You remember the day quite clearly, actually. How couldn't you? It was one of the most emotional days of your life. You were seventeen, sitting behind the counter on the one year anniversary of your job at the Big Donut. Business was unusually slow that morning, so you found a bit of time to yourself, reading in the break room. You remember being angry that day, actually. Lars hadn't come in that morning and on instinct, you were certain he had been slacking off again.
"I can't believe he'd jus-." But, your words die in your throat as the bell above the door chimes, letting you know someone had just walked in. You set your book down and walk back behind the counter.
"Welcome to- Lars?" You look up, barely recognizing the boy. His normal cocky demeanor was replaced by one of pure disinterest. His hoodie was now pulled over his face and he refused to look up at you.
"Lars...is everything okay?" You are scared to get an answer but at the same time, shocked that you are actually given one.
"No..."
"Whats wrong then?" You lean on the counter, trying to get a better look at the male. His red rimmed eyes lead you to two possible reasons: Either he has been crying, or has just gotten high...Judging by the way he fidgets with his hands, you immediately assume the latter. You stare up at the hidden face, waiting for a response.
"My dad..."
"Yeah, what about him?" You lean on your palm. You knew Lars' dad well enough to know that his relationship with his son could best be described as complicated. You were certain he wasn't physically abusive, no, far from. You did know, however, that the pair were fighting more often than you could ever keep track of. Regardless, Lars still had quite a few happy moments with his dad to relay to you at work, settling any uneasy feelings you had about Lars' home life.
"He...h-he...oh, God..." You jump back as Lars caves, falling to the floor and curling up on himself.
"Lars!?" You try to keep the tone even and calm in your voice as you step in front of the counter, kneeling beside the boy. Tears stream freely from his eyes now, having sent himself in to hysterics. The sight itself chokes you up as you lift the boy up, helping him to the break room. The crying continues in to a fit of hiccups, unfortunately leading to vomiting. You spring from your seat as the mess reaches the floor, immediately heading for a mop and bucket. You clear up the mess before returning your gaze back to the boy.
"H-he...cancer..." Lars chokes from his spot on the floor before spiraling back into a mess of tears.
"W-what...cancer?" You would have never believed it had you not heard it. The boy nods in confirmation before curling back up.
"I-is it..." You bite your lip, but a nod lets you know that he knew what you meant.
"S-started in his lungs...they...they say he's only got..." He sighs, trying to bring himself to talk about it. You sit together quietly, not sure of what else to do.
"Y-you know...I'm here if you need me..." You finally say, rubbing your arm awkwardly. Lars swallows thickly, but offers you yet another nod. That's all you could get him to do for the rest of the day.
"Maybe...maybe it would be best if you went home..." Your statement is answered with another nod as the male gets up, leaving the breaking room. You'll never in your life forgot that walk as he left. It didn't even resemble your friend. It more so looked like a body who had just lost its soul. The image left you feeling numb and helpless, two emotions that otherwise never phased you. You take a deep breath, letting yourself lay your head down on the table. You stand up after a moment of dead thinking and head home, closing up shop early.
You usually enjoyed your walk home, enjoying the sights of the board walk, the setting sun, all the little things that made Beach City so wonderful. Tonight, however, all you could think was the inevitable. How quickly your lives could be taken from you, how there was nothing you could do to stop it. You dig your hands into your pocket, hanging your head. The thoughts left you with a hallow feeling, one that took over your body and slowly ate away at you. It was a horrible feeling that you just couldn't get rid of.
Reaching your home, you barely notice your mom greeting you at the door. You simply walk past her, heading up to your bed room. You had a long day...it was bed time now.
Three months...
Three months was all it took before he was gone.
You hadn't know. You hadn't known for a full three hours after it had happened. But...you knew. A sort of gloom had been hanging around Beach City all day. The sun had been blocked by clouds, casting an eery fog throughout the boardwalk. The gloom crept into homes, cradling its victim. You shiver at a chill that wasn't there as you try to sleep the fog away.
Key word there: try.
You begin to dose off as your phone rings, scaring you more than sit up instantly, feeling around your sheets, trying to find the device with one hand and rub your eyes with the other. By the last ring, you hand lands on the device (which had been within arms reach the whole time) and sliding the answer call icon.
"H-Hello?" You drone, leaning back on your pillows, eyes shutting.
"I-I can-n't g-get the d-door ope-en..."
"What?" You sit back up now, a little more interested in the conversation. The voice, you immediately recognize, belongs to Lars, not that you've ever heard it so cracked up before. Puberty had been nothing compared to this.
"A-are you okay? Where are you?" You climb out of bed, searching the floor for a bra and a pair of shoes.
"O-outside..."
"Where outside?" You balance the phone between your ear and shoulder as you slip a shoe onto your now chilled feet. The only response to this are a few hiccups, so you follow it up with another question, "Are you...are you drunk right now?"
