Riot Life // Yungblud

Seven: Dominic Harrison

I was in and out of consciousness for half of the day. Dollie tried to get my attention twice, but I couldn't comprehend what was happening so I just ignored her. I had gone into the lowest of lows, a prisoner to my own mind and I couldn't get out. I knew that I was in a perpetual state of depression and I didn't want to be there, but my body wouldn't let me get up and do anything. I didn't even get up to shower. I peed once and got water and that was it. Dollie saw me in the kitchen and was talking to me but I didn't hear any words. Just noise. I returned upstairs and crawled back into bed.

Half of the time I was deep in a dreamless slumber, the other half I was just laying there with my eyes closed, my mind the only company I could keep at the time. Telling me how things might have been different if I had just been a better daughter. Maybe mom and dad wouldn't have been in that accident because I could have been with them, or even driving them. But there was nothing I could do now, and that killed me. Even though my parents resented me, and I them, they were still my family. They did still raise me. At one point we had some fond memories made together. And I couldn't stop replaying them in my head. When they first took me to Pinky's Palace as a child, when I got to go to Disneyland with them every year because my dad's work gave him a good Christmas bonus. Or when Dollie was growing up, and how I got to help teach her things. But those were such simpler times.

The second time Dollie came to talk to me she was talking in the doorway of my room. She had moved in front of me so she was crouched down beside the bed. She was worried about me. I wanted to tell her that I was fine, I just needed some time to recuperate, but I didn't even know if any words came out. She looked at my phone for a minute, but I decided to try and sleep again. The attempt at socializing was too crippling and I needed to rest.

I woke up to someone rubbing their hand up and down my arm, either comforting me or trying to wake me up. I wasn't ready to wake up yet. I just needed rest and I would be okay. I drifted off again.

A downpour of cold water drenched me in an instant, my eyes shooting open as I instinctually wrapped my arms around my body for warmth. I was sitting in the bathtub with the shower pouring down on me. I was still fully clothed. I gasped a couple of times, trying not to get mouthfuls of water as I did so. I felt the water pressure ease and heard the squeaking of the faucet as it turned off. I opened my eyes, wiping away the excess water so I could see what was going on.

I looked up and saw Dom leaning over me, his hair hanging low in his face.

"Dom?" I asked, my voice coming out in barely a croak. I cleared my throat a little and looked around.

"There she is," Dom said softly, a smile on his lips but his eyes were filled with worry.

I saw Dollie standing behind him, looking at me through red eyes. It looked like she either had been crying or trying really hard not to cry. Either way, I knew it was because of me.

"Why did you do that?" I asked, a shiver settling in. My teeth were chattering and I was soaked in the freezing cold shower water.

Dom immediately grabbed a towel and wrapped it around me. "Come on, Dannylove," he said, helping me to stand and get out. I felt weak, but I was able to hold up my body weight.

He helped me to the bed were I sat on the edge of it. I pointed to the second drawer on the left side of my dresser where I kept my comfortable sweats and sweatshirts. He pulled out whatever two were on top and handed them to me and turned around, respecting my privacy. Even though he had seen more than all of me naked, he was still respecting my boundaries as just friends, and I appreciated that. I slowly slipped out of my clothes, but I was struggling. Dollie came over and helped me pull my wet shirt off of my body before putting me into the black Arctic Monkeys sweatshirt that Dom had given me. My sweats were my favorite pair of light gray joggers. I cleared my throat to let Dom know he could turn around. "What's going on?" I asked.