Chapter 11

The tensions have been growing high among the pack. Ryan can tell that there is fighting going beyond the bubble they have created for him. That is infuriating to him, that they treat him like he can’t handle it, like he is too fragile for the real world. Katie and Sam are on the rocks, Katie keeps crying and Sam keeps yelling, which is completely his normal personality, but when they talking about his illness nothing is the same. Sam the mild mannered, sweet, calm teenager is yelling and angry over the smallest things. Katie who is normally stable is falling to pieces, crying and bawling her eyes out because one of the people that she has always trusted, and trust is hard to come by and he is leaving and it feels like a lie.

Ben and Bri have been struggling too. Bri and Katie are inseparable these days, that’s partially because they are twins but also that neither can stop crying,   Bri is consumed by the fact that the 17 year old boy sitting at his house is Ryan, her brother, one of her best friend. Ben is just stoic all the time. It is hard for Ben and Bri to connect because Bri can’t understand why Ben isn’t upset, he is of course, but he has never been good at showing it.

Peyton and Kyle, both classically bitter people, continue to be angry. They yell at each other, and surprisingly enough they are doing the best of all the couples. It might not be healthy, and it might not be normal but at least it was something.

Peyton is fighting with Julia one minute then not the next. It was that way with everyone. Sam and Kyle are at each other’s throats and Ben doesn’t want anything to do with anyone. Katie and Bri, the inseparable twins even find themselves fighting for the first time in years.

Everyone is angry. Ryan can see it in the way they look at each other and understand that it, that he is tearing them apart. One day Ryan just snaps.

“Everyone stop.” He shouts above the noise. They look at him. “You all need to stop fighting.” They look confused “I know that you are fighting with each other, and I am sorry that I did this to you, but now I am telling you to stop. I will never forgive myself if leave you all like this. I hate that I am the cause.”

“Ryan… it’s not your fault” But Ryan knows full well that it is and glares at Julia for saying it.

“Don’t try to make me feel better you know that’s not possible. So stop fighting, I can’t imagine what it will be like after I’m dead, if it is this bad now, you have to promise me that you will get over it” they feel so guilty, and it’s the little push they needed to get their s**t together. It was short, it wasn’t dramatic, it just was better. Not fixed, it will never be exactly like it was before. But they don’t fight as much anymore. Ryan takes it as a victory.