Algid (#TronnorAU)

Chapter 25: Ghosts

The two of them went silent and looked at each other, confused. Now it was evident that, like him, Alexis was actually concentrating on something. And whatever that was, it involved him.

After the brief silence, Connor talked up.

-"... You go first."

-"Ok... ok how do I put this..."

Alexis rubbed her temples with both her hands, closing her eyes as she thought, and after a minute she turned to Connor in resolution.

-"Something is wrong with you, Con. And I want to know what."

Connor didn't know if his eyes could go any wider.

-"Because whatever it is, I don't think I've ever seen you this bad. And I am very worried about you."—she went on.

-"W-What!?"—Connor asked in genuine shock—"Al, I am the one who is worried about you!"

-"A-About me!? Why!?"

-"What do you mean why? You oversleep, you eat way over the usual, and you look miserable! And I'm sure it has something to do with that theatre thing."

-"Oh you're one to talk! Have you looked at yourself in a mirror lately!?"

Connor frowned.

-"What do you mean?"

-"Connor, really! Have you seen that bags under your eyes!? I know you've not been sleeping, I even asked Mikey! Instead of giving me a straight answer he started stuttering and said something about how he didn't know any magazines! I knew he was covering for you!"

Connor mentally slapped himself in the face and also made a mental note to give Mikey a little chat when he had the chance.

-"Is it the dreams again?"—Alexis asked, this time calmly—"Are you seeing... them?"

Connor looked away from the girl in the red beanie. She was the only one he had ever told about his nightmares. The ones about his dead family. Only Alexis and Connor's journal knew about this, and he was positive that no one else in the world had the right to know.

-"... Or is it... or is it something else?"—Alexis asked once again—"Are you in some sort of... trouble?"

At the hearing of those words, Connor thought of two things.

First, he thought about Red. He thought about her naked body and the scars she had on her back, which he had grazed a couple of times already. He thought about her words and how she promised to help him. He thought about her pills and how they managed to scare him to the living death.

And then, he thought about Blue. He remembered the night they spent together at the tent, and the one again at his house after Connor and Joe's birthday party. He thought about what was going on in his head, and what was going on between them. And he thought about Troye touching him and him touching Troye, and that made his breath run short.

But then he turned to Alexis, determined not to show off his weakness. He had gotten there with a purpose and he intended to accomplish it.

-"Yes, it's the nightmares."—he lied—"But I know for a fact you aren't doing well, Al. I've seen how Lia treats you. Listen, I'm not saying that I'm going to hit her or anything. You know I wouldn't do that. But I can talk to people, people I know are going to do something about it. And I know that will help you."

-"People? By people you mean Troye?"—Alexis asked, with her eyebrows raised—"He's her boyfriend, he's obviously going to take her side. Besides, she doesn't do anything I can't handle for myself."