I already know my life is horrible, but I know it isn’t all bad. I have Levi and Kay, I guess.

“Finnian!” Mom is down the hall, about to leave for her night shift. I, instead of seeing her off, am huddled in mounds of comforters in my bed and texting Levi funny GIF’s.

“Yes, Mom?”

“I’m going out now, sweetheart, I love you!”

I completely fall on my back and tuck myself deeper, phone still in hand. “I love you too!”

Then I hear the door shut and the apartment is quiet. If I wasn’t texting Levi, I would already be in the Dark.

My phone is dark now, but I know it’ll turn back on. Just as I think that, the screen lights up once more and my heart is racing with excitement.

“Oh, why is Kay texting me?” Kay harldly even looks at me anymore after 10th grade year. I don’t know what I did wrong and he won’t tell me.

**Hey, Levi, have you broken up with Finn, yet? But rlly, u gotta do it soon. That boy’s a leech.**

The phone slides out of my grasp and bounces on my bed. What. What….

The Dark attacks me from all sides, closing off my airway, blurring my vision. I gasp over and over again, trying to breath. I clutch at the once comforting sheets that are now suffocating me from all sides.

“It can’t be….” No, there was no way to read it wrong. Levi wants to break up with me.

My phone lights up again; a text from Levi and Kay pops up on my screen. I cough, choking on some mucus, before wiping my eyes and clicking on Kay’s text. I can’t talk to Levi without feeling betrayed. Kay will tell me straight since he hates me so much.

**Oh shit didn’t mean to text u. Guess it doesn’t matter anyway**

**Levi really is breaking up with me then?**

**Well duh! All u do is whine and cry and he’s tired of u even if he won’t say it**

The Dark starts to surround me, and I let it. It doesn’t matter anymore, not if Levi even hates me.

Another message pops up from Levi, then another. I power off my phone then place it on my desk. I lay back in my bed, no, not to go to sleep, I can’t bear to sleep in the situation I’m in. Instead, I stare at my wall and count to 1,000.

“1…2…3…4…5…6…7…….”

——

The next day starts off normal.

Mom is passed out on the couch. I find a blanket for her then make myself some eggs and toast. I put the extra in the microwave for Mom before getting my backpack and leaving our apartment.

I bike my way to school, telling myself how I’m going to have to change schedule ahead of time so the Dark doesn’t overwhelm me like it usually does. Can’t be having a panic attack at school. _Not like last time._ Then more people would hate me.

I chain my bike to the bike stand when I arrive. I walk towards the entrance to find a massive crowd.

“Fight! Fight! Fight!” The crowd shouts. I see some tiny sixth graders watching too. Jeez, whoever’s fighting must be popular for the middle schoolers to have interest in it.

I want to avoid that, but I have to get inside the building before the bell. I push my way through the crowd, yelling sometimes when an elbow jabs me in my side, but then I make it to entrance and open the door. Still on schedule and I didn’t see Levi anywhere—

“KAY, YOU _BITCH_! YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO SAY THAT TO HIM!” A hoarse voice yells.

But not any voice. I let the door slide shut and turn slowly back towards the fight. Since I’m on the stairs, I have a clear view into the middle.

Holy shit, it’s Levi and Kay. Levi looks like he has a bruised cheek and a bloody mouth, but at least he’s still standing. Kay, on the other hand, is on his hands and knees, blood on his face and shirt.

Just then the door behind me opens. I startle for a moment, then regain my footing. Its Principal Meers and a random sixth grader.

“LEVI WELCH AND KAMARIS WELCH! COME INTO MY OFFICE, NOW! THE REST OF YOU GET TO CLASS.”

The crowd dissipates quickly. I follow the flow of teenagers, not looking back.

——

My breath starts to turn rapid as I walk to the principal’s office from my homeroom. I already know what this is going to be about. I pick my nails and bite my inner lip to keep myself together. The Dark can’t come now. Not now.

“Keep it together Finnian. Keep it together.”

