assigned emotion

20: the downfall

tanner

         "Hey, we have math after our next block. We only have to make it through one more class." Theo nodded at Tanner, looking worried.

           "Okay. I just... I really don't feel good, Tanner." Without thinking, Tanner pulled him in for a hug. "What are you doing?"

           "What does it look like? I'm giving you a hug!" He softly laughed, answered by a confused stare from Theo.

          "What about your friends?" Tanner shook his head.

"What about them?"

"What if they see you hugging me?"

          "I already told you that I don't care what they think. I care about you."

          "Yet you don't even like me?" Tanner sighed. To be honest, both of our lives would be much simpler if that was true.

            "You know that's not true. I'll see you in math, green eyes," he softly spoke, turning to leave. Theo suddenly grabbed him by his elbow, spinning him around.

         "Promise?" Tanner nodded, confused. Theo breathed a sigh of relief and then ducked into his class. Tanner continued down the hall, ignoring his friends and sitting down in science. He could already tell it was going to be a long day.

|||

Theo was late. Tanner couldn't help but feel a little nervous. He'd just seemed quite off today, as he'd said. What if he does something stupid? Is it possible that he left the school? Where is he?

"Hey, Tanner. How'd everything go with Theo?" Violet sat next to him, putting her notebooks and phone atop the desk.

         "I don't actually know." She blinked at him, her expression confused and a bit worried, which surprised Tanner.

          "What happened?" She asked as he hesitated, opening his notebook.

           "A lot. I don't think he's mad at me anymore, we talked. We also, uhm, kissed? I guess? I kissed him but then just played it off like nothing happened. He seemed okay, but then... he got really sad. He started crying and talked to me about his depression and how hard it is to deal with. He... he couldn't promise me he wouldn't hurt himself. He said that he couldn't control it. Fuck, I don't know where he is! What if he did something bad?" Tanner anxiously glanced towards Violet, panic surging through his body.

         "Wait, hold on, you kissed him?" She looked happily impressed.

           "Yes, but there are more important things at hand!" He hissed. "Plus, he still seems convinced that I dislike him! What's wrong with me? It doesn't matter, none of it matters, if he's off dead somewhere!" Violet's eyes widened as she placed her hand on his arm.

         "I'm sure he's okay. I didn't even realize he was that depressed." She looked sadly surprised. The teacher entered the room and sat at her desk, jumping into their work without a second to spare.

Ten minutes later, Theo still wasn't there.

           "Violet, I need to go find him." She shook her head but looked nervous.

         "I'm sure he's okay, right?"

        "Right?"

         "I don't know!" Tanner bit his lip nervously, sticking up his hand.

          "May I use the bathroom?" Violet glared at him from across the aisle.

         "What are you doing?" She hissed as Tanner snapped his head at her, pointing to the door. The teacher nodded and he jumped to his feet.

         "I'm gonna find Theo."

|||

Theo wasn't at school. Tanner had managed to search the whole fucking place but he was nowhere to be seen, unless he was hiding alarmingly well. He wasn't in Tanner's car either. Tanner had also checked a few of his favorite spots around town, but he wasn't there either. Now, he knocked on the door to his own apartment.

           "Theo? Are you in there?" He tentatively opened the door, flashbacks flying through his head. Down the hall, the white door, a red handprint. This time, however, there was no white door. There was no handprint, there was no Theo. "Theo, please?" He collapsed onto the floor of the apartment, tears leaking down his face. Calling his number for the hundredth time, he was still met with no response.

tannerwalsh2021: theo where are you??

tannerwalsh2021: please answer me

tannerwalsh2021: at least say that you're okay

DELIVERED

Theo wouldn't even open his DMs. Suddenly, a dark thought flew into his head.

Maybe he was in the apartment building, just not in his apartment. He wouldn't have gone into any other one, but there was one place that he may have gone.

The roof deck.