Where to go? Who to trust?

Chapter 3: Social Calls

There were stars in the night sky, a rare occasion for Karachi. Ethan lay on his roof, surrounded by empty bottles of Mountain Dew, and some rubble. It was quiet. No vehicles, no construction, no voices, nothing. The silence rendered the surroundings dead. It was just him, and the starry night sky. He closed his eyes, and took in the air around him. It was serene, and without chaos. Ethan glanced at his watch. It was 5:30 AM. It was of no consequence however, he was as active as one could be with eight hours of sleep.

The thought of the society fair kept rushing through his mind. Ethan had never been to such an event before. All his life he had avoided them due to a mound of social anxiety. This year however, he agreed with himself to go, and socialize.

A sharp feeling on his finger when he reached in his pockets made Ethan realize he still had his razor blades on him. He gulped. A fear of what had happened the day before had now persisted, and he kept the blades, if the need ever arose to use them again.

The sun peeked out from the horizon. It was time for him to get up. He went back downstairs, and into his room. Fidgeting through his wardrobe, he picked the first flannel shirt that he set his eyes on, and chose a pair of blue chinos to go along with them. The flannel was a bit tight on his body, even though it was from two months ago. A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. It was reassuring to have a day when there were no classes, and students could wear whatever they wanted right off the bat.

He saw the little plastic bag with the razors he had put on his dresser. He looked away, but he could not resist. He walked towards it reluctantly, and picked it up. His heartbeat sped up. Taking a long breath to calm himself down, he stuffed the bag in his back pocket, in case of an emergency.

Ethan walked out of his room looking like he was about to go to church. Mrs. Farooq was passing by, and said with a chuckle. "Ooohhh, who's the new girlfriend you're trying to impress?"

Ethan was visibly annoyed when his voice turned into a high-pitched screech. "Mom! I'm going to college, not on a date."

Mrs. Farooq gave him a pat on the shoulder, laughing. "Well, whenever you do, tell me. Now sit down, I'll make you breakfast."

Ethan sat at the breakfast table browsing through Reddit about "how to interact with people if you have social anxiety." He kept tapping his foot on the floor, and fidgeting around in his place. "What if I have another run-in with Maria?" Why oh why, could he not stop thinking about that, the one obstacle to his happiness. He knew in his heart that he could not forgive himself for what he did, let alone stop punishing himself for it. It was an obstruction he was creating for himself, because why else would she be so giddy to meet him again?

Ethan returned to the world of the living when his mother put a large plate of pancakes in front of him. The aroma was enticing, and irresistible. There were three pancakes stacked on top of each other. Maple syrup flowed from the top pancake's circumference like water down a waterfall. There was a generous pint of whipped cream on it, with a literal cherry on top. The rest of the area on the top pancake was covered with apple, and banana slices. Mrs. Farooq kissed her son's head, and said, "Well, enjoy!" He definitely would. Breakfast took his mind off of the overthought.

"Did dad leave again, mom?"

"Of course he did, your timings don't align with his. You'll have to go with Kamran again."

Oh well, at least Ethan would get to see him. The two hadn't been in contact since yesterday morning. Ethan left the house, and was about to call Kamran, who to his surprise, was standing right where he was the day before.

"Do you creep outside my house like this everyday? Or is this some new habit?" Ethan seemed almost concerned at how Kamran was right there when he needed him, again!