Mask / sk8 the infinity ff

Chapter 2

“Cool, see you later then,” Langa said with a wide smile.

Langa’s smile always made Reki happy, and that’s why he never wanted to tell Langa what was really going on with him. He didn’t want to see that smile replaced with a worried face. He saw too many worried faces from everyone around him. While he appreciated that people cared, it hurt to know they lived with the fear that something was wrong with him.

Reki told himself he was fine. Really. The problem with his arms only happened sometimes, on days when he hated himself too much and didn’t know how to cope. He felt untalented, never as good as Langa.

But he couldn’t tell anyone that. No one should know how he felt—not even Langa.

The school hours passed quickly, and soon it was time to go home. Reki wondered how he even made it through the day.

“See you later, Reki,” Langa said, skating off in the opposite direction of Reki’s house. Reki, however, headed straight home.

As expected, his mom was definitely upset. Although he wasn’t sure if she was more angry or sad.

He rushed into the house, hoping to make it upstairs quickly, but his mom stopped him.

“Stay here, I need to talk to you.”

Reki glanced at her, then back at the floor.

He forced a smile. “Mmh? What’s up?” He tried to sound cheerful, hoping to escape the conversation quickly, but it was no use.

“Reki... sit down,” she said gently, pulling him to the couch.

“But what’s wrong—” He knew exactly what was wrong.

“I’m sorry about this morning. I shouldn’t have reacted that way. I was too hasty. But I still think it’s a good idea for you to go back to therapy, you know? Even if nothing’s wrong,” she said, her words spilling out in a rush.

Reki nodded briefly, unsure how to respond. Should he say he was fine and didn’t need a therapist, or should he tell the truth?

Naturally, he chose the wrong option and lied again.

“No, Mom, really, I’m fine. I don’t need to go back to therapy, I promise.” He looked around the room uncertainly.

His mom knew he had problems. She was the one who helped him through his darkest times. She also knew about his self-harm issues. He could almost predict what she would say next.

“Then show me your arms,” she demanded in a firm tone.

He had guessed right.

She wasn’t trying to be mean or to embarrass him; she was genuinely worried and desperate. But telling her everything and showing her his arms was hard, and Reki wasn’t sure what to do.

“Why? You know I don’t do that anymore. I’ve stopped,” he insisted.

“Then show me your arms, Reki. You know I’m worried.”

“No! There’s nothing there,” he shouted, jumping up angrily.

“Just believe me,” Reki said, distancing himself from her.

“Reki, please, I need to know.”

“Still no.”

He clutched his injured arm tightly, unable to bear it. He thought about running away from the situation again, but he knew that wasn’t the right decision.

But somehow, he never made the right decision, so he dashed away from her and up the stairs.

He knew his reaction was childish, but he didn’t care at that moment.