Too Soon | Sidemen fanfiction

8

Vik looked at his watch.

Registration was in two minutes and Valerie hadn't shown up for  the second Tuesday in a row.

Vik let out a sigh, shutting his locker and walking to his class. Stairs had begun becoming a problem for him. Each step his head became lighter and lighter, air pulled and shoved by his diaphragm at a painful rate, black spots appearing in his vision before- the last step. 

He took a moment, brushing his fringe out of his face and observing the little mountain, connecting the foye to the upstairs corridor. It was only a small way. He was rather shocked by how little he could take. Yet also slightly impressed.

In a sick, twisted way, his lips began pulling taught, teeth gleaming underneath his flesh. He smiled at this sensation. The feeling of knowing he had eaten so little, he had so little entering his body, that he couldn't even get up a flight of stairs without almost passing out.

It was euphoric.

Taking his next step, he saw the black spots reappear faintly, causing him to clench the banister and stumble slightly.

"Hey!" He jumped at the jittery voice of his new, nervous friend. "You alright? Look a bit unstable, clutching onto the banister like that."

"Yeah, just... tired." Vik let out a breathy chuckle, surprised by Harry's presence. 

"Oh, well, uhm... I can carry these for you-" He took Vik's books out of his hands. "-And I can tell you that you don't look tired at all. You actually look pretty g-good today."

Vik's lips parted, a shaky breath of surprise leaving. Was Harry... flirting with him?! Vik wasn't dumb, and the stutter and compliment were swimming in his brain, confusing him. Messing with him... Was Harry just trying to mess with him...? It was impossible to tell. 

"Hello...?? Vik?" Harry's voice pushed his thoughts away, snapping Vik's conscience back into the present.

...

Tobi shoved his bag in his locker, slamming the door shut and reattaching its lock, before exiting the wing to re-enter the main corridor. 

His arms felt weighted, impossible to move, and his legs felt as though he was wading through mud with each step. He didn't want to go. He hated walking there, knowing who he would see, and having to see him in the same, worsening state each week.

Tobi let out a sigh, gaze rising from the floor to the stairs in front of him. He saw Harry and Vik talking near the banister, too.

Weird.

Despite their Sunday meet-ups together with the boys, Tobi had never seen Vik and Harry talk- let alone talk with one another at school. They seemed to be getting on somewhat well, too.

"Y-yeah, sorry. I think I gotta go. Have you seen Valerie today, though?" Tobi overheard Vik's voice wavering uneasily.

Tobi strolled down the stairs, fingers dancing over the cold, metallic stair rail. With little more than a glance over towards the reception, Tobi walked out of the school front doors- further walking out of the school gate- all the way out, and into the city's hospital.

...

Tobi sighed as he exited his brother's room, licking his lips and wringing his hands- tapping each finger against his palm, bile rising in his throat like his raising nerves.

All of the boys had problems, and this was Tobi's.

Some boys had depression and anxiety, others with personality disorders. His best friend, Josh had a personality disorder and Tobi didn't know how he coped. Tobi looked at each of the boys with an air of respect.