This is a spin-off of several works I have completed or are currently underway.
This series of short stories will follow a few of my characters through the rehabilitation process until they have their moment of clarity.
Some issues dealt with in thi...
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Nothing had been said between Parker and I since we arrived back at the apartment.
They'd wanted to keep me as an inpatient at Serenity Bay, especially after the 72-hour suicide watch, but Parker had brought me back home with him instead.
I'm not entirely sure why. Things hadn't been good between us for a while, and with the added suicide attempt, things were more strained than ever.
But he didn't explain his reasons, either because he didn't feel the need to or didn't know how. Instead, he just brought me home, dropped my bags, and went to the kitchen to make dinner.
The first thing I noticed about my room was that it was bare. It'd always been bare, I hadn't taken the time to decorate or personalize it in any way, but it was much different now.
My trusty, loose nail in the dresser had been removed. All of my belts were gone. The edges of my dresser had the rubber tips on them, ones that you used to keep children from injuring themselves when they inevitably run into them.
It was just like being back in the mental hospital. Having the place I'd once called home stripped apart just reminded me how continually fucked up this situation was.
I went out into the living room, taking a seat on the couch as Parker put together the ingredients for macaroni and cheese.
He'd apparently been watching Blue Mountain State, already into Season 2.
"You can change it," Parker said, without glancing in my direction. "I was just using it as background noise."
Parker didn't like to be home alone. He didn't like the looming silence.
"This is fine," I said.
Blue Mountain State played through as the two of us sat in the living room, neither one of us making any motion to eat the macaroni that Parker had made.
"My favorite character in this show is Thad," Parker said, without glancing toward me. "He provides the comedic relief that actually makes this show worth watching."
"I don't agree."
"Doesn't surprise me."
Me either. "I think that Alex, the back-up Quarterback, is the comedic relief. Thad is just the stereotypical, college football player."
"They all represent different aspects of the stereotypical, college football player," Parker said. "Alex isn't bad either."
That was the first thing that we'd semi-agreed on a long time.
"The macaroni is going to get cold," Parker said, rising to his feet. "Do you want some?"
Not necessarily.
"Or you can just have some of mine?" Parker offered. "You know... like we used to."
Back when mom and dad were still around. Whenever I wasn't feeling up to sitting at the family dinner table or socializing with anyone, Parker would always hand me food from his plate to keep my parents' satisfied.
