Smoke And Smiles (A 2020 Jeff The Killer Story)

8

Jeff sat up in his hospital bed, expecting his family to soon take him home.
His mind raced with angered thoughts.  He scowled thinking about his selfish mother, his distant father, school and everything else wrong with the world he lived in.
His legs trembled as he slid off of his bed, feeling as though pins and needles were stabbing his feet.
He ignored the pain and began to walk to the bathroom, using the little bit of the room he could see through the bandages.
He found the mirror and stood there, breathing deeply to prepare himself.
He slowly unwrapped the bandages and gauze from his slightly pained face.
When his eyes finally adjusted to the light, he stared at himself in shock.
He examined the reddish and brown discoloration along with the scarring and bruises.
He felt the rough texture of his face as he tried to make sense of he was seeing.
His black hair was dry and stringy, it looked as though it was all just going to break off at any minute.

His shock soon turned into disappointment and dread.
"I let some shitty kid to do this to me... how could I be so stupid?"
He questioned himself as he imagined the hell he would give Randy if he ever saw him again.
"Oh hi, you're up! Are you feeling any better?"
His nurse came and asked kindly.
He looked at her softly and nodded.
"You took your bandages off already?"
She asked, kind of shocked at this sudden choice.
"Yeah... I guess I just wanted it over with."
He answered in a dull tone.
"I don't blame you! I have some lovely letters that your friends and family have sent you, something to brighten up your morning."
She smiled softly as she put the pile of envelopes on his bed. He looked at them, surprised that anyone would send him stuff.
"Your parents said that they will be here around 3 to pick you up. I know you must be dying to get home."
He thanked her before she left the room.

He walked to the pile of envelopes on his bed. He picked up a white one with a black bow on it from a girl named Jane Pierce.
"They always send letters when they feel bad for you. Then when you feel better, they couldn't care less."
He muttered in disdain, it was hard for him to feel any gratitude in that moment.
Every "I hope you feel better soon", "I love you", and "I'm so sorry" felt arbitrary and fake, he was exhausted from it.
He opened all of the letters and read them feeling apathetic, which seemed to only exist alongside rage.
He didn't care about his family, school, or anything.
He just wanted to be free with his brother but most importantly, he wanted to get rid of the mental anguish.

After the Caito family drove home after an oddly quiet car ride, Jeff dashed upstairs and shut himself in his room.
The overwhelming noise took him away as he stayed in his isolation.
A few hours later, when the sun began to set, Liu knocked softly on the door.
"Come in."
Jeff replied after getting lost in his thoughts.
"The door's locked."
Liu replied softly, trying to open the door.
He apologized as he got up to unlock and open it as Liu continued.
"I know you're still trying to process everything and that's okay. Again, I'm here for you if you need anything."
His brother comforted him.
"I let him do this to me..."
Jeff muttered, still distraught.
"You didn't asked to be shoved, you were trying to be civil and he screwed it up."
He responded, clearly pissed at Randy.
"He won't get away with this..."
Jeff snarled harshly.
"I know you will, but don't do anything drastic okay? Take care of yourself."
His brother assured, he didn't know how to reply to that. He softly snickered, thinking of the possibilities.
"Well.. I'm going to that pizza place in Manhatten that we've been wanting to try.
I'm gonna get us some pizza and I'll see if Melanie can come. I thought we could celebrate you coming home."
Liu smiled softly as he playfully ruffled Jeff's hair.
"Thanks."
He replied, trying hard to sound enthusiastic.
"No problem, I'll be back in about an hour."
Liu consoled him before leaving.

His mind started to race again as he questioned what was going on with him.
He figured the sleepless nights, the anger, and the constant noise all had to mean something.
He only ever felt numb or enraged even if he tried to fake it with excuses and a shallow expression.
Everything around him was crashing down and he couldn't help but feel miserable.
He hated the fake smiles that he and everyone else had to put on. They always hid the most pain and the deepest secrets.
He looked at the large steel dagger that was on the floor near the chest it was in.
His vision blurred more as he only saw the blade, as though nothing else existed in the room.
He walked over and picked it up. Suddenly, he felt like he was floating somehow, like everything around him was a dream.