Troy tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as the car waited in a long que of traffic coming up to the next junction. Rush hour had officially begun. The only thing that blocked out the symphony of car engines was the sub-par music selection of the local radio station, a subjective opinion obviously but one both Chris and Troy silently agreed on. Chris pulled his cigarettes out of his pocket and removed one from the pack, winding down the window with his other hand in the process.

“I don’t remember ever saying you could spark up in here” Troy muttered as his eyes shifted towards his ill mannered friend.

Chris sat silently for a moment, waiting for Troy to show a sign that he was only messing with him...he wasn’t. “Seriously man? We’re deadlocked in traffic and we have the rail crossing to contend with, surely you can let me have one” He argued, cigarette still in his mouth and lighter ready in hand.

Troy’s composure remained the same as he edged the car slightly more forward in time with the rest of the traffic. “I suppose you’re going to help me clean all the ash from the passenger seat then aren’t you? You know, like you haven’t, all the other times”, Troy did make a good point. It wasn't a brilliant car by any means, but his little three door Kia was his first car and he was damned if he was about to let it become a glorified ashtray.

“I don’t remember you ever asking me to help, I would have been more than happy too” Chris fired back, as to not be defeated but more in an effort to satiate his addiction.

Troy’s first response was a degrading laugh, “Considering I clean my car before 11am on a weekend and you never seem to surface until at least lunch? No pal, I have never asked” he added, turning his head briefly to look Chris in the eye.

Chris considered defeat for a moment but raising the pack of cigarettes up toward Troy, shaking it slightly in a suggestive attempt. “Cigarette my lord” He replied in a very poor french accident. Troy sighed before taking one of the slender white sticks and placing it between his lips.

 “I swear to god this isn’t becoming a fucking habit” Troy huffed in a tone of both annoyance but also of humour. “Light?” he asked, prompting Chris to lean over with his lighter to ignite the cigarette before lighting his own.

They both took a deep drag and exhaled in an audible sigh. Though they seemed happy go lucky they both knew that the coming week would not be easy by any means. It was something all of them knew really, not just their little friend group but everyone their age; their actions right now will literally shape the way their lives unfold. It was a lot of stress for anyone to handle for sure. Troy took a deep breath before speaking again.

“Are you not getting tired of the shit? With Lindsey?” He asked, fairly intrusively.

“Fuck me! Where did that come from?” Responded Chris in a clear state of shock from the inquisition.

“Well…you two used to be tight as fuck, now you both seem to bicker and drag shit down….Whats the deal man?” he continued to ask as the car crawled even further.

Chris thought about not answering as they slowly slid further, but he couldn’t just leave Troy hanging for an answer like this. “I don’t really know... we used to be like brother and sister, then one day she fucking hates me! I don't even know.”. There was a considerable silence following his answer, like there was nothing that could really be said.

Troy shook his head, “You both need to talk. No ego, no righteous bullshit, just sit down and talk to each other like two normal adults.”

“Normal? Me? Her? Fuck no, we don’t do normal anymore” Chris responded, looking out of his window at the pedestrians that were passing by at quicker than the cars were moving. “I just wish she wouldn’t look down on me all the time. I try to be cool but she seems to get off on trying to make me feel small."

Chris' stare was broken by a sudden slapping noise only to turn and see Troy looking dead at him with his open palm on his leg. “Then just talk and you can both grow up!” he snapped before looking back at the road. Chris did consider responding back in protest, but his words never made it past his tongue. He knew Troy was right and he hated that fact. They both remained relatively quiet for the rest of the journey, partly out of boredom, and part awkwardness.

It wasn’t until the car was practically pulled onto the driveway that the silence was broken. At first it was only a sigh that's sole purpose was to grab Chris’ attention, but soon it was followed by some words of reconciliation. “Look man” he murmured in a softer tone, “I know you’ve tried, hell we all have,” another sharp sign came from the chambers of his nostrils as he struggled to piece together what he was desperately training to say.

