close to you ; tofuudiger

| 17 |

miss me?

" i have to go joe, why can't you come with me?" his mom asked him, they were eating dinner.

"i can't handle that, i can't."

joe's aunts funeral was this weekend. he really didn't want to go.

"alrighty sweetie, but you have to promise to stay safe while i'm gone. i want zack here every night with you."

"okay, okay."

death wasn't something joe need in his mind right now. also more alone time with zack? fucking yes. the two boys were better- a lot better. but joe still wasn't taking his medicine and it killed zack everyday, every morning when he picked him up from school. he saw the pain in his eyes.

"when i met you...you were taking the medicine."

"so?"

"you were the same person, but now you're sad."

joe sighed and didn't make eye contact.

"joe, i don't want you to be sad!" zack exclaimed just trying to get joe to see his point.

"can you just try and take them? not everyday, just a couple times. please joe?" zack asked.

joe looked at him, he was mad.

"just leave me alone!" joe got out of the car and ran.

they were in the school parking lot. zack watched joe run into the building.

"fuck me," he whispered under his breathe.

joe got to class and put his hoodie over his head and closed his eyes.

why couldn't everyone just leave him the fuck alone?! he hated his medication. he hated it. and wasn't going to take it ever. he didn't need it or want it.

zack came into the classroom just as the bell rang for class.

zack didn't sit next to him.

and once again, they weren't better.

|||

you are so annoying

tyler didn't say it out loud. but god, he wanted to!

josh and zack were both talking about the cutting.

"can we please not talk about this at school," tyler whispered.

"we just want you better," said josh. zack was more quiet about the situation. he understood. he understood pain.

"i will get better," tyler groaned. this was a lie. but he didn't care.

tyler's head was a mess. he hated everything good. he was started to hate josh, the love of his life!

after school, he took a drive. he parked somewhere random. he cried a lot. he cut a lot. he thought, a lot. he was out of weed so he couldn't calm down.

"josh," his voice was so shaky. he could barely hold the phone.

"what's wrong?"

"we need to break up," tears rolled down his face, his arm stung.

"what? tyler no, what's going on?"

"i can't do this anymore!" he broke.

"where are you? tyler?!"

he hung up.

no more

"no more."

|||

"we have to find him, where could he be?" josh said, he was shaking, siting in zack's passenger seat.

joe was in the back blowing up tyler's phone.

"how can you track someone's phone?" joe asked.

"maybe we should call the police," replied zack.

"no, not yet," said josh. josh was holding back so many tears. as soon as the line went dead, he called zack to tell him.

they had to find him, before it was too late.

joe's phone rang.

"hey mom," he said.

"hey honey, where are you?"

"um, with my friends," he replied. probably not a good idea to tell his mom why he was with his friends.

"you have a visitor at the house."

"who?"

"i don't know, but try and get home. it's a boy your age. new friend at school maybe? he said he would wait for you to come back."

i don't have any new friends thought joe, confused.

"i don't know, um, i'll be home soon mom."

joe has no idea who was at his house. but he wasn't going to stop looking for tyler.

finally tyler called zack, screaming.

screams and yells poured through the phone.

he was sobbing.

as soon as tyler said where he was, they drove as fast as they could to get to him.

josh opened tyler's car door, there was a lot of blood on tyler.

joe had to look away, he was thinking too much about june 23rd.

tyler was sobbing.

burn marks and cuts where all over his arms.

zack put a sweat shirt on tyler, his body was shaking.

"joe, drive tyler's car back to his house. i'll take him and josh to mine, okay?"

"alright," he said. josh held tyler in the back seat of zack's car as joe got into tyler's and began to drive.

joe noticed the blades in the cup holder.

joe noticed the lighter had bloody finger prints.

joe noticed the blood stained seat.

joe noticed the faint smell of marijuana.

joe noticed the pain in this car.

joe parked at tyler's house and walked over to zacks. josh was getting tyler into the bath and zack was ordering pizza.

"i can't stay," said joe.

"please stay," zack replied, he had tears in his eyes.

"i would but my mom-"

"i've never see him like this." zack was breaking down.

"come home with me really quick, okay? well come back and help tyler."

"okay," zack went to told josh they were leaving for a bit.

zack and joe walked to joe's home, hand in hand.

"who do you think is at your house?"

"maybe my dad and my mom is playing a prank on me."

zack frowned.

joe opened the front door.

"good, you're home," his mother exclaimed.

a boy on the couch stood up.

fear ran through joe's spine.

"miss me?" his voice boomed.

no

"landon?" joe's voice cracked. the landon that ruined his life, the reason he tried to kill himself landon?!

no no no

the next thing joe saw was zack's fist colliding with that horrifying face.

his mother screamed.