butterfly ▸ vhope

20 :: Lies

So maybe I had exaggerated about Taehyung relapsing, but it was a possibility. Ever since he left the hospital, I've noticed him slipping a six pack or so into his room, thinking I didn't know. Truth was, I did know and I was worried. Sure, he was clean off alcohol for an entire year. But researches has proven that 89% of ex-alcoholics revert back to their old ways because they couldn't handle stress without alcohol.

And I didn't want Taehyung to be in that 89%. He had worked so hard to get out of his alcohol addiction. He seemed fine and normal, avoiding any alcohol-induced drinks handed to him politely. Could it be that his breakup with Ellie had influenced him so much? So much that he had to drink go forget?

"Damn, my head hurts,"

I turned to face a groggy Taehyung from the kitchen stove. His hair was everywhere and he looked pale. Quickly putting breakfast on a plate, I handed it to him along with a glass of hangover smoothie that my mom had taught me.

"Drink this. It'll help,"

He gulped the entire glass down the moment I set it down in front of him. He looked much better after that and started to eat his breakfast. Since I wasn't that hungry, I peeled a banana and bit the head off. Within seven minutes, Taehyung had inhaled all the food on his plate, which included five strips of bacon, two slices of toast, scrambled eggs, two slices of ham and baked beans.

"Thanks, hyung,"

I nodded and kept silent. He was keeping yesterday a secret from me. Being curious, I called up Keith this morning to ask about yesterday. I had put my trust in Taehyung and I'm guessing he took it lightly because Keith said he never made plans with Taehyung for yesterday. And so I called Doctor Bolton. She expressed how disappointed she was that Taehyung did not show up for their session yesterday and I promised her to talk to him about it.

He lied to me.

He actually lied to me. My best friend, who I had known since we were in diapers, lied to me for the first ever time.

"Tae?"

"Yeah, hyung?"

"Where did you go yesterday?"

I watched as he froze up and dropped his eating utensils. His mouth fell open and a half chewed bacon came in sight. I kept my composure and pretended that I didn't notice his expression by sipping my coffee slowly.

"Uh, well, I went to see Dr. Bolton for our scheduled session. She said I was improving tremendously and she also gave me some pointers about psychology. After that, I went to dinner with Keith and went for a drinks,"

"Really? You're not lying to me, are you?"

"What? Why would I be?"

He laughed nervously, trying to shake the awkward tension off as he returned to eating his food. I kept silent as I drank my coffee and ate his breakfast.

"I called Dr. Bolton this morning to check on your condition. She told me how disappointed she was because you didn't attend yesterday's session,"

Taehyung tensed up as he gulped down the piece of toast in his mouth. Smiling to cover up his nervousness, he shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck, something he always did when he was nervous.

"How can that be? Maybe she mistook someone else for me. I really did go,"

"Really? Because she said it's you. She got really worried and thought you might have done something again,"

"Well, I didn't go. But so what? I had something else to attend to,"

"Something else what? Drink yourself drunk? Because I called Keith after that and he said you never even made plans with him,"

"Okay. So what? I just went ahead and had a few drinks,"

"A few? Taehyung, you came home late last night drunk off your ass!"

"Well, so what? Why, you pity me now? Just because I pitied you?!"

Well, ouch. That hurt. Not knowing what to do and with the anger stirring up inside me, I kept silent, smashed my empty cup on the table and walked off.