The Darling Boys (Rose Award Winner) (#Wattys2017)

Crazy Is What Crazy Does

I'm an idiot.

Instead of staying with Robbie, dancing and laughing with the rest of the teens in the room, I ran out after Alex.

I found him perched on the wall outside of the school, his eyes on the stars in the sky above us.

"Why? Why do you have to die and not them?" I questioned, gesturing behind me at the shut doors to the school, "Why do you age?" He didn't look at me, and for a moment, I wasn't sure if he had even heard a word that left my mouth.

"When no one believes in something, does it really exist, Sienna?" He responded, huffing out a long sigh. I hugged my cold arms, trying to shield them from getting attacked by the nippy air.

"I guess not." I whispered after a few minutes.

"When the boys all decide for sure that the pact is done, that they no longer believe in it, then I don't exist, Sienna. Do you understand?" I nodded.

"I won't be anyone. Wendy is dead and the boys no longer believe. I don't know what will happen to me, but I won't be here any longer." He bowed his head, "You showed them that women were okay, that sometimes things are fun, everything that I told them was bad, horrible. You're the reason that I won't exist anymore, Sienna." He said it quietly, nonchalantly, as if his words shouldn't mean anything.

"W. . . why? Why didn't you just take them and move? Why-"

"Sienna, I'm not accusing you of anything. I'm just explaining." I let out a shaky breath, watching it float through the cold air for a second before sitting on the wall beside him.

"Can't you find someone that's willing to believe then, Alex?" I whispered. He smirked a little, sending me a quick look out of the corner of his eye.

"Like who, Sienna? What child do you want me to deceive? To lie to for my own gain?" Sarcasm dropped off of every word, his smile bitter.

"I. . ." I couldn't find the right words to say, they were lost somewhere in the back of my mind.

"Sienna, Jesus." Robbie wrapped his blazer around me, his eyes wide as he crouched down in front of me, oblivious to Alex's cold stare.

"Are you okay? What happened?" He checked my hands and cheeks for some sort of sign or reason that explained why I had run out so suddenly.

"I'm fine, Robbie. I was just getting kind of claustrophobic in there." I said, pushing his hand away gently, "Look, see? I'm okay." I showed him my arms and neck, but he had already turned his attention to Alex.

"What did you do?" He growled.

"What do you mean, Robert? I didn't do anything." Alex looked genuinely startled by Robbie's outburst.

"Bullshit." He grabbed my hand and pulled me up, "Why else would she be out here with you? You must have done some weird brainwash thing or. . . or-"

"I came out here on my own, Robbie." I laid my hand against his red cheek, "Alex didn't do anything." I swear that every word I said went right over his head.

"Stay away from her, Alexander. I'm done with you and your ridiculous lies, your deceptive ways. Stay out of my life." Before I could say another word to either of them, Robbie wrapped his arm around me and led me back into the building.

**

By the time we got back home, Robbie had passed out on my couch, not able to handle the little bit of alcohol he had throughout the night.