Falling

35

TRIGGER WARNING: self harm

Carson Hughes

I had been dragged to yet another football game on a Friday night, despite preferring staying in with Vinny. Hadley had said we had to come because it was "Halloweekend," as she called it. And she wanted us all to dress up for Darren's Halloween party later that night. I would rather be undressed in Vinny's bed, and I had told her that.

"He can come!" Hadley had said. "To the party I mean."

Logan scoffed. "He won't come. Especially not if Seth's going to be there. I still have to talk to your little boyfriend about that by the way."

Hadley glared at him. "Darren doesn't control Seth's actions and he's not even that close with him anymore anyway."

"Oh, he's not?" Logan sarcastically replied. "So he won't be at his party?"

Hadley crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't know, Logan! He probably will be."

The two had continued bickering for the next few minutes. That had been back at Logan's house before we headed back to school for the game. Vinny had left the house to take Luna on a run just after we arrived there, and he hadn't been back by the time we left for the game. That left me missing him and not at all eager to spend all night without him.

Logan and Isaac sat on either side of me on the icy bleachers that night, a crowd of our peers surrounding us. The three of us probably had matching looks of boredom as we stared down at the field. It really wasn't enjoyable watching Seth play amazingly well and being witness to the adoring cheers for him from the entirety of the student body and the staff present in the crowd.

Just looking at Seth flared my temper. I was never a violent person, but he made me want to be.

After Logan had told me about what he walked in on with Vinny and Seth in the locker room, all rational thought left my head and I wanted to beat Seth senseless. I waited for Vinny to tell me about it, but he never did. I tried not to fault him for that.

As I continued glaring at him, Seth threw a perfect pass to Darren, who then ran it in for a touchdown. Seth ran down the field and pulled Darren to him in celebration.

"Wow, they really look like they're not close anymore," Logan said in a snarky tone to me, though I knew he wouldn't have minded if Hadley heard him. She and Dana were too busy standing up and cheering to even notice.

"I thought Darren said he talked to Seth," I said in a low tone, close to Logan's ear so he could hear me over the crowd.

"He did," Logan replied. "Seth just obviously didn't listen."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to tell Darren he needs to control his dog," Logan snarled. "Darren's a good guy, I don't know why he sticks around with him."

"When you're friends with someone long enough, you begin to be blind to their faults."

"Are you saying you're blind to my faults?"

"No," I laughed. "I see them clearly, but that's probably what it's like for them."

Logan lightly shoved me, a ghost of a smile forming on his face.

"Sorry, Mr. Perfect," he said.

The rest of the game was just as painful to sit through as the beginning and as we waited with Hadley for Darren after it was over, Logan made it known that he was unhappy. His attitude became even worse when Darren walked out of the locker room beside a laughing Seth. Logan couldn't hold back.