How He Broke

Who I should be (Tate's POV)

I continued running until I had reached the treehouse. I stopped, out of breath; my lungs stinging in pain as I struggled to catch my breath.

I was angry; angry at Sage, at myself, and the world.

"FUCK!" I screamed, throwing my fist at the trunk of the tree, my knuckles cracking. "FUCK EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING!" 

My breathing was heavy, matching my rapidly beating heart. 

"Nothing good ever happens to bad people." A voice whispered to me. 

I turned, half expecting to see Sage standing there, waiting with a string of insults about how terrible of a person I was. She wasn't there, no one was.

I struggled to steady my breathing, my anger continuing to burn inside me. 

For some reason I wasn't sad, I felt no regret for what I had done to Sage despite how I had originally felt while I was running out here. I wasn't sorry at all, she deserved it. She deserved to be slapped for what she had done to me, fuck she deserved worse than that for cheating on me.

How could she do that to me? How could someone claim they love you one second and turn around and feel completely different? That's only possible if they'd...

I paused, realization washing over me; if they'd never even loved you to begin with.

I chuckled under my breath at my new found realization, my anger hungry. 

I looked down at my hands as my mind began to swim. I felt alone, empty inside my body. I searched for my alter, ready to tell him he could take over. He wasn't there. No one was there. 

I spun around, searching my surroundings in confusion. Where could he have gone? He's always been apart of me...

That's when it hit me. I was him. I always had been since that first meeting with Dr.Harmon. That one time we had switched, was the last. I had completely overthrown Tate, and all that was left was me. This whole time, I had believed that there was still two of us living in one body, when in reality it's been just me playing the role of "good" Tate, completely unaware of it. 

This entire time, when I thought we had "switched" it was just my mind fabricating his existence in order to protect myself. No wonder I felt so alone, it all made sense now. The last session with Dr.Harmon, when he said he hadn't heard from me in awhile was because I never left, I had just hidden myself deep within my own mind.

I chuckled darkly, feeling more powerful than I ever had before. This was my moment, my time to shine. To accomplish the things the half of me that's gone, never could; I'm finally going to become who I should be.

I decided that if Sage is so miserable, I might as well save her; take her to a better more clean place. A place where she'll be happy forever. 

I ran back to her house, my plan formulating as I went. I knew how I was going to save her, how I would make sure no one would ever hurt her, never take her from me. She'd be with me forever and always, just like she had promised to be. 

As I ran past my house I saw Larry getting out of his car, a long black bag in hand. "Hey Tate!" He gave me a wide grin and a small wave. 

I didn't acknowledge him, refused to waste my breath on him. I had things to take care of, a plan to carry out. 

I ran past, making my way up the steps to Sage's house. 

I let myself in quietly, making sure not to wake anyone, not to let them know that I was here. I slipped into the kitchen, grabbing a butchers knife out of the block sitting on the counter before making my way towards the stairs.