Love At First Fight

Chapter Thirty Two

Song that goes with the chapter is Homesick by Dua Lipa, Feat. Chris Martin. It's off to the side, hope you guys like it---}}

Violet

"But this time tomorrow morning, my mom probably won't even remember who I am."

It's quiet for a moment after the words leave Trevor's mouth. I'm not sure what it is that Trevor's talking about yet, but can already feel the drastic change in the atmosphere. We've once again managed to go from bickering to serious all in one sentence.

I don't say anything first, not exactly sure what I should say. What he just said was vague but impactful at the same time, and I don't want to ask something that may or may not upset him. Just from the way that he's sitting it's easy to tell that this isn't an easy topic for him, clearly his home life isn't smooth sailing like I had initially thought it was.

"Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome," Trevor's voice finally fills the silence and he looks up at me. Our eyes connect and I tilt my head to the side, the words leaving his mouth sounding completely odd and foreign. He glances down at the ground for a moment. "I take it you don't know what that is?"

"I've never heard of it," I shake my head at the question. "I'm assuming that it's something... bad?"

"It's just another fucked up disease that attacks innocent people," Trevor sighs. "I've done a lot of research on it, but I'm still not sure I really get it. I guess it's a brain disorder that usually comes from not having enough vitamin B-1."

"What does that mean?"

"You need Vitamin B-1 because it helps you brain cells to produce more energy from sugar and whatnot, right?" I nod my understanding. "Well when your levels get to low, they can't generate enough energy to work properly. That's the Korsakoff syndrome part of it. Her disease is more of a two for one."

"A two for one?" I frown at the boy. "How does low energy levels cause memory loss?"

"That's where Wernicke encephalopathy comes in," Trevor says and I can't help but to feel a little below Trevor as he continues to explain things without much thought. No matter what he may think, he seems very well versed on this topic. "Korsakoff syndrome is more often than not followed by a case of Wernicke encephalopathy. It usually causes all the normal shitty stuff that accompanies bad diseases. Stumbling, bad coordination, and of course, brain disruption. Since Korsakoff and Wernicke follow each other so closely I guess the higher up people decided to jam them together and birth out what we now know as Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. A dreadful and dangerous pairing."

"I'm sorry," I say when he finishes what he's saying, not knowing what else to say. "You certainly seem to know a lot about it."

"I wanted to learn more about it for my mom," his eyes finally lift back up to mine. "To see if maybe there was something I could do for her. I always thought that there had to be something that the doctors were missing that I wouldn't. That's how it happens in the movies isn't it? Everyone in the film is convinced that the mom is too far gone but her son, the main character, sees something that everyone else skipped over. But I just can't see it. I feel like I'm always missing something that should be there, but it just never is. Why can't I be the boy in the movies that solves everything? Why can't she be the mom, ya know? I always think that it's just not fair, but then I have to remember that this isn't a movie. It's not a book. Reality is reality and everyone has to deal with it at some point."

"Reality doesn't always have to be reality," I say taking a small step towards him. He doesn't appear to notice or acknowledge the small movement. "Things can get better, sometimes I guess."