Normal-ish

  Skyler walked into the living room to see Enoch sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. Skyler was afraid he remembered what happened last night, but he took a deep breath and manned up.

  "Hey, you good, bro?" He asked. Enoch looked up and looked slightly confused.

  "Yeah…" He trailed off, staring at Skyler. Skyler gulped nervously. "I just have this massive headache," he finally said. Skyler sighed with relief.

  "But I have this weird feeling that something happened to you,"

  Skyler choked.

  "Ack, I don't remember anything from last night… What happened?" he asked, peeking up from in between his fingers.

  "I felt a little sick so we mainly just stayed home," Skyler made up a quick lie, sounding more convincing than intended. Enoch nodded.

  Skyler walked to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. He felt sick to his stomach. Like a growing hole. With sharp edges, scraping at his sides as he chokes on his words. Nothing changed from his literal appearance, but on the inside he felt pale and confused. So many things felt wrong and weird.

  The only thing keeping him from telling the whole world about this 'cult' is what Yoshika showed him what they could do. It scared him… Yet, intrigued him.

  He took a quick shower, hoping it'd wash away all these thoughts and worries, it didn't. He just wanted to calm down. He got into some more comfortable clothes and plopped onto his bed with a pair of headphones and a long Spotify playlist.

  The whole day was dedicated to listening to music, drawing a little bit, and even crying. He was only interrupted by Enoch tapping him on his shoulder.

  "Yes, Enoch?"

  "Are you okay? Like, really okay, Skyler?"  Enoch asked. Skyler stared at him, he gave one stiff nod and sniffled. Suddenly, Enoch wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug. Skyler tried to hold it back, but he burst out in tears and cried into Enoch's shoulder.

  That's how it was for almost 3 hours. Finally, Skyler got too tired. He fell asleep on Enoch, damp with tears. Enoch didn't want to move him, in fear of waking him. So, he also fell asleep. Both rested on Skyler's bed peacefully.

  Pang! Pang! Pang!

  The gentle sound of rain awoke Skyler peacefully. He was laying on Enoch in his bed and it seemed to be mid-day. He stretched and got up, careful not to wake his sleeping friend.

  He walked to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. He stared.

  Written in black ink were the words 'MEETING TOMORROW 10PM' Skyler was a little shocked at first and slightly panicked. He quickly grabbed a cloth and soaked it in water. He then began wiping the ink, smearing it away. Once the ink was clear and he could see his reflection, he saw himself.

  He saw his face, his hair, his eyes. He saw everything that made him. It reminded him of the night before, when he looked in the mirror. He looked more empty now, more confused and depressed. He poured himself a glass of water and walked out into the living room.

  He had to be strong. For Enoch… For himself. Because if he wasn't strong enough, he would break. Skyler tried so hard that day. He tried to smile, tried to laugh. Even tried to compliment the dark-haired lady at the shopping center today. But, deep down… He was weak.

  He was weak in the heart, in the head. He didn't know what to do. He was confused, scared, and lonely. When night finally rolled along, he glanced at his desk. He saw the little scrap of paper with Yoshika's number on it.

  He hesitated, then snatched it up and slowly dialed the number. His heart raced, almost regretting the decision. But, almost as soon as he hit 'call', someone answered.

  A familiar voice picked up with a 'hello?' And for some reason that even Skyler couldn't explain, he felt relief.

  "Yoshika? I-it's Skyler," he said with a shaky tone.

  "Skyler! Hey, how are you doing?" Yoshika sounded happy he called.

  "I…" Skyler hesitated. "I'm breaking, Yoshika… Everything's so confusing and I-I don't know how to deal with it an-"

  "Hey, Skyler… It's alright. I'm here, calm down. Take some deep breaths. Listen, if you want to talk more we can meet up before the gathering. Will that help at all?"

  Skyler breathed a long sigh of relief. "Y-yes, please…"

  "Okay, I'll pick you up around… 8?" He asked.

  "Yeah… 8 sounds good," Skyler smiled as he felt sweet relief. He didn't even know why. But he was just happy to talk to someone about it. He was most definitely looking forward to meeting up with Yoshika.