Contemporary Life // FILLIE

Scared

Finn's POV:

"Finn, it's your shift." Gaten states as he stands from the chair set beside Caleb's bed. "Right." I mutter, bouncing off the door frame with my shoulder as I walk inside the room I've been avoiding for two hours. Will this day ever end? "Do you want something to drink? Gatorade, coffee?" He asks with raised brows. I dismiss him with a smile and shake of my head, watching him with a frown as he leaves me in the room with an asleep Caleb. It's not that I hate him, or don't still love him like a brother. It's that I'm scared of him. That look in his eyes when he spoke about stabbing the register worker, telling me he wasn't an idiot- that wasn't Caleb. That wasn't Caleb's soft brown eyes that were always quick witted but still that hint of responsibility and care present in them, much like his personality. It's the fact that I'm scared he'll wake up while it's my shift, and that I'll have to deal with him alone, without anyone hiding behind the doorway to help if needed. I'm alone with some lunatic in my best friend's body.

Giving into the fact that I promised to watch him on my shift, I go over to the chair and sit down slowly. Minutes pass of me just anxiously looking at anything else in this god forbidden room than Caleb McLaughlin. My leg continues to nervously bounce rapidly against the time ground, still anxious he'll wake. I let out a weary, defeated sigh as I finally allow my eyes to fall on him. "Caleb, I don't know if you can hear me. God, I hope not. But dude.. you're scaring me. And not just me, but everyone else too. I don't know what happened, I don't know what changed, but I need you man. I need that Caleb that I was talking to just last night; the one who asked stupidly if I had slept with Millie, which I didn't by the way. Regardless.. I need him, Caleb. So please, come back to me. Okay?" I blurt out, not really expecting a response but waiting for some sort of answer anyway. Silence. I wait for another minute without an answer before settling back in my chair and pulling out my phone to pass the time.

About thirty minutes later, I watch and hear the sheets ruffle over his hurt body, indicating movement. "Finn..?" The boy calls, his voice still sleepy. "Yes, Caleb?" I answer, not daring to look up from my phone out of fear that I will look into those eyes. "Can you pass me my water?" He mutters, his tone making it sound more like a demand than question. I reach over to his bedside and hand him the water, receiving a polite smile as he takes the glass. Good, I haven't seen his eyes. Caleb takes a swig of the water as he stares at the ceiling with a blank face and now wide awake eyes, not that I've seen them directly. "I'm not stupid, Wolfhard." I swallow down a gulp of nerves as I can already guess what he'll say next. "I know you're scared to look at me like I'm normal, like I'm fine. And that's okay, I don't expect you to. To be fair, I don't expect anyone to... except Caitlyn, she would." He explains, muttering the last part as he peers inside the empty plastic cup. "Why her?" I question without even thinking, the thought not meant to be said aloud. But hey, why don't we just fuck everything up? Just to Get Off a Good One. He raises his eyebrows with me, almost as if he's shocked I even spoke.

"Why her? Because.. she wouldn't think I was crazy, she'd understand. She always has." Caleb answers while he pinches a part of the sheets out of boredom. "Caitlyn hasn't come visit you, has she?" I ask gravely, feeling pity for my criminal friend. He shakes his head, a frown appearing on his face as he continues his boring task. "She was already in the hospital, Finn." The dark eyed boy informs me, his voice sad but sinister in a way I can't describe. "W-What?" I blurt out with wide eyes and furrowed eyebrows as I lean forward in the seat. He doesn't reply, not even getting the chance to when Sadie comes waltzing into the room. Her face weary and sad until her eyes land on the awake boy in the bed, the sight of Caleb causing her to become a bouncing ball of energy again. Swiftly, she goes over to him and gives him a small hug, careful not to hurt his bandaged body.

"Thank god you're awake, for a second I thought you'd never wake up." Sadie explains with a bright smile full of joy. Don't get your hopes up, red. Caleb looks up at her with the smallest flicker of a smile until it disappears just as quickly as it came. And so, without a word, he goes back to messing with the sheets.  The redhead whips her head to me with scrunched eyebrows, to which I just shrug to as I stand from the seat I've been dying to get out of. "Good luck, lovebirds." I mutter, raising my hand slightly as I exit the room. Leaving Sadie with the strange, unfamiliar teen I've grown to become fascinated with believe it or not. He's like some foreign creature, foreign person, and I'm the therapist he tells all of his secrets to. I'm the discoverer, the scientist, the journalist, and that's because he'll only speak to me.

-

"Mom, you don't understand. I won't be able to focus on school at all, and you don't want me failing, do you?!" I complain with my hands out at my sides, my eyebrows raised. She rolls her eyes with her arms crossed, her gaze soon falling onto my dad in the kitchen. "Eric, can you please tell Finn why he can't miss school tomorrow?" She asks in a voice a teacher would use when asking a question they already know the answer to, but I'm not sure she has one. Dad looks up from his sandwich as bits of crumbs decorate his scruffy gray beard. "Uh.. because, we want you to keep up with your studies. Yeah, and y'know.. not miss out on stuff. Just listen to your mother Finn- I fully support whatever she says." He utters out while saying the first things that come to his head until finally giving up, handing the parenting job back to my mother. "Finn, you're going to school tomorrow, and that's final. Now I don't want to hear anymore, alright?" She states strictly, pointing at me with that motherly 'listen to me' look on her face that everyone knows means it's game over. I roll my eyes excessively as I let out a low groan, running up the stairs whilst cursing under my breath. Knowing that if I stay much longer I might say something I'd regret.

I burst into my room and shut the door behind me, refusing the massive urge to slam it shut with all the strength and rage I've got built up inside me. I trudge over to my bed and flop onto it back first, pulling out my phone in the process. I tap into my contacts and dial Gaten's number. After only a two rings, the familiar voice speaks into my ear. "Hello?" Gaten mutters sleepily, seeming as if I had just awaken him. "Hey, Gaten? I gotta tell you something." I start, pressing my lips together before continuing. "Something about Caleb." "What about him?" I hear him ask with sheets ruffling in the background, I assume he's sitting up in bed. "Have you talked to him, seen him, awake?" I question curiously, waiting an answer eagerly. "No..?" Gaten answers, obviously confused. "Well.. I know it might sound stupid, but his eyes- they aren't the same." I utter out while cringing at how bullshit that sounds. "Okay.. what's different?" He asks, sounding like he'll give me a chance. "They're just.. there's something there that wasn't before, that's all." I ramble out as I try to find the right words. "You're saying that there's like a crazy look in his eyes? Like you don't know whose they belong to, sorta thing?" Gaten guesses, to which I nod to. "Y-Yeah, kinda." "Don't worry, I know what you mean. I've seen it happen before." He explains with a yawn. "Gaten, I'm scared." I admit, my words coming out in a shaky breath as my free arm wraps itself around my chest. "I am too." I hear him reply quietly, letting the line go silent. Abruptly, he clears his throat. "So uh, listen Finn, I found something a little odd about the switch blade that I think you might wanna check out. If you have the time do you think you could come over after school?" Gaten suggests yet he already knows the answer. "Yeah, sure. Just me or..?" I trail off, waiting for him to talk. "Just you. No offense to the others, but I don't think they can handle it yet." He explains grimly, causing me to unknowingly gulp from uncomfortableness. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow. Night Gaten." I respond, hiding the anxiety deep in my voice. "Night Finnlard, get some good sleep man." He instructs with his leadering voice that still surprises me. "Will do, bye." I assure before ending the call and clicking off my phone. Yeah.. this night will be restless won't it?