Skylar's father essentially has half the top floor of the office to himself, and when Skylar enters he gives the front desk guy his ID.

Skylar has never seen this man before, and the guy barely looks at him when he takes the ID, beginning to examine it. Skylar sees the exact moment that he recognizes the last name.

The man's gaze shoots up to look into his eyes, wide. Yeah, Skylar isn't sure what he was expecting. Now that the man is sitting up straight, Skylar can see his name tag. Edson.

Yeah, Skylar doesn't recognize him at all. He's in uniform, though.

"Hall?" The guy asks, and Skylar supposes that his concern is valid. Skylar is wearing a torn hoodie and pajama pants, both with dried blood on them, though it's not super noticeable, due to them being a dark color. Still, he probably looks more like a homeless person than the mayor's son.

"Yeah, I need to see my dad."

The guy is just looking Skylar up and down, no doubt thinking the same thing. After a minute, Skylar hears Holly's voice;

"Let him in! Sorry about that, Skylar. He should be in his office!" Holly is clearly busy, since she's having to tell him this from a separate room. Skylar just glances at Edson one more time before walking to the elevator.

He presses the button for the top floor and steps in. The office isn't super busy, made even more apparent when he reaches his destination and it's dead silent. He just walks down the winding hallways until he finds the familiar office door with his fathers name on a gold plate.

V. Hall

Skylar knocks on the door, and contemplates praying for a slow demise.

Again, however, his prayers are never answered. He's learned that several times over with his complicated relationship with Ashton.

Skylar and Jessie's parents divorced when they were pretty young. Jessie was in elementary school and Skylar hadn't even started school yet. It was very one sided, Vince claiming that he'd just fallen out of love with their mother, Candace. Skylar bought it when he was little, but he knows better now. Love isn't conditional. If you stop loving someone, you never loved them to begin with.

Vince always felt guilty about it, though he never admitted it aloud. Still, Skylar could tell. Vince sent their mom money a lot, because she was a lot less well off than he was, and that was just one of the few things he did to try and make up for changing his mind like that. It didn't do much, since Candace probably wanted Vince more than any money on the planet. Then again, Skylar was pretty certain that she didn't love him like she used to anymore. Not when he fucked her over like he did.

It has become one of Skylar's greatest fears, though. He always wonder if he's going to push it too far one of these days and his dad is just going to snap. Like he did with Candace, decide he doesn't love Skylar anymore. That he's not worth the trouble.

Skylar had tried to clean up his act so many times, almost entirely because of this fear. However, it was no use. No matter how much he knew he should bring his grades up and calm down on the stunts and everything, he just couldn't. He was addicted to the thrill.

Vince flipped a paper over, glasses set low on his nose as he reads something. He's yet to acknowledge his son, who is getting more nervous by the minute. Eventually it becomes too much, and Skylar breaks the silence.

"I'm, uh, I'm gonna do credit recovery."

"Are you?"

Vince replies fast, almost cutting Skylar off, and it sets him more on edge. At least with his mother she will just yell and scold him. His father's coldness almost felt worse in this moment.

"I mean, yeah. I still have a year left."

Vince sighs, though it's hardly audible, and finally looks up from the papers on his desk. He narrows his eyes on his son, who is trying not to squirm.

"And what about the injuries?"

Skyler blinks, and he knew is father was probably going to be upset about that, but he didn't think he'd prefer to talk about it over his grades.

"I'm okay, it was just a cut. It's already basically healed." Skylar tries to minimize the situation the best he can.

"I'm sick of watching you destroy yourself, Skylar." Vince says, jaw clenched. Skylar knows that what he's saying comes from a place of love, but that's just the thing. Vince does love his children, at least as of right now, but he's always chose the tough love approach. It's starting to sound like he's building up to inducing some sort of punishment, and that's going to really suck.

