Trapped

You have to speak up

The next morning, Michael woke up with a sore throat and hatred for the world.
His mother walked in to his room as soon as he woke up, as if she had planted hidden cameras in his room.
maybe she had.
"Good morning, sunshine" she says pulling the curtains up.
He groans and hides under the sheets.
"Let me sleep"
"No, wake up" she says "we're going out"
"Out where"
"Breakfast at Timmy's"
He groans "just five more minutes"
"Nope" she smiles.
He gets out of the sheets and sighs
"Be ready in five" she says as she walks out of the room.
This is going to be a long Sunday.
Michael put on a red shirt, black jeans and walked downstairs to the living room where his mother was sitting waiting.
"I'm ready" he says
"Let's go"
"You forgot the car keys mom" he points at the keys on the table.
"No, I mean yes," she laughs "we're walking"
"But, mom"
"No buts" she says "we are walking"
"If you insist" he says and shakes his head.
They both walk out of the door. As they were walking down the street, Michael was praying that his mother would speak to end the awkward silence that filled the space between them.
But, she wasn't going to talk anytime soon, he figured so he had to talk. "How is your job" Michael says to break the silence.
"It's fine, nothing important so that's why I come and go as I please" she sounded annoyed.
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"No, not really"
"Why?"
"Well, I'm not being useful you know?" She says "I'm not helping people nor saving lives...I'm nothing"
He stops walking and pulls her arm "you are not nothing"
"I want to help people, I should help girls who go through what I went through or help prevent those types of things... I just want to help Michael" she says and starts walking, he follows.
"Then do it mom, try to help, but don't say you are nothing"
"I'm sorry" she looks into his deep grey eyes.
"For what?"
"For acting out and pushing you away these last few days, it's been hard on me"
"I know...I just wish you felt you could talk to me mom"
"You're my son, I didn't want to bother you"
"Promise me, you'll talk instead of acting out if you feel bad again?"
"I promise I will try"
"Okay" he says "here we are"
They walk into Timmy's and sit at the table by the window immediately, that's where they always sit, no matter where.
A young blonde girl comes to take their order, she is probably about 16. "Good morning, what can I get you?" She smiles.
"I'd like some pancakes, the dish with 4" His mother says.
"Waffles" Michael says too quickly.

"So how is this Emma girl" his mother says while eating a bite of her pancake. He hadn't talked to Emma since he told her about his mother.
Who ever you told must be the tipper.
He didn't think she told them, but he also doesn't think she didn't.
He didn't know what to think.
"She's fine, mother" and she got the signal.
She got that he didn't want to talk about this Emma girl.
They eat their breakfast and talk about everything, but his father.
I wish we talk about him.

On their way back home, a lady with brown hair and very bright blue eyes approached his mother, pulling her into a hug,
"Hello, how are you Merlene" she says.
"I'm good, how are you" says his mother.
"Im great"
"This is my son, Michael"
"Hello, Michael"
"Nice to meet you" he says.
While the two women talk, Michael realizes that it's not just him who moved to a new town, and had to make new friends. His mother goes through the same thing, but she is better at it. He thought, since that lady was inviting her to dinner at her house.
"Tom and Dinah are coming too" she says "you must come"
"I'll try to Lydia" his mother says.
"Great. So, see you later?" Lydia smiles
"Yes"
"Nice to meet you Michael" she and Michael shake hands and then they walk away.
"So, are you going?" Michael asks his mother
"Oh, I don't know sweetie"
"Why not"
"I don't think I'm ready to make a lot of friends"
"Why?"
"Well, with friends comes drama and with drama comes panic attacks" she says
"It doesn't have to be that way, you know"
"But it is that way"
"It shouldn't be"
"It is"
"I myself think you are ready"
"And why is that?"
"We wouldn't be having this conversation if you weren't, you would probably be lo..." He stops himself.
"I'd probably be what?" She asks, a bit afraid of what will come out of his mouth.
"Never mind"
"Say it" she insists.
"I'm sorry, but you'd be locking yourself in your bedroom and not leave or leave without saying a word to me because that's how you deal with problems" he wanted to let it all out.
He needed to let it all out.
So he did.
"And you know what? That sucks, mom you are a grown up, you need to deal with problems the right way, and get over things and try to live the best out of this life, because it's short and it'll end before you know, and you have to speak up when you feel bad, either speak to me or Ms Robbins, it doesn't matter" he stops to take a breath "just please speak"
"How to deal with problems the right way?" she asks calmly.
"I don't know, you should be the one with an answer"
"I'm sorry Michael, but I thought you understood what I go through" she shakes her head "you clearly don't"
"No, don't do this mom" he stops walking and she stops too. "I understand, I so understand that you can't really control your panic attacks or the way you feel or the fact that you hate life because of what happened to you" he says "I understand that it's hard going through what happened to you and that it's harder remembering it everyday, but mom that's not why I'm angry" he stops, and she looks at him as if she is telling him to continue.
"I'm angry at you because of how you deal with your bad feelings and the fear of having a panic attack, you don't let me in, you don't talk to anyone, god knows what you do. You just go out or lock yourself in your bedroom" he takes a deep breath "that isn't how it should be"
She nods and starts walking.
He knew he hurt her but he wished it would help her.
I had to let it out, so she knows it's wrong.
She must speak up, or she'll end up getting worse.
Maybe as bad as last year...

"I'm going out with Judy,"his mother says picking the car keys "she is a friend of mine".
Michael nods and says "have fun" and she goes out.
He watches some T.V and then the doorbell knocks.
"You forgot something mom?" He says as he walks to open the door.
As he opens the door, he sees a blonde woman, wearing a skirt with a shirt. She has glasses on.
"My name is Juliane Stevens" she says as she extends her hand. He shakes it "I'm a journalist and I work for Redfoxinn, may I come in?"
"Sorry but, may I ask why?" He gives her a weird look.
"Oh right, sorry, well I am writing about the psychopath and a source told me you were somehow involved, I would like to know"
"I am not involved"
"Then you wouldn't have a problem with me coming in? Unless you have something to hide" she says then she laughs "kidding"
She knows that someone tipped the police.
I need to know how she knows.
Maybe, she knows who.
"Yes, come in" he says.
He leads her to the living room and tells her to sit down. He goes to make them both a cup of tea.
When he comes back and sit she says "this is my recorder, I hope you don't mind me recording this, Michael"
"Sure, no problem"
"What's your name" she asks "for the recorder"
He nods "Michael Henderson"
"How old are you"
"17"
"What do you know about the psychopath?"
"Um, a person who rapes women then kills them?"
"Do you know how he kills them?"
"By stabbing them I guess?"
"You guess?"
"Yeah"
"Do you have any idea why he is doing that?"
"Why would I have an idea"
"Theories" she says "just checking" with a smile.
"Your mother was raped right?"
"Yes" he says "what's that got to do with anything"
"Some studies indicate that when a person goes through the a certain type of emotional abuse, dramatical incidents or shocking situations the person could be relieving bad energy by practicing what caused him the emotional abuse"
"So your saying I'm raping girls to relieve my bad energy"
"I never said you raped anyone"
"Good"
"Where is your father?"
"Not around"
"Can you tell me about him"
"I'd rather not"
"Why?"
"None of your business"
"Can I come sometime later??"
"Why?"
"If I had a new lead or anything?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"What?"
"How did you know that I was somehow involved"
"A good journalist never revels her source" she says as she gets up.
"Thank you Michael, good bye" she smiles
"Good bye"

Thank you for reading my book this far, please vote if you like it, and tell me what you think of it in the comments.