They Laughed Hard While I Was Dying

Mia had stopped hearing me out.

Aaron crouched over me and tapped my cheek.

"I get it, man.

"You're used to being the center of attention. Tonight, nobody's playing along, so you're doing this for the spotlight."

People around us were laughing.

Phones were up.

"Embarrassing."

Mia's jaw set. She took a step back to put distance between us.

She looked at me. The last of the doubt left her face.

"Stop it."

My heart was pounding. My chest felt clamped tight.

I could not form a full sentence. I started inching toward the door.

Vision was breaking up at the edges. Light was flickering.

The aura was getting worse. Awareness was tearing apart.

Behind me, Aaron's laugh rang out.

"What? Got exposed, so now you're running?

"You were acting pretty well a minute ago."

The room burst into laughter.

Mia's face went cold, but she didn't stop them.

I almost reached the doorframe.

Aaron suddenly grabbed my ankle and yanked hard.

I was dragged backward across the floor. My forehead slammed into the corner of the table.

Pain exploded through my head.

However, the worst part was not the pain.

The stimulant residue combined with the caffeine was throwing my nervous system further out of control.

The seizure worsened. My limbs tightened and released uncontrollably.

"Mia."

Aaron sneered at her.

"Men need to be controlled. Especially the ones who love putting on an act. Better deal with it early.

"All the guys are here today. Good chance for you to practice, so you don't suffer after marriage."

He tossed me back onto the floor like I was worthless.

Mia stood nearby, staring down at me coldly.

"Get up.

"Stop embarrassing yourself."

She nudged me lightly with her foot.

Then she froze.

My face was no longer pale. It had turned gray.

My lips were purple.

Cold sweat kept running down my temples.

My breathing was uneven and disordered.

Aaron still did not care.

He had a waiter bring over an ice-cold drink, popped it open, and forced it into my mouth.

"Enough already. Stop acting.

"If you're overheated, drink something cold and wake up."

The caffeine and stimulant mixture entered my body again.

Almost instantly, my body jerked violently.

The convulsions became visibly worse.

My chest heaved sharply.

My breathing started breaking apart.

A strained, involuntary sound came from my throat.

This was not acting.

This was a seizure entering a dangerous stage.

The people around us finally started realizing something was wrong.

"He... doesn't look right."

"This doesn't look fake..."

The room slowly fell silent.

Mia stood frozen in place, her face turning pale.

Her fingers trembled slightly.

"Logan?"

Her voice shook as she called my name and stepped toward me unsteadily.

Aaron blocked her and suddenly laughed, pulling out his phone.

"What a coincidence.

"He actually played a seizure patient before."