As awkward as he already felt Chris couldn't hold back anymore. “You don’t need to explain yourself T," he interjected in a more assertive tone than what Troy was projecting. “I get it, I do. We’re all moving forward in life and we need each other now more than ever,” He continued on, not really having a particular end goal with the point he was trying to make, “I’d do anything for you, all of you...even Lindsey.” His final words caught even himself off guard as they left his lips.

“I know man, we’ve got you all the way to the end too," Troys response seemed more optimistic than realistic, his voice higher pitch and almost childlike as he proclaimed his and everyone else’s in the groups brother and sisterhood to each other. Regardless of this fact it seemed to ring right with Chris and made him feel much easier. They both shared an intimate look with each other, one of respect and nothing more. Chris and Troy had practically grown up together since day one.  Troy was a single child and Chris grew up with only a sister, so they were both the brothers that they needed for each other, through and through.

Chris scratched the back of his head before rolling his eyes to the side. He looked at his watch briefly, assessing the time, “I’m going to quickly run to mine and change before the others arrive.” he lazily announced. In truth he just wanted an exit from that situation. Though the words of wisdom and the familiar kinship was a pleasant notion is never seized to become nauseating after a while. “You cool with that?” he asked not to feel rude.

Troy hummed and nodded before turning round to face his own house. “Don’t be too long, they won’t be far behind." his words faded ever so slightly as his steps took him closer to his door.

Chris followed suit and turned to walk to his own house. It wasn’t particularly far, in fact it was quite literally across the street from Troy. His right hand slid itself into his jacket pocket removing his keys as his legs unenthusiastically dragged themselves across the tarmac of the roach splitting the peaceful little street in two. He glanced to the side for a moment wondering if by chance he would glance Billy’s car emerging from the distance much like the silhouette of a stallion emerging from the sinking evening sun, but no such sight appeared. He wasted no time unlocking the front door and making his way inside the house he had called home for many years prior. It never really changed in all that time either. Sure the wall had been painted a new and richer shade of grey from time to time and maybe the floors had gone through some changes as tiles become laminate wood and that became some generic marble look alike, but at its core home would and will always look just like home to him.

“Mother? Rachel? I’m home!” he announced to what might just be an audience of dust mites and corner hidden spiders. He stood still for a few moments as he waited for a possible response.

“Mums not here! She's working ‘till 7 again!” Bellowed back the voice of his younger sister Rachel.

A small grunt rumbled in his chest at this response. It wasn’t unusual for his mum to work late and it was something that both Chris and Racheal were very accustomed to thanks to years of this habit, but nonetheless it always seemed to get under Chris’ skin a bit. Ever since his father had passed away nearly 10 years ago his mother and himself had been very distant. He chose to live a faster for carefree life, while she worked long and hard to provide for her children. Now Racheal and their Mother were almost like sisters in some ways as despite Racheal being 3 years younger than Chris she was always treated like an adult for a long time. In a way it was sweet to see them both making the most of life with each as not just mother and daughter but the best of friends, but to Chris it was a sweetness that never failed to become bitter to him. Maybe it stemmed from jealousy or maybe even some deep hidden grief for his father, regardless he always had a slither of resentment at the fact that if there was a favourite child...it wasn’t him.

He didn’t waste too much time swimming in his own thoughts and made his way up the carpeted staircase that sat to the left front door. His footsteps were silenced by the blush cream coloured carpet as he ascended up to the second level of the house. He looked left down the hallway towards the door of his room before slowly walking towards it. The narrow walkway showed a clear lack of lighting minus the slight beam that was shooting out of the crack in Rachel's room. Her music could be heard faintly through the door and though Chris knew he had no business entering he found himself peaking in. Rachel was laying on her bed facing away from the door as she typed away on her laptop, her black skinny clad legs swung in the air if only to exaggerate her carefree nature. Chris gently knocked on the door and met me back with a melodic “Coooome in!”

He did as instructed and slid through the crack as he desperately did not want to disturb its current position. Rachel closed for the laptop and rolled over to face Chris more directly, her grey and black checkered top getting slightly twisted in the process. She smiled at him and jiggled her head side to side causing her the pastel pink locks that hung from the bottom of her beanie swing along with her. “New hair?” he asked, unaware of the initial colour change.

