NEW KID ❤︎ DORBYN

twenty five

ZACH

i stayed the night, texting jack everything. he felt bad that he couldn't be there, but he was with his family and i would have been mad at him if he just left them.

there were several different times when daniel woke up like he did before. from a terrible dream.

each one left him shaking and crying. if you're wondering, i didn't sleep. i didn't want to.

the thought of daniel waking up from a bad dream and i didn't know because i was asleep.. i didn't like that. so i stayed up. took care of my friend.

in the morning, daniel asked me not to tell the others but i felt bad, so i told him that i already told jack. he wasn't mad.

he didn't have the energy to be mad. "hey bub? i have to go home for a moment, but i promise i'll be back in an hour. okay?"

daniel just nodded. he had no energy or light in him what so ever. i hated it.

i left the house, but not without talking to ms. seavey, telling her that i'd be right back.

as i walked home i called jack. "hey, how's he doing?" "he's not great. jack he's so drained. he has no energy at all."

"where are you going? i can head cars." "i'm walking home to change and stuff, want me to pick you up?"

"yeah, we'll take my car to like mcdonald's or something, grab him his favourite."

"in-n-out is his favourite fast food place." i tell him. "okay uh- there's one in north beach." jack says.

i sped up walking and rushed into my room. i quickly changed into one of the many hoodies i stole from jonah.

i then practically ran over to jack's house, where he was already waiting outside. "hey." we shared a quick hug before we got in the car.

we drove to in-n-out and i grabbed the order i know is dani's favourite. then we sped back to his house and through the front door.

we knocked lightly on his door. "hey dani.." i say softly. "we brought you some happy food." jack said, in the same tone.

daniel was laying lazily against the headboard, still exhausted. "it's your favourite," i add in.

"my favourite?" he asked weakly. "yeah.. in-n-out..." i trailed off.

i sat on the edge of his bed, placing a hand on his thigh. jack placed the bag of food on the night stand next to the bed.

"how you feeling?" jack asked him, "i feel- i don't know what i feel." a single tear, maybe two, fell from daniel's eyes.

i wiped them gently, "it's okay." i whispered.

we sat with daniel for hours. he ate the food we got him. he smiled, once or twice. not really a proper smile though.

he was seriously broken. i started thinking that maybe corbyn would help him feel better.

but daniel didn't want me to tell anyone else what happened. so when i texted corbyn, i might have fibbed. just a little.

"hey? dani? you okay? zach said you were feeling sick." corbyn entered the room.

he stayed for a bit, which made daniel smile, but he was being called back to his family so he left.

"how are you bub? you doing any better?" i ask him. "i feel so empty. like there's nothing in me that can fight anymore." he told us.

"look i appreciate you guys being here, i really do. it means a lot. but you don't have to be here. i'm fine. okay? so you both can just go home." daniel rolled onto his side.

"hey... i know you daniel, and i know it's not exactly been a long time.. but i know you, and i know you're not fine. i know you're hurting, and i want to help with that, we both do. just give us the chance.. please?" i said, pleading him to let us in.

"i know you want me to let you in. tell you everything. but i just can't. i'm sorry, i'm just scared to let anyone in anymore."

"not everyone you know in your life is going to hurt you dani?" "really? i let angie in, she was killed. i let tyler in, he decided he didn't want a part of our family. i let my dad in and he wants nothing to do with me." daniel ranted.

"that doesn't mean you should just give up all together-" "i was so close to letting corey in. i was so close. but then my mom said we were moving, and he- and that phone call, i hurt him."

"you can't hold all of this on yourself. not everything is your burden to bare, dani. something's, yes they hurt, and that makes it hard to let them go. but let them go now dani." i told him.

"let go of them dani, let yourself feel free. let yourself be happy, and live." jack chimed in.

☆
DANIEL

it had been a few days since i had that depressive episode. now currently being wednesday.

i was at school, acting like everything was fine. like i wasn't dying inside. it was practically tearing me apart that jack and zach know this now.

i hated that they knew, i didn't want them to know any of this.

we were sitting at our lunch table, having a normal day when a guy with very white seeming blonde hair came up to us.

"august.." corbyn stiffened, his hand that was on my thigh squeezed tighter. but i kind of expected that after realizing it was his ex.

"hey corbyn," he spoke so innocently and kindly. "uh, i just thought i'd come say that, there's a party at my place this friday. i wanted you all there." he said.

"including the new kid." he winked at me, "you know the address besson." he walked away.

"okay i know that it's august, the guy who cheated on you several times but it's a party.. i love parties." zach spoke, seemingly torn.

"do you guys want to go?" corbyn asked us. zach, jonah, and jack slowly nodded. "then we'll go... daniel? you want to go?"

i shrugged my shoulders. "i- if you want me to go with you i will." "then you're coming. we're all in." corbyn grinned.

little did i know that that was the night things would be exposed. the exact thing i didn't want, would happen.