Nameless ≫ Jarchie

_35_

"What were you even thinking? What is even going on with you lately?"

Nameless didn't say anything. He figured it was best not to make things worse by talking. Everyone was so much better off when he hadn't started opening his mouth more.

"Answer me!" David yelled loudly, causing the boy to jump from his spot on the couch. He stared at him lazily which only made David more upset.

"And now you smoke? You smell like a dispensary and your eyes look like they've been soaking in fruit punch!" David continued on. Nameless looked down at his lap. Didn't he realize that the boy didn't need this speech? He could handle anything David decided to throw at him but what he couldn't handle was the look of pure annoyance and disappointment on Archie's face for about most of their trip.

"I don't know who you are anymore but it's not someone I particularly like." David sighed. Nameless was wrong, David could say something that could hurt him.

"I agree." Nameless mumbled.

David softened at that, guilt spreading over his face. "Can you just tell me what happened?" He asked one last time.

Nameless didn't say anything once again, just played with his hands. What was the point? He couldn't tell his new parent that he went to California to try and remember his old ones. He couldn't tell him about what he had done to Archie because just the thought of him made his throat tight. There was no point. He'd rather forget about it.

"You know what? I'm done trying," David said quietly. "I'm done trying with you and never getting anywhere. I can't care about you unless you let me. It's obvious that you don't want that and I'm done wasting my breath. Do what you want." David said as he got up. Nameless looked up at him sadly but he just didn't know what to say. "See who you want, smoke what you want, go where you want, I don't care anymore." He finished before walking away.

Nameless would give anything to turn back time.

———

"I'm sorry." Fred said quietly as he pulled his son into his arms. "We don't have to talk about it yet if you don't want to." He continued as Archie buried himself into his chest.

The minute Fred picked Archie up from the airport he could tell something was off. He was angry at first, sure. Any parent would be. It was crazy and stupid what the two of them did, and they were paying for it. Fred could see that. David could not. He was hoping that David wasn't giving the boy too much of a hard time but he doubted his conversation between his son was going anything like theirs.

"I think we broke up. It felt like it. I was mad and he was hurt." Archie mumbled.

"Couples get into fights all the time." Fred assured.

"No it was different. The way we were talking to each other..."

"Well are you going to try and fix it?"

"I don't know."

———

"Hey." Jay smiled weakly after knocking on No Name's door. The boy looked up and offered a wave. He was lying on his bedroom floor, staring up at the ceiling, and thinking. Archie was the only thing going through his mind. "Do you want to talk?" Jay asked.

Nameless nodded, but he really didn't. He wanted to be talked too and Jay was a good distraction. Jay walked in and dropped to the floor, assuming the exact position that his brother was in.

"I haven't been to school in a whole week and no one noticed." Jay began. "I leave as soon as I get to school and then I come back towards the end of my last class so I don't miss practice. School is hell. Everyone makes fun of me and I didn't know what to do about it so skipping seemed like a better option. Practice isn't much better. They give me more hell than the people in my classes. It's awful. I hate it. When I come home I'm getting messages on my social media from people I don't even know tearing me apart But no one really cares. I guess I'm sharing this with you because I heard what Dave said. I hope you know that he cares. He cares enough to yell at you and act like he doesn't care. Honestly I'm jealous of you. Is that what I have to do? Go to California so someone could notice that I'm not fine on any level of any spectrum?"