Vent

On a Saturday night

Wednesday past, then Thursday and eventually Friday. Three days of adjusting to my new school, listening to my sister flirt and talk about her new friend, Hayden, who wasn't her "boyfriend" even though he obviously was. I even thought she was going over to his house to have sex but when I brought it up she slapped me and told me how I was a "perverted idiot who knew nothing." Three days of moving in and getting my stuff into my new room, which by the way still didn't have a bed, just a mattress. Three days of thinking of the boy in my vent, thinking of Charlie-Oscar-X-Ray, and three nights of talking to him. Three nights of talking about our moms and, my sister, about my new school and our favorite foods and colors. What colors our rooms are and what they look like. Popular tv shows and music. We talked about useless info that floated out of our mouths without a purpose just for pleasure, yet I still feel like I have never had a closer friend.

Today was Saturday my first day of the weekend in this dreaded apartment. I couldn't wait to talk about more useless things with Charlie-O-X, we decided we would start talking to each other every night at 9:00 and if we didn't answer at the first three calls we were too busy to talk.

After much coaxing I managed to get Charlie to reveal his age. He is 14 and, in 9th grade like me, just a few months younger. July 31st.... I smiled and remembered to make a note of his birthday. I tried to ask about his school but he didn't want to talk about it much. He said it was kind of like home schooling except you go to some other persons house instead of yours. He said his dad didn't want him going to a public school. That was the other thing. He didn't want to talk about his dad. At all. He didn't like talking about anything in his personal life really.

I woke up in a good mood remembering how we talked about robots and cats, and robotic pets last night. Just randomly blabbing about nothing. Just having a pleasant conversation. I smiled. I haven't had a pleasant conversation in a long time.

I walked into the kitchen still in my pajamas and my messy, red, bed hair. I smelled the cooking of bacon and figured there were eggs and bagels to go with it. I sat down at the kitchen table watching my mom tend to the bacon, and my dad to the eggs.

My dad left his duty and came to kiss me on the forehead. "Good morning sunshine, how did you sleep" I grunted

"Uh as well as you can on just a mattress."

I heard my moms voice over the sound of the stove fan and, the popping of cooking bacon.

"When I was you age I had slept on a mattress for years, I didn't get my first bed till I was 18 in college" I heard my dad burst out laughing.

"What mom that's not true"

"It is I swear I lived it !"

"Right mom...." I noticed my sister was still absent, and you could clearly smell the bacon wafting through the house.

"Hey where's Courtney?"

I heard my mom sigh "Oh she's not feeling well, sweetie how about you get dressed and take a shower breakfast will be ready soon."

I got up and trudged to my room secretly thanking karma for giving my sister payback for slapping me. I started to look for jeans and T-shirt to wear when I heard a sob.

I froze. I heard another sob, and another, and more after that. I've have heard that same sound in my room many times but this time was different. This time, I knew it wasn't a ghost, and wasn't just the boy upstairs upset, It was Charlie-Oscar-X-Ray my good friend who was crying. My friend who was sobbing and hurting and....needed someone.

I approached the vent cautiously, I didn't want him to hear my footsteps and get scared away. I sat down on mattress and my chest clenched hearing the pained sounds of my friend. I took a deep breath and spoke.

"Hello?" It reminded me of the first time we spoke. The sobbing immediately stopped.

"I-Is that you" I heard in a small whisper. I laughed quietly.

"Ya who else would it be...are...are you okay ?" I heard a small sniffle and a sharp intake of breath which I recognized as him not wanting to give an answer to my question.

"I-I'm fine...listen I've got to go, I'll talk to you tonight ?"

"No wait please this isn't the first time Iv'e heard you crying, please you can tell me...we are friends...you can trust me."

"I...It's...." He started to sob again. " I can't, I can't I just...."

"You can tell me it's okay"

"NO, no I don't want to tell you okay ? I don't want to, JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

I heard footsteps then a door slam on the other side. I felt my stomach drop. I gasped out loud when I realized I might have lost my friend, my ONLY friend. I sat there in shock thinking about how much of an idiot I was. I shouldn't have pushed him when he was in such a fragile state. I couldn't do anything but hope that tonight he would still be there and maybe I could make amends.

I had no idea what mental affliction had me so attached to this boy, but I didn't want to lose him. I REALLY didn't want tot lose him. I finally got up and gathered my clothes hoping I could make it up to him tonight.

We got home at 10:00 from touring around Portland going to multiple antique shops and other quirky stores. My sister hadn't gone because she still wasn't feeling well. I rushed to my room upset that I was an hour late, and worried that it wouldn't help my chances with him.

"Charlie, are you there ? Please tell me you are I wanted to apologize for earlier listen I'm so sorry-"

"Pilot Inspector, Is that you!? Oh my god I'm so sorry about earlier, you didn't answer at 9:00 and, I thought I blew it and, listen you are the only friend I have and, I shouldn't have yelled and, I'm so sorry and-" He sounded absolutely hysterical.

"Wait Charlie, wait, wait, wait hold on your'e sorry?! No if anyone should be sorry it should be me, listen I didn't mean to push you I was just concerned and...ya your my only friend too, so I'm sorry...are we good?"

"Oh yes of course! We were never bad!" I giggled.

"Okay good, um just so you know I'm not forcing you to tell me, but if you ever need to talk, I'm always here, or at least at 9:00 at night"

"Okay thank you...I- I'm just stressed, and..I'm not really used to talking about my feelings I kinda of like to keep it to myself, but I guess we're friends and we...tell each each other stuff like that"

"Nah if you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to, I'm cool with robots, cats and robot pets if you are." We both broke into a laughter.

"Ya I'm chill with that"

"Hey um I was traveling in Portland all day so I'm a bit..."

"Exhausted?"

"Look at us finishing each others sentences."

"Alright well I'll let you get to bed, talk to you tomorrow"

"You bet, Pilot Inspector out"

"Charlie-Oscar-X-Ray out"

I drifted into a peaceful sleep the last thing floating in my mind, was his voice.