In The Closets Embrace

:)

"Are you alright?" a quiet, monotone voice cut through the still darkness of the closet, snapping Tyler out of his thoughts. He jumped at the sudden sound, sitting up so fast his back slammed against the wall. He let out a pained groan before sniffling and wiping at his face in a poor attempt to hide the fact he was moments away from bawling his eyes out.

"Oh, right... uh," they muttered, accompanied by a soft rustle of fabric. "Sorry." A small rectangle of light illuminated the face of the disembodied voice, revealing a boy roughly his age sitting across from him. It was the strange-looking kid from earlier, he realised. He was apparently too carried away to think of checking the closet for people before having a breakdown. He's just glad he hadn't walked in on a game of 7 Minutes in Heaven or something. "I probably should have announced myself sooner. Sorry for scaring you. I'm Otto."

Tyler stared at him for a moment, heart still racing from the scare. And the crying. He swallowed the lump in his throat. "Tyler," he stated simply. His voice came out hoarse and choked, which he cursed himself for.

Otto's brows and shoulders raised slightly. "O-oh, l-like Tyler Bryce? This is your party?"

Tyler hated it when people used his last name. Every time he heard it, it reminded him how much he wasn't 'living up to his family's name'. His parents were successful business owners and his brother was perfect in every possible way. But he was just.. Average. Not good. Not bad. Just average. He sometimes wondered what it'd be like if he was brave enough to stray from that expectation. If he could truly be himself without worrying about the repercussions.

"Would you like for me to leave?" Otto asked bluntly, tilting his head. Crap, he spaced out again. He must think he was crazy for how much he'd been staring at him.

"Uh- No, no, that's fine. You were here first," Tyler reassured. He couldn't imagine that being alone in here without his headphones would be any better. As awkward as this was.

"If you're sure." Otto drew his knees up to his chest and started scrolling through his phone.

Tyler considered just getting up and leaving. But he didn't have anywhere better to go. So instead, he stayed where he was and tried to distract his mind with anything that wasn't the nightmare happening right outside the door. "What are you looking at? On your phone?" Tyler asked.

Otto looked up in his direction, but he seemed hesitant to make eye contact. "School newsletter. I'm the editor. I'm just re-reading everything before it's published."

"When does it get published?" Tyler asked. Surely it's got to be urgent if he was working on it at a party. He wouldn't touch his schoolwork with a ten-foot pole right now.

"End of next week. I've already double-checked it. It's ready to go."

Tyler tried to keep the shock and confusion from his face. It mustn't have worked that well since Otto continued, trying to justify himself.

"I just uh... It's relaxing. I like reading. And journalism. And it's overwhelming outside. So." He shrugs.

"Right." Tyler glances at Otto. He was picking nervously at the edges of his phone case. "What made you come here? To the party I mean. You don't really seem like the partying type."

"Oh, uh, my friend suggested we hung out and just gave me a random address with little to no context. I wasn't aware of.. all this. I tried looking for him when I got here but it took too long and I was getting stressed out so... closet. Not my wisest decision, I will admit. I should have just left right away. But it's fine" He sighed. "May I ask why you were crying earlier?"

He grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. Otto seemed to notice his hesitation. "It's alright if you don't want to say."

Tyler wasn't sure if it was the other boy's openness or otherwise, but he felt compelled to share his worries with the stranger. He'll probably never see him after today anyways. Screw it.

He takes a deep breath before speaking. "I dunno. It's kinda lame, really." He chuckles humourlessly. "I was crying because it was too... loud? Too crowded? At a party I threw. At a party I never wanted to throw in the first place. I wanted friends. I wanted a fresh start. I don't party! I don't like parties! I like people!" Otto flinched slightly at the raise of voice, but Tyler couldn't think clearly enough. It was like he opened a floodgate of all his innermost thoughts and there was no hope of stopping the words from rushing out now. How much had he been holding in?

His voice was raspy again and his vision blurred slightly. "No matter how hard I try, I can never be normal enough for anyone! There's always something wrong with me!"

When did it get all dark again? Where was Otto? He probably left when he realised how much of a mess he was. Great. He scared away the one person he thought might understand him. Now he was alone. Doomed to cry in the closet until people leave out of pity. Then the whole school will know he's pathetic. He lost his chance at making even a single fr-

Tyler snapped out of his spiral as he felt a thin pair of arms wrap around his waist and a head press into his shoulder. Oh... He didn't bother holding back tears at this point. Any dignity he may have had was long gone by now anyways. He held weakly onto Otto's forearm and sobbed for who knows how long.

Once his throat turned raw and his tear ducts ran dry, Tyler lay limply in Otto's arms. He felt so numb and exhausted, yet so relieved at the same time. He finally mustered up enough energy to shift and wipe at his face. Otto let go but was sitting close enough that Tyler knew he was still there. "God, sorry about that. I really shouldn't have just dumped all of that on you. You barely know me."

A silence filled the room and for a sickening moment, Tyler thought he really had gone too far.

"Can you tell me about yourself then?"

Tyler wasn't expecting that response in the slightest.

"I mentioned I edit the school paper. Have you joined any clubs yet?" Otto said softly, genuine curiosity filling his voice.

Tyler hesitated but Otto was patient. "I um. I joined lacrosse." He shrugs noncommittally.

"Oh, is that the one with the racket, stick things?" Otto asks and Tyler laughs wetly, nodding.

"The school team's been doing well from what I've read. I believe they went to States last year. I suppose I'll look forward to writing about it in the paper this year too."

Even if just for a minute, Tyler could forget the crowd of people just outside the door. While Otto had stopped hugging Tyler ages ago, the feeling of safety and care remained, only getting stronger with every new question asked. He'd only known this kid for less than an hour, but he felt more open with him than any of his past friends combined. Tyler was content. If it were just the two of them, he knew he wouldn't mind staying within the closets embrace.