NEW KID ❤︎ DORBYN

twenty seven

☆
DANIEL

"just take me home please? i don't want to be here anymore." i couldn't do it. i broke down.

i buried my head in his shoulder as i just cried. "daniel... are you okay?" zach's voice came from behind corbyn.

corbyn pulled away slightly and turned his head toward zach. i looked him in the eye and slightly nodded.

"daniel.. please don't lie." jack said from next to him. "where's jonah?" i ask them, trying to change the subject.

"he's having quite the chat with august and eben." zach told me. "come on dani.. let's take you home." corbyn says quietly.

i nod as my body shivers, corbyn wrapped his arm around me, "you're okay. i promise."

"i'm cold.." i speak lowly. corbyn didn't say anything, he just took off his hoodie and handed it to me.

"here," he smiles at me. i blush and pulled the hoodie over my body. "it looks cute on you." corbyn complimented, grabbing my hand.

he walked me toward the front door. jack and zach following. unfortunately, we had to pass the others.

"that wasn't your business to look into! he left portland, everything that happened there should have stayed there! you shouldn't have done that!"

jonah yelled at them in front of everyone. "he shouldn't have messed with my relationship!" eben yelled back, "and he shouldn't have gotten close with my man!" august joined in.

"your man?" corbyn spoke up, "should i remind you that we broke up? that you cheated on me? with my ex?"

"should i remind you that you cheated on me several times."

"should i remind you that you tried to lie to me about it but my ex was there with you and then you slammed the door in my face!"

"i am not your man. haven't been for two fucking years now." corbyn snapped. he tightened his grip around my hand as he glared at him.

"well you will be. once he.. steps out of the way." august spat. "please take me home corbyn." i whispered, tears rolling down my cheeks.

"let's go." he said, guiding me outside. he drove me home and took me up to my room.

jack, jonah, and zach came with us. when the door closed to my room, i broke. i cried.

"daniel.. did you do it? was what he said true?"

i didn't speak, i just nodded ever so slightly. barely even nodded, just moved my head up a bit.

"so that was what your mom meant.." "my mom.. wha-what about my mom?" i asked zach in a wave of panic.

"after you fell asleep, the other night. i went and talked to your mom. i thought she had a right to know what you did. she said that it was your depression that got you in the hospital.. i didn't know what she meant. now i do."

"a right to know what you did? daniel, what did you do?" jonah asks. "please stop talking zach."

"sorry." "daniel what did you do?" "leave it. please? i didn't want anyone to know, now two people know. we're keeping it that way." i stated.

"so... when i took you to the hideaway.. and you said that you never really dated anyone in portland, and you said that not a lot of people would, when they found out... you were talking about this."

i nodded at corbyn's words. i didn't want people knowing about any of this. i wanted to leave it. never think about it again.

"all i wanted was a fresh start. all i wanted was to come to a place where no one knew who i was or what i did. where it was all new, where i didn't have to pretend to not hear people's comments about the event because they wouldn't know of it."

i choked out a sob, burying my head in my hands. "i was stupid to think i could run away from this."

i felt strong arms wrap around me, and a soft voice. "you weren't stupid. you were hopeful." it was corbyn's voice.

"things in your life, in your eyes, had gotten so bad that you so desperately needed a release, and you turned to suicide." his soft tone stayed consistant as he spoke.

"when you didn't die, you felt anger, sadness. all the emotions you tried to get rid of came rushing through you."

"you felt as if you were nothing but a failure. because you couldn't succeed in this."

"h-how did you know-" "listen to me daniel.. you are not a failure. you are nowhere close to a failure."

"you didn't die when you tried because life had different plans for you." "how can you believe that?! you have no idea what it was like living with my dad!"

i broke out of his arms and stood up, looking right in his eyes. anger rushed over me.

"you're right. i don't." corbyn's voice raised in volume slightly. "and i hate the fact that you do. but think of it this way, if you succeeded, you never would have moved here." his voice went back to the calm, soft tone he had earlier.

"you never would have met zach, or jack. you never would have come to our school, had the same lunch as us, never would have met jonah, or eben- who was nicer, at the time- you never would have met me."

"you wouldn't have gone to ocean beach with me, we wouldn't have gotten to know each other that night."

"you wouldn't have come into our gym class with zach and jack. you wouldn't have complimented me on basketball."

"you wouldn't have learned how to shoot a basket, i wouldn't have asked you out. you wouldn't have gone with me to the hideaway."

"i wouldn't have taken you to the lake. none of this would have happened because i can't spend time with ghosts."

corbyn ranted, staying calm the whole time. "life had other plans for you, it finally decided that it would turn around for you, make it better."

"and i'm so glad that it did that. i hate that you went through that experience but i don't want to change it."

"because if i changed that.. i might have met a different daniel seavey, and he might not be the kind i like."

"you like damaged boys?" my expression and tone was still angry, but slowly changing. "i like people who feel. who care. love. i like you, daniel."

i quickly turned sad again. "i-i-i'm s-sorry.." i broke down again. "i'm sorry i snapped." "don't be." corbyn sighed.

"we love you dani.. we want you to be happy, and safe. we want you to feel loved, because you are." zach's voice spoke up.

i cried harder, collapsing into corbyn's arms as he held me gently, yet firmly. as if he feared i would slip through his fingers.