Everything

Chapter 2

Strobe lights flashing wildly gave way to blurring vision. Loud ringing came from all around. Suddenly the ceiling was the only thing in sight, then one shadow, then another. A crowd formed. The room spun. He squeezed his eyes shut to clear his vision, but the room spun faster when they opened.

Occasionally, a voice could be heard over the ringing. "—fon...hear me...Stefon—" The ringing became more bell like as the voice grew clear. "Stefon. Come on buddy. We need to get you home." He felt his throat vibrate as he groaned. "Stefon!"

"What?" Stefon woke with a start. A pair of relief-filled blue eyes met his own and a hand stretched out and slammed the top of the alarm clock on the bedside table. The ringing stopped. His hand moved to his chest as he realized his heart was beating fast.

"Stefon, we have to go. I have to go to work and you really need to let your aunt and uncle know you're safe. You haven't been home in days. Come on. I'll be waiting in the car." Seth patted his leg and walked out of the room.

I don't wanna go, he whined to himself. Rhythmic tapping brought his attention to the window. Clouds blocked out the sun, leaving the room feeling dreary and dark. Rain tapped on the window, almost lulling him back to sleep when he remembered Seth waiting for him. "Ugh!" He rolled his eyes and pushed himself up and off the bed. "Stefoooon, we have to gooo." Angrily he mocked his partner as he pulled his shirt over his head. He grabbed his four rings off of the nightstand and slid them into pocket, his phone following. As he glanced around the room for anything else that might be his, he felt a twinge of loneliness. This is where his boyfriend would be after work, alone, probably not even missing him. He would probably be drugged out of his mind at some club in an obscure area that might be really dangerous for him to be. But they wouldn't be together, and that clawed at Stefon's mind as he exited the room.

He stopped in the kitchen to search for something to eat. Last night he hadn't really eaten much and now he paid for it with stomach cramps that were more annoying than they were painful. Opening the fridge, he scanned the shelves in hopes to find anything. Even a yogurt would suffice if only to hold him over until he got home. He opened a drawer, reached in and pulled out a carrot. "This'll have to do." He ran the vegetable under hot water and then headed for the door.

---

The car ride was mostly silent. Stefon sat with his arms crossed, clearly upset about having to leave. Seth gripped the wheel tensely with both hands. Neither of them could find words. It almost felt like they had gotten into an argument. There was very obvious, unclear tension radiating between them. The radio stayed off. Nobody plugged their phone into the aux cord. They just sat there in silence, feeling the vibrations of the road, listening to the dead air.

"You know," Seth finally spoke as the car slowed to a stop at a red light. He took a deep breath. "you kind of scared me while I was trying to wake you up." Stefon tilted his head and glanced at him. "It was like... I don't know. I went into the bedroom to look for something and you were just laying there..."

"Well, I was asleep." Stefon's responded dryly.

"Yeah, I know that." Seth shot back. "I just mean that—" he paused, searching for words. "You were sleeping a little too soundly. Your chest barely moved... I thought you stopped breathing."

"Why would I do that?" As soon as the words escaped his lips, he mentally slapped himself. "Don't answer that. Not one of my brightest moments," he muttered. "Seth, I'm perfectly healthy. I'm not going to just die in my sleep."

"You're addicted to drugs. That's not healthy... and you were really upset last night."

"So?"

"So when I saw you like that I thought you might've went searching for that bottle I took from you the other night." It was plain, simple, and awfully accusatory.