She cocked her head to the side and smirked “Same hair! New colour.” she responded. She seemed visibly happy with her response, though Chris rolled his eyes and grumbled in slight annoyance. “You like?” She asked as she began to sit up.

“It would suit me, but it works for you” He quipped back, hoping to hit her back with a blow equal to hers.

“Bit weak bro, big oof incoming” She giggled back at him. Chris simply shrugged and shook his head, this wasn’t a war he was ready for. Rachel may not have seemed like much with her cute features, blue eyes and short frame but man she was a master of words. In Fact she was a bit of a genius in her own right. Top grades in math and english, wizz at science and proficient in music, you could consider her to be the very definition of a model student.

Chris looked around the room for a moment, it wasn’t often he entered so it always looked somewhat unfamiliar to him. He looked back at Rachel who was now swaying in time to her music, change in the house of flies by the Deftones, Chris knew it well. “You seem to be in a good mood.” he said as he continued to watch her rhythmic sways.

“You would be if you found what i found,” she responded, looking over at the glass on her night stand. Chris followed her gaze and stepped forward to get a better look. He squinted but eventually the contents became clear. Sat there, naked and huggled at the bottom of the glass was the shivering form of a little woman, she couldn’t have been much bigger than half an inch.“Spotted two of them just strolling along in the kitchen earlier so I scooped them up!” She had a massive grin on her face and jiggled excitedly on her bed. A soft hum could be heard in her throat and no sooner than the noise began, she leaned forward towards the glass and extended her hand, finger splayed in all directions as the wrapped around the glass. Her arm extended out with the glass at the very end before she spun on her bed and held it out to Chris. “Want it?” She asked as she held the glass closer to his face.

Chris looked inside. The woman was on her hands and knees, perhaps trying to catch her balance and not throw up after being thrown around the glass at near rocket force as his sister swung her arm. She looked up at him as she felt his shadow cast on herself. Though her features were minuscule to him it was obvious she had been sobbing a great deal and that she was currently shouting up to him, perhaps for mercy. Chris couldn’t tell what she was saying and most likely didn’t want to know either, even though she was a shrinky he never liked the sound of the begging, it was sometimes a bit too much. “I'm good...thanks,” he said, eyes still fixed upon the women as her screams grew louder.

The glass withdrew and before Chris could even object the contents was being tipped out onto Racheal’s palm. The glass was returned to the nightstand once more and with her hand now free, she plucked up the women with her thumb and forefinger. She brought the shrinky eye level and stared at it for a moment, really trying to get a good look at the creature that was fighting for its life between nothing more than a teenage girl's finger tips. “Sorry little things,” She cooed, “It’s a good job we’re not going to end up like this, ay?” Her question lingered with an air of rhetoric as her hand began to lift up over her head. Chris was in a trance, it was almost like some form of morbid curiosity had gripped him and was holding him in place as he watched his sisters movements. Her head tilted back and her eyes slowly sealed themselves shut, her mouth failing to hide her grin. “At least I won’t anyway.” she seemed to whisper as the grin relaxed into what could only be described as a cold expression. Then the inevitable happened, Rachels jaw relaxed and loosened. The screams from the women were now clearly audible even across the from where Chris was standing. Her maw continued to open wider and Rachel let out a soft “aaaaaaaaah” noise as if to taunt the poor creature further. Without a second moments of hesitation the teens fingers opened and the tiny, insignificant speak of a woman seemed to fall in. No sooner than it hitting her tongue did her mouth seal shut. She gently placed her hand on her throat and without a moment to waste a wet gulping noise echoes from the soft chaper the shrinky was now being forced through. She traced it all the way down, humming as it slid. “Oh yea, hit just the right spot.” she giggled to herself.

