Fractured Reflections

the switch

Ace shuffled down the sidewalk, his head pounding with the remnants of last night’s drinks, feeling like the world was just a bit too loud, a bit too sharp. But he wasn’t alone today—today, it was Adam who was walking beside him, not Benny.

Adam was one of Benny’s alters, but unlike Benny, who had a kind of quiet, nervous energy, Adam was full of life. His blonde hair was a mess of curls, and his bright blue eyes sparkled with an energy that made Ace feel like he was constantly on the edge of something—like Adam was always just a step away from running off on some wild adventure. His smile was wide, and his voice came with that infectious enthusiasm, the kind that made it hard not to feel just a little bit alive.

“Come on, Ace! I’m starving!” Adam bounced beside him, practically skipping down the street as they neared McDonald's. “Chicken nuggets! I can already taste ‘em! Bet you can eat, like, a hundred of ‘em, right?”

Ace didn’t have the energy to argue or even respond. His head felt too heavy, and the idea of food seemed more like a way to get through the day than anything else. “Yeah, whatever,” he mumbled, pushing his hair out of his face. He was in no mood for conversation, but Adam was determined to make it impossible to ignore him.

The doors of McDonald's slid open, and Adam was already charging ahead, ordering with that over-the-top excitement that Ace couldn’t help but find both annoying and kind of contagious.

“Two orders of chicken nuggets! And maybe some fries—oh, and sauce! Lots of sauce!” Adam’s voice rang through the restaurant as he bounced in place, grinning like a kid on Christmas morning. Ace didn’t even bother with the menu, too tired to care. He just nodded when Adam ordered for him.

They sat down with their food, and Ace immediately grabbed a nugget, stuffing it into his mouth without even thinking. His body didn’t really want the food, but his mind craved the distraction, and for a moment, it was just about the taste of something familiar.

Adam, on the other hand, tore into his food with the same frenetic energy he brought to everything. He shoved nugget after nugget into his mouth, dipping them in sauce and talking nonstop between bites.

“You know, Ace,” Adam said in between bites, “I don’t get it. You’re always so quiet, so... heavy. Like you're carrying the weight of the world or something. Why not just let go a little, huh? Have some fun!”

Ace took another bite, barely listening. Adam’s words slid in one ear and out the other. It wasn’t that he didn’t care; it was just that he didn’t have the energy to argue with Adam’s endless enthusiasm.

“I’m fine,” Ace muttered, though even he didn’t believe it. His head was too full of smoke and whiskey to think straight.

Adam stopped mid-nugget, his eyes lighting up with that usual spark. “No, you’re not! You’re hiding, man! Hiding behind this tired, grumpy routine, like you’re just waiting for something to change. Well, guess what? You can’t sit around and wait forever!”

Ace glanced at him, annoyed but strangely intrigued. “What’s your point, Adam?”

Adam leaned across the table, dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, though it was still loud enough for half the restaurant to hear. “My point is, you’re stuck, Ace. But you don’t have to be. You can let go. You can have fun. You can live, instead of just surviving.”

Ace chewed the last nugget in his hand slowly, trying to push the words aside. It was easier to just numb everything, to slip into the haze of his thoughts and forget the weight of whatever was crawling at the back of his mind.

But Adam was right about one thing. He was stuck. And the thought of being stuck for good was starting to feel a little too real.

“Look,” Adam continued, practically bouncing in his seat, “if I can get through a whole day without thinking about all the stuff that’s making me want to lose my mind, so can you! You’ve just gotta decide to let go. You know what I mean?”