Game Over: Life's Over

Gone

I didn't wake up with a binky in my mouth the next morning. I, however, woke up with a weird feeling in my mouth that I had never experienced before. At least... not one that I remembered.

I sat up and felt something in my mouth that wasn't right. I lifted my hand to my mouth and spit something into it. Two teeth stared back at me. They didn't have blood on them or look like they came out in some scary way. They only looked like they fell out naturally.

But how?

With my teeth in my hands, I got out of bed and ran to the bathroom. I shut the door behind me and stared into the mirror. Opening my mouth, I quickly realized my two upper teeth had fallen out. Both of them. They were just gone.

I set the teeth on the counter and used my thumb to rub over the gums that sat bare in the middle of my mouth. They didn't feel swollen or cause me any pain. So why the hell were my teeth gone?

I squeezed my eyes shut as tears filled them. I wasn't sure what to do. Were more teeth going to fall out? Was I going to lose all of them?

"Jake?"

I opened my eyes and turned toward the door. Mom's voice came from the hallway. I opened the door and ran toward Mom.

"Jake, hey. Sweetie, what's wrong?"

I hid my face in her chest as sobs racked from my chest. It felt like my emotions were on overload. I was already really depressed but it felt like my condition was making it ten times worse. More so, it made it hard for me to calm down.

Mom put her hand on the back of my head and slowly stroked my hair. "Can you tell me what's wrong, sweetie?"

I sniffed and pulled back. I didn't stop crying but I at least allowed Mom to see what was wrong.

She put her hands on either side of my face and looked at the gap I now had where my teeth had fallen out. "Oh, sweetheart. I'm sorry. Does it hurt at all?"

I shook my head. It didn't hurt physically but my pride was definitely injured.

She wiped away the tears from my cheeks. "Come with me downstairs. We need to let Eric and Theo know so they can call your doctor. And I'll get you some water to help calm you down."

Waking up to teeth falling out of my mouth wasn't how I expected my day to start. I was tired of constantly going through changes. It left me no time to adjust to what was happening and put me in a constant state of worry over when the next change would occur.

I followed Mom downstairs. Eric and Theo were in the kitchen so I luckily didn't have to run into them and talk to them. I just wanted Mom to handle it for me.

I laid down on the couch and rolled so I was facing the back of the couch. I didn't want to do anything but sulk. It didn't feel like I could do anything but sulk, either.

Mom walked into the kitchen and I could hear her saying something to Eric and Theo. I couldn't tell what she was saying but I knew she was telling them about my horrible morning.

She didn't take long in the kitchen. She was back at my side in just a few minutes with a water bottle in her hand.

"Here, sweetie. Drink some water. It'll make you feel better."

I took the bottle from her but I didn't drink anything. I laid it against my arm so it was close in case I needed it.

I hated to waste Mom's last day with me by crying. She was probably looking forward to a nice visit with me and there I was ruining it by being such a baby. I hated that I was losing control over myself to the point that I was acting like a baby and not just looking like one. It was so humiliating.

Mom tried to get me to watch TV but nothing made me feel better. Theo tried coaxing me with food but that didn't do anything. Even them offering to play video games with me wasn't helping. Was I going to be in a bad mood for the rest of my life? Was I always going to be depressed?

Around six that evening, Mom finally got me to eat something. She sat with me at the coffee table as we ate dinner. She put something on the TV so it wouldn't be so quiet in the room and we ate without speaking to each other.

I was so afraid of eating anything. Was I going to lose more teeth? Were they going to fall out while I was eating something? I hated being so afraid.

Mom helped to clean up dinner and wash the dishes but she had to leave not long afterward. She had a long drive home and still had to get ready for work in the morning. I knew I couldn't ask her to stay any longer but I hated seeing her leave. Especially when I was in such a crappy mood.

I helped Mom get her bag and followed her downstairs. She had her car keys in one hand and it made my heart sink. I hated being so far away from her.

"Call me whenever you need me. Day or night." She looked down at me and brushed my hair away from my eyes.

I nodded. There was no point fighting her. She had to leave and I had to let her.

"Talk to Eric and Theo. They're here for you."

"It's not the same as having you here." I hated the way I talked without my two front teeth. It sounded like I had a lisp or something.

"I know it's not. But they care about you and they want to help you feel better. Let them help you."

I sighed. I knew they cared about me. They didn't judge me for being different. In fact, they signed up to take care of me all the while knowing I was going to be changing. It was just hard telling people what was going on in my head.

"I love you, sweetheart. Don't let this get you down. It won't stop you from being happy. It's just a speed bump."

I hugged her for a few seconds before I let go. "I love you, too."

She patted my arm and then grabbed her bag off the floor. "I'll text you when I make it home. Bye, sweetie."

I followed her as she walked through the door. She walked to her car and set her bag on the passenger seat. She didn't take long to get buckled up and start the car. She waved at me as she backed out of the driveway and left.

I watched her until I couldn't see her anymore. I shut the door and walked back inside. I didn't feel much better than I had before she came. It was like my sadness just wafted back in my face, reminding me that it was still there. It only got worse and I felt like I couldn't hold back the tears any longer.

Theo must have been watching me because he walked over to me and put his arm around me. "Come here."

I turned to him and clung to his shirt. Why did my life have to be falling apart?

"She'll be back soon. I know how much you miss her when she isn't here. I'll bet she misses you too."

"I don't like when she leaves."

"I know. She'll be back before you know it."

I rubbed my eyes with my fists. I just wanted to sleep until Mom could come back and be with me again.

"Why don't you go upstairs and get a shower and then you can lay down for a while? You can watch some TV before you go to bed."

I nodded. Maybe the hot water would help to relax me a little. I certainly needed something to help me calm down.

"Go ahead up. I'll be up in a little bit."