Stress Reliever //// {TreeBros}

quatorze

The picture frame of Evan and his mother fell off the wall as Heidi hit it, sending it to the floor in a hundred pieces. "How could you leave me like this?! How could you do this to your own mother?"

Evan shook his head harshly. "I didn't do anything!"

"You left me to worry about you for days. I thought you were dead, Evan!"

"Well I'm not!"

"Doesn't matter. Why would you do something like this?!" Heidi had tears streaming down her cheeks, pointing accusingly at her son. "Do you even understand how worried I was?! I almost called he cops, Evan!"

"I was just trying to help him," Evan yelled back defensively, feeling the dam breaking in his eyes.

"Help who? You don't even talk to anyone, why would you help someone?"

The breath left Evan's body in one quick movement. Why would she say something like that? "I can't help that," Evan said quietly, trailing off slightly.

"Oh like hell you can't. You fake it half the time just so I can buy you pills."

He didn't know who she was anymore. This wasn't his mother. Heidi would never say something like this to her own son.

"Stop it," Evan whispered, looking down at his grey tennis shoes.

"Stop what? Telling the truth? You need to know how messed up you are."

"Stop." Evan's eyes clenched shut, tears threatening to pour from them.

"I wish I never had you. You ruined my life. I have to work all the time to pay for you, I lose sleep because of you, I can't do anything I want to do because you're too much of a baby to go out in public. I wish you left with your dad--"

"Stop it! Stop it, stop it, stop it!"

He sank to his knees, holding his hands over his eyes as he got palmfuls of tears. He heard his name being called out in front of him, but it wasn't his mother's voice.

"Evan!"

Evan jolted awake, gasping for air like he was underwater. He was drowning. He was going to die if he didn't breath.

"Evan, you need to calm down." It took a moment for his eyes to focus on who was in front of him. Connor's eyes were wide with fear as he watched Evan fall apart in front of him.

"Can't. Mom." He sputtered, holding onto his chest. The beating of his heart was out of control, skipping beats and pounding through the layer of clothing under his hand.

"It was just a dream. Your mom is safe back home. Everything is okay." Connor rested his hand on the back of Evan's head, toying with one of the strands to calm him down. "Would it help if I laid with you?"

Evan nodded, not really knowing what to say. His heart was still pounding, and the way he was catching his breath made him sound like a rabid animal. He had no idea why Connor would even propose sleeping in the same bed as him.

Evan felt his shirt stick to his body from how much he was sweating. He cringed, not even wanting to acknowledge how sticky and smelly he probably was. Connor didn't seem to mind though, which made Evan feel a little better about the fact that Connor hadn't pointed it out.

Connor climbed over onto the left side of the bed, pulling Evan down with him and cradling the shorter boy against his chest. Evan tried to distance himself, "I'm sorry, I'm sticky."

"I don't give a shit. I just want you to be okay," Connor said as his fingers absentmindedly toyed with the ends of Evan's hair.

The pounding in Evan's chest faltered a bit at the feeling of Connor's caring fingers in his hair. But, despite this, he had another feeling bubble up in his stomach. It must just be another fit of anxiety, he told himself, pulling himself closer to the long haired boy without making it too obvious.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Connor asked softly, and Evan wondered if this really was the same kid that smoked weed and punched holes in he drywall of his bedroom. This was a completely different Connor, and Evan was more than glad to meet him.

"There's not much to say," Evan responded quietly, not looking anywhere near his deep brown eyes. "I just feel guilty about leaving my mom back in New York."

There was a moment of silence that followed before Connor let out a breath through his nose. "Do you want to call her tomorrow?"

Evan made a small noise in the back of his throat. Did he really want to add to the guilt when he would hear his mothers voice? It would break his heart to hear how sad it would be.

"Part of me does, part of me doesn't," Evan curled his fingers in Connors black hoodie, pulling gently on the soft fabric.

"You don't have to do anything you do want to. I'll be there for whatever you do." Connor rubbed his eyes, trying to push the sleep away from them.

Evan sighed, "I think I'm just going to wait a little longer before I talk to her. I'm afraid if I do I'll end up going back."

Connor gave a lazy, one-sided smile and Evan swore his heart had died on him in that moment. "That's alright, Ev. If you don't mind, I'm gonna finish sleeping."

"That's fine," Connor started to get up from his spot on Evan's bed. Evan's stomach dropped and he reached for Connor's hand. "Can you stay? Jus-just in case I have another?"

Connor laid back down, "I won't leave." He pulled the blanket over the both of them, not hesitating for a second to pull the smaller male into his arms and tangle their legs together.

Evan knew that friends didn't usually do this, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He felt safe, and loved, and warm. Evan felt as if nothing could go wrong as long as he was in those safe arms, and maybe that was the case.

He didn't have to be afraid anymore.
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I'm having days where I hate this book and want to delete it, and other days where I have so much motivation and I know exactly how it will go in such a perfect way. But, of course, on those days I procrastinate until the day where I hate it and then start to write. Good going, Me.