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the next week didn't pass nearly as quickly.
because everything was so unbelievably different- and at the same time, it was all exactly the same. and that sameness, that was the real scary part.
tyler still met him under his house and walked him to the restaurant every morning. he still picked him up at night, still stayed with him until the smallest hours of the night. will still got hot chocolate and books and his hugs and smiles and kisses-
but he also got hit. not many times, but just enough to keep him frozen with fear. and every time tyler had a reason: whether will had taken too long to come downstairs, or his bathing suit was too short, or he had looked at another boy at the beach.
and just as will had predicted, after a few times, tyler stopped even saying sorry.
and yeah, the punches were terrible and the pain was hideous... but they weren't what made will's stomach freeze with fear.
it really was the sameness. because in many aspects, nothing really changed at all. and that made him realize how blind he had been, how far along he had let himself go down a path he never intended to go.
. how he had missed a million stop signs, and now was too tangled in this horrible, terrifying web to get out.
it was like he belonged to tyler. anything he did without him he had to ask tyler's permission for: no hangouts with max and jane, no alone time to read, no alone time at all-
but he hadn't gotten that before either. and now that fear that kept popping up in his mind actually made sense, because even before the physical abuse started tyler had been, in many ways, abusing will.
and will couldn't get over how atrociously dumb, how painfully ignorant he had been.
and he couldn't let that frozen fear in his stomach to fade.
and he couldn't get out.
but worst of all, he couldn't see mike.
and silly as it sounded, this was maybe the most difficult one of them all.
because he knew, he just knew that mike would make him everything okay. that mike would make tyler leave, and hug him so tight there wouldn't be room for the frozen fear.
but he couldn't. he couldn't get away for long enough to see mike, and even when it was early morning and he couldn't sleep and all he wanted to do was tiptoe over to mike's room, knowing the curly haired boy was so close he would be there in a minute if he called out- he just couldn't.
maybe it was fear of what tyler would do if he found out.
or maybe it was just- he was too embarrassed. he was too embarrassed to admit that he was absolutely, entirely horrified by the brown-haired smiling boy that owned the bookstore.
maybe he was too embarrassed to admit how entirely helpless he was.
but god, he missed mike. he saw mike trying to catch him in the hall, trying to talk to him: he knew mike was confused. after all, one day he had claimed to forgive him and spent an hour, the best hour he could remember having, with him and the next he was completely ignoring him.
he knew he was hurting mike... and really, all he wanted to do was dance with mike to shakira or sit on their breakwater and read. all he wanted was to talk to him- but he just couldn't.
but sometimes when it was early morning and he couldn't sleep and all he wanted to do was tiptoe over to mike's room, knowing the curly haired boy was so close he would be there in a minute if he called out- sometimes, that closness was almost enough to make him feel almost okay.
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at least he had those hours in the restaurant with his friends. those 6 hours in his shift, listening to the couple bicker and flirt endlessly, were without a doubt the best ones in his day.
if he had his way he would work every hour of every day. he would take a million hours of kids screaming and flipping over their trays, spilling ketchup everywhere (ketchup will would have to clean) if it meant he got to stay with jane and max.
but that day, like any day, the dreaded closing time arrived.
and it was so normal. jane closing the door and locking it as max did anything but actually clean as will sweeped the floor. laughter, conversation. just as fun as it had been the whole day- only now the only thing will could focus on was how in just a few minutes it would all be over. how tyler was probably already waiting outside- and it was all he could do not to cry.
"so, any chance we're taking you out tonight?" max finally asked when they were almost done, looking at him hopefully.
"pleaseee? it's been weeks, and there's this amazing ice cream place we didn't take you to yet!" jane added, smiling with the same hope that was evident in max's eyes.
will looked down. his mind frantically searched for an excuse that wouldn't make them alarmed while also wouldn't make it seem like he didn't want to hang out with them.
"yeah, sounds great, but-" he started, not knowing where he was going with this, but max cut him off.
"-you got plans with tyler?" she asked, and will nodded. she looked to jane, and the girls seemed to be talking with their eyes, but finally tore her eyes and looked back at will.
