Ever Since

Loren

the night of
3 weeks ago 
Part 2

Don't move. Don't breathe.

He takes a seat on the edge of the bed with his head in hands while mumbling something I can't understand. The second I hear crying noises, I think to maybe speak but I don't want to startle whoever this is so I decide to move a bit but the remote slips off the bed, crashing on the marble floor.

He jumps up and I let out a scream.

"What the fuck?!" He says in a hoarse voice backing away and hitting his head on the tv.

"I'm sorry!" I panic as he turns on the flashlight on his phone quickly and blinds me so I cover my face quickly.

"Loren..." he whispers and lowers the flashlight.

Bradley.

"Oh my god, what?" I ask confused and Bradley backs away from me. "What are you doing?"

Bradley pulls his hair back and refuses to look me in the eye. "Something really bad happened" he says voice shaking as he's constantly looking out the window with a terrified look on his face.

I approach him carefully, trying to catch his gaze.

"Something really fucking bad. Fuck. Fuck!" Bradley says starting to panic. His eyes wide open looking haunted with his flashlight still shinning on him and his chest pumping up and down rapidly. "I feel like I'm going to throw up"

"Bradley..." I say as calmly as I can without showing how nervous I really am. "Was there someone at the house? Is that what it is?"

Bradley seems as if he isn't even here in the room with me. He's completely consumed inside his own head and I'm starting to feel helpless.

"I need you to talk to me" I say holding his hand in mine to get his attention. "Can you please do that?"

"I need to sit down" Bradley says almost collapsing. He holds my hand as he walks towards the bed and sits on the edge. "Loren, I feel so sick..."

I lean down so I can face him. He's sweating and even in this lighting I can tell his tan skin is pale as hell. I pull up my hoodie sleeve and start to clean him off a bit as he watches me. He's breathing heavily and I can smell the mixture of liquor off his breathe which makes me more convinced he's really really drunk.

"You're really sweating, Bradley" I say concerned as I put a hand on his forehead. "I don't think you have a fever though..."

Thank god...

When I look down at his palms, I can see they're bloody and cut deep.

"Did something happen at the house?" I ask calmly standing in front of Bradley, holding his hands and looking at the cuts. He looks at me with those big green eyes that seem almost lifeless.

"I..." Bradley says and swallows the lump in his throat. "I'm sorry I dragged you into my shit. You shouldn't be here in this fucking party, you should've have met me, you don't deserve this. And I should've told you, Loren and I hate you're going to find out like this. Like everyone else"