Hear Me Out

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

       Dad didn't like me staying in the suite all day the next day. Apparently, I was wasting the money he spent on the cruise.

       He walked in the suite while I was playing the guitar. "Jeremy," he said. "You need to get out more. I payed to have access for everything on here, not for you to stay here all day. Even Tyler is out of the room."

       "Dad, you know I don't do well in crowds," I told him, not stopping playing the guitar. "I like the isolation of this room. And Tyler just brings his laptop wherever he goes, so of course he's out of the room more than me. But I like this room."

       "And I like it when money doesn't go to waste," Dad said.

       I stopped playing my guitar and looked at him. "What will I do?"

       "There's a teen hangout," Dad said. "Why not go to that?"

       "Because if anyone tries talking to me, I'll freeze up," I replied. "Can't I just stay here and paint or play the guitar or violin?"

        Dad sighed. "Fine. But we're going to a restaurant for dinner and you'll have to come with us." He left and closed the door. I didn't care. Going to a restaurant with my family was different than going anywhere by myself.

       I sighed and put my guitar away. Honestly, I just wanted to stay in my suite because I didn't want to run into Katie. She was my sister's best friend. My twin sister. If Massey found out that I liked her best friend, she would hate me. Once, she ignored me for a whole month because I accidentally put one of her shirts into the wash and it shrunk.

       I was just going to have to play things cool for a bit until either Massey gets a boyfriend so she can't complain about me possibly dating her best friend or until I no longer have feelings for Katie.

       It would most likely be the latter considering Dad never wanted Massey to date.

       Mom was the next one to come into my room. "Jeremy," she said. "Is everything okay?"

       "Why wouldn't everything be okay?" I asked.

       "You've been in here all day," she said.

       "That's because I hate crowds," I reminded her. "Just being around people makes my anxiety skyrocket through the roof. And Dad already tried talking me into leaving. Spoiler alert. It didn't work."

        Mom sighed. "Jeremy, I've known you ever since you were born. I can tell when you're hiding something."

       "Of course you've known me ever since I was born. Your my mom. You gave birth to me."

       "Okay, smart alec, that wasn't what I meant," she said. "I know when you're hiding something and right now, you are."

       I looked away from Mom. Out of everyone in my family, I trusted her the most with basically anything. After all, I got her artistic and musical skills. However, I still didn't know if I should tell her what was going on in my mind. "It's nothing," I told her. "Just a little....nothing."

       "Jeremy, if something's wrong...." Mom said as she sat down on the chair beside the couch.

      "Nothing's wrong," I said. "I promise. I just don't want to talk about it."

       "You know I was a teenager too, right?" Mom asked. "Surely I've been through something similar, if not completely the same."

       "I seriously doubt it," I muttered. Mom didn't have a twin or even had a crush on her brother's best friend. "You don't have a twin."