Alex

The drive to LAX was brutal for Alex but since his mother had promised to meet Oscar there and go back home together, Alex agreed to go with their plan. As long as those plans got him the hell out of that place as soon as possible. Oscar joined them at the terminal hours later and Alex was glad for his parents money to be able to purchase the ticket that soon.

He barely said any words as they rode back in the cab back home and it was more depressing compared to the last one. Alex barely said a word when they arrived and it was purely heartbreaking to see him like this. It was late when the time they arrived and Alex wanted to head straight to his room leaving his mum and Oscar by the door unloading the luggage only his sister got in the way. June was surprised to see her brother came back for the remaining of his vacation days and Alex didn't even bother to greet her when he arrived.

"Woah, back so soon? Thought you might want to sulk a bit longer." She says smirking as Alex get off the car and grabbed his bag pack over his shoulder. He glared at her standing at the door but couldn't be bother by her words and instead of returning her sarcastic comments on his fleeing, he walked pasts her and she can see the look on Alex's face is different that the usual.

"Fuck off June." He says and June was taken back by his tone but when she wanted to reply his cruel act, their mother stepped in between them. "Leave your brother be." She warns her and Alex was already lost inside the house headed straight upstairs into his room slamming the door for everyone to hear sending signals not to be disturbed.

"What happened to him?" She asks as she helped her mother with their luggage and Oscar smiles when she turned her gaze towards him. June was surprised seeing him back here, sending her mother home and somehow she felt relieved overcome her little worry hearts. "Good to see you again Oscar." She says giving him a hug and he smiled sincerely towards her.

"You both has a lot to catch up on. I'll leave you to it." He says and Ellen smiles kissing him on his lips softly earning June a smile but she hides it later by pressing her lips. "Goodnight June." He says before getting in his car and drove away. June glared at her mother next to her before she dismissed her blushing away into their home. "Something happened, tell me!" She yells behind her as she followed her inside their home.

Soon as Ellen placed her things down in her room, she joins by June standing by her door framed pleading her to tell her everything that happens. "Not now June. I'm exhausted." She says and June sighed, "Come on mum, please. Don't leave me out of it. When did you guys get back together? Why is Alex's moping in his room?" She asks lots of questions towards her mother as Ellen starts unpack but she could only sighs at her.

"Not tonight June, please." She says as she tossed her bag to the ground and headed to her bathroom shutting the door to escape from June's questions. June sighs desperately letting her mum be after their journey but intended to find out the rest of it tomorrow instead. So she went to her room, shutting the door to their quiet home and hoped she will get her answer soon.

.

It shocked June from her sleep when she heard Alex screamed at this dreadful hours. She wasn't sure if she heard it right but when she heard her brother screamed again and a glass broke shattering, she jumped out from her bed and ran towards his room. She found her mother already by Alex side holding on to him as he cried on her shoulder and the broken glass shattered on the floor of his bedroom. "What happened?" She asks and Ellen turned her gaze towards her by the door. "Stay in your room, Alex is just having a bad dream." She says and June find it odd seeing Alex never had bad dreams before only when they were little. But the look on Alex's crying face tells her that it wasn't just a dream, it was something different. Something must have happened to him that made him disturbed like this.

"Mum just fucking tell me what happened to Alex. Why is he like this?" She asks concerned at her brother but Ellen sighed dreadfully at her, "Not now June! Get out!" She couldn't help raising her voice at her and she was hurt by her mum treating her like this but the way her brother is shaking on bed with her mum holding on to him like he was slipping away into darkness made her listened and stomped her way back to her room.

June slammed the door in anger and worried filling her chest as she starts pacing trying to ease the rush in her worried heart. She was interrupted from her cluttered mind when Ellen knocks on her door and entered finding her pacing around the room in her night wear. "June." She starts but June cut her off raising her palm towards her. "Either you tell me what the fuck happened to Alex or don't bother talk to me anymore." She dares her but she can see her mother exhaled longly before closing the door of her bedroom. "Sit." She says sternly and June obeys plopping herself down on her bed.

Ellen sighs joining her on her bed next to her before raising her fingers over June's hair bringing it behind her ears and she can see how worried she is at her little brother. "Something did happened. Not to your brother though, thank God. But to Henry, his roommate." She starts and June sat there waiting patiently at her before she continues.

June remembers Henry from what Alex told her before. He was the absolute crush for every gay men but to have Henry as his friend was absolute gift for Alex. She remembers the way Alex told her about him, how Henry was a like a closeted prince and how he loves teasing him each day and when they grew closer as friends, he gets to know Henry a little better and somehow misunderstood him.

"What happened to Henry?" She asks and Ellen swallowed her throat dryly before she grabbed her hand in hers. "He uhm- he was raped." The word made June's heart dropped and sending chills down her spine. "Oh God." She whispered and Ellen continued on her stories telling how Alex and her found him on bed later that day bleeding to his death.

