Long Lost Brother

Chapter 7 : The leak

"Yeah."

Jeff stood up, holding onto my arm for support. He seemed a little dizzy.

We walked inside together.

"Hey, Riker, I think I'm going to go take a nap, ok?"

"Yeah. I'll walk you upstairs."

I made sure Jeff was safely in bed before I left.

Later...

Riker POV

"We'll be back probably around 9:00," my mom said.

"Ok. We'll be here," I said, leaning back in my chair.

Everyone was going out, but I was staying home since Jeff was still asleep. And after those first few rough patches, we got along pretty well. So I wanted to stay home with him.

I started channel surfing, trying to find something good to watch, but honestly, there just wasn't really anything good on...

And then I heard screaming. My eyes widened. It sounds like me. But I'm not screaming. Therefore, it's Jeff!

I sprinted up the stairs to our bedroom. Jeff was rolling around in bed, screaming.

"Jeff! What's wrong!? Calm down!"

He kept moving around.

He's asleep, you idiot...

"Jeff! Wake up!"

I shook his arm, and he opened his eyes. He looked terrified, and tears came down his cheeks.

"Jeff, it's ok. What's wrong?" I asked, sitting down on the edge of his bed.

He covered his face with his hands and cried. I wasn't sure exactly what to do.

"Jeff, what happened?"

"I h-had a n-nightmare."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"N-no."

"Ok... Are you alright?"

"I-I think s-so..."

He wiped off his cheeks, and sat up a little. I handed him his water bottle from the nightstand, and he drank a few sips before handing it back.

"Thanks, Riker," Jeff said, quietly.

I sighed.

"You scared the life out of me," I said, feeling my heart slow down a little.

"Sorry..."

"Do you normally have nightmares?"

"I don't know... They usually happen if something reminds me of... my... past..."

"Your past?"

"Yeah..."

"What's that supposed to mean? What happened in your past?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Alright..."

"This used to happen at my old school sometimes. My roommate, Nick, always got sort of freaked out, but I think he kind of got used to it after a while."

"How often does it happen?"

"I don't know... It's random..."

I sighed.

"Well if you ever want to talk, I'm here..."

"Thanks, Riker. Not just for this, but for everything."