𝙲𝙰𝙺𝙴 (𝙰 𝙵𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝙱𝚡𝙱 𝙽𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚕) 🍰

㉜ 𝙷𝙾𝙼𝙴 𝚂𝚆𝙴𝙴𝚃 𝙷𝙾𝙼𝙴

~~~

Charlie

Although It's been a few days since Sky and I reconciled, Sky has already made the decision to move back into our apartment. I tried to warn him about jumping into things too quickly, but he told me that he was committed to turning his life around.

Hell, if he's happy, I'm happy.

The only thing that worried Sky about coming back to the apartment was overcoming his PTSD.

He would have to return to the place where it all went wrong, where he was abused, tortured, violated, and betrayed. I was scared for him, scared that he'd have a panic attack or some sort of episode that would put him back in the hospital. I might've been more worried about Sky than Sky himself, though, because he accepted the challenge with little hesitation.

~~~

Skyler stood there on the sidewalk, among his parents, Claire, and Becca. He looked up at the apartment ahead with fear in his eyes. His mom and dad held his luggage and belongings in their hands.

"You ready, Sky?" I asked attentively.

"Huh?" He responded, turning his head to me. "Oh, yes—yeah, I'm ready."

"Do you want us to come in with you?" Sky's mother placed her paw on his shoulder.

"I can do it on my own." Sky stated, though I could hear the doubt in his voice.

"He made it up to the front door last week, no problem," I told his parents. "I'm sure he can make it to the bedroom." I smiled at him.

Sky took a shaky deep breath and returned the anxious smile back to me.

"You can do this, Sky," Claire spoke up.

"We know you can," Becca added.

Sky glanced at them, feeling relief.

Sky, Olympia, and Thompson huddled up and uttered a silent prayer.

"May God give you strength." I had heard Olympia whisper.

Sky turned around and faced the stairwell.

"Let's go," I beckoned, placing my foot on the first step.

Sky took a deep breath and joined me in ascending the stairs.

The closer we got to the house, the bigger it got. The more it towered over Sky, the more frightened he became.

We got up to the front door. Jonathan was standing there, opening it for the two of us. I entered the house first, Sky stopping at the entrance.

"You okay?" I wondered, looking back at him.

Sky didn't respond.

I held my hand out to him. Thankfully, he took it. I guided him inside as Jonathan closed the door behind us.

Sky examined the living room as if it were his first time here. Dylan, Byron, and Milo all stood watching in the corner by the couch. Sky's eyes suddenly locked onto a spot on the floor. I don't know the significance of that spot, but it must have been crucial to what had happened that night. Sky, or anyone really, never told me the whole story of what had occurred.

"Sky? What's wrong?" I asked, approaching him slowly.

His breathing was beginning to become erratic. I placed my right arm around him and held him close.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to," I assured him.

Sky began to squeeze my left shoulder with his right hand tightly.