"M-maybe..." The boy on the other end slurs. You feel some sort of anger begin in you, making you forget about your other shoe and simply tie your bathrobe around your waist, marching your way out of the room.
"Just stay where you are oka-" You fling the front door open to have a head collide with your knee. You look down quickly, dropping your phone in the process.
The lanky red-headed teenager now curls up in himself, sobbing on your living room floor. Judging by the heavy scent of alcohol on him, you early question was confirmed. For a few seconds, you aren't sure of what to do, so you just stare down at the boy on your floor.
In a few minutes, his sobs are reduced to tremors and you have fully decided what to do. You kneel beside him and roll him onto his back His long arms are immediately around your waist,your shirt now soaked in tears. You put your arms around the boy's back on impulse, cradling him now.
"Shh..it's gonna be okay..." You hush. You've never had to do something like this before, but in your mind, Lars was going more than a scare child right now. You had handled that from the million and one times you had babysat your cousin or had to calm Steven down when he was upset, so this shouldn't be much different.
"N-no it's n-not." The boy whimpers in your arms. You start rubbing his arm, repeating exactly what you just said. You begin to hum Kate Micucci's 'The happy song', something you always did when you were sad. A gentle sway takes over you as you slowly begin to sing the lyrics.
"'Cause isn't it nice to have the friends that you do...And isn't it nice that the sky is so blue...And isn't it nice to say 'I love you'?" You rest your chin on Lars' head, smiling a bit at the dorky song.
"Chugga-Chugga, Choo-Choo Wooo, Wooo." The line is finished for you, causing you to look down. The drunk teen is currently smiling like an idiot, waiting for the song to continue.
"I am smiling, you are smiling. Let us smile together. Whether the weather is cloudy or stormy,I will still be there in the morning, I'll be right by your side in the morning-"
"Will you?" The question itself catches you off guard as you look back down. Lars is looking up at you, looking like he had just seen Hell. His eyes are rimmed red from the crying he's done, his nose was a much bright shade at this point. They say you can see emotions in peoples eyes and up until this point, you never believed it.
You had waited your whole damn life to see his cool kid attitude crack and well, here you were, sitting on your living room floor with a drunk Lars in your lap, while he cried like a new born baby. The scene itself made you want to break down as well, but now was not the time. The boy in your arms was relying on your smile because right now, you were the only one reminding him that everything was going to be okay.
His hold on you tightens ad he waits for an answer.
"Yes...Yes, I'll be here in the morning."
"R-right here?" he squeezes you a bit as if to emphasize where it is you need to be.
"Right here." You squeeze back, letting him know you understood.
"I-I miss h-him..."
"I know you do, but he wouldn't want you to be sad."
"Why would he leave then?" Lars rolls over, burying his face in your chest. You smile softly, running your fingers through his hair now.
"It was his time to go...I'm sure he wanted to stay, but life had other plans..."
"Life sucks..."
"It doesn't have to..." You stop swaying, focusing on maintaining the conversation.
"Y-you won't leave me, right?"
"Like I said, 'Whether the weather is cloudy or stormy,I will still be there in the morning, I'll be right by your side in the morning.' You giggle a little bit. A tremble wracks Lars' body, causing you lean back a bit to see his face. A small smile meets you and you realize that he's laughing. You close your eyes, laughing just a bit more before attempting to stand.
"Come on, let's get you to bed." You grab a blanket of the back of the couch, helping the boy lay down before covering him over with the cloth. You rub your eyes, heading back upstairs to go reclaim the sleep you lost.
"W-wait, Sadie!" Lars is trying to stand up as well, but is still a bit woozy from the alcohol.
"How much did you drink exactly?" You return to the couch, making him lay back down.
"A-a lot..."
You roll your eyes, mentally preparing yourself for the hang over you'd have to take care of later, but, there was no sense in fretting over it now.
"Will you hold me again?"
You think over the question before closing your eyes and nodding. Lars moves over a bit, making room for you under the blanket. A blush spreads across you face, but you ignore it, remembering that this was only for comfort reasons and nothing romantic in anyway shape or form. You crawl beside him, his arms already finding their way back around your waist and your arms finding their way around his neck.
It's comforting for both of you, really. The only sound in the room is breathing and the only thing you two can feel before dozing off is the warmth from each other.
One of Lars' hands untangles itself from the blanket and rests on top of one of yours. You smile softly, allowing your fingers to lace together.
"I love you..." You look down, seeing the boy snuggled against your chest, finding some sort of peace from the days events. He had a long way to go still, you know, and it was not going to be easy,not at all, but you planned to be there every step of the way.
But, for now, all you could do was hold him, being a temporary salvation for him.
For the record, you don't mind it at all. You lean down, placing a small kiss to the top of his head.
"Love you, too..."
Disclaimers: I own nothing.