Mother

Chapter 22

The classroom was filled with a quiet hum of students working, pencils scratching and paintbrushes swiping across paper. Normally, I would have been absorbed in the rhythm of it all, but today I couldn't concentrate. My sketchbook lay open in front of me, the page half-drawn, but I had barely touched it in the last twenty minutes.

Next to me, Julio sat slouched in his chair, his phone in hand, scrolling without a care in the world. He hadn't even bothered to pull out his supplies. It wasn't surprising, for the last few days he's hardly said anything, even to me.

I tried to refocus on the sketch in front of me, but it was no use. My thoughts kept drifting back to the awkward silence over breakfast this morning, Dad sitting across from us, trying to make conversation, and the tension was so thick it was almost choking. Julio had barely looked up from his plate, and I couldn't blame him. What was the point of talking when none of us knew what to say?

Ms. Thompson's voice pulled me from my thoughts. "Alright, everyone, let's wrap up for today."

Students started packing up, and I glanced at Julio, who shoved his phone into his pocket, still not bothering to touch his art supplies. He got up as soon as Ms. Thompson dismissed us, heading for the door without waiting for me.

I was about to follow when Ms. Thompson called out, "Ivan, Julio, could you both stay behind for a minute?"

Julio paused mid-step, throwing me a look of pure annoyance. He didn't seem worried, just irritated. I stayed by my desk as the last few students filtered out, and Julio sighed loudly, dragging his feet as he made his way back to where I stood.

Ms. Thompson folded her arms, her expression calm but observant."is everything alright," she began. "I noticed that neither of you seemed particularly focused today," she added, glancing between us.

Julio barely even reacted. "Yeah, we are fine," he muttered, leaning back against one of the desks, his hands tucked into his pockets. The same indifferent tone he used whenever teachers asked him something he didn't want to answer.

Ms. Thompson didn't seem convinced. She turned her gaze to me, waiting for my response. I shrugged, unsure of what to say. Everything felt heavy, but talking about it felt impossible, especially with Julio standing right there, completely unbothered.

"I get it," she said after a moment. "There's a lot going on, school can be overwhelming, and sometimes we just have days where it's hard to focus." She looked at Julio, her gaze soft but steady. 

"Julio, I've noticed you haven't been doing much work in class lately. I'm not here to lecture you, but if something's on your mind, you can talk to me. Both of you can."

Julio rolled his eyes,  like the idea of opening up to a teacher was laughable. "Nah, I think i'm good," he said, pulling his phone out again and glancing at the screen like the conversation was already over.

Ms. Thompson sighed but didn't press further. "Okay, I just wanted to check in. You both have potential, don't waste it, alright?"

Julio pushed off the desk and headed for the door without a second glance. I lingered for a moment, feeling the weight of her words but unsure of what to do with them.

"just remember, if you ever need to talk to someone, about anything, I'm here. I know it might not seem like much, but sometimes talking helps. you don't have to do anything alone ," Ms. Thompson said, her voice softer. I nodded, but the words felt hollow. 

Julio was already halfway down the hall by the time I caught up with him. He didn't say anything as we walked to our next class, his eyes glued to his phone again, completely detached from everything around him. I wondered how much longer we could keep this up. This silent routine where nothing was ever addressed, and we pretended like everything was fine.

The rest of the morning passed in a blur. Julio and I didn't share any more classes after art, and I was relieved. It gave me space to breathe without feeling like I had to bridge the growing gap between us.

In biology, I sat through Mr. Jacobs  lecture about  the human body, but none of it stuck. My mind wandered back to what Ms. Thompson had said, her words echoing in my head "you both have potential, don't waste it."  I wasn't sure if she was right about that. Lately, it felt like the only thing I was good at was surviving the day and making sure Julio didn't spiral out of control. But even that was becoming harder.

I stared out the window, the clouds heavy and gray, mirroring the weight sitting on my chest. Julio had completely checked out, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to get him to care about anything anymore. Not school, not art, not our family, nothing. And I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep doing this, holding everything together when he seemed so determined to break away.

The bell rang, jolting me out of my thoughts. I gathered my things and headed to my next class, keeping my head down as I moved through the crowded hallways. It wasn't like I was invisible. I had friends, people who would nod or say hi as I passed, but I never felt like I truly fit in anywhere.

By the time lunch rolled around, I was drained. I met up with Julio near the cafeteria. He was leaning against the wall, still glued to his phone. He barely looked up when I approached. "Let's just get this over with," he muttered, pushing off the wall and heading toward the lunch line.

We grabbed our trays in silence, the noise of the cafeteria buzzing around us, and found an empty table near the back. I sat across from Julio, picking at my food, while he scrolled aimlessly on his phone between bites.

For a while, neither of us spoke. The silence between us felt thicker than usual, like we were both waiting for something, anything, to break the tension.

I glanced up at Julio, wondering if he ever thought about what Ms. Thompson said. Did he even care? Did he notice how far we'd drifted apart, or was he just too wrapped up in his own world to even bother anymore?

"Julio," I said quietly, hoping to start something, anything. "Do you ever think about...what's next? Like, after this? After school?"

He didn't look up. "Nope," he replied, popping a fry into his mouth. "What's the point?"I felt a lump form in my throat. What's the point? How could he not care? How could he act like none of this mattered?

I opened my mouth to say something else, but the words didn't come. Instead, I just watched him, sitting across from me, distant as ever.