Alex had been having bad dreams about Henry ever since and the fact that he won't stop blaming himself for what happened to Henry, makes it worst. Ellen told June how Henry refused to tell anyone about what happened, not even Alex is able to convince him but they somehow knew who it was and Alex had no proof to make sure they are caught.

June felt tears running down her face when her mother told her about how Henry was fighting literally every single men that came to him. He was so traumatized by the event, he eventually will hurt himself in a process. So Phillip, his brother had to bring him home back to London just so he could get a proper help he need, and mostly, his family would be there. But Ellen doubt any of Henry's family is like theirs. His mother is gone in the wind, his sister is hiding in rehab and leaves only his brother with a memory of his dead father for Henry to continue to live on.

"Is he gonna be okay?" June asks and Ellen sighs staring at their intertwined hands over their laps. "I honestly don't know love. I do hope he does." June stares at her mother tired face, "Is Alex gonna be okay?" She asked the more obvious questions and Ellen pressed her lips together, "I hope so, I hate seeing him like this." June nods at her knowing whatever it is, they will get through it as a family.

.

Alex couldn't get that image off his mind since he had that dream. It keeps repeating it over and over every time he tried to get some sleep. The look on Henry's face with blood pouring out of him makes Alex questioned his sanity right now. He woke up constantly with sore throat due to screaming and he barely had any voice to speak after he wakes up.

The scream channels him from Henry himself and hearing how he'd screamed before had it echoed in his mind ever since.

Alex woke up the next morning feeling sore all over him. His body is trying to tell him how tired he is from all the traveling and the sleepless night he had. He laid in his bed hugging his small pillow right under his chin feeling the coldness in his room spread through his skin. He stares at the window of his bedroom watching the sun rises shining light into his room and his first thought was Henry.

He grabbed his phone from his bedside and starts tapping for Henry's number. He stops when he remembers how Henry shattered his phone back in their dorm room and sighs. So instead, he called Phillip.

It took few rings before he answered and Alex can hear the sighs in his voice after he answered. "Hello Alex." Phillip's voice sounds disappointing and Alex sat up in his bed clutching on the phone next to his ear. "How is he?" He asks and Phillip sighs again. "Still sleeping. Barely said anything." He replied and Alex pressed his lips together. "Can you tell him, I called." Alex can feel his voice is breaking and he hoped he get to talk to Henry but he knows that's his chances are slim to none.

"Hanging there Alex, I'll update you if anything." Phillip says and seconds later he hung up the phone leaving Alex in stunt silence staring into his locked screen. He taps on his phone again opening the gallery and starts scrolling down through his photos when he saw few photos of Henry that he took silently without his noticed.

He smiled at the photo he took in their dorm room with Henry leaning against his chair by the window laughing at one of his jokes. He flipped through another and it was Henry seconds later finding Alex snapping his photo and stares annoyingly at him. He laughs softly before he felt his visions blurred by his tears before he was interrupted by a knock on the door. He wiped his tears hurriedly trying to hide his own sadness when he saw his sister walked in with trays of fresh coffee in her hand and the smell of French toast made his stomach grumbled.

"Morning bud." She says and Alex smiles at her from his bed placing his phone down on his side before she placed the tray over the study table. She handed him the coffee mug and he thanked her softly before taking a sip. June eyed him placing the coffee mug down next to him before she joins him on the bed and June can see how upset Alex is right now.

"Mum told me what happened. Alex I'm so sorry about Henry." June says as she placed her palm over his hands and she can see how hard Alex is trying to hide his tears. He looked up to meet June's eyes and she can see how reddened it got before she pulls him for a hug.

Alex sobs in her shoulder as she wrapped her arm around his tighter hoping it would ease the pain he's feeling. "It was all my fault June." June pulls away from Alex's hug to look at him directly, "Why would you say that? Everything happens is no one's fault. If you ask me its the bastard that did this to Henry is the one a fault." June tried to make sense into Alex's but she knows how badly he feels right now.

"I should have told Henry the truth about them. Henry was naive and I should have-" June grabbed Alex by his cheek to stop him and Alex stares deeply into her eyes. "Stop. Stop putting those ideas in your mind Alex. Stop blaming yourself for what happened. No one can take it back, there is no point, it happened. You can't change it. Henry knows that." June tried to tell her brother and when Alex blinks, a single tear fell on her palm. She wipes it with her thumb and Alex nods before resting his head over her lap.

June sighs running her fingers over his curls letting him cry himself over her lap and wished she didn't have to see her little brother like this. She hates how her happy, cheerful, running in the wild brother had turned into this depressed teenagers she hates he might not come out of at all. She promised herself that she wanted to make sure Alex won't be dwelling in his sadness anymore than he should.