"You--"
"Yes. I did."
"No."
"Yup!"
"Why, Mom?"
"Because it's not just you with these problems, you know?"
"But really? You sign me up for a support group on my first day to a whole new school? I'm freakish enough!"
In the kitchen of my mom's newly bought home, at 7:34am, I shake my head at her.
"Ryan, It's for you. Make some friends! Make memories!" She jumps a little, stirring the mix of food into a pot with a black handled spatula.
I sigh, rubbing my eyes, moving my hair off my forehead.
"Oh baby, it's all going to be fine. Don't worry." She throws a smile.
I try to smile back but it looks instead like a wimpy frown.
She hands me a plate of eggs, and I stare at it instead of eating.
Kissing my cheek, she hands me a cup of raspberry lemonade, which I proudly take.
"Please, try your best to get along with these other kids. Have a great first day. For me, please."
I groan on the inside, as she says the 'for me, please.' because I hear those same exact words every scholar year.
They never seem to work.
Giving up isn't really an option, either. She wants me to try, for real, and I just lose hope all the time.
what a terrible son I am.
But, on the outside, I drive a smile, without teeth, and it deems, for the first time in the last year alone, a smile back.
Must've been a believable looking one.
She kisses again, and trails off into her room.
I sip the lemonade she handed me, and sling my backpack over one shoulder.
"Bye, Mom. I'll see you at... whenever support group... ends, I guess." I put a hand near my mouth and yell, and after the sentence rolls off my tongue, I walk out of the house, key in hand, not even waiting for her animated response.
Then I walk more, until I reach the 'new destiny' awaited for me.
*
"Ryan.... last name I can't pronounce?"
I look up at te teenage girl doing the calls for the role.
The room we all sat in had about 12 chairs, all formed in some sort of circle arrangement.
I sat near the door, with my backpack in the space under, one leg crossed under my butt.
Next to me, on the left was no one, and on the right, a black haired Asian girl, holding her phone in her hand, leaning in her chair like it was the most comfortable thing in the entire world.
"New kid?" Some boy called from the other side of the room, and I nodded.
He bit his lip and winked at me, but I was too nervous in all to actually care about the notion he made.
"He's C-U-T-E."
"Yea! You're too cute to be here!" A girl stood and pointed a finger at me, and I chuckled nervously.
"Why are you here, anyways?"
Now's my time to shine.
"To... get support..."
"Wait... Does he think this is a real support group?"
This isn't a real support group?
What in hell?
"I---"
"He has an actual problem!" the girl from before jumped up again, instead of pointing.
Everyone in the room gasped.
"Cutie," the tall boy arose from his seat, walking towards me, and the blush on my pale cheeks showed, clearly.
"What's your problem?"
I couldn't tell them.
Yes I could.
No, I could not. It was dumb, and this wasn't even a place for the real... deal.
Yet, it slipped out of my mouth anyways.
"I... uh.. I'm afraid to re--read fanfiction..." I covered my face with my hands, my curly brown hair flopping down onto my hands, as I waited for laughter to fill the room.
Instead I felt a hand on my back.
"Hey. It's okay."
"Oli, let him think that."
His neck snaps and turns at another girl, but I don't catch her face.
"Honey, he's trying to snag you before Dylan comes into the room. Gay guy fight!"
The Asian girl next to me says with a little accent, raising her hand up in a rock fist.
Good lord.
"But, you guys are serious?"
"Yup. This isn't real support group." Someone said from a distance, and they all nodded, giving me reassurance.
"Hell, I only came for soft pretzels!"
"Interesting."
"But you can, if you'd like, stay with us. We won't make you do anything you wouldn't agree to." The boy winks again, as the Asian girl pulls him by the jean jacket.
"Oliver, sit down."
"Damn you."
"I guess I'll stay then." I shrug, and everyone cheers.
"PROPER INTRODUCTIONS! GO!"
-
im sorry for writing this, ill edit it when im not pissed at humanity and if you like it, gimme some motivation to write more. I just wanted this out in script and in for you, because you guys are my rocks.
thank you.
:)
