Out of Your League

Chapter Nine

((Hello! This chapter will have angst. The warnings include physical abuse, emotional abuse, heavy drinking, self-harm, and suicidal ideation. Thank you for your support! - Wolfie))

Keith woke up to sunlight on his face, lighting up the insides of his eyelids with reds and yellows. He blinked a few times before rolling onto his back to get the sun out of his eyes. Looking around, he began to panic. He had no idea where he was until the memories of the night before came back to him. He'd accidentally fallen asleep in Lance's room, fully clothed, with a pillow hugged to his chest. Blushing profusely, he tossed the pillow back to the head of the bed and stood up, running his hands down his body to smooth out the rumples in his clothes. He practically ran out of the room, not wanting to be found out, but apparently, it was too late for that because Lance lay on the floor beside the door to his room with a pillow from one of the couches and a blanket that seemed to be from one of his siblings' rooms. 

"Hey... Lance," Keith whispered, nudging the sleeping boy with the toe of his shoe. His head had a dull throbbing, likely from the alcohol he'd drunk by mistake. He needed some Aspirin and he needed to use the bathroom. "Lance!" He said again, louder and pushing his foot against the other boy's ribs with more force. 

"Hnn?" He finally responded, flopping onto his back and rubbing his eyes with his knuckles to get the sleep out of them. "Mmm... Keith, you're up."

"Uh... Yeah..." Suddenly embarrassed, he blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry about falling asleep in your bed... And could you tell me where the bathroom is? I need some Aspirin..."

"Don't worry about it. It's down the hall, first door on your left and the Aspirin is in the cabinet above the sink, third shelf," Lance directed, lazily waving one hand in the general direction of the bathroom. 

Keith followed the orders and made it to the bathroom without difficulty. He shut and locked the door before doing his business. He washed his hands, drying them on a grey hand towel hanging on the towel rack beside the door. Opening the medicine cabinet, he scanned the bottles and boxes for what he was looking for. As promised, an industrial-sized bottle of Aspirin stood on the third shelf. Keith took the surprisingly heavy bottle out and unscrewed the cap, shaking two small white pills out into the palm of his hand with a sigh. He stared down at the pills, biting his lip as thoughts he'd hoped had passed came rushing back to him. 

He began to remember all the times he'd tried to kill himself. The bottle of vodka mixed with half a bottle of prescription sleeping pills. The cuts on his wrists that ran so deep he could see the bones. The scratches and raw skin from the rope he'd tied to the ceiling fan in the living room. 

His hands began to shake, the pills rattling in the plastic bottle. Tears filled his eyes, causing his vision to go blurry. His breathing sped up, becoming erratic and shallow. His knees buckled, causing him to fall to the floor, dropping the pills onto the tile with a clatter. The tiny white pills scattered everywhere as the bottle rolled. Keith put his hands in his hair, tugging at the strands as he began to rock back at forth, wide-eyed and mumbling to himself. 

Lance heard the crash from where he lay on the floor. He was up within seconds and at the bathroom door, knocking with his knuckles. "Keith? You okay?" He asked, his voice raised so he could be heard. 

"No... No, no, no..." Was the response in a trembling and squeaky voice. "No... No..."

"Keith? Keith, let me in!" Worry spiked in Lance, causing his chest to constrict. He knocked on the door louder, trying to get through to his friend. 

Keith let out a shriek as the knocking grew louder. He scrambled away from the door, pushing himself into the corner that was the farthest away from the door. He pulled his hair harder, biting down on his lip with so much force that it began to bleed. Blood dripped down his chin and onto his flannel, coating his pale skin and the purple fabric in scarlet.