To Chris the end result of the spectacle seemed anti-climatic, like the grand ending should have meant something more but it ultimately didn't, it was nothing more than a girl enjoying a snack. He couldn’t help but imagine what it was like; the warm wet tongue on his back, the smell of her breath, the tight squeezes of her throat as her body dragged him deeper, hell even the sheer volume of her melodic feminine voice as she towered above him like a goddess. The thought of being that poor woman, trapped in an 18 year olds stomach in total pitch black with the constant sound of churning and the beat of a heart as company. How long could you live like that without losing your mind? Burning, crying, screaming and seemingly forgotten forever. He looked at Rachel who was leaning back on her bed and patting her stomach. He did feel an air of awkwardness as he watched her enjoy the sensation of a living creature fighting her body, “I think i should make a move, got to see troy and all.” he announced to her, as if he needed her approval to leave.

“Oh, Okieeee” she sang back to him, still looking at the stomach she had just been patting, “I think i should get more of these things anyway.” She added.

Chris went to leave but paused for a moment, looking over his shoulder he shot Rachel a confused look. “I thought you found two?” he asked in a puzzled voice.

Rachel's eyes widened and a look of surprise appeared on her face as her legs crossed. “Did i?” she murmured. Her legs tightened and her surprised look turned to embarrassment.

Chris burst out laughing as his brain finally added the information together. “You gotta be joking! Really? There?” he continued to laugh.

Rachel shot up and flew towards Chris, trying as hard as possible to shoved him out of her room, but his size and strength was too much. “Stop laughing! Fucking jerk what does it matter” She continued to snap at him as he shuffled through the threshold of the door, taunting the entire way. The second he was out of the room Rachel slammed the door shut leaving Chris back out in the dark hallway once more.

“Have fun” He shouted through the door as he began walking to his own room but was met back with a blunt and simple “Fuck you”.

The journey to his door was a small one, but the headspace he found himself walking through was much longer. Sure laughing at what just happened was easy enough in front of Rachel but something didn’t sit right with him. His cute, harmless little sister, someone who had always seemed so innocent to him, literally devoured a living woman and had another tiny person shoved somewhere arguably worse. It wasn’t until just now that he even knew his sister was fond of this kind of behaviour and with this knowledge planted firmly in his head he had to ask himself a question, How many have already found their way into her stomach? His head shook from side to side as he cleared the thought, it’s not like she was the only one in the world to do this. It was normal, right? The truth is, though Chris isn’t the biggest lover of shrinkies, he has never intentionally killed one. He never shared the love and pleasure everyone else seemed to get whenever they dominated the pathetic things, so instead just lived a life of someone with an indifferent opinion. All that said he still would never join the “Friends of shrinkies” or any of the social justice groups that protested the oppression of shrinkies, that was way too far for even him.

With both his physical and mental destination reached he opened his own bedroom door, sliding in like a breeze and closing it as gently as he opened it. Stretching his arms over his head, he walked over to his closet. As far as he was concerned his jeans were fine to wear, but his shirt definitely needed changing. He peered inside trying to decide what to wear. He definitely did need to put on any of his retro 80s style shirts that only he actually likes, and he certainly didn’t feel like wearing a band top or a graphic tee. He sighed before pulling out a generic black top along with a grey hooded jacket, “Casual it is.” he muttered as he began to take his top off.

His bare chest was met with the cool air of his room which provoked a slight shiver. Goosebumps began to appear on his slender form as he walked towards his bed. He stopped for a moment, catching himself in the mirror near his door. Chris wasn't small by any means; broad shoulder, toned arms and a slightly chiseled chest, but there was no escaping the fact that he was built quite skinny. He didn’t hate his body, but compared to someone like Billy or Troy, he did sometimes feel inferior thanks to Troy's much more defined body or Billy’s compensatory height. The thought was quickly shaken from his head as his phone buzzed in his pocket, prompting him to pull it free and take a glance. A simple message from Troy reading “Get yo ass in gear boi” followed by a winking face. Another trademark grunt rumbled from Chris as he threw his phone onto his bed and quickly put his top and hoodie on. He took a moment to look at his hair in the mirror, a nice swept back do still remind almost untouched on his head. A smile slapped itself on his face at this thought, if there was anything Chris truly loved about himself, it was his hair.

