"liam?" (hfjone fanfic)

Chapter Seventeen

Liam's eyes slowly fluttered open to see Bryce's empty bed. He panicked for a moment, then looked around the room. At the table, he saw Bryce, passed out in a chair, with dozens of cans on the table. He looked over to the couch, where Owen was still asleep.

He stood up and sat down at the table, next to Bryce. He stared for a moment, then caught himself in his spaced outedness, and ran his finger across the laptop's mousepad, causing the screen to light up.

"hey liam"

L: hi texty

T: we typin?

L: yea, i dont wanna wake up bryce

T: you okay?

L: yup, why do you ask?

T: just a little concerned after yesterday...

L: listen i dont really wanna talk about that rn

T: alright

L: do you know what happened?

T: he was drinking

L: well yeah i know that but what else happened?

T: uhh well

Texty paused for a moment.

T: he was blubbering about being lonely or something, idk

L: oh

Liam stopped typing for a moment, and stood up. He gently plucked a few cans from the pile, trying his best not to make any noise, and threw them into the trash can. He repeated this until the table was completely clean.

Liam simply sat at the table for a while, listening to music with Texty, but then he began...

...remembering.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[9:30 AM]

Bryce opened his eyes and looked around. Owen and Liam were sitting on the couch, chatting with Texty. He rubbed his eyelids and got out of his chair. A sharp pain coursed through his head. He groaned in pain.

"morning bryce"

Bryce rubbed his face and walked over to the kitchen sink. "Morning, Texty." He responded groggily. He turned the stove on and cracked open five eggs, letting them spill onto the pan and sizzle from the heat of the stove, small bubbles flooding up around the edges and releasing into the air, giving off a strong eggy aroma.

"you were saying, liam?"

"I-I dunno, I don't have much else to say about what happened."

"welp thats nice, i got a thing to say too"

"Texty, I swear to god I will throttle you." Bryce turned toward the computer.

"i guess i dont have anything to say anymore"

Bryce glared at the computer, then turned back toward the stove. The eggs were finished cooking, so he laid two on two of the plates, and one on his own. He set the eggs down on the table. "Breakfast's ready." He said, sitting down at the table, slowly this time, as to not hurt his head.

Owen and Liam got up from the couch. Owen walked over to the table, carrying Texty and setting her down, while Liam stretched then sat down at the table, both of them sitting across from Bryce.

"can you turn me towards bryce"

Bryce raised an eyebrow. Liam obeyed Texty's wishes, lifting up the computer, turning it to Bryce's side of the table, and swiftly setting it down.

"thanks"

Bryce stuffed a bite of egg into his mouth, and stared at Texty.

T: you gotta talk to him about the thing

B: no.

T: why not? what do you have to lose?

B: i told you what i have to lose.

T: everything would be so much better if you just apologized to him

B: will it, texty?

T: i cant foresee the future, but its so obvious that he still wants to be friends with you

B: ...

T: youre a fucking coward bryce

B: what if i lose him again?

T: you wont

Bryce stopped typing. He took a moment to look straight at Liam. He stared back at the laptop screen.

Wait... He thought. He looked back at Liam. Liam was looking past him, to the wall on Bryce's left. He followed Liam's trail of sight with his eyes, and stopped when he hit the wall.

Liam was staring straight at the picture of him and Stella.