"I'm fine, it wasn't anything serious. I'm already basically healed, so-"

"Let me finish," Vince interrupts. Skylar snaps his mouth shut. "Jessie never had any issues like this, your stunts and your grades and your punishment are new territory for me, but I'm reaching my limit."

Skylar really does not like where this is going.

"I can no longer handle the stress, but I've decided to give you one last chance. Clean up your act, and you have nothing to worry about. However, one more failed class or hospital visit and I am giving up for good."

Skylar was frozen, trying to figure out what exactly that meant. Giving up for good? How? Was he going to make Skylar live with his mom or something? Kick him out? Skylar is eighteen, so he legally could, and that's about the only thing Skylar can think of. The only possibility coming to mind about what he could mean.

"Do I make myself clear?"

Not really, if Skylar is being honest. He wants to know what his father means by give up, but he thinks that may be the point. Maybe he's making a point to be ominous. Trying to use a scare tactic or something. Still, Skylar has never seen him like this. He is not messing around anymore, he is very serious.

Skylar gulps, wondering if this is the beginning of the end for him.

"Yes, sir."

-

After that, Skylar needs a drink. He has multiple addictions, which he's not exactly proud of, but he only turns to alcohol when he's stressed. It's rare he's able to have these talks with his father anywhere that's not his office, so there's a bar nearby that is somewhat of a go-to for him.

He enters the building, trying everything in his power not to limp yet also attempting not to put much pressure on his leg. The bar isn't too busy right now, due to it being a random Saturday at 3 pm. So, the bar is mostly empty, and Skylar just walks straight up to it. He shows the bartender his ID, she makes him a whiskey cocktail, and Skylar just drinks it and feels stressed.

Typically when he does this, he does not stop drinking until he's drunk. Skylar is quite a happy drunk, the complete opposite of his normal personality, so generally it is the only way he can actually make himself feel better. No matter how artificial it is. Well, he's also happy when he does drugs. Or... drug. There is one specific drug he's addicted to, and it's called cytozine.

It's a yellow-orange color that glows a bit, which typically puts people off. However, it's the only way Skylar can fully relax. So, drugs to calm down, and alcohol to be happy. Maybe it's sad, but it's true.

Cytozine is highly addictive, but difficult to get one's hands on. It comes in various forms-pills, liquid injections, powder, and even fucking patches. Skylar has been an addict since he was 15, and therefore has done it in all his forms. He pretty much always has a stash of it somewhere.

Skylar has about two drinks before it all goes wrong.

Honestly, he shouldn't even be surprised. It's not like Skylar has ever had the bast luck. He's at least a little tipsy, so his mood is lifted, but when several people enter the bar and start scanning, it all goes away.

Shit. He needs to get out of here.

Skylar whisper-yells at the bartender that he needs his check, and she nods and goes to print it out. There aren't exactly many people in the bar, so Skylar knows he's fucked if he doesn't escape quite literally within the next couple seconds. The bartender had his check after a moment, but one of the other patrons at the bar stops her for whatever reason.

Skylar does not have the fucking time for this, so he does the only thing he can think of. He climbs over the bar-top, dropping several feet and unceremoniously landing on his bad leg. He winces, and it takes everything in him not to make a noise to match the pain.

Unfortunately, this catches the attention of the patrons at the bar. Also, the bartender, who gasps and actually drops his check. That part of the bar is wet, so he watches it instantly get soaked. So, as a final thought, Skylar pulls out a twenty and a couple of fives, which is probably enough, and sets it on the cooler.

Then, Skylar hears something behind him, and he turns to find the same men that just entered the bar now walking behind it. Presumably to retrieve him.

Shit, maybe that wasn't the best choice.

Remember earlier, when Skylar said that cytozine was difficult to get? Well, he has to get it through a specific dealer. One who is not exactly a great person, and likely saw his car outside. See, cytozine is also expensive, so more often than not he isn't able to pay for it. So, he steals it from this guy in particular. He goes by Crimson for whatever reason, and he still hasn't figured out how Skylar does it.

