Sleepless, a Poofless ff

A Prison Within Yourself

Listen to "My Suffering" by Yesterday as Today. Just do it, okay?

Chapter 13, A Prison Within Yourself

Nobody was there to make him feel guilty, or give in to pressure, therefore; Preston became more and more stubborn. It seemed as if everyone had run off, and wanted nothing more than to stay away.

"No." He repeated, lying on his stomach against the bed. He was supposed to be released today, but nobody volunteered to watch over him. Nobody cared enough to volunteer. To think you could have so many people supporting you, yet all their care could crumble so quickly. Frankly, he didn't want to go. He felt safer in the hospital than anywhere else, it was a shelter, a shelter to hide from life. He had an excuse, he had people around him, and he felt safe. Lonely, but safe. Sadness felt too overrated for him. Preston was sick of sadness, so he decided he wouldn't be sad; pushing every speculation to the back of his head, resenting himself for even thinking of such a thing. You see, anger was so much more fun.

"Fuck you." He grumbled, as he spit his medication out.

His arms pinned back, needles pressed into his arm. Preston didn't care. The whispers that surrounded him, the sighs of exasperation, and the endless looks of pity. Nobody was there. He was trapped in a prison. Not a prison with stone walls, or iron bars that restricted freedom. A prison he'd made within himself, Preston was trapped in his mind.

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It was his last day in Texas, and he was quite happy about that. The weather had become unbearably hot, and he'd rather be home. Adam tucked his keys into his back pocket as he sat down.  A local pizzeria, nothing special, but just right. 3:30, Jerome will be here at 3:30. He felt nervous in some way, hands trembling against his jeans. Everything felt perfect, he could fix everything, he could bring everybody together again. Even Adam hadn't posted in a stunningly long time. It seemed that no one could post a video without getting spammed with questions. Questions that they couldn't answer, and questions that they didn't want to answer. But Adam felt like he could change that, that he could fix everything.

"Adam!" He turned around, his Italian friend sheepishly scratching the back of his neck.

"Jerome, it's been too long." Adam replied, gesturing to the seat next to him. He felt like he could sit there all day, smiling and staring at Jerome. The grin on Jerome's face contrasted his dark eyes, and the melancholic creases beneath them. He didn't look upset, just overwhelmed.

"Jerome? What's been going on with you guys?" Jerome sighed, understanding that his facade was much too easy to see through.

"Everyone's split up." He mumbled.

Adam sat there, eyebrows furrowed, as Jerome explained the mess that was his friends. Or at least used to be his friends. He noticed the straight face that Jerome had covered up with. Jerome was indeed strong, and wasn't willing to show weakness. Wasn't willing to give in for the sake of himself.

"Wait, what about Preston?" Adam noted, seeing as the boy had somewhat dropped out of the story completely.

"I'm not sure." Jerome responded, his face solemn. Adam thought back to the excitable Texan. The short conversations they'd had would somehow always bring a smile to his face. It felt fictional, the person Jerome spoke of. Of course, everyone seemed to have changed. Grown up, given up, hopped into the endless whirlpool that dragged them in circles; nothing new, nothing special. His attention shifted to Jerome, still reciting what had happened as if it were a novel. The red tint along the sides of his cheeks, and the small lines along the sides of his mouth when he spoke. It intrigued Adam, he realized he couldn't leave Jerome again.

"Have you seen any of them recently?"

"No." Jerome said, gripping on to the table. It seemed so natural, the conversation between the two; despite the broken down state they were in. It was soothing, to just let things out and know that the person you're talking to cares so much.

"Adam?"

"What?"

"Why did you leave in the first place?" Adam froze. Why did he leave? He thought, searching through his mind. Why?

"I...I don't know." He said, feeling ashamed. Jerome responded with a nod. The understanding look in his eyes reassured Adam. "I'm sorry." He tried, looking Jerome in the eyes.

"You don't have to be." Jerome replied, shifting uncomfortably under his gaze. A single smile split the tension in half. Adam laughed a bit, and the two ended up close to rolling on the floor from laughter. Insane perhaps, but they were happy. Jerome stopped, his phone ringing. Adam just nodded, and Jerome quickly answered.

"Hello?"

"Hello sir, would you possibly be friends or family of a Vikram Barn?"

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I'm in me mum's car! Vroom, Vroom! I'm going to that wedding finally. Yup. So I'm gonna be away for the entire weekend, and I'll try to update. In completely random news, I just went to the best Thai restaurant ever. Fricking foodgasm.

IMMA GOIN TO DA MURRIGE!

Bye!