Marked

Chapter 28

BadBoyHalo POV

Bad looked at his phone hopefully. He had gotten over crying about it, but instead was simply hopeful. Skeppy would text him back. He always did. Bad thought back to the words Skeppy had told him before leaving.

At the end of it all, you're still my best friend. Is that all Bad meant to him? Just a best friend? Bad thought they had something going. Skeppy and his relationship felt different, more special, than all of the other 'best friends' he had before. Bad and Skeppy were soulmates. There should've been more between them.

There was a certain intimacy that he had with Skeppy. He missed the time when Skeppy was recovering and they would just spend time talking. Valentine's day, when they had kissed at the beach. All of the things they had told each other. Was it all nothing? Did it mean nothing to Skeppy?

Bad figured it had meant something important for both of them, but the way Skeppy was acting, just made it seem like it was never meant to be. Bad buried his head in his hands, quickly losing hope that Skeppy would ever text him back. The sound of the bedroom door could be heard again.

He turned around to see Emma holding a bowl of soup. "I thought you might want some."

"Thanks," he said, grabbing the bowl.

"So... If you don't mind me asking, what's going on between you and him?"

"We've been fighting..." Bad said hesitantly.

"And I don't mean to assume anything when asking this, but..." She hesitated for a second. "Was there anything more between you two? Like... How should I put this?"

"No," Bad answered quickly. "No, there was nothing more between us. He's just a friend." He felt pain saying it, but it felt like the truth. It truly felt like there was nothing more between them.

"Oh, ok. Sorry for asking..." Emma said before, taking a step towards the door.

"It's fine," Bad said as Emma quickly left the room.

The second the door was closed, he put his head down on the desk. "Nothing between us." He tried to convince himself that it was true, but he just knew it wasn't. Not for him at least. He saw Skeppy as more than just a friend. Someone he loved as more than just a friend, but he had seen him walk out the door the previous night.

"Skeppy doesn't love me..."

"Sure he does," a voice whispered to him, but when Bad spun around, there was nobody there. He didn't recognize the voice and assumed he was just hearing things.

Bad had a few spoons of soup before pushing it to the side. He couldn't stand to eat anymore. Not with how he was feeling.

Skeppy POV

When Skeppy got home from the walk with Angel, he still felt upset with himself. He checked his phone, only to find nothing new. Bad had really stopped messaging him. He wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

Skeppy laid down in his bed and tried to fall asleep that night, but thoughts consumed him. While it appeared that he was alone, Skeppy felt the need to say something. "Hey Angel?"

A second later, he appeared. "Yes?"

"How much time is left?"

"Thirteen days, two hours, 7 minutes and 14 seconds."

Skeppy sighed. "Thanks."

"No problem," Angel said, disappearing again.

Skeppy closed his eyes and tried to drift off, and for once, it worked. Skeppy opened his eyes to find himself where he would always be. The abyss. He thought maybe if he tried to drown in the water faster, it could bring morning sooner, but it was as if the water read his mind. When Skeppy tried to disturb it, the only thing he could see were tiny ripples.

He let out a frustrated sigh before deciding to take this opportunity to explore. He walked slowly at first, wondering what power he had over himself there. Skeppy wanted to get Angel to show up and guide him around the abyss, but he had to be careful of what he says, as it transfers into real life.

Skeppy kneeled down to examine the water closer. He started by very slowly moving the water. Eventually he managed to get the water to move. It was almost like molasses. The second Skeppy's hand slid under the surface, it was stuck. He felt panic rising to his chest as his other hand got stuck too.

He sank lower until it was only his head above the waves. It was as if there was a layer on top of the water, preventing things from going up or down if it was so inclined. His head was above the water, but his feet couldn't touch the ground. Eventually the darkness went from black to a navy blue. He felt like he was in the ocean. He could see the sands on the horizon, but there was nobody there.

He was slowly drifting away. Wave after wave splashed over his head, threatening to drown him, but he kept his head up, treading in the water. His energy drained the longer he tried to stay afloat, but he didn't want to die there. Now was not the time. It wasn't much longer until Skeppy felt the last of his energy being zapped away.

With a final deep breath, he allowed his head to go under. As much as his body fought to keep him from inhaling, he knew it was the only way out of the horrid place. With a final count in his mind, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, he sucked in the water, drowning again.

You would think that if you drown on a nightly basis, you would probably get used to it, but death is not a feeling one simply gets used to. When he opened his eyes, he was back in his room. It seemed that each night would be the same way. Everyday is the same regardless of where you are or what you do. Nothing ever seemed to change for Skeppy, and that made him feel even more drained.

Word Count: 1027 Words