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“Finally!” Jeremy cheered. Michael threw his hands up in a display of equal delight.
“Level 10!” Michael laughed as they proceeded to the next level “The…bathroom?” his shoulders drooped a bit. Just the word ‘bathroom’ brought back unfavoured memories…
Jeremy tapped his foot in slight impatience and gently nudged his friend. Michael blinked and tapped the start button, shaking off the uneasiness that was clouding his thoughts.
Jeremy had gotten a headstart. He weaved through the countless zombies, shooting them down one by one. Michael rapid fired in an attempt to catch up. Almost there…no! Nonono-
“Dude! Slow down!” Michael muttered a little bit too loudly.
“Dude, I can’t! Just catch up!” The taller boy stuck his tongue out as he continued to knock down zombie after zombie. Beginning to panic, Michael began mashing the buttons on his controller, desperately trying to kill the zombies crowding around him. It had gone split screen, he was so far behind. He was going to die, he couldn’t handle this many-
Player 1 died!
Continue without them?
Yes > No
Michael bit his lip, and almost drew blood when Jeremy picked 'yes’.
“Dude what the hell!?” he grabbed his friend’s arm. Jeremy pulled it off of him and almost hit him in the face.
“What!?” He didn’t even look at him.
“You just left me to die! Alone!”
“Well, you should’ve caught up! It’s not my fault you weren’t paying atten-aargh! I was doing so well!” Jeremy’s almost accusing look sent shivers down Michael’s spine as the repressed memories threatened to come flooding back, but he quickly smiled.
“Sorry!”
“It’s fine! Let’s just put some actual effort in, alright?”
He’s still mad. He ignored that thought, nodded and chose 'yes’ to restart the level.
He tried to concentrate on it, but his vision started blurring slightly. He blinked. The hell!?
“Get out of my way, loser” Jeremy muttered, his expression dark. He shoved Michael out of the way, slamming the door behind him. He flinched and replayed the memory in his head. What had he said wrong? He shrugged, and sighed.
“I am hanging in the bathroom, at the biggest party of the fall…”
Jeremy protected Michael this time, noticing he hadn’t gone through with his request. Whenever he glanced at him, he seemed…distracted, but he guessed he was just concentrating really hard. However, after the 4th glance, he decided to pause the game, which earned him a gasp from his friend. Or, that was what he thought, at least, until he looked at his best friend a 5th time.
Michael, overwhelmed by the similarity of the situation and the sudden flashback, let out a choked sob. This was followed by one tear, followed by more. He couldn’t hold them back anymore.
“Michael? Dude?” Jeremy blinked, gently resting his arm over Michael’s shoulders. “You OK?”
Michael didn’t reply, but the tears streaming down his face answered his question.
Jeremy sighed and pulled him closer.
“What’s up? You still sad about the first round?”
Michael shook his head a buried his face into his side. Jeremy sighed and hugged him.
“A game isn’t really anything to cry about…” Michael shook his head again.
“It’s not the game” he mumbled, though it was incredibly hard to understand as it was muffled.
“….what is it then?” Jeremy was almost shocked he could understand it.
Michael unburied his face and instead decided to lay on his lap, head facing the wall.
“The game.” Jeremy raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“You just said it-”
“I’m not just sad over the level!” He snapped, then took a deep breath, “I’m only slightly salty over that. It’s the…thoughts that it provoked! Memories! Yknow! Things I-”
“OK! OK! I get it!” Jeremy rested his hand in Michael’s soft hair while thinking for a moment. “May I ask what memories?”
Michael didn’t seem to care, he appreciated the affection.
“Party. Squip.”
“Ooh yea…sorry about that,”
“It wasn’t exactly-” he gestured with his hands “-fun, yknow? Panicking. Alone. In a spacious bathroom.”
Jeremy was silent. Michael just sighed.
“Don’t leave me behind.”
Jeremy gently kissed his forehead.
“I won’t.”