Ready to roll, he thought to himself as he grabbed his phone from the bed and made his way to the door. As he passed Rachel's room he gave the door a knock, “Heading out, catch ya later pink. ” he hollered to her, but no response was heard as he bounced his way down the stairs. With momentum still in his legs thanks to his swift descent he slid to the front door and nearly burst out of it. It couldn’t be helped, a mundane day was always fixed by a few drinks and good company, Lindsey included. So with this thought firmly in his head and a good vibe brewing in his body he made his way to Troys.

The chiming of the doorbell stirred the house to such a degree that even Chris could hear the chaos from outside. The rumbling sound grew louder until the door burst open as if some hulking creature was trying to rip it off of its hinges, except in this case the hulking monster was the slightly less monstrous Till.

“Chrissy!!!!” she shouted, throwing her arms up into the air, her hands lost to the oversized hoodie she had obviously stolen from Billy or Troy.

Chris met her open arms with a big hug, lifting her off the ground as they embraced each other. She did not protest this, in fact she saw these kinds of things as one of the perks of being the smallest of the group. He gently lowered her back to the ground, freeing her from his bear-like grip. “Gonna lead me in short stuff?” he asked, giving her a cheeky grin.

Till shot her hand up as she pulled the all consuming sleeve down, revealing a soft feminine hand. With his claws free she grabbed his arm and began pulling him into the house. “We’re all sitting out back! And it's Miss Short stuff to you!” She laughed back at him as she continued on her mission to deliver Chris to the rest of the group.

It was a short journey, but being dragged by someone with such a high difference and an inhumane amount of strength was enough to give Chris’ shoulder an ache he would rather have not endured. Passing through the back door and onto the patio revealed a circle of chairs around a fire pit, three of which were taken by Troy, Billy and Lindsey.

“It’s now a full house!” announced Tilly in an effort to alert the rest of the group to Chris’ arrival, which was successful in at least making Billy cheer. She finally let go of his arm, freeing him from her vice grip before skipping to her own chair next to Lindsey who had not yet looked up from her phone.

Chris shuffled forward looking to the flames of the pit in front of him, “Wow, these cult meetings have really downgraded, not even a pentagram this time?” He mocked as each member of the group sat with their dreary hoodies over their head.

“Its an unintentional dress code, but a welcome surprise no?” Said Billy in defence of everyone's lack of individual fashion.

“I’d say it's more of a result of there only being like 2 good clothes stores in this town for us to shop from,” Troy added before taking a swig of his bottle. “I wouldn’t be surprised if all of our wardrobes looked the same.”

Lindsey let out a very unlady-like snort, “Yea i bet you have a few of the same dress and skirts as me.” she laughed. The rest of the group joined her, minus Troy, he had pride to defend.

“I prefer to take womens clothes off, not put them on.” He quipped back.

Lindseys faced scrunched as she frowned before she let out a simple “Ew”. Her eyes met with Chris who was still standing amongst them. “There's a chair there for you." She pointed her bottle towards the empty seat next to Troy, “Assuming you’re staying.”

Any ordinary day Chris would have countered her snide remark, but Troy was not about to let that happen as he patted the seat with his palm in what was most likely a hint to “Behave”. Biting his tongue he made his way to the now infamous seat, dropping down on it like a tonne of brick. He wasn’t even there a second before an open bottle was being waved in his face. The hand connected belonging to none other than Billy the human mountain.

