Aberration

Chapter 33

The next few days I shamefully avoid Harry. I understand Anne's reasoning, but she can't expect me to come home and suddenly fix him. The word "fix" seems odd to use when describing a human being. It's a word you'd use when putting a broken toy back together. In a way, Harry is somewhat of a broken toy. He was a toy that used to bring joy to a child's life, but when that kid grew up and moved away, he left the toy behind. Then the toy grew sad, and lonely, and eventually, broke.

But I needed time to myself to process all this information that had been thrown at me. I know Anne said she wasn't asking for much, and that she wanted me to just get Harry to take his medication, but I knew she wanted much more. And I'm not sure I can provide that to Harry. Heck, I can barely provide that to myself, and I'm somewhat sane. Harry has a real condition. I'm not a professional. I'm a 17 year old girl that has psychological problems of her own, and now I'm being depended upon to repair someone worse than me.

I had spent all of Friday and much of Saturday in my room, once again. My hunger had come and gone during the first few hours Thursday night. It was now three in the afternoon on Saturday and I had just started the sequel to The Dynasty of Ash that Lauren had gotten me. I finished the first book earlier this morning then slept for a bit before starting the 2nd about ten minutes ago. Paisley was now in her early twenties and was currently creating a cure to diseases world wide after a massive terminal virus had begun to spread. The math and science included in this book gave me a headache, but the author had been nice enough to give a "Reader's Guide" in the back of the book. My eyes had begun to ache and grow blurry by the 12th chapter and I had to take a break.

Retrieving a towel from under the sink, I hung it on the bathroom rack and stepped into the warm shower. The shower was my usual place to go when I needed to relax or think a little. Time away from everyone else. But my mind raced as I washed my hair and rinsed it in the pressured water. I had absolutely no clue how to approach Harry. I can't just come out and say, "Hey your mom told me you have serious issues that are because of me so ya I'm here to fix you and make it all better."

It was more complex than that, he was more complex than that. My approach had to be suddle and natural, but those were two things that I've never been good at bringing to the atmosphere. I was more awkward and kinda just there.

The sound of my ringtone from the bathroom counter scared me and I sighed in annoyance. Turning off the tap and wrapping myself in the fluffy, white towel, I padded across the tiled floor and over to my phone.

"Hello?" I had forgotten to look at caller ID.

"Hey Ava, it's Caleb." he chirped through the line.

"Oh..hey."

"Well you don't sound very pleased." he chuckled.

"No, I'm sorry I was in the shower, I didn't mean to be rude." I squeezed the dripping ends of my hair over the sink, releasing all the left over water.

"I was wondering if you were still wanting to go out tonight?"

Shit.

"Um, tonight's not really a good night for me..something came up."

"Oh..okay." his voice came out slow, and defeated. I immediately felt bad.

"I'm sorry, another time?" I began to bite my bottom lip again.

"Sure," his voice picked up a little again and I felt better. "Have a nice night Ava."

The line ended and guilt wasted no time creeping into my senses. But I couldn't go out with Caleb tonight. I needed to talk with Harry, and after what I now know about him, going out with Caleb would tear him apart. I think back to the night a couple days ago, the night Caleb asked me out on a date while we were down by the lake and Harry came and found us. He was so mad and confused. At the time it didn't make sense to me but now it does. He was hurt. I rubbed it in his face that Caleb was taking me to dinner, just to prove a point. Little did I know that with those words he was dying inside.