Perry
Slowly opening my eyes, I glanced over to see Aaron sleeping next to me on the bed. After squinting at the small clock next to his bed, I realized it was only two thirty in the morning. This was the longest I had slept in a very long time, I was lucky to get two hours a night.
Closing my eyes again, I tried to drift back into sleep when my eyes suddenly flew open. Quickly rushing out of the room, I glanced around the dark hallway before ending up in a bathroom. After what seemed like my entire stomach was in the toilet, I rubbed my tired eyes before rinsing my mouth out with water.
Walking back into the dark hallway, I started making my way back to Aaron's room when a bright light caught my attention. Deciding to walk towards it, I ended up in front of a pretty room filled with flowers. Flower wallpaper, fake flowers on the dresser, and flower blankets. It was then that I noticed Aaron's mom sitting in the middle of the floor, boxes around her.
Deciding this was a personal moment; I turned around and tried to make a quiet exit when my body collided with the wall. "Ow."
That made her turn around, giving me a gentle smile. "Hello Perry," she said while motioning me to come over. "You can come in here."
"A-are you sure?" I stuttered while nervously standing by the door, not wanting to intrude on something that looked so personal.
"Of course."
When she gave me another smile I walked into the room and sat next to her on the floor. My eyes gravitated down towards the floor, where pictures were scattered all around her. I gently picked up one picture, instantly recognizing a smiling Aaron. He was standing next to a taller girl, who had her arms wrapped around his body. "Those two were basically glued to the hip."
Glancing over, I watched as Aaron's mom's eyes fell as she continued looking at the picture. So this is Liza's room, I thought while glancing around the pretty room. "Did she like flowers?" I asked, trying to get to a happier topic.
"Oh she loved them," she said while looking around the room. "Flowers used to make her so happy; she always said she wanted to be a florist. That's why Aaron's room is pink you know," she said with a small smile.
"He didn't choose that color himself?"
When she started talking I turned my body towards her to see a large smile on her pretty face. "Oh heavens no. Aaron wanted to repaint his room because he thought it looked too little kiddish. Liza had taken him to the store to help him pick out colors. He told me that on their way to the store, Liza fell head over heals in love with a bouquet of pink roses someone was selling on the street. Aaron he had never seen her so happy, and always wanted to remember her being that happy. So they went to the store and picked out a few colors, but he knew he already wanted a light pink, the same color as those roses. When Liza saw the finished room she screamed and hugged him so tightly, I thought he was going to explode. He may not like the color pink, but he'll always remember her by that."
She looked down at her hands, which had started shaking. "Ever since she was a little girl I had been thinking about who she was going to marry, if she was going to have kids. She was so bright and special; I only wanted the best for her." Her eyes started filling with tears as she continued to look around the room before saying, "I never wanted this for her."
When I was about to say something, she suddenly pulled a small box out from under the bed. Without saying anything she handed me the box and nodded for me to open it. Opening the lid, my heart stopped when I saw a small picture of Liza lying in a hospital bed. There were sores all over her mouth and up and down her arms. This looks like me.
"Even though I've never met you before, I know you're special to my son." My eyes were filling with tears as the picture behind the hospital one was a picture of Aaron and Andy standing in front of a coffin. "The way he talks about you, is how he used to talk about Liza." Looking up at her, I watched as she reached forward to wipe a tear off of my cheek before she said, "He loved his sister more than his own life. When she was gone, he didn't know what to do. It was heartbreaking having to watch him go through that. Please, don't make him go through that again."
She's asking me not to die. Covering my eyes with my hands, I started violently sobbing while feeling her arms wrap around my body. "Don't make him lose anymore love in his life."
"I don't know if I can," I cried out while her arms tightened around me, making me feel like she was my mom. My own mother had never held me like this.
"You can," she firmly said. "You're so special Perry," she said while pulling back to look into my eyes. She smiled down at me before gently wiping the tears off of my cheeks. "You'll be able to pull through this, I know you can."
We sat in silence after that, both looking through old pictures and starting to organize Liza's things. By the time we were done it was almost four in the morning. After giving Aaron's mom, whose name is Juliet, a hug I watched as she slowly walked back to her room, a small rose in her hand.
Turning around, I jumped when I saw a large body standing by the stairs. My body shivered in fear as I saw Andy slowly walk closer to me. "Are you just getting home?"
"Yes," he said after staring at me for awhile. "I'm a bartender. Was my mom actually cleaning out Liza's room?"
"Yes."
He stared me down a few more minutes before he nodded and walked away. He gave me one last look before he walked into his bedroom. Walking back into Aaron's room, I crawled onto the bed before my eyes finally closed.
*
"Let me go with you."
Glancing to my right, my eyes landed on a worried looking Aaron who was sitting next to me. He had driven me to my apartment, since he didn't want me staying with Tate. I didn't disagree with him; I was still shocked that he wanted to associate with me. He knew what I had done, and who I had done it with. How could he still be with me when he had been so close with his sister?
"No, I can go myself." I looked up at the apartment looming in front of us once again before taking a deep breath. "I'll be back."
