The Kaden Complex

24

Kaden hated crying. It made him feel helpless, vulnerable and pathetic. Not to mention he was sure he looked stupid while doing it.

Looking back at his outburst in front of Jason made him feel even worse. It was so random and uncalled for that thinking about it made him feel embarrassment creep through his mind which only made him cry harder.

After being bluntly told by Jason to shut up, Kaden had stumbled to get up from the bean bag chair and limped his way clumsily to his room across the hall as quickly as he could. The despair, anger and humiliation were coursing through his body faster than his own blood and all he wanted to do was hide forever.

(TW)

Kaden laid under his covers, embracing the darkness and solitude it gave him. He wished that he would never have to surface again and so he vowed that he wouldn't. Family and food be damned. In fact, he'd rather starve to death alone in his bedroom than leave the solace of his bed. Maybe then all his inner turmoil would finally come to an end.

No one would even care anyway if he died. His father would still be CEO of a blossoming business with a beautiful wife by his side. His step-mother would still have one child that made her proud and a successful husband. Alex and Avery would always have each other and Jason... well Jason didn't need anybody but he still would have Alex. His soccer team could easily find a replacement for him, just as they had in the few weeks he had been out of commission.

And everyone else, they simply didn't need him. No one else needed him in general. At least if he were dead, he'd be able to see his mother again and relearn what she was like.

By the time the sun had set outside, Kaden's relentless waves of tears had worn him out immensely and he found himself nodding off to sleep.

And so with red puffy eyes, and a heavy heart, he succumbed.