It was morning. Jason and Liam were waiting for the others.

"Jason, you look worried. Why?" Liam said, not even facing Jason.

"Oh it's nothing. I'm just a little worried about Noah, he usually sends me videos of people cutting off doll heads and gluing them to everyday items when he wakes up. So I'm just wondering if he slept in by accident."

Liam looked annoyed. Jason wondered if he shouldn't have told him that.

Not too long after, Benjamin and Jayden came walking up together. Noah was not with them.

"Where's Noah? Is he sick or something?" Jason asked Jayden.

"Oh, uh no. He's already here, he left early." Jayden answered.

"Really? I didn't see him. He usually sits with us."

"Yeah... But I don't think you'll see him today. He probably won't go to his classes."

"Why not?" Jason's concern grew.

"Uh, well… our dad is forcing him to go to family therapy with him. So I guess he wants to be alone to think about what he's going to tell the therapist." Jayden kind of mumbled.

"Family Therapy?"

******

Noah sat alone at lunch and he had skipped all his classes. Jason wasn't expecting to see him at all, especially not in physics, which was the only class they had together. But yet, Noah came walking through the door.

"Noah?" Jason was surprised.

"Hey." Noah definitely didn't seem like himself, he was visibly unhappy and exhausted.

"I heard about the family therapy thing, are you alright?"

Noah stayed silent.

"Uh, I just wanted you to know that it'll be okay, and if things don't go well, you can always come to my house. We can hangout until you feel better."

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Noah looked up at Jason and smiled. Then he laid his head on his shoulder.

"You're too kind to me."

******

The only noise in the room was the clicking of an old grandfather clock. Noah and Anthony sat on a faux leather couch. There was a big gap between Noah and his father, he didn't want to be near him. Across from them was a woman with a cloud for a head- their current therapist, Mrs. Nibu.

"What seems to be straining your relationship at the moment." She asked.

"Lots of things-"

"Noah stop, let me start first." Anthony interrupted Noah.

"Fucking Christ."

"He doesn't respect me. He's constantly rude and won't listen. Even worse, his brother is starting to act like him now."

"Yeah, because he realizes how much of an asshole you are."

"No it's because of your horrible attitude, at least when you were doing all the stupid all the time, you didn't come home and desmerch my name to your little brother."

"Gentleman, please calm down. Noah, why do you feel this way about your father?"

"Because he blames the stupidest shit on me, even when it's not my fault. It's his own fault Jayden doesn't respect him"

"I don't even do that." Anthony argued.

"Yes you do! You blamed me that you had to move here. If you didn't want to move so badly then you should have just stayed in the old neighborhood by yourself!"

"Mr. Sanrijah, do you know why you might blame Noah for that? Or at the very least why would he think that you do?"

"So you're going to turn this on me?" Anthony sounded offended.

"I'm not blaming anyone, I just need you to answer."

"It's because if Noah would just listen to me and take my advice to stop dating boys, nothing like that could've ever happened."

"Oh fucking please!" Noah raised his voice "nothing that happened between me and Scott was because he was a guy, and the fact that you blame ME for it and not the guy who abused me is insane."

"I told you not to date him, didn't I? And guess what? You didn't listen to me. It's your own fault."

"You told me not to date him because you didn't like that I was with a guy, not because you "had a bad feeling" about him. So don't try and act like you're some poor soul who just wanted to help me."

"Sir if i may, I think that you need to start listening to your son more. He obviously needs you to be on his side, but you're too caught up in your own emotions." Mrs. Nibu said calmly.

"You're not helping. You know what, can we just get a new therapist?" Anthony seemed to not be even listening to her.

"Mr. Sanrijah, you've already seen every therapist in the office. We're not the problem, your inability to listen is, and If you could just listen then we might get somewhere today."

"No, I'm done. I don't think any of you can fix our broken family." Anthony got up and walked out, slamming the door as loud as he possibly could. Noah and the therapist were left alone.

"I'm sorry he's like that." Noah said to her.

"It's quite alright. I'm used to people like that. It is my job after all."

"Do you think we'll ever have a good relationship?"

"Truthfully, only time could tell."

******

Noah walked over to Jason's house and knocked on the door.

"Did… everything go okay?" Jason asked.

"No, but it's not like I expected it to." Noah gave him a weak smile.

"Here, come in."

Jason let him in and led him to his bedroom.

They sat on the floor for hours, talking about what happened and playing video games.

"I'm sorry it didn't go the way you planned." Jason said.

"It's fine. It never goes good anyways, so it's useless to even dream of it being different."

"Why don't you and your dad get along?"

"Cause he's selfish and doesn't listen to anyone."

"Has he always been like that?"

"Yeah. He's never really been loving either unless it benefits him. My mother is the loving one. Ironic how someone who's killed many men is more caring than a guy who's never had to struggle in his life."

"K-killed? Noah what? I thought she said she was a military nurse right?"

"Oh yeah, that's what she tells my dad, but she's actually a hitman for her family. Oh yeah, my mom's side of the family is part of the Mafia. He doesn't like them, so I understand why she wouldn't tell him."

"Wow, that… that is a lot to take in."

"Yeah. But I really love my mom. But, I'm pretty sure my dad is driving her away."

"I'm sorry that's happening."

"It's alright. I think everything will be fine eventually."

"That's a good way of looking at it."

It was three in the morning when Noah decided he was okay enough to leave Jason's house and go back home. While he was walking down the sidewalk, he got a text.

It was from his Mom.