He accepted the bottle and showed his gratitude with a simple “Cheers buddy” as he went to take his first swig. Billy simply nodded back at him. Anyone who knows Billy well will know 2 facts, one is that his name is actually William, and two that he is a man of few words. Now that's not to say he wont talk because that couldn’t be further from the truth, he just only speaks when it's necessary to him. This personality quirk was most likely why every person who knew him always believed him to be one of the most laid back people on earth, or as their old history teacher used to say “A master monk in the art of zen." Maybe it was this reason as to why his relationship with Lindsey came as a total shock to the group when they started dating a few months back. If the phrase opposites attract then this never rang truer than will Billy and Lindsey because whereas Billy was the water flowing around the rocks, Lindsey more the waterfall that followed. She was intense, emotional, opinionated and definitely used a lot more words than her much calmer partner. Despite hers and Chris’ current relationship, Chris knows deep down that she is an amazing person. It was only a few years ago that they were the best of friends and would literally fight battles side by side, he just wished he knew what changed between them. He misses those days with her, but trying to build that back seems impossible with how she is now.  

The evening turned to dusk as time continued to pass. Bottles began to collect around the chairs as they all talked about life, the universe and everything in between. Tilly told everyone about the new car her mom had gotten her but she wasn’t allowed it until after the test, Billy told them all his plans to travel after he passes his test, though it didn’t seem like Lindsey was too keen. Everything seemed calm until Tilly innocently asked one simple question, “How do they Shrink you?” The group all looked at him silently, like he had just asked a stupid question.

“Looks like someone slept through a few major classes.” Billy chuckled.

She held her hands up in the air causing the slack of the oversized sleeves to flop back down her wrist, “Hey! It was just a question! You never hear of anyone resisting getting shrunk, but they know it's going to happen right?”

“That's because they don’t know they will shrink, silly.” Chris finally weighed in.

Lindsey let out a soft laugh before finishing Chris’ point. “We were taught this in school,” She let out a small sigh before continuing, “Everyone is given a pill on the last day, some are fakes, others trigger the S-gene after a few hours. Hence why people shrink all over the place and at random times."

It was clear that though she was slightly drunk, Tilly was trying her hardest to take all this in. She nodded to herself before gasping, “Wait! That means people might shrink during Troy's party!?”

The group all groaned again. Not out of annoyance as her confusion was admittedly cute, but it was odd how someone who could tell you the complete run down and history of the fashion industry as well as create her own clothing can be so thick sometimes. Troy leaned forward with a smug expression, “Bingo! A party with tinies provided without spending a penny or breaking a sweat."

Billy laughed at him, shaking his head in the process, “You do know that most of us are going to bring our own like we do every other time, you're just trying to justify being cheap." His accusation left Troy gob smacked.

“How dare you sir,” He exclaimed in an old fashioned british accent, rising from his as he spoke. “I provide the finest drink and venue this side of town!”

“Oh be quite you big dum dum,” instructed till as she yanked on his sleeve, Troy of course did what he was told.

Chris tried to pay attention but he could feel the world in his mind opening up to swallow him. In just a few days he was going to be given a pill that may or may not shrink him down to under and inch tall...and this was normal. No one else was freaking out about this? His heart rate increased as the others chatted in the background. What if he shrunk? Where would he end up shrinking? All these questions boomed in his head until the voice of his sister echoed, “You would be if you found what I found”. His heart began to sink, his breath heavy. Would his own sister know it was him if he shrunk? What about his friends? He knew all too well that they had no issues using and eating tinies, but it would be different if it was him...right?

He looked up and around at his friends who were totally oblivious to the metal torment he was going through. He needed to breathe for a moment, he needed to calm down. He shot up suddenly, startling Troy next to him. “You good?” he asked, concerned at Chris’ erratic behaviour.

Chris was silent for a moment, but composed himself enough to speak, “Yea...just a little nauseous. I’m gonna head to the bathroom." With that said he did just that. Headed to the bathroom. He could hear them mumbling about him as he left, they obviously knew something was off but didn’t want to pry without good cause.

The layout of Troy's house was very similar to Chris’ so getting to the bathroom was almost like second nature. He hurried through the door, closing it behind himself as he tried to catch his breath. Walking over to the sink he tried to stabilize him breathing. “Calm down man, calm down,” he muttered to himself as he turned the cold water on and proceeded to splash his face with it. “Calm the fuck down.” he continued.

