Consequences of a Friend (2)

-Chapter 19- TV and Homework

It was Mason's day off. He was currently sitting on the lounge room couch, cup of tea steaming away on the coffee table and his uni notes sprawled across his lap.

He was watching television, which probably wasn't the smartest idea when trying to complete homework, but Mason was trying to keep his mind as busy as possible.

He was expecting a call from Dr Maier's lawyers. They wanted to have a meeting with him and Dr Maier to go over his testimony. It was nerve wracking to have to wait with his phone by his side, the blank screen staring up at him.

It also didn't help that Sophia kept poking her head around the kitchen wall where she was messing around with pots and plates, and who knows what else. She couldn't cook for shit, so Mason was getting a little annoyed with how long she was dawdling.

There was obviously something she wanted to say.

She sticks her head out once again, causing Mason to let his papers fall to his lap as he glares over at her.

"What? If you have something to say to me, stop hiding, and just say it."

It was probably to do with their failed bakery trip. It only happened yesterday, but neither Mason or Sophia had spoken about it since.

As soon as Mason had come home he'd locked himself in his room for a good hour or so trying to calm his thrumming heart and shaking hands. After managing to somewhat gain his sanity again, he'd taken a long hot shower where he scrubbed at his skin until it was raw.

Only then could he finally relax, muscles unwinding despite his skin now red and tender to the touch.

Sighing, Mason watches as Sophia comes into the lounge, finger twisting together before she drops them to take a seat next to Mason, a tentative smile on her face.

"I just- we didn't really speak about yesterday, and I thought maybe you'd want to talk about it? Are you feeling okay?"

Mason turns a little in his spot so he's wedged in the corner, his body turned to face her more before speaking, "I really don't. You were there, you saw what happened, so I don't see why I should repeat it."

He shrugs at the end of it, shuffling his pages of class notes into neater piles.

"Are you okay though?" Mason can feel his jaw tick at the question, "You almost had another panic attack."

He didn't. In fact, he'd read up a bit about panic attacks and the episode with the fried rice had been an emotional breakdown courtesy to his previous traumatic experience.

That wasn't what was happening yesterday with Ben. Yesterday, Mason had been hit with a tidal wave of emotions; overwhelmed by anger, and hurt, and a drowning amount of pain. The kind of pain that made you want to lie in bed for days and bawl your eyes out.

"I'm fine. I was just mad he'd seen Bryan after I'd told him not to." Wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't exactly Mason being honest either.

"It seemed to me like it was more than that. Are you sure you're okay? Do you want me to get you anything?" She was looking at him with such pitiful eyes.

Mason couldn't stand it. He wasn't sure what flipped the switch, but somewhere, somehow, Sophia had begun to treat him like a child rather than her friend. Usually by now she would have let this go, cracked out the ice-cream, and watched movies with him for the rest of the day. Instead, here she was, asking question after question, repeating the same thing despite Mason having already given her his answer.

"I'm fine." Mason hisses, his annoyance seeping into his tone.

Sophia gives him an odd look, before frowning, "I'm just worried about you. No need to get pissy at me, calm down."

Mason drops his papers in his lap with a loud 'thwap' to glare at her. What exactly did she think she would accomplish from this conversation? Did she think Mason would burst into tears and fall apart? Beg for Sophia to make everything better?

"You know what? You're the one that needs to take a chill pill, Sophia. I've told you I'm fine, but apparently to you that means I'm seconds away from slitting my wrists! I get that you're concerned, but please, stop being so..."

He pauses on the word, not sure what exactly to call her. He could feel the rage in his cheeks as he glared at her with cold, hard stare. Was she being bossy? Condescending?

"Stop being so what?" Sophia is tense now, perched on the edge of her seat.

"So fucking patronising!" The words burst from his mouth, "I'm not a child, Sophia!"

She jerks back a little as Mason's volume hits a much louder level.

As she slowly gets up from the couch, her face turns hard as she looks down at him.

"I'm your friend, Mason. That's what friends do, they look out for each other when things are shit. Sorry for caring."

Mason groans, frustrated, "Don't do that."

Sophia turns to face him, arms crossed over her chest, "Do what?"

"Make me sound like the bad guy! I know that you care, but literally spying on me from the kitchen is not what I call being a 'concerned friend'."

"Whatever. I'm not going to argue with you about this."

She goes to walk away, but Mason can't help himself, "What, now you're gonna walk away so you don't hurt my feelings?"

Sophia shoots him a lethal glare, her hands coming into fists by her side, "I'm walking away so that neither of us say something we'll regret. You're obviously stressed and me talking to you about this isn't making it any better."

She doesn't leave room for Mason to retaliate, and instead stomps off down the hall.

He was stressed, that part was true, but Sophia didn't seem to understand that her hovering and 'caring' was contributing to Mason's spiralling mental condition. He could feel himself cracking underneath the many thoughts whizzing through his head.

There was so much Mason needed to think about. Like the lawsuit against the hospital, his decisions if the case was won, his school work, his job, the whole Ben situation...

Mason just wasn't quite sure what to do with himself.

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Not edited. Hope the chapter is not too bad haha.