Finding Heartbreak [2.5 Leo Dooley]

Chapter Two

The mail room, next to the equipment room, is pretty small here on the island, but it does its job by providing my Mom's packages for me every week. Using the hydroloop technology, Big D created a little chute that goes back to our home in Mission Creek, allowing Mom to send me care packages and me to send her things back home. 

I walk through the door and smile slightly when I see the brown package sitting in the box underneath the chute. It's pretty small compared to some of the other packages I have received, but that doesn't matter to me because I'm going to see her tonight, anyway, when I go back to Mission Creek.

Today's the day. Later tonight, I'm going to finally be accepting my award at the Amateur Sci-Fi Film Festival. This is something that I've been waiting to receive for a long time because it's finally something I did all by myself, without the help from any of my siblings. It's finally something that can help prove that I'm not a wreck by myself, that I'm growing up and maturing. 

Though, getting care packages from my mother every week doesn't really tell others that I'm mature now, but that doesn't matter to me right now. I have been waiting all week for this food, especially because the food Big D has been providing makes me want to vomit. 

I pick up my care package from the white box, and a piece of paper flutters down to the ground. Picking it up, my eyes quickly scan the words Mom wrote to me. She usually doesn't leave letters for me, so this is pretty strange. However, my mom is pretty strange herself, and it doesn't bother me much.

Her letter says something about how she's so proud of me for winning this award for my short film and how she can't wait for me to be up on that stage later tonight to collect it, but I don't feel any sense of happiness about this award anymore. Making little films have been ruined because of Maggie. I can't film anything anymore without thinking about her, and I definitely don't want to think about her at all. 

I have to accept this award, though. I already told the judges at the Amateur Sci-Fi Film Festival that I would be attending to receive my award in front of everyone there. I can't back out now, mainly because this film festival has been getting ready for over a month. But this film festival has been tainted by Maggie, just like making films has been tainted. I asked her to go with me a month ago, but that's definitely off the table now. There's no way I would ever want to see her again, especially because this award is to celebrate me. 

With a sigh, I gather the box in my arms and trudge out of the mail room. Even if I don't feel happy right now, I can still enjoy the food Mom sent me from the mainland; that's the only thing that'll carry me through today. 

When I finally make it to the little cafe near the training center, my steps have become lighter as I eat some of the little snacks in the box. Mom always knows what to do when I'm feeling down, even when she isn't here with me on the island. 

"Ooh, what's that?" Spin asks me, gesturing to the box in my hands.

"Oh, this?" I ask him, forcing a smile on my face. Chase and Adam and Bree are all watching me with three different looks on their faces, which makes my smile slip slightly. "It's just a little care package my mom sent out for all of us." I narrow my eyes at him to let him know that he's not allowed to touch this box full of food as I say, "Oh, wait. Nope, it's just for me."

Suddenly, there's a loud squirting noise like someone decided to let some gas slip out of their rear end on accident. I glance at Bob to find him brushing some sort of crumbs off of his hands.

"Was that you, Bob?" Adam asks him.

"Oh, it's, uh, easier for me to swallow if I pretend it's a hamburger," Bob explains awkwardly. He shrugs slightly. "Which is tough because I don't even know what a hamburger is."