For days, Tanner doesn't leave his room.
Not for food, not for air. Nothing.
The curtains remain drawn, the light in his room a dull hue of silence and sorrow. Outside the door, life continues in awkward, hesitant steps, like no one knows how to move forward.
Jayson, Jaxon, and Kyle occupy the study most of the time now, sitting in silence or pacing, glancing at the hallway every time a floorboard creaks, hoping, praying it might be him finally stepping out. But it never is.
It's Jaxon who finally says it, his voice low but heavy with frustration, "What do we do now? I don't think he's ever going to come out of that room. We've tried for days. It's like we don't even have a purpose anymore. Is there any reason why we're still sticking around?"
He throws his hands up, slumping back in the armchair. His words hang in the air, sharp and painful, like truth always is.
