30 Days & Counting - Sanders Sides

Day 20

Trigger Warnings: Mentions of Abuse, Mentions of Attempted Suicide, Mentions of Drug, Mentions of Abusive Parenting, Mentions of Implied Rape

"Virgil Black, please make your way to The Culture Room." The speaker roared. The others looked at me from my spot on The Healing Room's beanbag. My heart froze, stiffening up with fear. Today was Monday. Damion is supposed to be released from isolation today. I hadn't mentioned it to my friends, but I was super nervous about it.

"I-It's Damion, isn't it?" I asked aloud. Roman tightly grasped my hand, pulling me close to his chest.

"It's going to be alright, Virgil." Logan told me.

"Yeah, because you're not going without us." Roman added. I nodded, feeling relief wash over me. We headed out, dragging ourselves towards The Culture Room. My hands were getting a little shaky and I could feel my bruises pound with anticipation. Roman opened the door for me.

Inside was the circle of beanbags, arranged as if they hadn't moved sense we had group therapy. On his yellow beanbag, was Damion. He was looking directly at me, making my face flare up. His eyes were unexpressive, but I could tell he was regretting things. He was sitting on his hands and he had a bandage wrapped around his neck. Dr. Picani sat in his pink beanbag, flashing us a smile. "Come in." He said with a warm welcome.

I was the first to step in, followed by the others. I took my seat between Damion and the doctor. Roman took his next to his brother and Patton. His eyes never left Damion's guilty face. "Alright, let's get started. First of all, how are we all feeling today?" Picani questioned.

"Uneasy." Remus started.

"Protective." Roman.

"Tense." Patton.

"Concerned." Logan.

"Anxious." I said.

Damion huffed, looking down, "Ashamed."

"Alright. Damion, why don't you start." Picani suggested. Everyone's eyes shifted to him and I. It was a little nerve racking, but I knew the quicker I let him finish, the sooner I'd be away from him.

"Virgil, first off, I can't express to you how sorry am I. Logan was right when he said, I'm not the person who...did all of those things to you. I wish I could say it was my Personality Disorder but it was the genuine me. The person you've known as 'me' is hardly who I am at all. I am a liar. And usually, I live in the mask of the voice who isn't a liar. I thought it was fine, but in all honesty, lying to yourself is even worse than lying to those you care about. I know you trusted me and I ripped that trust to pieces but please know, you had every right to know about my lying. Especially sense we were in a relationship. I just...am really, really sorry." Damion finished.

"Then why the fuck did you do it?" Roman shouted.

"Because I got scared! Scared that Virgil would hate me for lying to him. But lying is just something I hate about myself. So...I gave him a different reason to hate me." He mumbled the last part, but I heard it clearly.

"D-D-Don't be s-sorry for something a-about you." I told him. He looked at me, eyes wet with tears. "Be-Besides, I forgive you." I quickly spat out. Everyone gave me a shocked look, even Picani.

"Virgil, do you even realize what he did to you?" Logan asked in an odd tone.

"Yes! I d-do. But w-worse has happened so...I-I forgive you." I said again. The others glanced at each other, concerned looks being swapped left and right.

"Virgil, do you want to tell the others a little bit about yourself?" Picani asked. I nodded, knowing it was about time I share. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and running through the story in my head to collect my thoughts.