“Calm down about what?” Asked a voice from behind. Chris jumped and spun around to see Lindsey stood in the doorway, leaning up against the white wooden frame. “You should really lock the door when you use the bathroom by the way.” he mocked, straightening herself up.

“Maybe you should knock too” he murmured back to her, still reeling from his panic attack episode.

She prepared herself to make another jab at him but something about the expression one his face stopped her. His eyebrows twitched and he was trying his hardest to look directly at her. No matter which way she looked at it something was really bothering him, something that deep down bothered her. One moment they were talking about shrinking, the party and tinies and the next he ran off. “Are you nervous about the party?” She inquired, keeping her voice calm and sombre.

Chris shook his head and frowned, “Of course i'm not, why would that bother me?”

Lindsey shrugged her shoulders, “Well we all know you don't hurt tinies, it's no secret. I assumed tinies being there is an issue." Her logic was sound in some ways, if any was to make a deduction at this point they’d likely guess the same. Chris didn’t reply causing Lindsey to assume she had maybe hit a nerve, “Hey, it's not an issue, if you’re one of them tiny lover types we won't judge, just let us know so we can work with it maybe?” she added in an attempt to reassure.

It was unintentional but Chris let out a scoff, “I'm not one of those lower idiots, i just don’t see any reason to do anything to a tiny,” He mind trailed off, not realising he was deviating from his main problem. “Plus it's not that either, just drop it okay?”

His request was fair, she shouldn’t be prying for information he didn’t want to give but on the other hand was it better to let him fester? At this point no real answer was not good enough.

“Is it that you think you might shrink? Nerves and fear and stuff?” she asked, hoping to have hit somewhere closer to the source.

“You serious? I’m not going to shrink.” He snapped back at her, “Only idiots shrink! I’m not an idiot”.

“I’m not saying you’re stupid, i’m just asking if you’re nervous. Some people get that way.” She once again tried to reassure him.

His eyebrows twitched. She was right in a way, but he didn’t want to admit it. He didn’t want to tell her that his sister kinda scares him, that his friends all looked like threats. All of these thoughts just because he didn’t know what was to come in the coming days.

“There’s just a lot to think about, and…..it’s a bit much,” His eyes turned slightly red. His own mind, slightly drunk mind, was weighing heavy on him

It took a lot for her to swallow her own ego and move in to console him, but she did it nonetheless. She couldn’t see him like this, she hated that despite the bitterness between them she still sees the young Chris she used to fight for. His hand touched the side of his face and for a moment he felt calm and peaceful. His eyes and her eyes locked and a rare look of solace and comfort formed on her face. “Don’t worry, after this week is over you wont need to panic anymore, you’ll get through this," she hesitated, she may be trying to comfort him but she also had to be honest about the situation. “And if you do shrink I….we, would keep you safe for sure."

He tried to ignore it but her that last part but it was too much. He swatted her hand of his face and barged past her, “You just had to make a fucking remark, ” he snarled looking back at her for a second. “Had to make a joke of me once again!” this time he shouted.

A hard groan came from Lindsey as she too quickly found herself on her wits end. “I’m so sick of this Chris! Constantly being made to be a villain to you! It’s a fucking joke!” She shouted back at him.

A dumb founded look swept across his face. He was making her a villain? It was as if she was ignorant to everything she had ever said or done to him.

“I make you out to be a villain?” he asked rhetorically, “Fuck you! You were my best friend and then one day you suddenly turned on me! I thought we would have each others backs till then end and you just let all that go,” He paused as he held back the tears behind his that were slowly building, “I’ve been putting up with all the tension and arguments and all that shit because i thought we could go back...but I see that we cant”.

His words hit her harder than she wanted to admit. Everything he was saying was true and she knew it. The past few years she had been trying to distance herself from Chris, forcing herself to hate him. All she was doing was pushing him and making him seem the bad guy, not just to herself but to the group. It was clear that she was getting upset now, slight signs of tears  were forming in her eyes as the situation set in. “I don’t know how to explain it…if you knew it from my point of view you’d understand.” She began to break down as her words left her lips.

