Discomfort

Travis just listened quietly, finding Angel nicer every minute. It was so different being treated this way, and he couldn't help but wonder if this was the kind of thing he'd missed out on growing up.

He just smiled a little and took a sip of his pop. At the mention of Ashlee, his teeth bit into his straw as his cheeks got just a little warmer. His lips curled into a sheepish grin though. "Ashlee?" He acted as though he didn't know what Angel was talking about. "What's it matter what she thinks?" 

He chewed on the straw and shrugged with a little smirk. "She's nice. I like her. And she does seem kinda lonely, especially with Dylan being so offish." 

Glancing at his watch, he sighed. He'd taken up most of Angel's day, and he knew they needed to get back. He wasn't sure how he was going to deal with his dad, but he'd just have to figure it out.


"Alright, alright." Garret let Maggie almost drag him to the house where the scent of breakfast was now wafting through the air. He stopped halfway down the hall though, and managed to get his hand back. "You go on ahead and find out what Laura made."

Once alone, he turned to aim for the bedroom where he sank down on the bed. He sat for a couple minutes, but was so tired, he finally eased over to curl up on his side. His stomach was hungry, but his mind didn't care about eating. From his little meeting with Laura in the kitchen to Maggie's bird funeral,  everything this morning was upside down and backwards, and it felt like something in his mind and soul had an electrical short that kept painfully sparking. 

He didn't understand why he was still here if Laura was so fearful. Why did she allow him to stay and care for him? He didn't understand Maggie's affection and need for his hand...his arms...his assurance. And he certainly didn't understand why all of these unfamiliar emotions had started to churn in his heart. They were completely foreign, uncomfortable, downright painful, and he didn't like it at all. What was happening to him? He was trained to keep his walls up. Maintain distance from emotion. Keep others at arms length, and certainly never get attached. He was an expert at focusing and not caring what anyone else thought or felt. So why, all of a sudden, did it feel like he'd completely lost control? He didn't like it. Nor did he like the fear it created in his soul.

Sitting up again, his head spun. No fever or not, he wasn't well yet. But he had to leave. He couldn't stay here any longer. He'd go back to the Elite and suffer through the rest of his recovery there. But he couldn't take Laura's graciousness anymore. Or Maggie's blind faith in him. It wasn't fair to these people. He wasn't who they thought he was. He couldn't be. It's not who he was programmed to be. 

He slipped his socks on, then bent to lace up his boots. This was best for all involved. He never should have let Nate bring him here in the first place.


Jason winced as he moved his leg onto his desk to prop it up. He hadn't exactly stayed off it enough today, and was paying for it already. Trooper came around the corner of the desk and huffed a sigh before starting at him.

"What?" Jason rolled his eyes. "I know. You're hungry. So am I. But I forgot my lunch. So I can feed you, but what am I gonna do, huh?" 

Getting up, he limped his way down the hall, and over to Katie's cubicle. Leaning over the wall like he always did, he scrunched his nose a little, giving her a crooked sort of grin. "Um... I know this is...sort of not a great day... But, um... I may have forgotten my lunch today and... I was wondering if I dared break out of here, if you wouldn't mind watching my back to go grab something to eat?" 

He cocked his head a little, looking just about as pitiful as he could. "I'll bring it back here so it's a quick trip...and... I'll buy yours too. Or if you've already eaten, I'll buy you an ice cream. Or something." He grinned again. "Please? I really don't want a sandwich from the break room."