My Best Friend Jeffrey

Chapter 4: Desperate Help

I'm so glad. Ethan miraculously stopped hanging with that Jeffrey thing. It's been a couple days since our dispute, and he's been behaving "normal." It seems like the Ethan I knew before Jeffrey is somewhat back. 

I've heard him refer to Jeffrey as "Jeff", more like "Jeff-inetily horrendous." Anyways, Ethan is playing by himself. All alone, quiet, reserved, and everything a kid who plays alone is. 

Is this really happening? Is it true that Jeffrey's gone? 

No! Don't be foolish, it doesn't happen like the snap of a finger. 

I need to check. Just to be sure. I approached Ethan with caution. He was on the ground playing with his plastic dinosaur. "Ethan dear?" I smiled towards him. "Yes mommy?" He replied with an even bigger smile then mine. "Playing all alone?" I bit my lip. "Uh-huh! No Jeffrey here!" He giggled. 

Was it true? No, I believe my baby, I believe my own flesh and blood with all my being!

"Where did Jeffrey go? I told you that you couldn't play with each other anymore but didn't you say he lives with us? What happened sweetie?" 

"Oh. Jeffrey still lives here but we haven't interacted since you told us. We obey you mommy!" He was radiating. I felt assured, I know him, he would never disobey me. I know he wouldn't. 

He's clear as water, lying isn't his speciality at all. I felt like I was breathing oxygen again. Ethan is fine. He'll be fine. I got it all under control. Everything is perfectly fine...

Ethan POV:

"Psst. Jeff." I looked at him after mom went away. He was hiding behind the couch even though it didn't help him at all. 

"It worked! I acted natural like I was playing all alone and it worked! Even though we have been playing with each other without talking!" 

"Seeeeeee I told you bud. Mom won't suspect a single thing. She's clueless! Let's keep it up. Try your best not to give it away, alright?" Jeffrey said. 

"Okay. I-I'll try..." I reassured him.

Cathy POV:

After thinking it through, I feel like there's something about Ethan that's so... exaggerated. Is it bad I think he's acting a bit unusual? Like as in he's acting a little too much of a perfect angel child? For the past week, Ethan was "hanging all by himself." Was he really? I felt suspicious. 

Maybe I should investigate further. And so I did, after I acted like I trusted him, I pretended I left his room but secretly stood behind the door to eavesdrop on any valuable information I couldn't pass out on.

As I left the door a crack open, I tiptoed to my room and powerfully shut the door, making a dramatic, violent sound. That gave Ethan the effect I went inside the room (even if I did overemphasize the effect and sound a bit too much), then I quietly hid behind the door in hopes he didn't check behind it. 

To my relief, he did not, because after I pulled my little stunt, I heard him shut the door and heavily breathed what seemed to be a sigh of relief. The walls in our house were thin and you could easily listen through them, so even if he shut the door tightly, I could still hear if I put my ear up on the wall. In which I did, Ethan talked a bit lower than his regular tone, but he didn't whisper. I would never forget what he said out loud.

"What a moron! Mommy is so mindless I easily tricked her like no tomorrow! Right Jeffrey?! Uh-huh...Mhm, I KNOW RIGHT! Can't believe she doesn't suspect us! Want to play with our plastic dinosaurs now?" My jaw dropped at the filth I listened to. 

He disobeyed me, he didn't listen and instead continued to play with Jeffrey. But wait, Jeffrey isn't real so why am I so upset he just fooled himself..? Besides that, what I do know is more upsetting, the fact he disobeyed me or that he called me a mindless moron. I never even knew that Ethan knew what that meant, I am truly disappointed.

However Ethan said it himself, he "tricked" me like no tomorrow. Did he really? Isn't he just tricking himself that he punked me? But why would he go as far as to disobey me? It's too much, it's not normal. A child of his age wouldn't go this far to keep up this little ruse for this long. 

Is Ethan really that tenacious? I doubt it. I think the real problem here is Ethan's mental state. Forget everything I've said before, this isn't normal. 

Ethan needs desperate help.