The Delivery Boy(boyxboy)

Chapter 22: Sunshine and Surreal Things.

All we do is hide away

All we do is, all we do is hide away

All we do is chase the day

All we do is, all we do is chase the day

All we do is lie and wait

All we do is, all we do is lie and wait

All we do is feel the fade

All we do is, all we do is feel the fade

I've been upside down

I don't wanna be the right way round

Can't find paradise on the ground

I've been upside down

I don't wanna be the right way round

Can't find paradise on the ground

All I did was fail today

All I wanna be is whites in waves

All I did was fail today

All we do, all we do

-

Xavier

I knew the second she came through the door.

Throwing her bag on the couch, she went to the kitchen and the harsh clatter of plates followed her. Amelia looked down, her shoulders slumping in apparent defeat. I scooted closer, squeezed her shoulder, and motioned for her to go upstairs. She shot me a worried look, almost as if asking, "How will you handle it?"

I answered back the best as I could. I gave my best smile, squeezed again, and told her through my eyes, "I always do."

Then she looked at me for what felt like the longest time, and it began hurting. I could hide my pain easily, I could grow as many layers of skin as I needed to. But hers was evident. It made her look so much older than she was. It made her look so tired.

Just as she walked back into the living room, Amelia got up and left. The only noise in the room was now the unnecessary blaring of the TV no one was watching, and the chirping of an annoying yellow bird sitting on the widow in the kitchen. I sucked in a deep breath, willing my fingers to stop shaking. After all, my father's anger scarred, but my mother's?

Her anger always ached.

"How was your day, mom?"

The first pang hit when she refused to look at me.

"Mom?" I wanted to get over it. I wanted to ease her pain.

"You skipped your Physics class yesterday?" Her voice was sharp around the edges, ragged in the middle, "Why?"

"I was helping out a friend." Lying never helped.

"Who? Why?" Taking the remote, she lowered the volume of the TV. Despite the number of times I'd done this, my heart never failed to pound in my throat.

"Axel Clark. He was sick."

"You were supposed to take him to the infirmary, according to your teacher." I almost wanted to ask her the name of my teacher, just to see if she knew as much as she acted to. I held onto my tongue as she continued, "You were supposed to come back to class. But you didn't. And you missed all other classes that day too. Why?"