Plié and Clout

Chapter 36: Sleep

Hah, uh, finding out new information about Steph in this one

Also, I'm double updating because the last one jumped 6 reads in 10 minutes and it's 'effin one in the damn morning. do y'all's even sleep? Like man wtf, are you up there doing the 'reload, reload, reload' ??? because if you are I'm absolutely flattered, but also like ???? Bruh, go to bed. I swear Steph isn't going to die or make any,,,, extremely bad decisions on us. 

anyway, I love you guys, comment plz cuz I'm bored and desperately want opinions on the jackfuckery of my favorite team.

-rabid

***

AUGUST

My doorbell rings and I sit up from a doze on the couch, worried immediately. It's probably Steph. He told me he was going drinking, but he's got bad peer pressure skills, so it's probably drunk Steph.

I was staying up late so that I could check he made it home safe, you know, not at all because I'm paranoid something bad is going to happen to him or that he's going to get hurt or anything worse-

"Steph?" I pull open the door and he crushes me immediately, his arms wrapping around me, stumbling forward. Okay then. "Hey? Steph? Are you okay?" I shut the door with my foot.

"I, August, I'm so sorry, I-" He slurs some of that. I take his head out of my shoulder and hold him in front of me, hands holding his cheeks, keeping his head up.

"What's wrong?"

He coughs and then chokes up. In milliseconds, Steph goes from sad to sobbing in my fingers. Tears run down his face the second he closes his eyes, rolling over my hands on his face. He leans into my fingers, one of his hands coming up to cover them on his cheek. His lips part and his eyes squeeze tighter shut. Oh no, no no no, baby... I pull him back down to me, letting him cry into my shirt.

I have no idea what's going on.

"Stephan?" He's crying so hard he can't breathe. My heart breaks for him. He's crying so hard he's hiccuping. I'm afraid he's going to throw up from this. I've cried so hard I've thrown up in the past, and this is exactly what it was, the chest-shaking gasping type of ugly-crying that hurts to watch.

"August, Aug, I," His throat catches when he's hunting for air around my name. "August I just lost him, I lost my best friend."

"Rocket?" I reel, "is he okay? What happened? Did he get hurt?"

"We fought." I hobble toward the sink. Steph is still crying hard enough that his body is shaking in my fingers. "August I can't do this without him."

"Deep breath." I rub his back.

I know he can't breathe and he proves it when he chokes again, letting out a stiff and quiet groan. "He's blaming me for not being able to get with someone and that he thinks I'm better than him and hates it and I didn't do anything wrong, August he just wanted any excuse to get rid of me, August, I..."

"Breathe," I bring his head in front of me, rubbing his soaked cheeks. "Why did he do that?"

"He said he's sick of being my sideshow," Steph coughs, looking up at me, his eyes flicker with fear, his lips parting. "I'm sorry, August. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

He backs up from me and trips, falling over a stray slipper. He scrambles and stands back up again, walking away.

"Steph?"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He turns away from me, wiping off his eyes. "I need to shut up. I need to shut up."

"No, Steph, no," I follow him, putting a hand on his shoulder. He shakes it off. "Steph, don't shut down on me like that."