{Alycia Debnam-Careyxyou} Home Behind the Desktop

17

I took a good look into the bathroom mirror, turning my body and face to be sure that I didn't forget to clean anything. The bruises were still pretty dark along my ribs, but their yellow outlines told me that they were beginning to heal. There was a little bit of redness still surrounding my shoulder wound, but I was pleased to see no signs of an infection. I gave one final glance to the mirror before reaching for my shirt and slipping it over my head.

There was a soft knock at the door and I turned my head as it slowly cracked open. "Hey, just came to check on you.. you've been in here for a while." She sounded concerned, and I shook my head, blinking my eyes back to reality. "Sorry, I was just.." My voice trailed off. I had no explanation for myself, it was like I was walking in a haze. All the events over the last week have been a lot to process, and my brain just couldn't handle it.

I hand waved in front of my face, causing me to turn back to Alycia. Her eyes were concerned, looking back and forth between mine.

"Do you want something to eat?" I stared at her, my mind still racing. All I could do was shake my head. "No, that's ok. I'm not hungry." Her head dropped but her eyes stayed on me, giving me a look, but I brushed it off. I just wasn't in the mood. I wasn't hungry, I wasn't tired, I wasn't anything. My body was moving, breathing, and speaking, but there was no connection between my body and my head, my mind being somewhere else.

"Y/n," I raised my eyes again, "I'm worried about you." I dropped my head and shrugged, unable to give a reasonable response to her worries. She took a step forward, her warm hands finding my upper arms while my focus stayed glued to the ground. "Can you talk to me? Please.."

I slowly pulled my eyes from the ground up to hers, her soft gaze drawing me closer. Her thumbs carefully rubbed my arms, preventing my mind from escaping to somewhere else. "Come with me," she whispered, tilting her head out of the room. She slipped a hand down my arm as she turned around, her fingers finding my hand before interlocking them. I followed behind her, curious as she took me to a room I had not been in before. 

She opened the door to what I believed was her bedroom and we stepped inside, her hand guiding me to sit on the bed. I watched as she picked up at photo from her dresser, pressing it to her chest before sitting beside me. I shifted my body to face her more, tilting my head when she let out a sigh.

"When I was around your age, maybe just a few years younger, I came home from school to find my father crying at the kitchen table." Her eyes began to well with tears and I softened my gaze. "My mother had been in a terrible car accident on her way home from work. We tried to get to the hospital as quick as we could, but by the time we got there, she was already gone." She bit her lip, not allowing the tears to escape her eyes. I carefully lifted my hand, gently placing it on her back, causing her to finally look up at me, giving me a sad smile. 

She shifted her body towards me, pulling the photo down from her chest and holding it out for me to see. It was young Alycia, she was adorable with a big smile on her face holding the hand of an older woman next to her. The woman had the same green eyes and nose with a similar smile plastered on her face as well. "When she died, I closed myself off from everyone. My friends, my family, my teachers, everyone. I spent most of my high school days alone and silent, until I finally opened up after I graduated. It wasn't until then, that it began to get better.." Her eyes looked deep into mine, dancing back and forth between them.

"There's nothing wrong with being quiet, Y/n. But one thing I do know, is that quiet people tend to be the ones that have a lot to say." I dropped my head and she reached out a hand to my knee, squeezing it gently. "You've had a lot of things happen to you, Y/n. More than what some people deal with in a lifetime.. But keeping it in and not talking about it is only going to make it harder for you. You don't have to be alone in this."