TRIGGER WARNING: mental illness; psychosis; stalker-like tendencies
It all started when they were younger. A and B were best friends, always together. It was during kindergarten when it happened. A tragic accident led to B drowning in a nearby creak. A had been with him earlier but had been called away by his parents. He told B to come too, but B insisted on staying, and that was the last time A saw him. Well, that was the last time that A was
supposed to see B. The first few weeks after his death, nothing happened. It started slowly, glimpses of movement off in the distance. It quickly escalated to voices, visions, things moving, until B started appearing.
A told his parents who were vaguely concerned. At first they passed it off as a young boy coping with his friends death, but as time progressed and A persisted that B was alive and coming to him at night, his parents began to worry. They took him to a doctor and A was diagnosed with paranoia and delirium. He was prescribed Haloperidol to counteract his visions. It worked at first, B fading away the longer he was taking it, but that didn't last long. B didn't want to leave, begging A not to 'erase' him. He told him if he kept taking his pills B would disappear forever and A couldn't have that. So, he stopped taking his medication, suffering a psychotic break, forcing his parents to institutionalize him for most of his childhood.
A is eighteen now and medicated. B comes and goes, rather persistent in making A stop taking his medicine as he had been in A's childhood, but A doesn't listen anymore. A wants a normal life, to go to college and function in society. He missed out on a lot growing up, and now that he's eighteen, he wants a happy life. Being an adult, the institute where he'd been living, believes he's ready to step out into the world. A has regular visits with a doctor while he's in school, about once a week to make sure he's staying on track with pills and that there aren't any major stressers.
All is well until C transfers into A's class. He looks eerily similar to B but all grown up. A is unsure at first, watching A from a distance. Over time, and thanks to a partner assignment, A and C get closer. However, with A and C's budding friendship B begins to make more and more appearances. A keeps this from his doctor as he is slowly weened off of his medication.
So this has several ways this can go:
1. C and B aren't the same person. C just looks similar. A suffers another break as B pushes him to quit his meds, convincing A that C is B. A is re-institutionalized and C visits him once a week to make sure he's getting the help he needs as they've grown pretty close.
2. B didn't die that day, only nearly. His parents moved him away after he got better, not wanting anything like that to happen again. C reveals himself to A to be B and helps him re-adjust to life.
3. B never existed. B was just a favorite doll of A's. B's 'drowning' was just A losing the toy in the creek that day. B is just a figment of his imagination and pushes him into a stalker-like relationship with C before he suffers a break and gets institutionalized. C still visits him, seeing as no one else will, to make sure he's getting help.