I open the door to the office and find Levi and Kamaris sitting in chairs that face a large desk. There is one empty chair in the middle of them. Levi has his face patched up and is looking at me with a face of longing. I quickly turn away from him to see Kay glaring at me with his—

“Ah!” Kay growls at my exclamation. His face is horrible. I never knew Levi’s hand could cause that much damage, he was always gentle with me. He was, so he knows how much it would break me if we fell apart; so why is he doing exactly that?

“Mr. King, take a seat,” says Principal Meers as he enters through a side door.

“Y-yes, sir,” I mutter before I slide into the empty seat. I can feel both of the brothers’ gazes on me. I have never wanted my hoodie so bad. Why did mom have to spill beans on it?

The principal strokes his beard as he looks at the three of us. “I assume you know why you’re here, Finnian?” He asks me.

“I-I think so.”

“Good,” Principal Meers looks at the twins with a frown, “Both of your behaviors were unacceptable this morning! And over a stupid matter. I have notified your parents about this and they will talk to you when you return home.”

Kay groans. “This is all your fault,” he says. I don’t know whether or not he’s referring to me or Levi. Levi just nods with a solemn look on his face and then turns to me.

“Finn?”

My heart jumps and I look at Principal Meers. “W-why do you need me here?”

Principal Meers’ face lights up. “Oh yes, I just wanted to make sure you haven’t been affected physically by either of the brothers in their argument.”

I shake my head. “No, sir.” _Mentally though, yes._

“Oh good, you may leave.”

I rise from my chair and dash out of there. The bell rings and the hallway starts to fill with students.

The Dark starts to creep into the corners of my mind. I take a sharp turn to the bathroom.

——

“I forgot my bookbag,” I mutter. Dry tears stain my cheeks and my lips and eyes feel crusty and sore. “It doesn’t matter.” I lean back in the toilet, legs to my chest, and bury my head into my knees again.

Why me? Why did I have to have this life?

I sniffle a bit more and wipe my nose with the back of my hand.

“Finn?”

I freeze, heart pumping at an alarming rate. Please, please not now.

“Finn,” Levi says again softly, closer this time, “Where are you.”

“Fuck off,” I say, voice a growl as I struggle to keep the tears from falling. Levi was always there when I was down, but I don’t want him now. He doesn’t want me.

I see he shoes at the bottom of the stall door, then I see his face. His soft brown eyes behind his square glasses. “I want to talk to you.”

“I SAID FUCK OFF!” I kick a foot towards him, causing him to back away.

I don’t see his face for a moment, just his shoes, then he says quietly, “Finn, what Kay told you isn’t true. He wasn’t speaking for me I swear. So please, open the door.”

I sniff, heart returning to a normal pace. “Really?” I don’t believe it, but I want to. I open the door and step out to see Levi’s lovely dark face before me.

He grabs my hand very gently and tugs me close. “Yes, why would I ever want to be away from you when I love you so much? I really can’t believe that you actually thought I would ever do that to you.”

“I’m sorry,” I mumble.

Levi shakes his head and kissing the middle of my palm. “You don’t need to apologize for anything. Kay’s the one who needs to be on his knees.”

The tears start to pour down again. “Levi….”

“Oh yes! Mrs. Harris told me to give you our bookbag to you. You left it in her class, y’know.” He says, bending down to hand it to me.

I tug in his shirt. “Levi.”

He looks stands back up, straight and tall, and looks down at me. “Yes, Finnian?”

“Your brothers a fucking bitch,” I whimper, then the sobs escape and I’m muttering absolute nonsense. Levi holds me to him, patting my back.

“We have to go to class soon,” I say after a round of snot dripping onto Levi’s shirt.

“Do you really want to go to class looking like _that_?” He asks me, pinching my cheeks. “You really are something else, Finnian King.”

My face grows hot. “Come here so I can snot on your shirt some more.”

Life sucks. Very much so. But at least I have Levi in my life.

***

_(Free write is fun! No plot, ig? My hands hurt so much…. 1,634 words! Holy crap! Thanks for reading and have a great day. Imma give my hands a rest.)_