The Deep End

Chapter 16: Part 2

Nico
           His body felt fuzzy, his throat was dry, his stomach churned, but his anxiety was high. All he wanted to do was barrel roll out the side of the car, and hope the impact would be enough to kill him.
    Nico kept his gaze out the window strady. The cold wintery streets decorated with the sparkles of icy snow. Nico kept his breathing paced as his breath fog up the window with every exhale.
    "We're here." Percy clicked the gear stick into park as he watched Nico climb out the car. The pale boy snapped out of his mental argument he was having with  himself. His brain screaming at his body to not pass out.
    In an instant Nico unclicked his seat belt yanked his bag on his back, and opened the heavy metal door, slamming it before Percy could finish his sentence of offering him to carry his bag.
    He just couldn't stand be the boy he loved anymore. His brain gave him reason after reason as to why Percy would never even like him back. Things like he was just being nice, your ugly, your too fat. His brain wouldn't give him a break. His thoughts whirred around his brain. Him screaming, and yelling back.
    He climbed each step to his 3rd floor apartment. Each step was another thought he wished he didn't have.
    He pulled the metal keys from his back pocket. Each key making a comedic clink as they bumped against one another.
    He twisted the key unlocking the heavy wooden door. Instantly smoke hit his face. He coughed waving his hand through the air. The nicotine stained air made Nicos throat even drier.
    His stepmom joked of how he couldn't handle a little smoke. Along with some vulgar words mixed in. His dad added in a pathetic for good measure.
    With his head hung low, his body was aching as he finally reached his bedroom. Mrs. O'Leary was panting on his bed.
    "It's okay girl," He filled her water bowl from his bathroom sink opened his window then flopped onto his bed where Mrs. O'Leary soon followed resting her head onto Nicos thigh, "it's okay girl."
    He couldn't tell if he was trying to calm his dog down or he was subconsciously telling himself this to calm himself down, but one sentence stood in his mind. Things were definitely not okay.