APPARENT | ✓

PREPOSSESSING

    

          ‘ Hello…’ I don’t answer my phone calls unless they’re from someone important to me. 

‘ Collins Walters, where are you? It’s late at night!’

‘ Mom relax, I had detention at school…’

‘ What?! That doesn’t make a good excuse for not being at home late at night!’

‘ I’m spending the night at the beach house, I need some space from everyone.’

‘ Collins, we talked about this. If something…’

‘ If something’s bugging me in my head, I should tell you about it so that you give me some pills and leave me in a strait-jacket! No thank you Brenda!’ I cut the phone.

I was walking next to the cars parked alongside Westward Beach. My dad bought a beach house there, he said it’s got the best view for a sunset here at Malibu. I used it as my fortress of solitude. I liked living in it alone. Things kept on getting worse for me. But I’d never blame Mary for causing any of them. Even if she told me to do most of them.
          The beach’s cold at night, but the sound of the waves keeps me warm and calm.

‘ Finally, some peace and quietness…’ I sat down on the couch in the living room, sipping some orange juice.

The TV was off, but I was looking at it like It was playing a movie...I zoned out, as usual. Is it still called daydreaming if it’s done at night?

‘ My love… I missed you so much.’

‘ Yeah, yeah I know that. What do you want. I need to be alone.’ I needed complete silence, even from Mary Fletcher.

‘ I know we both had a bad day, but let’s not forget the main reason we see each other more often than usual now. We’re supposed to be in each other's arms, you’re supposed to…’

‘ Find you…’ I needed that reminder.

It brought me back to earth even though I was daydreaming.

‘ I’m going to find you. But you make it hard by not giving me your specific details. I used to think that you were somewhere hiding in Malibu, but I’m now convinced that you could be on the moon.’ I wanted to know, I was sick and tired of all this pressure.

‘ These times are the toughest Collins, you just have to believe me when I tell you that I exist…’ She held my face with a gentle touch.

‘ Mary, I have done everything you told me to do ever since the day we met. And it’s been 4 fucking years...And I haven’t even seen a trace of a hair or glass slipper. All I can do is doubt myself, stop listening to you, take my pills and see the therapist mom’s been trying to make me meet.’ I didn’t know what to do if I never found her.

Who would I be if that happend.

‘ Oh you poor thing. I know what the problem is. You have something disturbing you and it isn’t me. And we both know who’s been getting to your head lately…’ She looked into my eyes. I’m sure if her eyes could talk, they’d have been screaming the name of the person to my face.

‘ Brenda?...’ That was a serious question.

I really hoped that it wasn’t her. I already had some tension between me and her.

‘ No no no! We know who’s been mocking because you can see me. The fool who would steal your lunch money and leave you hungry throughout the day. He is the bane to our lives Collins!...and he must be eradicated without us leaving any trace of our steps. After all, Malibu is a small city.’ She was standing and looking down on me on the couch with a smile as evil as a protagonist in a disney film.