"This story is about the boy I loved. This is about his suffering. This is about my suffering. All of it due to one thing. Affluenza."
TW : Key themes of suicide.
Sebastian Grey. Golden boy, trust fund baby, and Braylen Adams' mortal enemy. Braylen...
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"ROBS, HAVE YOU seen my Docs? I can't find them anywhere!"
I was rummaging through my closet trying to find the warmest clothes I could; Sebastian and I were leaving Malibu for Maine tonight at six. My heart hadn't stopped pounding since I'd woken up earlier today. Robyn sighs from behind me, tossing a pillow at my butt. I stand up and turn around, face flushed. "You already packed them, you dummy."
My eyes widen in confusion until she shows me the 90% full duffel bag, complete with my Doc Martens. "Oh," I murmur. "Right."
"Alright, come here," Robyn says, patting a seat on the bed for me next to her. I trudge over slowly, sitting down and pulling my knees up to my chest. "You're extra squirrelly today. What's going on?"
I sigh, running a hand through my hair. "I don't know. Is something wrong with me? Because I don't know."
I shut my eyes tightly. "I've imagined this day for years, Robs. What I'd say to her, what I'd feel. How I would tell her I'm much better off and how great it would feel to finally hear her apologize to me."
"But...," Robyn eggs on, pulling strands of hair out of my face.
I open my eyes slowly and tilt my head to look at her. "What if I'm wrong? What if she doesn't apologize, what if she doesn't care at all? What if Sebastian and I are going all this way just for me to get my heart broken?"
"You're stronger than that, Braylen," Robyn argues softly. "I've known you since forever. You're the strongest person I know. Whatever happens with your mom...it shouldn't change any of the emotional progress you've made within yourself. You're gonna be okay."
I can feel my head nodding in agreement before my brain fully agrees itself. "And I'll love you. No matter what, I'll love you. And so will Sebastian."
I roll my eyes. "I love you, too. What time is it?"
She shows me her phone that reads 1:08. "T-minus 5 hours until your plane takes off. And you can honeymoon with your boyfriend all weekend!"
"Robs, please," I practically beg. "Don't make this a thing."
"But it is a thing! I mean, I know you two have come close before but this time things are different. It'll just be him and you. No parents or aunts or friends to interrupt. You'll have him all to yourself."
A faint blush rises up to my neck and a slow smile spreads across my face. "I think that might be the best part of the entire trip, if I'm being honest."
"You're not nervous?" Robyn questions, eyebrows raised. "All that alone time with you and Ash..."
To my own surprise, I shake my head. "He makes me nervous but...I don't know. It's not in a bad way. I feel safe around him. So while the prospect of it just being me and him is scary, I'm not afraid. I love him."
