After I hang up with Alex, she went to the beach and took me with her, something she does a lot, I go to my family downstairs. They're all sitting in the living room, watching TV, like what I used to do with them before I met Alex. Now I talk to her all the time, using the giant computer screen. It was the TV, but we got a better one, and I just used the old TV screen as a computer screen.
"So, did you like her?" I ask nervous. My mom asked me maybe a year ago if they all could meet this girl I talked to every day. I said yes. And today was the day, when she came with us to dinner.
"She cuts herself." Makayla says quietly. "I saw it on her wrist. Oh my god, are you treating her badly? Are you making her sad?" She says quickly.
"What? No! I'm trying to help her with it, I try to cheer her up." I rub the back of my neck. "She thinks shes annoying me, but she doesn't."
"I think we could all see it," My mom says quietly. My dad nods. "And she's so pretty, too."
"She's like, Taylor Swift pretty." Makayla adds. "Did she hit herself? She has a bruise on her cheek."
"No, she got into a fight." I tell her. Or it was her dad, I should ask, but she hates talking about it. I should ask, but she hates it when I do.
"She's a fighter, is she?" My dad says low and not approving. He's not the worst guy, he just wants everything to be perfect. I rebel, but he still treats me like he treats anyone else.
"No, she gets bullied a lot by some asshole named Mike, from what she tells me."
"That poor girl," My moms whispers. "You better be trying to make her feel better! If I catch you making her more depressed, I swear I will hurt you."
"I'm trying, and I think it's working." I only say that to make myself feel better, or them, I don't know which.
Her parents treat her badly, too. But I don't tell them that. I feel bad enough for Alex as it is, suicidal, abuse, bullied, lonely, no one wants these things. It's something almost everyone fears of facing. No one wants to feel lonely. I've never actually seen her parents treat her badly, but her mom or dad will call her downstairs, and she comes back up to talk to me with a new bruise on her cheek. A few times I could hear the smack.
I walk back upstairs, I don't share anymore information about Alex. Walking into my room, nerd city in here, I swear. Action figures that have collected so much dust. We're moving, I have to find some that I can sell. I don't think I can pick any. I hate this.
***
We're starting to pack things for our move. My dad says I can keep the figures, but I'm not getting help putting them in my room. And that's about ten heavy boxes of plastic. I'm still doing it. The last thing I pack is the screen, so I can talk to Alex. When I ask if she wants to video chat, she says no. The first few times I don't ask why, maybe she has to stay after work or something.
Alexandra: No, sorry.
Leo: Mind if I ask why?
It takes a moment for her to answer the question, normally she responds in a few seconds if it's short. The three dots don't show up for a minute or two.
Alexandra: I'm sorry for wasting your time Leo.
Leo: Can we please Skype?
Alexandra: No, sorry.
She never says no without a reason.
Leo: Why not?
Alexandra: I want to be alone right now.
YOU ARE READING
Worthless (Darkmore series, 1)
Fiksi Remaja19 year old Alexandra Mae Rain has a hard life. Parents that fight all the time, sell drugs, and neglect Alexandra to the point where she almost lives by herself. School isn't where she can get away from them, it's just as bad. When she finally make...
