Truth About Adrian

Chapter 1

The young man's eyes stared back at him. He was so close that he could point out all of his flaws. He was tall, lanky, had a mop of curly hair. He wasn't bad looking, but for some reason he didn't like what he was seeing. Adrian's green eyes filled with nothing but emptiness as he stared at himself in the mirror. He hated what he saw; he hated how the reflection made him feel. Adrian felt trapped and he didn't know how to escape the feeling.

With a tired sigh, he took a sip of water from his cup, swallowing the pills that had been prescribed for him to take. Antidepressants. Not like they were doing him any good. If anything he felt more side effects than the pills actually helping him. Maybe he was just immune to it? Adrian stood in front of the mirror for a few seconds longer before shaking his head and leaving the bathroom.

Today was Tuesday. Every Tuesday and Friday at four in the afternoon Adrian had to meet with Dr. Jones. Dr. Jones was his therapist, a short curvy African American woman in her fifties she always wore pantsuits and always had her hair in neat curls. She was a nice woman, and always had a comforting smile on her face. To Adrian she reminded him of his grandmother, she'd always try to get him to laugh or smile. Dr. Jones was a calm woman and never really forced Adrian into telling her anything, she waited for him to feel comfortable and then she would listen.

"You ready yet? You've got to be there at—"

Adrian cut his dad off with an eye roll and sighed " Four thirty, I know dad." Buttoning up his shirt Adrian walked towards the mirror and glanced at his appearance. Good enough, the thought. A curly head popped into the bedroom door, the twenty-year-old smiled. "What do you want, Miles?", he asked turning around to face his younger brother.

Miles was thirteen, he, like his brother was tall and lanky with a mop of curly hair as well. The younger boy stepped into the entrance and shrugged his shoulders. Adrian almost did a double take as he stared at his brother. He was getting taller, soon he'd be a sophomore boy did they grow up fast. Miles folded his arms as he leaned against the wall. "Could I go with you today? I really don't want to be stuck here with dad again."

He understood what that meant. The relationship with their father was a rocky one. It's not that he was a bad father, Alan always worked to make sure that his sons had everything they needed raising them on his own after their mother left years ago. They just didn't connect well with each other, the communication would often be short and awkward.

"How was your day?"

"Okay."

"Good. Good. Well, I have to work so, uh I might be home a bit late."

"Okay."

Those types of conversations. They'd always end with short answers and an excuse to leave. It was normal for the boys and they often ignored the conversations completely. Adrian nodded his head; he took a pack of cigarettes off of his dresser and slid them into his pocket. "Yeah sure, come on."

The two headed down the stairs only to see an empty living room. He was gone, once again. It's not like they cared, but it still got to them in a tiny way. Grabbing his keys the older boy followed behind his brother, he made sure to lock the door before heading to his car. It was nothing special, just a red car; he'd gotten it as a present for his sixteenth birthday. The two brothers got into the car, with the slam of his door Adrian switched the car on and backed out of the driveway.

"So, are we going to Chicken Coop after this?" Miles asked sheepishly as he tapped his fingers on the armrest. Adrian glanced at his brother for a second and smiled. "I knew it was something. Dad's never home during the day."

The two brothers laughed as Adrian turned a corner. "Are we?"

"Yeah sure, kid." He shook his head and stopped at a light.

"Are they helping?"

Adrian turned towards his brother and scrunched his eyebrows with his lips turned upward. "Is what helping?"

Miles looked down at his lap before giving a cautious glance at his brother. "The pills and the sessions, are they helping?" It was no secret that the younger boy knew about his brother's depression. It was hard not to notice. He knew that his brother tried to hide the pills, he didn't know why. To Miles, Adrian was a hero. Someone that he always looked up to. He knew that his brother had changed over the years, and he knew that his brother didn't want to show his weak side in front of him. Adrian was great at acting he fooled everyone around him, but he always failed to fool his brother.

Pressing his foot on the gas as he moved the car forward, Adrian tried to process the question. Were they working? Did he have to lie about it? He hated lying to his little brother about things, but he didn't want the younger boy to worry. He didn't want to be a disappointment, to someone who looked up to him.

"Well, I mean I guess. You know. "

He knew that answer; Adrian would always stutter and stumble over his sentences when he lied to him. Miles stared at his brother as they pulled into the parking lot. He didn't say anything else as he and his brother got out of the vehicle and headed to the front entrance. It was a long and quiet walk down the clean pathway. They walked up to the front glass doors that opened as soon as they stepped on the black matt. Cool air engulfed them as they walked into the building. They made their way to the elevator and stood beside an old couple. The boys exchanged a smile with the pair and received one in return as the doors opened.