Painkillers

Chapter Fifteen

A/N: This chapter was hard to write because I wanted it to be right. Also, my dad was recently arrested for drug possession and for some reason that's made me feel weird about this story. I haven't seen my dad in 5 years and haven't talked to him in 4 years so I have no real connection to him anymore. I guess because I've been talking more about the things my dad did that I'm starting to feel that fear again. So this chapter has given me so much anxiety but I wanted to get it written. I actually battled with writing anything between Mitch and his dad but I feel like if I just skipped it that would take away from the seriousness of this chapter. I've had to write little-by-little to get through it and was actually shaking while writing it. I'm not sure why it's had such an effect on me but it has. I'm sorry if it's not that great. I feel like I was rushing through it at times because my anxiety was so bad. I hope people understand and if it is bad then I'll go back and try to re-write it.

Mitch went to class the next day even though he had been told he didn't have to. Obviously news traveled fast and the teachers knew what was happening so they tried to give Mitch some sympathy by letting him skip classes if he wanted to. He didn't want to stay in his room though. He was nervous that his dad would come for him. He knew it was going to happen eventually and he wouldn't be able to stop it. But maybe if he stayed away from his room and more around other people then his dad would have time to calm down.

Scott hadn't tried talking to him. He kept his distance and it hurt Mitch. The brunette knew it was for the best but that didn't stop him from wanting Scott around. He felt safe with the blond. After a lot of thinking he knew that Scott was just doing what he thought was best. He was just trying to help Mitch. What he didn't understand was that nothing could save him. Mitch felt that his only option was to do his best to stay away from his dad for the next three years and then move as far away as he could. Maybe he would even leave the country. He had always loved Paris.

"Mitch, are you okay?" Mrs. Davids asked as she walked by his desk.

"Yes, Ma'am," he answered, getting back to work. He could feel eyes on him and knew that other students were staring. The only good thing was that this situation seemed to weird out people so they had been leaving him alone. It had been one day though but he would take whatever good luck he could get. When he needed to stop and think he glanced around the room. His eyes met the blue eyes he really missed. Scott was staring at him but as soon as he noticed Mitch looking back he looked back at his paper. Mitch quietly sighed and turned his head the other way to look out the window.

Once class let out, Mitch gathered his things and slipped out past everyone. He was afraid of Scott trying to talk to him. The blond hadn't tried talking to him so he wasn't sure if Scott would but he couldn't handle being cornered by him. Mitch decided to fall back into his old ways and be a good child. Get up, go to class, go to work at the library, do homework, go to bed early. He had always been a good child and stuck to a routine. It was easier without people complicating things. He hadn't really been friends with anyone besides Scott but Kevin had started being friendly towards him. He needed them both to stay away now.

Mitch had a hard time focusing through classes because he was scared. He knew they wouldn't hold his dad for long and he didn't know what the school would do about him. What if his dad got fired? Would he pull Mitch from the school? It wasn't like he had much here but he had his own room away from his dad. They rarely saw each other unless he was called to his dad's office which hardly happened until Scott came along.

The teen froze when he saw his dad walk into the classroom. Everyone looked from him to his father as the man spoke with the teacher. They both turned to look at the brunette teen before his teacher spoke.