the brain project [1]

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aidan

someone stands in front of his car, right when he's about to get out of the parking lot. slamming on his brakes, he nearly has a heart attack as he snaps out of his daze.

"aidan!" everett frantically knocks on the glass. "please, let me explain."

he rolls down the window, his speech slurred from a numb mouth. the taste of copper stings his tongue from a split lip. "i don't want to hear it."

"please, i'm sorry... i— i didn't have a choice," everett pleads. he looks so broken, but aidan can't focus because all he wants to do is crash in his bed and never wake up.

"you always have a choice."

everett shakes his head, eyes big and full of unspilled tears. "i know, but—"

"just let me go," aidan mumbles. "let me go. leave me alone, give me time, okay? i need time to process. i need to figure out how the hell you could do something like that. i get once everett, but over five times?"

fury seems to replace the guilt in everett, and he takes a step backward. "and what would you have done, if the roles were reversed?"

aidan changes the gear to drive and gets away from the school. away from everett.