Severed Ties

Chapter 4: Severed Ties

They slowly develop a bond. As this bond grows, it gets stronger and exclusive. Until all ties are cut, then lives will be tarnished.

I stumbled farther down the road than I normally do. Tears now streaming down my face, coat and boots soaked with wet snow. I couldn't find my way home. My eyes were blurred and my head was foggy, I collapsed onto the cold, snowy ground and closed my eyes.

~~~

Slowly, I opened my eyes. I shot up, where was I? The room looked awful. Smelly, torn and stained. My head throbbed, what have I done. I threw my head into my hands and felt my hot tears saturated the sheet of fabric covering me. I was only in my undershirt and boxers, what have I done?

I heard the door open, Kenny walked in with a chipped mug in his hands. He smiled when he saw me groggily look up at him.

"What... Happened?" I slurred. Groggily, I tried to stand up, only to fall back into the rotting mattress.

"Be careful Kyle. Wouldn't want you to get hurt." Kenny paused, handing me some hot chocolate. "It's a little stale, but it should warm you up nice." He smiled, patting my shoulder.

"About two hours ago, I heard something outside. So  I did what anyone would do, I grabbed a rifle and went to see what it was. Well, it turns out... That it was you. You were laying out in the middle of my front yard, face first in the snow. So I picked you up and took off your soaked clothes so that they could dry, and that you could warm up. When I put you down on my bed I smelled liquor. What happened, Kyle?" He sat down on the floor in front of me, genuinely concerned about my well-being.

Kenny was never like this, he was always the one to make dirty jokes and poke fun at us. "Well," I scrunched my eyebrows, trying to remember what took place only hours before. "I got drunk for the first time in my life, and-" I paused, my eyes widened. I covered my mouth with my hand in shock.

"I lost my best friend." My words came out muffled and slow. I didn't know what to think- Stan knows almost everything about me. What if he's angry? What if he posts something online about me?

Kenny wrapped his arms around me, and pulled my head to his chest. Rubbing my back for comfort, he whispered consolations in my ear as I cried.

I looked up at him, wiping away tears. "Thanks Kenny." I smiled sadly. "For everything."

He nodded, "if you don't mind me asking, what happened between you and Stan?"

"It must've been his new girlfriend, one of these days he's gonna get his heart broken." I shook my head, bringing my knees up to my chest.

"Why did that mean so much to you? It's just a new girlfriend... And there's no way you could prevent heartbreak anyway."

"I don't know." I looked away. "I don't want to know, anyway." I sighed, I knew exactly why I was so angry. But there's no way Kenny would understand.

He put his hand on my knee. "Kyle, you can tell me anything, man." I quickly turned my head and locked eyes with Kenny. He was smiling. I blushed and cleared my throat.

"Odd question, are you homophobic?" I nervously asked. He chuckled and shook his head no.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Here goes nothing... "I'm very gay. And... I think I'm in love with Stan."

"How many people know?" Kenny asked, facial expression drooping from happy to indifferent.

"Just you and Ike." I stated confidently.

He turned away. "So, you like Stan?" The blonde haired teen removed his shirt, and grabbed an old ratty sheet on his bed.

I gawked at him stripping right in front of me, what the hell is he doing? I got up from his bed, still a little uneasy.
I felt my head, and quickly leaned against a wall.

"Where are you going? You're staying the night with me. I don't want you to get hurt on the way back home. We can walk to the bus stop together in the morning." Kenny stated, trying to get comfortable.

I sat down on the bed beside him, and slowly started to lay down. His eyes were already closed, and soon he would be asleep. I smiled at him, and whispered goodnight into his ear.

Soon, drowsiness overcame me and I drifted away.