Damaged beyond repair

Chapter 8

I pull open the front door and almost run into Simone. She stares at me, eyes filled with disbelief.

"First the grocery store, now she's at our door. Who would have thought! Tell me everything!" A twinkle appears in her eyes, and for the first time I feel like I actually do want to talk about it, about her. I even show her the text, causing her to smile.

"Incredible! I'm so happy for you!" she exclaims. I stare at Leilani's name again.

"Do you like her?" Simone asks me. I look at her and think about it. I never actually liked someone, besides Simone, Raymond and dr. Nolan, of course. I shrug

"I like her a lot," I reply, but Simone just laughs.

"I understand that, I meant, do you like like her?"

I stare at her, unable to figure out what she means. I really like her, and for the first time in my life I actually want to try and be social with someone. I think that means I like her. But what does like like mean?

"Are you in love?!" she practically screams at me. Her enthusiasm startles me for a second. In love? I wouldn't know how that feels. From what I've heard, I would have noticed. Simone sighs, disappointed.

"Well, one can dream," she says, smiling. I nod, stare down at my phone again and make my way upstairs. Just as I want to shut the door behind me, I can hear Simone tell Raymond something about Leilani. I almost want to laugh, amused by her enthusiasm. I walk up to the painting I had started and take my place in front of it, ready to continue my work. Before I do, I open my inbox one last time, just in time for a new message to pop up as I watch.

Leilani

Do you have WhatsApp? That would make talking a lot easier!

She wants to talk to me? Does she want to ask more questions? But more important. What in the world is WhatsApp? I'm not that skilled when it comes to technology. Simone might be more of a help. I only use my phone to call Simone when I need someone to pick me up. There's some music on it, but that's about it. I spend most of my time painting and drawing. Gaming, for example, was never my thing. Way too violent, not something I handle very well. My laptop is only used for school work. So I get up and go back downstairs, into the living room. Lisa is in the corner, playing with her duplo, but I ignore her. I keep having to remind myself that I'm the one with problems here, it's not her fault. Simone gives me a surprised look. I'm never in the living room.

"What's up, Lex?" she asks me. I look at my phone and hold it up.

"What is WhatsApp?" I ask her. Her eyes give away the fact that she is holding back laughter, but she manages to keep a straight face.

"It's a kind of online chat," she explains to me. I stare at my phone again, still not understanding.

"But why is it better than texting?" I ask. This time, even Raymond barely holds back a chuckle.

"Why is this funny?" Simone shakes her head.

"It's not, honey, come here, I'll show you." She pats on the seat next to her and puts up a pillow in between her and the seat, and I instantly understand she's putting up a safety barrier for me. I gratefully sit down next to her and hand over my phone to her. She carefully takes it from me. She continues to show me a lot of things, and downloads something onto my phone. She then asks me why I want to use the "app", as she calls it. I can feel myself turning red.