The next day Alex has to go about his regular day. He knows that's going to be hard. He feels ok right now, but he knows that later he's going to feel it. Hopefully he can get through the school day. Before he stopped, he sometimes sneaks a hit in during the day. He just isn't ready for withdrawals. He also isn't ready for Saturday, the day when confronts Lauren and her parents. As if it's not going to be hard enough, he's going to be going through withdrawals, on top of that Lauren's not ready. He feels awful about going against her. He's already done enough to her, but there's no way that he can be properly punished without it. Fixing his life and mistakes is easier put into words than actions.
Aaron brushes past yesterday, not knowing if Alex wants to tell anyone just yet. He thinks he and Roni are the only ones that know about his addiction. He can't guess how many other people on the football team have addictions. It's really sad to think about. He's going to be there for Alex every step of the way. He was upset with him for awhile, but now seeing his circumstances, he feels bad. He saw how much comfort he needed to even say he has an addiction, that means it's going to be really tough for him to get rid of it. It broke his heart a little to see Alex having to have him sit there for comfort. He knows that meant that he was really uncomfortable. It's just another thing that adds to his stress.
The day goes by. Alex can hear the clock ticking in the background. Each tick counts down the time to three o'clock. That's when practice starts and Alex normally injects. He's opting out of practice today. It's just a temptation for him to take a dosage. He starts to scratch an itch on his neck. It's starting. He can't ask to be taken home because he has no phone. He's already used up the medical excuses. If he's honest, he's going to have to tell them he's a drug addict. That's not going to work. He's going to have to find a way to tell Aaron. The end of this class couldn't come sooner.
Aaron comes in the hallway and goes to his locker. He gets tired of changing his books out every period. Alex comes behind him. He taps Aaron's shoulder.
"Hey, I really need to borrow your phone." Alex says.
"What for?" Aaron asks. Alex can't blame him. He wouldn't have trust in himself either.
"I have to go. Mom or dad need to pick me up. I'm about to have withdrawals." Alex says. Aaron hands him the phone.
"I'm coming with you."
"You don't have to."
"I don't know what it's like to have withdrawals, but I do know what it's like to have a panic attack and I'm sure you could use some help." Aaron says. Alex shakes his head and they wait for the announcement.
Lear comes soon to pick both Alex and Aaron up. Sherry is not on the list to pick them up. He's going to have to hurry and change that. Alex sighs in relief that he's out of school. When he goes home, he doesn't just slack off. He actually does his work. He gets through as much as he can until the dreaded three o'clock comes. He makes his way from the kitchen table to the couch. He can't go in his room anyway. He lays across the couch. Aaron comes down and sits on the chair beside him.
"You ok?" He asks.
"Yeah, I'll let you know when they start." The two sit and watch TV, patiently waiting for Alex to start going through withdrawals.
Roni gets a little concern when she doesn't see her boyfriend or his brother in class. With all that going on, she doesn't know what could be happen. She shoots him a text and hopes for the best.
⚠️ TRIGGER WARNING ⚠️
Alex feels himself start to break out in a cold sweat. He shakes.
"Aaron, I think it happening."
"Ok" Aaron writes down the time in his notes "3:35". He gets a bottle of water and gives it to Alex. Alex's muscles start to hurt. He has a strong feeling of annoyance and fear. Aaron wraps him up. He starts to breath heavy, kind of hyperventilating. Aaron tells him a breathing technique that he does. Alex obliges. He's very annoyed but he doesn't take it out on Aaron, who's trying to help. Eventually he calms down and he's back to normal.
"How do you feel?" Aaron asks.
"Tired. I feel like I just finished working out."
"Ok, get some rest. I'll wake you up for food." Aaron heads upstairs for his phone. He hates seeing Alex like this. He calls Lear and informs him of what happened. He tells him not to rush home because Alex is asleep now. After he hangs up, he doesn't go back upstairs. He doesn't want to leave from beside Alex, just incase something happens. This scares him. He grabs a blanket and turns on the TV.
The rest of the night Aaron stays right there. He wakes Alex up for food and a shower. Alex sleeps on the couch because he has no where else to go. He goes through two more withdrawals that night. He has muscle spasms and aches. He hopes that sobriety makes this all worth while, because this really tough for him. He cant wait to flush the drugs and the memories of them out of his system. He doesn't know how to repay Aaron. He never does, and probably never will. It's just another thing for him to add to his list of reparations. Somehow, Aaron never asks for it back. Alex doesn't think about it much, but Aaron deserves the world. Sobriety better come fast because he has a whole lot to fix and a whole lot of showing someone their self worth to do.