Chris could take it anymore. He wasn’t about to argue in a bathroom with someone who wouldn’t work with him. He barged past her and made his way to the stairs. The sound of her soft sobs did cause him to hesitate, but his own anger and arrogance were too strong at this point. Without giving it another thought he walked down the staircase and towards the front door. With each step he could feel the adrenaline pumping harder and harder. A mix of drinking, poor words and a bad mind set and that was it, he was tipped over the edge. So much so he didn’t see the figure stood at the other end of the hall.

“Hey! What the fuck is this shouting?" Troy asked in an authoritative tone, eyes beaming at Chris with a look of scorn.

“Don't get involved! How does that sound?” Chris snapped back at Troy, his voice rough and aggressive. He knew deep down he shouldn’t have said it, but it was too late now.

Troy's eyebrows twitched for a second at Chris’ sudden verbal attack. He barreled his way to Chris and grabbed him by the collar of his hoodie, pinning him against the door, “Who the actually fuck do you think you’re talking to?” He growled at him with a primal rage in his eyes. “I fucking told you to grow up and stop this petty squabble shit, but you just cant listen can you?”

Despite all his best efforts Chris couldn’t bite his tongue any longer. “Fuck you!” He roared back at Troy, “I don’t need you! I don’t need anyone! It’s my fucking life!” He continues to yell. Each word hit Troy like a barrage of bricks. His pressure increased as he pushed Chris harder into the door, the handle digging into his side more and more though the situation and the alcohol succeeded in numbing the sensation.

They both exchanged looks of pure bloodlust at each other. They were ready to rip each other apart right then and there. It was obvious who would win, Troy was built bigger, more athletic and could genuinely fight better, though this fact didn’t deter Chris. A sorrowful voice called down to them, “Please, stop,” she muttered from the stairs as she slowly and nervously walked down. Lindsey sheepish holding the arm Chris had earlier swatted, perhaps out of pain or maybe just instinctively. “It's not his fault. Please just stop, let's all talk." It was new for Lindsey to show this side of herself, she wasn’t her headstrong impulsive self at this moment, something that threw both Troy and Chris. Tears were rolling down her face but it didn’t stop her from approaching them both and pushing them apart in an effort to stop any violence. She looked at them both, standing between them in hopes that her being there would stop any hands being swung in risk of hurting her.

Troy continued to stare Chris down. He was completely at a loss with him. He warned him not to fight, continued to give him chance after chance and his thanks was to be disrespected in his own home?  “Go home Chris, get some sleep, and sort your shit out.” Troy ordered before turning and storming back into the garden leaving both Chris and LIndsey alone once again.

Enraged, drunk and absolutely fed up with the night, Chris wasted no time and opened the door leaving the house in a temper fuel march. He didn’t say a single word as he got to the edge of the road and it was Lindsey who had to speak first, “Stop! Chris wait! Don’t be a fucking jerk," her voice stlightly uneasy from her emotional moment, but clear enough to hear that she wasn’t speaking out of malice. “You think we don’t care? We do! I do…” she stopped herself for a moment, thinking about what she just said to him. Chris too had stopped for a second, whether it was what she said or how she said it he didn’t really know. “If you walk away now… Don’t fucking come back!” She cried out, “If you want to fix this you come back here now...please”. The sincerity in her voice was noticeable, she was practically begging him to come back to her. He faltered for a second. Her voice, her tears, for some reason he wanted to turn and run back to her, but the earlier remarks of her and the voice of Troy swirled in his head.  

Chris never turned to face her, didn’t give her a single ounce of acknowledgement. He thought hard about what he was going to do next, but in the end he chose to walk. If maybe he had stopped for a second and looked her way, she might have seen his face, the tears running his own cheeks. But the last thing she remembered seeing that night was the anger in Chris’ eyes, not the sadness that followed...not him falling apart bit by bit. He made it to his front door, Lindsey’s red, crying face echoing in his mind over and over again with the harsh final words playing in the background. By the time he looked back, she was gone. “Why do i always do this to you?” he whispered, “I’m sorry."