Plié and Clout

Chapter 39: Stay with Me

double update. comment n'stuff I'm bored. 

also if anyone knows jack shit about l'hopitial's rule i'm about to fail calc just like steph

-rabid

***

AUGUST:

My phone starts to buzz in my pocket, it's about ten minutes to dinner, and when it's Steph, I pick up the face time.

"Hey, how's it going?" He looks pretty awful.

"Not great," He sets his head in his hand. "Merry christmas?"

"Miss me with it," I laugh, picking my way out onto the porch. "What's wrong?"

"I hate my fucking family," He rubs an eye and sets the phone down so he can slouch in the front seat of what looks like a truck.

"I, I would invite you out here, but everyone would ask you a ton of questions."

"I wish I could, but Mom will send out a search party if I'm not at her dinner."

"So, two dinners huh?"
"Didn't eat much of the first one," He sighs. "Dad fucked it up pretty fast by asking if I was dating anyone, and I said yeah, Jilly's ballet teacher, and he gave me this nasty look and asked if you were prettier than Morgan, and it was the most fucked up perverted misogynist thing he's ever said." It feels a little weird, having him talk about that ex.

"Figure the reason you're not still there is that you either got kicked out or?"

"I left." He drops his head into his hands. "We screamed at each other for a minute or two and then I left, and Grandma tried to ask me what was wrong but called my mom a skank and-" He's crying rather suddenly.

"Steph, hey, don't cry, it's okay."

"It's not, it's shit." He looks up at the camera. "I'm drowning, August, I can't do anything about it. It's all, I'm just-"

"Steph, buddy, hey," I would hug him if he were here, I'd hold his head on my chest and comfort him, but I guess I have to talk about it with him instead.

"I can't do it, August, I want Gramps back, I," He's really crying. "He was the only one that I liked at all, and."

"He's still with you," I tap my own chest. "In here."

"That's what everyone always fucking says, August!" Oh he's really not having a good time. "Then why is he letting all this happen?"

"I don't know, Steph, I really don't."

"FUCK!" He yells it. I really hope nobody is near this car. He's having a breakdown. "I'm going to relapse, August, I-"

"What?"

"Depression, August," He stares at the camera, right at it. "Like damn waves, my whole life has been a game with it? Wow, you feel great now? Let's see how long this fucker lasts! Ten minutes? Three years? I don't fucking know! What'll tick you off? Your bastard of a father? Getting fucking violated by someone who told you they loved you? Fucking game. Always comes to an end. I'm not ever," He stops talking suddenly. "I should shut the fuck up and leave you out of this, I'm being an asshole right now."

"No, Steph, talk about it, I care about you, I want to help."

"I'm, just, I'm sick of it, August," He wipes off his eyes. "I want to just know that I'll be happy forever."

"Steph?" I want to hug him, god.

"Yeah?"

"Pardon me if this is a stupid question, but you act so happy all the time."