Picture This

Chapter 12

"Mom needs you to go downstairs and help get dinner ready," I tell Mike from his doorway. He just continues to stare at his computer. "Mike."

"Close the door," he orders, then turns around when he doesn't hear a click. "I said get out!"

I walk into his room and try to se what is on his computer. "No. No, I'm not gonna get out. Mike, you need to let someone in." He closes his laptop while I walk into the room, but I still see the chat page. "And not some.. stranger online. Who are you even talking to?" Red Alerts fused in from the schools telling us to stay away from strangers online tart going off in my head, a movie they made us watch about a depressed teenager killing himself because his 'friend' online told him it would help playing back in my head.

"What's going on in here?" Mom walks in behind me as Mike shakes his head.

"Nobody invited her in," Mike points at me, still not turning around.

I roll my eyes and walk past mom. "I tried." I tell her, planning to tell her about the laptop if she doesn't get it from Mike now.

"Mike, turn off the computer and come downstairs."

"I'm not hungry."

"Did you even eat lunch?" She half way accuses.

"Who cares?" Mike asks angrily. "Just close the door, I'm in the middle of something."

"No, you're done, give me the-"

"What are you doing?." Mike grabs the laptop as Mom does and they start to do tug of war with it. "Let go!" Mike glares at our mom angrily, pulling then shoving the laptop towards her.

"Stop it- Ahh!" Mom falls against his nightstand and his her wrist hard on the corner. Mike doesn't say anything, but takes his computer and runs from the room while my mom tries to stand up.

"Mom." I say quietly, worried about her and not knowing what to do in this situation. "Are you okay?"

She manages to stand up and look at me, rubbing her wrist. "I'm okay. Um, when your father gets home. This did not happen." She shakes her head as she tells me to convince me to keep quiet.

"No mom-"

"I have to tell him I tripped down the stairs, and you're going to tell him the same thing."

"Mom you can't just let him-"

"No. He cannot know about this." Mom interrupts me, getting the look in her eyes that shows there is more to this story. "This did not happen. I'll take care of it." She walks around me and heads for the door. "I'm gonna go get some ice and you're going to set the table." I stand there in Mike's room with my hand to my stomach, trying to wrap my head around what I just saw.

0000000000000000

"Your brother just left my house, check on him when he gets home." I read the text from Jason, worried Mike snuck out while Mom and I had dinner. After the day I had with Mrs. Sullivan giving new amo to A, I need Mike to choose which hormonal teenager he is going to be. "I'll call you later." Jason texts me before I can reply to his original text. I wait until I hear Mike in his room to go in there and check on him.

His door was open for once, and I could see him just sitting there, staring at his hands. I could see his back moving as he breathed, but then I heard him sniff. I walked into the room slowly, making a bit of noise so I don't scare him.

"Mike?" He turns around and glances at me, his eyes red around the edges and tears threatening to fall. "Hey," I say softly.

"Is mom going to be okay?" Mike asks just as softly. I sit down on his bed and nod.