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He knew that he wasn’t good enough, he didn’t need to be reminded of it each day by children, for that matter. The smile so forced that his cheeks hurt on a night, Max is right no one can be that happy but he didn’t want the campers to give up on the world so fast. The camp was the one bright spark in his life somewhere that he used to find happiness that was his escape from the abuse at home. Now at 24 he has nothing to be happy about but he put the smile on to stop everything crumbling to pieces around him.
The insomnia and eating disorder are a result of how much he doesn’t care about himself, the dark marks under his eyes not unseen by Gwen or Campbell (when he does come to visit) but they know that he is only going on for the children. He feds everyone else but forgets about himself. Max and Neil take note of that but don’t push the subject. They do ask Gwen about it one time. She only said that he was a broken man who had given up on everything. None of the other campers knew that anything was wrong until he collapses during a activity and Max was able to carry him without any strength needed, he was so thin and light that it scared Ma, how long had this been going on for, why had it got so bad. They all get back to the camp and Gwen runs forward and picks David up out of Max’s arms with no problem. “Shouldn’t we call someone, maybe his parents” asked Nikki worry presented in her voice. “David has no one that cares for him, apart from maybe us”
What the campers didn’t know was that it was family fun day, all of their parents had turned up and all of the parents had heard the admission that David had no one that cared about him. All the parents heard of the noise of people approaching behind them. David woke at that moment and flinched back as he spotted his parents “Oh, look the freak is alive real shame, maybe we should change that no one would care at all” his mother said to his father, laughing quietly, it was only loud enough that David was the only one that could hear the comment, he was glad no one else had heard, he wasn’t worth their time. He stood up his body aching from the hunger but we wouldn’t let that stop him making a good day for the campers. “David are you sure that you’re okay you barely weigh anything” Max asked quietly but loud enough that the parents could hear. If Max was been honest with himself he really cared about David now that he knew that he had no one, he had heard what David parents had said to him, we was going to get the police involved.
“I’m fine Max, let’s get the games ahead” replied David after a pause, one of the parents of a camper stepped forward at that moment. “Son, could I have a quick talk with you for a second, I promise I won’t hurt you “David quietly nodded afraid that the man would think he was a freak just like his parents thought he was. He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding the second he left the room his parents were in. “David, I work with people who have been abused as children and have developed disorders because of it, from what I call tell you have an eating and sleeping disorder but I know it deeper than that, I have therapy sessions that you are welcome to attended, I don’t want you to carry on these habits, the kids worry for your health. Police are on the way to arrest your parents and all of us parents are going to help you get better” David pauses “Thank you so much Sir, may ask for something its really stupid but could I please have a hug” David is then pulled into a hug rather than getting an answer “you can have an hug any time you want son”