He doesn't know that Skylar knows about his own addiction to the substance, and the stashes he keeps in serval different places-his cars, his apartment, etc.

Skylar can usually pay him back eventually, though. Except, this time... he hasn't really been working lately... shit.

One of the guys with him grabs Skylar's ankle, which hurts like hell and he actually does shout in pain. The guy doesn't care, and then he's being dragged out of the facility. Normally he has some money on him, so he's able to get by with only a few bruises.

However, this time Skylar doesn't. He's been unable to work due to being constantly injured as of late. So, he's basically broke. The bar trip today essentially cleaned him out completely.

So, the men drag him out of the bar and onto the sidewalk. The concrete scratches Skylar's entire body, which hurts like hell, as they drag him into a nearby alleyway. He can't help the fact that he's actually scared, because this is the first time he's actually unable to pay them. It's likely that he's about to get really fucking hurt, as if he wasn't already in enough pain.

"You better pray you have the fucking money, or you're going in the morgue." Crimson threatens him, and Skylar is scared. However, he knows these guys will do the same amount of damage to him no matter how he acts. So, he's going to be himself.

"Well you look like you crawled out of one."

The men lift him up, and Crimson lands a blow right on his eye. Skylar tries not to make much sound because he knows that they will get satisfaction from it. That doesn't mean he isn't in severe pain, though.

"Where's my fucking money?"

"Up his ass," Skylar replies, vaguely motioning to one of the guys holding him up. Crimson just hits him again.

Skylar is then thrown against the wall, and from that point they really don't go easy on him. They punch him and throw him around and kick him, pretty much everything they can think of to cause him the maximum amount of pain without nearing lethal. Wow, empty threats.

By the time they're done, Skylar is in pretty bad shape. Crimson lets him know that he better have the money within the next week or day or whatever, Skylar was barely paying attention-too busy trying to figure out if his ribs are broken-even though he should've been.

Skylar lays in the alley for a while, trying to breathe without wheezing and get himself to move without experiencing excruciating pain. Eventually he can grab onto a nearby dumpster, and finally manages to pull himself up so he's standing. There are tears on his face from the pain, and several parts of his body that hurt so badly he's almost numb to it.

Oh, what he'd give to be free of addiction. Unfortunately, his dumbass fifteen year old self thought it would be cool to get himself hooked on the most addictive and expensive substance on the fucking planet.

Crimson went easy on him, probably since it was his first time not actually being able to pay him back. He doubts he will be so lucky next time, however.

When Skylar finally can stand, he pukes into the dumpster, likely because of his abdominal injuries. Then, doing everything he can to ignore the pain-it helps he has a ridiculously high pain tolerance-he walks back to his car.

Believe it or not, he's actually driven in worse condition. Getting the shit beaten out of him by men much larger and stronger is still not the worst he's been through. Seriously, he's been involved in some pretty crazy stunts and even more crazy accidents. Maybe he should look into his lack of self preservation, but oh well.

Skylar is actually a fantastic driver, because he has had to drive in this condition many times before. So, he makes it home in one piece. He parks correctly in the driveway, having been made acutely aware of his mistake last night, which likely gave away his nightly activities.

Luckily he does not see his father's car here. Unluckily, he does see Ashton's. Why has that guy been spending so much time here lately? Oh well, Skylar's not in the mood to care about anything except cleaning all this blood off of him and passing out. Since Vince isn't home he goes through the front door, hearing moving around somewhere else in the house but just walking directly to his room.

It's after he enters his room that he's finally able to get around to checking his phone. He finds a message from Jessie, which reads;

We need to have a talk when you get the chance

Skylar frowns down that, wondering what the hell it even means, but plans on just putting it off until tomorrow. That is, until a minute later, when he hears a knock on the door.

"Sky? Did you get my message?

Ugh, Skylar just wants this day to end.