Before I was able to leave the car, a hand was being placed onto my arm. Looking over, my heart started beating faster when Aaron leaned closer to me and ever so gently kissed my cheek. "Be safe." He then gave me a small smile before slowly running his thumb over my cheek. How can he keep touching me? How am I not disgusting in his eyes?
Without saying anything I got out of the car before walking towards the front door. Walking inside, I quickly made my way towards my room before filling up the multiple bags I had with me. After making sure everything was gone, I quietly shut the door behind my body before starting to walk deeper into the apartment. Better let Tate know he'll need a new roommate.
"Tate?" I asked while walking through the kitchen before ending up in front of his bedroom door. After knocking on the door a few times, I opened it to see Tate was sitting on the ground. His eyes were a disturbing color as his hands were violently shaking. "Are you okay?" I asked while walking over to him and sitting down next to him.
When he didn't respond I lightly tapped his cheek before saying a little louder, "Tate!"
He seemed to finally realize there was someone else in the room because he glanced over with his hazy eyes. "Perry," he said while slowly running his fingers up and down my cheek. "You came back for me."
"No," I said while moving away from his body. "I'm here to tell you I'm moving out. I'll pay you the rest of my share of the rent but I'm leaving. With Aaron."
His blue eyes started filling with tears as he tried to reach out towards my body again. "No Perry. No, I'm sorry." He scooted closer to me before he succeeded in putting his hands on my body. "I'm sorry what I did to you, just don't leave me."
"I'm leaving Tate; you're not going to stop me."
Shoving his arms off of me, I started walking towards the door when he shouted, "Wait!"
After turning around I saw him start to crawl over to me, his arms completely covered in needle marks. "What?"
"Have one last smoke with me," he said while pulling a familiar plastic baggy out of his pocket.
"Are you kidding me?" I yelled down to him while he was clinging onto my leg for dear life. "I'm telling you I'm leaving and you're asking me to smoke with you?"
"Please," he begged while he started to open the bag. "Please just do it for me. I'll probably never see you again, please."
Narrowing my eyes at his pathetic self, I all but kicked him off of me before turning my back. "I said no."
Turning around, I planned on walking out the door when a strong hand suddenly grabbed hold of my leg. Before I could react, Tate had pulled me down onto the floor. His larger body was pinning me beneath him, hatred written in his blue eyes. "I said yes." His voice was much darker than it was before, and was making me very scared.
"Get off of me!" I yelled while trying to pry his large hands off of my body.
Sweat started forming on my forehead when Tate started fumbling around before pulling a needle out of his pocket. "We'll always be together," he said while he stuck the needle into his arm.
"AARON!" I screamed while tears were rolling down my cheeks. Tate quickly put his large hand over my mouth, limiting my movement even more.
My eyes widened in fear while watching him inject a really large amount into his arm. That's not healthy. He's going to die. When he came closer to my body, my heart sunk while watching the needle make its way into my skin. He wants me to die with him.
The usual sting was present when the needle entered my skin, making me cry harder. This isn't what I wanted. I wanted to get better for Aaron. He already didn't deserve a friend like me in his life. I didn't want him to go to my funeral. Not like this.
My eyes started to close when they felt like they were a million pounds. The last thing I remembered was someone shouting my name before I lost all consciousness.
Aaron
"Let me go with you." Somehow I knew Perry would say no, but I needed him to know that I was always going to be there for him. Whether he's a heroin addict or a boy scout I would always be looking out for him. He may not return the feelings, but my love for him was growing more and more each day.
I wanted him to see that I wasn't going to be another person in his life to leave him. Best friends don't leave each other during the bad times, and to me he was still my best friend. Always will be.
"No, I can go myself." He then glanced towards the apartment before taking a deep breath. How I wish I could go inside with him. "I'll be back."
When he was about to leave the car, fear suddenly swarmed into my body. For some reason I felt like this was a goodbye. I can't lose him, I want my old Perry back. Before he could leave I gently rested my hand onto his arm before leaning in and kissing his cheek. "Be safe." I smiled down at him before slowly running my thumb over his cheek. Please come back Perry, the old Perry.
He didn't say anything else as he walked out of the car and walked into his apartment. Sighing, I glanced out the window and looked up at the gloomy sky. December sure was depressing, especially since it got so cold.
Glancing down at my watch, I realized it was only three fifteen. That was plenty of time to grab his things and make our way back to my house. Apparently Perry had talked to my mom, about Liza. I remembered how he woke up crying next to me this morning, whispering I'm sorry over and over. He told me about what my mom had said and had said he felt like an awful person. After he said that he had turned to me and said he didn't want to end up like Liza, he wanted to be.... alive.
Nothing had felt better than when he said that, which prompted us to drive over and grab his things. It still made my blood boil when I thought about what Tate did to Perry. I didn't want him staying anywhere near that horrible man. Luckily he was okay with moving his things out.
When I looked back down at my watch, my eyebrows furrowed when I realized it was almost three forty five. What was taking so long? Deciding to check things out, I walked into the front door and instantly got a bad feeling. "Perry?" I hesitantly asked while walking through the small apartment.
Walking into a slightly open door, my heart stopped when I saw Perry and Tate lying on the ground, both not moving.