How Did I End Up With Them? (OHSHC)

Dial Tone Treatment

I woke up the next morning in a haze. The fog had hardly lifted and my body was full of ice. My blood had stopped, my nerves were shot, my toes were cramped from curling in revulsion. I was sick of myself. I prided myself on my dedication to family and promised I'd keep a lid – the lid was only paper-thin. It was ash floating in the breeze now, good for nothing.

I rolled over onto my side and blinked as the sunlight fell upon my face. Haruhi was gone by now; I saw the alarm clock on her bedside drawer read eleven in the morning. A disgruntled sound rumbled in my throat as I threw the blanket over my face again. If I didn't leave her house for the next day, I should be good. But what if I wasn't? It was only Monday, one out of many to follow. I couldn't be bothered to stomach my reflection, how could I ask others to look at me and not be full of disdain?

Ranka had to be working too, and I knew he would be asking what had happened last night. And my parents – my parents had to be worried too. I let my arm hand down the bed and had it swing to see if it fell on my purse. I could feel the cold metal of the clutch under the bed, but I contemplated even calling. My mother would for sure want the whole story and a detailed analysis, and I couldn't physically accomplish that. I barely had the energy to find my phone. So I retracted my arm and curled it back under the pillow. I wanted time to pass me by. Time was the huntress and I was the prey. All I could do was lie in wait for the inevitable bullet to pierce the silence.

Most of the time, it's the waiting that's the worst part.

I don't quite know when I fell asleep, but after what seemed like a few seconds with my eyes closed I felt someone shake me shoulder to wake me up. I mumbled in resistance, turning onto my stomach and stuffing my head underneath the pillow. "Leave me alone," I muttered. I heard a few collective sighs and the cold breeze ripped through my body. It wasn't like yesterday's, yesterday was a millennium ago.

"Chi, you've got company, wake up."

I knew it was Haru, but I couldn't find it within myself to unfurl myself, expose myself to the world just yet. I felt too naked.

"Chi."

She was losing patience with me. But I just couldn't.

"You're being pathetic, Chiyo."

My eyes went wide at the sudden voice. I peeked from beneath the makeshift cover and saw his stern face. Beside Haruhi stood Hunny and Mori, both of which were staring at me incredulously. Hunny, though, he was looking at me with the same disdain I was afraid of receiving. He knew what I did, he knew I was awful, scum. I broke the family, didn't I? If this is what he started with, I don't want to hear the rest. I never thought I'd hear such a dark tone come from Hunny. It was foreign amidst his childlike-stature; his eyes were no longer warm, they were frigid as they reflected his disappointment.

"Haruhi went to all the trouble to help last night, she let us come over, and you're being a coward. If you have a problem, face it head on. There's no use hiding," he said, uncrossing his arm and picking his bag up from the doorway. "Takashi, let's go. Maybe that way she'll fix herself up." I was speechless as I saw the frown on the tall senior's face. He slung his own leather bad over his shoulder and stalked out of the room too. The apartment door slammed shut.

"Chi?" I faced Haruhi who stood in front of the bed with my phone in her palm, offering it. It was lit up, displaying missed calls, voicemails, and texts I had avoided. With a shaky hand, I accepted it. It felt too heavy in my palm whereas it seemed normal in Haru's. "Chi, you should get up. I need to wash the sheets."

I nodded in understanding – it was such a Haruhi response, to address the practicality of the situation. I looked down at my figure and saw the once beautiful gown was wrinkled, nothing like it was yesterday. I placed my feet on the cold tatami mats and shivered. The fever had broken overnight, but I was still reeling from the self-induced stress. Haruhi helped peel the dress off, throwing it in a corner and pointing me to the bathroom I already knew the way to. It felt nice, though. It reminded me of my childhood, to be cared for, to be waiting for someone to point me in the right direction.