Glimpse

Chapter 7: Shayne

"She almost kissed you," Damien insisted, following Shayne into his apartment. "If Ian hadn't spoken up...." Shayne pinched the bridge of his nose, trying his best to ignore the dull throb building in the back of his skull. He blamed Damien for rambling non-stop the entire drive back from Ian's.

"Why are you still here again?" Shayne groaned, rubbing his eyes to dull the throbbing in his head. The pain pushed back, rushing his eyes in a blinding haze. Spots of color bloomed across his vision, sporadic bursts that faded in and out yet always lingered.

"Other than to bug you?" Damien quipped with a toothy grin. Shayne rolled his eyes, shaking his head out of habit. A mistake that bounced the pain between the walls of his skull, scrambling his brain. "You have a concussion."

"I feel fine," Shayne spit back. In truth, the chances of him having a concussion were high. The spots clouding his vision, the subtle nausea sloshing in his stomach, and the haze smothering his brain all pointed to it. Shayne just chose to deny it, relabeling his symptoms as side-effects of traveling between parallel worlds. That way supervision wouldn't be necessary, and he could hideaway to his room and forget the world. Forget about Smosh Games not existing. Forget about ruining Alternate Damien's chances at working at Smosh. Forget about the disgust on Courtney's face. Shayne wobbled as he lifted his foot to remove his shoe. A poor display of balance that sent him crashing into the wall shoulder first.

"Right, and that's why you can't stand straight," Damien grinned. "Look, I'm staying whether you like it or not." Shayne rubbed his shoulder before shifting to lean against his front door.

"Just don't push it."

"So about that almost kiss," Damien followed up as he sauntered over to the kitchen. Shayne thought back to waking up on Ian's floor, to Courtney's face hovering over him. Inches. A few inches and their lips would have met. Shayne ran his tongue over his teeth, bitterness creeping into his mouth. What then? Shayne swallowed. He denied himself the luxury of an answer, knowing the consequences of lingering on the topic for too long.

"Drop it," Shayne hissed, flopping down on the couch. Despite suppressing the 'almost kiss', his mind persisted, this time wielding the memory of his latest trip to that parallel universe. It cut through his barriers and pushed to the forefront of his brain, demanding to be acknowledged. Shayne clamped his mouth shut, the memory rushing to his mouth. The first time he visited, he had at least been able to unload on to Courtney, narrating the experience and releasing the pressure before it started to build. This time, with no outlet for release and the concussion scrambling his mind and dismantling his defenses, the pressure expanded at an exponential rate. I could tell Damien, Shayne considered, looking towards the kitchen.

"Fine, but can you at least fill me in?" Damien asked as he searched the fridge. "Something is definitely up with you. You're on edge. Didn't even say 'hi' when you arrived at Ian's, and now you're not even teasing me back. What gives?" Shayne evacuated his lungs until air filled his thoughts and his head floated on his shoulders. If he cleared his mind, maybe the pressure would dissipate. It didn't. It just latched on to the empty space, piling words onto his tongue and pulling on his lips.

"You won't believe me." Shayne drew into himself, his voice tapering into a weak whimper. The room grew around him, walls stretching to twice their height, the couch swelling to an uncomfortable proportion. Hearing himself out loud, the pathetic tone of his voice, how childlike it sounded, his raw vulnerability on display... Shayne's eyes sought out his bedroom, its promised shelter appealing to his instinct to run. Coward. Shayne swallowed. A shadow fell over him. He looked up to find Damien standing over him.

"Try me." Damien placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled.

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