It was a small town, the type of place where everyone knew everyone and Thomas’ story had already circulated around.

With a click of her tongue and a smile, his psychiatrist, Dr. Garza, says, "Elizabeth, you do realize the gravity of this situation, right? We must take precautions to ensure it never happens again."

Elizabeth chuckles softly, affectionately rubbing Thomas’ head. "Happen again? Oh no, it won't. Tommy and I have talked and he’s doing much better."

Firmly, Elizabeth asserts, "I'll take care of him. He's my son."

"Alright then. I've prescribed medication that Thomas needs to take daily. I'll see both of you next week, agreed?"

Elizabeth shakes her hand before briskly guiding Tommy out of the building. "Honestly, Tommy, I just don't understand." She says as they walk towards the car.

Tommy stays silent. Truth be told, he doesn’t understand either. He didn’t understand anything.

"Can you manage staying home alone? Do I need to stay with you? I have to go to work, you know. I shouldn't have to babysit you like a child."

Although Tommy wants to remind her that it IS her responsibility to look after him and that he IS still a child, her child, he simply mutters, "I'm sorry."

After a few moments of silence, Tommy asks something. "You've been taking care of Tabby, right, Mom?"

"Yes, I've been taking care of Tabby. She's been getting fatter, I think she needs a diet." Elizabeth replies.

"She doesn't need a diet. You must be feeding her too much."

"I don't overfeed her. Maybe she's sneaking into the cat food while I'm at work." Elizabeth defends herself, ending the conversation.

When they pull into the driveway, the neighbors are all gathered outside their house, holding pans of food, flowers, and gifts. You would think someone had died. The moment they step out of the car, they all rush towards them, talking all at once.

"Thomas, I made some lasagna for you."

"Elizabeth, I'm so sorry."

"Do you need anything?"

"I'd be happy to babysit while you work."

"Did you really try to kill yourself, Thomas?"

Thomas doesn’t have a chance to respond before Elizabeth does,"No, of course not! He was just sick. He's much better now." She assures, wearing her model smile, known to Thomas as her "fake smile."

"Thank you, guys." He manages to say, pushing past the crowd and heading inside. "Tabitha? Tabby?" he calls out. Instantly, she comes running towards him.

"Oh, I missed you so much. I promise I'll never leave you again." He whispers, lifting Tabby and kissing her soft orange fur. With a playful tone, he asks, "Did Mom behave herself while I was away?"

Suddenly, there’s a loud bang, followed by shattering glass. Thomas sets Tabby down and approaches the window, which has been broken by a brick. Picking up the brick and dusting off the glass shards, he reads the bold letters scrawled across it: "PSYCHO."

"Barbarians." He mutters. “They’re going to talk about this for the rest of my life.”

Elizabeth enters the house, placing a pile of gifts on the table. "Did you break the window?" she questions once she notices it.

"What? Why would I do that?" Tommy replies, offended by the assumption.

She snatches the brick from his hand and reads it. "Psycho?" Turning it around, she continued, "Path."

Tommy rolls his eyes. "They could have fit the whole word on one side."

Elizabeth groans and uselessly locks the door. "See what happens when you do things like this, Thomas? You're ruining my good reputation." She storms away.

Thomas sighs ands stares out the window, memories from that day popping into his head. Fortunately, there’s a distant shout, pulling him back to the present. At first, he thinks that he misheard, but then the chant grows louder with each repetition, echoing through the street.

"Tommy Pony! Tommy Pony! Tommy Pony!"

His face drains of color, and his heart races within his chest. "Oh no." He whispers, while Tabby brushes against his leg. "They found it." That nickname he had fought so hard to erase from existence.

One of the kids from the chanting group approaches the broken window, a smirk on their face. "Welcome back, Tommy Pony," they sneer before vanishing down the street, taking their relentless chants with them.