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He was running.
Jake was running away from school, away from the music club, away from his friends, away from Daisy’s worry when she saw him crying,from Elliot’s panicked expression when Jake accidently fell and hurt his hand so badly it bleeded, from everything.
He just wanted to be home, in his bed ; Crying his heart out with nobody judging him for that.
He wanted Oreo.
His heart was hurting so much, just like it was enchained by guilt,anger,sadness and every negative feeling possible.
Even if he was running, the way home looked so long, and Jake could barely breathe correctly anymore because of the uncontrollable sobs coming from his mouth.
This same goddamn mouth who said all those horrible things about the club.
When he entered his home, he finally took a deep breath and closed the door, before falling on his knees. No one was here yet, his parents were still working and his little brother was still at school. The sensation Jake felt was horrible, he felt weak,he couldn’t stand up anymore. His heart was racing and his chest hurted. He was shaking, and felt like he lost any control over his body, he was scared. Was he going to die ? Nothing looked real anymore, but then he heard something running to him.
No one was here yet,except for his dog Oreo.
Oreo licked Jake’s face, as if he dried the tired boy’s tears. Then the dog put his head against Jake’s chest to calm him down , and the boy immediately hugged his dog ; Oreo is the only one on this earth who can calm Jake down.
Back when he was 10 years old, when Jake was diagnosed with PTSD and other mental illnesses he didn’t want to remember; his therapist welcomed him with a dog. It was the first time Jake saw that dog but the Dog immediately ran to him and put his head in Jake’s hand. It was warm, nothing has ever been warmer for Jake and it made him cry without knowing why.
Then, the man announced to him that the dog was a special dog who could help him through his issues everyday from now on. When it was time to give the dog a name, Jake said:
“Oreo. Because his fur looks like one ! And Oreos are the best!”
He hugged Oreo, excited to have finally a best friend that will love him despite everything.
Now here he was, sobbing and hugging Oreo as his life depended on it.
“I’m sorry for exploding…I said some things I didn't mean.”
Oreo gently put his head on Jake’s shoulder as the peach-haired boy hugged him tightly, crying.
“And I don’t know what came over me…”
Jake remembered back in Drew’s house, how everything his friends said overwhelmed him, part of him was screaming about how he got manipulated, but the other half,well…It still had faith that it wasn’t their attention.
“It’s just that I’m really hurting..”
Ever since he heard Hailey singing, everything started to go down for him. Pressure, fear of being abandoned, not being able to open up to everyone in fear nobody would acknowledge his feelings. All those negative emotions were finally coming out in tears that ended up in Oreo’s fur.
“It’s boiling above the sertraline..” He tried to laugh a little by saying complicated words he didn’t even remember the meaning of. Jake sighed as he buried his face in his dog’s fur.
“ Colliding into the concrete…”
He tried to dry his tears, and then Oreo licked his hand to show him support and love, the only thing Jake ever truly wanted. He could have it all if none of this ever happened. The music club could have given him all of this ; But if he was honest, Oreo’s love and support is the only thing Jake needs.
“You're gonna wish you believed me…God I wish I was happy…”
Jake smiled weakly at his dog.
“The fraying threads of recovery, crushing me from above and underneath…”
He gently dried his tears with his hand.
“You’re gonna wish you believed me.”
He hugged Oreo. In this world, Jake’s only safe place is a dog with an oreo fur. Maybe he wasn’t safe anywhere else anymore, but it didn’t matter at the moment. It was only him and Oreo, both of them against the world, and Jake knew that with Oreo by his side, he didn’t have to fear.