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Mike couldn't remember the last time he had been in so much pain. Even when he had cracked his head on a tree and nearly drowned hadn't been as horrible. The pain he was currently feeling was in his heart, making him want to dig into his chest until he could yank it out and bury it under all the falling snow. How was he ever going to recover from the revelations Sandy had hit him with? The realization that she had been unfaithful for who knows how many months cut him deeply, but knowing that they were officially broken up - that a relationship they had cultivated for years was over - made him want to throw up.
He had run out of the house so fast that he hadn't bothered to think about the weather. Luckily he was wearing his jacket and scarf, but it was still blistering cold outside. He couldn't feel it underneath all the adrenaline coursing through his veins, though. He just kept running, and running, and all he could do was run. No matter how much distance he put between himself and his phone, though, her voice still haunted his every step. It was over. It was over. Over over over over-
It was as if he had induced himself into a trance as soon as he left his room. By the time he came to, he could feel the consequences of his actions. The blustery breeze bit at him through his sleeves, chilling him to the bone. He wrapped his arms around himself, shivering but not particularly caring about his current condition. He was a completely miserable mess, with tears falling freely from his eyes. Everything hurt so badly that he was strongly considering lying down in the snow and letting it cover his sad self.
"Mikie?" A voice broke through the fog that surrounded his entire being. Through his tear-streaked vision, he saw what appeared to be two people standing a short distance away from him. He couldn't make out their expressions anymore, but he could tell who they were: Jessica and Rachel. Something in the back of his mind felt some sort of shame for being caught in such a terrible state, but that voice was tiny and drowned in the sea of his sorrows. He didn't make a sound, unsure of how to even explain what he was doing there, or what had happened.
"What's wrong with him?" They were approaching him, and he didn't have anywhere to go. He just stood there sniffling, looking small and pathetic. It made Jessica basically tower over him, her eyes looking him over as if there was a button she could slap to stop the waterworks. "What happened? Did someone hurt you?" That was a loaded question. Someone had hurt him, but not in a way either of them could see. It was nestled deep within him, leaving open wounds that refused to scar.
"Oh sweetie, come here." Rachel gently grabbed onto Mike's arms and pulled him into a hug, a sudden warmth flooding his very soul. He had never realized how touch-starved he truly was, until he was openly sobbing all over again. Jessica frowned as a startled Rachel tried rubbing soothing circles against his back. "Let's get you someplace warm, okay?" She then turned to Jessica, smiling sheepishly. "You don't mind carrying the stuff home, do you?" Mike hadn't even noticed the bags that Jessica was carrying, nor the ones Rachel had dropped at her sides to try and comfort the stricken korat.
"Nah, I got it. Come over whenever you want it." With a wave, Jessica continued her trek on through the cold weather, leaving Mike and Rachel behind.
"Come on, Mikie." Taking one of his hands in her own, Rachel led her morose companion on a walk to her house. Mike had run so far and for so long that he'd ended up farther away from his place than expected. Not that he really cared about that in the state he was in. When he looked over his shoulder, he swore he could see Sandy standing there, watching him before turning and walking away. He wanted to reach out to her, but all he could do was watch pitifully as she disappeared.
Rachel's house was much warmer and more inviting. She guided him to the living room couch, where he sat down and sunk into the cushions like a boneless sea creature. It was the same couch he had sat on when he had gotten drunk and completely fallen apart emotionally in front of all his friends. "Let me get you something warm to drink." After making sure he was okay to stay there by himself for a few minutes, Rachel absconded to the kitchen. While she was gone, Mike tried his best to look more presentable. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve, leaving them red and wet. Maybe he needed to find a different place to sit...
"Here you go." Before he could move, Rachel was back with a mug of hot chocolate. "You can pick out the marshmallows if you don't like them." He took the mug gratefully and took a small drink, immediately feeling the effects of the liquid's warmth spilling across his tongue. That was when the shame of how he had been acting fully revealed itself. His face went red as he looked over at Rachel, who had sat next to him on the couch and was patiently waiting for him to say something. She had a hand on his knee, but wasn't going to push him when he wasn't ready.
"I'm sorry," he hiccupped, taking another longer draft of his drink. He hadn't realized just how much he needed that warmth.
"No need to apologize, sweetie. If you want to talk about it, I'm all ears." She pushed up her ears with her hands, then let them flop back down. It made Mike laugh, but the effect of such an action made him start to cry all over again. He leaned down and pressed his forehead to the rim of the mug, sobbing bitterly. "Oh Mikie..."
"It's over. It's all over," he cried. "Sandy, she... she broke up with me. She was cheating on me all this time, and she... she said it's over..." Sobs wracked his body as he clutched the mug tightly, only loosening his grip when he worried that he might break it. "What am I supposed to do without her? She's my- She was my everything, and now I... I..." He couldn't say anymore, his words becoming a garbled mess of pitiful cries.
"I'm so sorry, Mikie." She gently took the mug away from him and set it on the nearby nightstand. Then she wrapped an arm around him and pulled him over to let him rest his head on her shoulder. "Breakups are never fun. It hurts like nothing else does." Mike believed that wholeheartedly. He could feel that pain squeezing his heart, and he swore it was going to burst in its grasp. "Your friends will be there for you, though." To her surprise, that got a disbelieving scoff in response.
"They won't care. I ruined everything with them too. I was awful and pushed everyone away, until Sandy was all I had. Now I have nothing." He pressed his palms against his eyes and sobbed loudly. "They'll never forgive me! I've lost everything and it's all my fault!" All Rachel could do was let him cry, holding him so he at least wasn't alone while going through such a traumatic event.
"You've got good friends, Mikie. I don't believe that they'll leave you so easily." She smiled softly, rubbing his back. "I can always tell how much they care for you. It's not something easily broken." Could that really be true? Would they be able to forgive him for his many transgressions? All of his actions, all for a girl who didn't even truly love him. Fresh tears streamed down his cheeks, only to be gently wiped away by Rachel. "You can stay here as long as you need to. I don't want you freezing to death out there. Do you want to call your parents and let them know?"
"I... I didn't bring my cellphone," he admitted, looking shamefully at the floor. "I lost control and threw it." It didn't sound like something he'd do, but it was an act of passion, so it at least made sense.
"Then we might want to get you home, just so your family doesn't worry." It made sense, and Mike really had no choice but to go along with it. The thought of returning to where he had been broken up with felt like a knife was being thrust into his chest, though. Still, he knew that if he was out too long, his parents would worry about him, and he didn't really want to talk about what had happened for a second time. He had no idea how they would react to the news.
He sat there in relative silence while Rachel got Matt to come over and drive him home, except for the occasional sob session. Thankfully Rachel stayed with him the entire time, trying her best to keep him calm while the world fell apart around him. Even when Matt made it over with his car, she came with and sat with him in the backseat. Matt didn't ask any questions, though he tried to keep things light with some banter between him and Rachel. Mike was grateful that he didn't have to say anything, and the conversation was at least some sort of a distraction from the slithering shadows snaking across his mind.
He got one more hug from Rachel before exiting the car. "Stay strong, okay sweetie?" Then he was trudging to the front door, hoping to make it back to his room without drawing any attention. He gave her and Matt a little wave, then disappeared into his house. Meanwhile, Rachel got out and hopped into the passenger seat, staring at Mike's house until they had driven far enough away for it to be no longer seen.
"Everything alright, Rachel? You're pretty quiet," Matt commented, giving her a quick glance before returning his eyes fully to the road.
"Yeah, I'm okay." She smiled, but inside she felt a bit of guilt, because now, after hearing all that happened... Mike had suddenly become her type.