Fragments Chapter 13 Page 12

Suddenly a voice calls out to him: Need a hand there buddy?

He looks around, almost panicking that somebody had gotten into his house while he was so vulnerable. After a few seconds Tommy stands over him and looks down while he struggles under the bar. Another hallucination, another leak, again at the wrong time, and dismisses it as he readies himself to push the weight up and off his chest.

Tommy: Come on, I’ll help you.

He walks around to the top of the bench and leans over to grip the bar. Steve spits and breaths in short puffs as he presses as hard as he can, only annoyed by Tommy’s presence here. He didn’t need the distraction right now and shouts at him in his mind: I DON’T NEED YOUR HELP!