show up. So, I left.

I could feel the small raindrops that are falling from the sky and littering the ground. It's uncanny that the rain's going to get worse, so I hasten my pace into the large rest stop. As expected, there's a Starbucks towards the east wing with a non-existent line. I can see Ty sitting at one of the booths, back facing the exit, talking to someone. I stalk for a bit while trying to get as close as I can.

Back in the day, my mom told me not to eavesdrop on conversations because you'll usually hear something that you shouldn't know, but I can't help myself: curiosity gets the better of me. After a bit of aimlessly walking, I get the opportunity to sit at a nearby booth away from their line of sight. There's a newspaper laying on the center of the table, so I pick it up and pretend to be reading it. In reality, I'm just using it as a cover for my face.

Ty's the one talking with a voice of concern. He's usually the boisterous type and you can hear him from miles away, but this time his voice is softer. The person he's talking to is Jason; he was invited to Adam's party as well. He lives a couple blocks away from our apartment complex and visits frequently on weekdays. Funny how the two ended up clashing at Starbucks.

"They're wrong, there must be improvement since—" Ty's voice goes softer and I can't make out what he's saying. There are some words I hear, such as medication, blood, and oddly library. I'm pretty sure Ty mentioned circus, but it was quite butchered and mispronounced. Or maybe it was circumference?

"It's getting worse and—" Jason's voice goes softer, too. Does Jason have some kind of terminal illness? I don't think it would be plausible, he looks perfectly healthy. Then again, it could be hiding in plain sight.

I really shouldn't be eavesdropping.

A muffled sob, from which I'm assuming to be coming from Ty, escapes. He's louder this time and I can hear a full sentence, "I can't lose him, I've known him since elementary! He doesn't deserve to die!"

It's painstakingly quiet between the two. Part of me is relieved that it isn't Jason, but that opens up more possibilities. I take assumption that it's Adam. Ty knew him since elementary and he wouldn't have a major reaction if it was someone else.

"He's fine now, but the symptoms are getting progressively worse," Jason's louder too. They're probably combating the ear-piercing shouts that are occurring all the way in the west wing at McDonalds. "From what he recently told me, he's been seeing some blood in his vomit. The prescribed medications are getting stronger and he can barely get out of the house. I tell him just to stay at home, but he never listens."

Ty lets out a hopeless chuckle, "He's stubborn as usual."

There's another couple minutes of silence before Jason decides to change the topic, "Want a ride to Adam's house? Y'know, considering that argument you had with Brice."

Ty declines, "Nah, I honestly should go apologize to him; I did push some of his buttons. I mean, it's almost been an hour and the poor dude must be freaking out. Anxiety gets the better of him sometimes."