"look, will, i get it. you have a boyfriend, you're excited, you want to spend time with him. but... umm... jane, you do this." she turned away, and jane stepped up.
"what my idiot of a girlfriend was trying to say is that you should spend some time with friends, too. i get that it's new and exciting but spending every second of every day with each other... it's just not healthy."
and will almost laughed. really? his relationship wasn't healthy? why, he thought having the back of his neck so full of blue-and-black marks it hurt to turn his head was perfectly healthy! so normal!
but obviously, that wasn't something he could say.
"i know, i know. but it's just," he's a psycho will hunt me down and hurt me if i went anywhere without him, "we made plans. he's probably already here, i can't just cancel-"
"then i'll do it!" max exclaimed. and before will could yell out and stop her, she ran to the locked door and opened it.
"tyler! hey! can you come here for a second?" she yelled out into the night, and all jane and will could see was her red hair. a second more and she moved back, and in walked the devil himself.
"hey jane, max," he said, smiling that warm smile of his. god, he hated how perfect his smile was. he hated how perfectly fucking polite, reeking of sweetness, his voice was.
"hey baby," he turned to will, and before will could respond he was next to him, his arm on his waist. like a metal prison chain, restricting him...
will stared at jane and max, standing across from them, and in his heart prayed they'd forget the whole thing. prayed that with some miracle they wouldn't ask him, because if they did-
he just really hoped they wouldn't. really, really, hoped.
"tyler, you wouldn't mind if will went for ice cream, right?" max asked.
all the color drained from will's face at once. no, no, no, no, no...
"of course not! why would i?" tyler laughed, kissing will's cheek, "if you want ice cream just tell me! we can go to that little place next to the bookstore, they have really good chocolate ice cream and i know that's your favorite!"
it was, but when it came from tyler's lips it sounded like the most horrible thing. just the thought of sharing a chocolate cone with tyler made him want to hurl.
"no, i meant like- with us!" max said.
shit. shit. shit. shit.
suddenly, tyler's hand was a little tighter on his waist. and a little more, and a little more, until it was almost painful. no, very painful now. like his hand was a snake, squeezing the life out of his pray slowly.
"um, but what about me?" tyler asked, speaking calmly.
"you'll see him tomorrow!" jane urged, stepping in.
just drop it! will yelled in his head, just drop it, just let me go with him, or it'll be much, much worse when i do. the arm was so tight now, he could barely breathe.
"sorry guys, but we have tickets to a movie. right, will?"
there was no movie, there were no tickets, but there was an arm that was cutting off his air supply and would be even worse if he said that-
he nodded.
"really? which one?" jane asked, staring straight at tyler. her voice was no longer nice, but... sharp.
"silence of the lambs," tyler answered immediately.
"that movie is from 1990," jane responded without hesitating. it was strange, like they were having a contest. seeing who would break first. as if jane was waiting for him to slip...
" '91, actually. the paris cinema is having an oldies night." he shot back, still perfectly calm.
and she had no way to respond to that.
she sighed, looking away. "okay, have fun. i guess we can take you tomorrow, will?" she asked.
"sure, yeah," will crooked, barely getting enough air to speak. but he knew it wouldn't be tomorrow: what would tyler "take him" to watch tomorrow? what restaurant would they "have reservations" in?
because that's the thing. if he was dating a notorious guy, a mike wheeler, max and jane would already be suspicious. they would suspect that something was going on. they would help.
but when you're dating tyler brady green from the bookstore, when you're dating an angel, the hottest guy in town you're so lucky to have- there's no one to help.
and there's no one to know that the arm holding him close is also the one squeezing the life out of him.
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𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟏𝟑𝐭𝐡. 𝟏𝟕𝟗𝟗 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬.
𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬: guys i'm the worst i know but everything is really crazy right now so my posting will keep being shitty uGh but i promise *at least* an update a week:))
anyways, thank you so much for 600 followers!!! literally means the world, i love you all so so much!!!! and yeah i kinda' like this chapter so hope you did too.