The Sound of Silence (Previously I Know What You Did Last Summer)

{Eleven} Bedroom Doors and Bathroom Floors

"Certified doctor? That's the biggest load of shit I've heard in a while." Landon's endless rant continued on until we had stepped out of the humid air and back into the air conditioned confinement of the house. Though it had been my doctor's appointment, Landon looked as if he'd gotten as much sleep as I did last night. Considering my sleep schedule was nearly nonexistent, it was strange to see someone else going through the struggle.

The dark bags under his eyes had only grown heavier and darker since stepping out of the house three hours ago. His hair, usually a brushed back combed masterpiece, was a mess on his head. He looked to have crawled out of bed this morning without caring about anything more than throwing new clothes on to ready himself.

"She didn't say a word about your weight loss." Landon muttered once at the kitchen table, rubbing his right hand down his face. "She decided shoving antidepressants down your throat was the best remedy to it?"

"Maybe she's right." I offered up my opinion.

My brother's green eyes darkened with the look he shot me across the room. "I've been taking them since I was fifteen, Ave. They make you feel numb. They don't help."

But Landon, I wanted to shake him in his chair and say, I can't feel any worse than I already do.

I could see the exhaustion lining every crease along my brother's forehead and around his eyes as he pushed back from the table. He gripped the chair tightly in his hands after pushing it in, breathing out shakily to calm himself. Seemingly at ease, he walked over to me and touched my shoulder. I shook it off and stepped back before my mind could fully process what happened.

"Please, Avery, for the love of God, eat." There was so much desperation in the plea, that I half expected him to fall to his knees and beg. "If you don't want to do it for yourself, than do it for me, alright?"

When I didn't do anything but avert my eyes and pretend he wasn't there, he sighed and headed for the door.

"I've got to get to work. Tell Colton to order something and I'll pay him back. I love you. See you later."

I lifted my head, meeting my brother's eyes for a moment before the black door blocked him from my line of sight. I swallowed the lump easing its way up my dry throat and made my way down the hall to the bathroom. I paused momentarily outside the last room at the end of the dimly lit hall-the guest room. The door wasn't open anymore than an inch or two, but I could see Colton pacing the room repeatedly, his hand buried in his hair as he talked softly into the receiver and glanced up at the ceiling, shaking his head.

I took a step away from the door and tripped over the folded edge of the carpet, hitting the ground hard. I clenched my teeth to hold back the cry of pain, but it wasn't any use. Colton still hung up the phone and threw the bedroom door open, offering a hand to help me up as he asked if I was okay. I nodded, not wanting admit the fact that there was a sharp pain shooting through my tailbone.

"I didn't know you guys were back." He said, craning his neck to see if my brother was still home. "How was the appointment?"

I rubbed my hand along my lower back. "They prescribed me antidepressants."

The expression that crossed Colton's face mirrored that of Landon's our entire way back to the house. "Don't get them filled. You don't need them destroying your psyche anymore than it already is."

I answered with a quick nod, analyzing him for any sign of his questioning of the events of last night. A look passed through his eyes, but it subsided just as quickly as it had entered. I knew he wanted an answer to where the stitches had come from, but he hadn't tried to push or pry it out of me at all on our walk back last night. He'd only glanced over a few times and made small talk. It was a small thing, really, him not questioning me on it, but I couldn't be any more relieved to not have to deal with him on my back about it as I had with everything else for the last week.