Flawsome ✔

Chapter 11 - Role reversal

Thursday, November 24th, 2016

"Neo?" Mom's voice sounds worried, waking me up from a weird-ass dream in which I sat on a dinner table with Calo's family, them all mocking me, laughing at me. Calo telling me it was all fake and simply a trick to lure me in, evidently causing me to wake up while crying.

The door to my room opens hesitantly, while I push myself upwards, rubbing my eyes, wiping away the tears right afterwards.

"Oh, honey." Mom sighs, walking inside to sit on the side of my bed. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"A weird one," I shrug ashamed of myself. I'm nearly seventeen years old and here I am, being comforted by my mom because I was crying in my sleep. "What time is it?"

"It's almost nine. I called school to tell them you were going to be late, but they didn't mind because they are sending you out for your replacing assignment anyway." She holds up a printed e-mail. "You have to go around town, photographing whatever you can find that is still evidence of the history of this city. The older, the better." She smiles because I smiled at the thought of again being allowed to do what I like most.

"And it seems like Calo is going to keep you company, isn't that great?"

"What? He's staying with me?"

"Apparently, he didn't go on the field trip either." She pushes my hair back to peck a kiss on my forehead. "Go get showered, I'll call Mrs. Delgado to see if we can meet up with them."

And despite waking up feeling shitty because of that weird dream, the thought about going to hang out with Calo makes me feel all the better.

I shower, I get dressed in the clothes Pyper already picked, I get to leave my room in one fluent try. All is going well, simply because hanging out with Calo makes me happy.

But as soon as I enter the kitchen, I notice mom's worried frown. She places my plate and glass in front of me before she sits down across from me.

"What's going on?" I ask while preparing myself for the worst. Calo is probably sick of hanging out with me and wants to do the assignment on his own.

I get that. It was only a matter of time. I just wished it would have lasted a while longer. Now that I tasted part of a lifewitha friend, I'm sick and tired of living life without one.

If Calo is sick of me, I might as well end my life now, freeing everybody from having to adapt to me.

"Calo... has a bad day. That's why he isn't on the field trip. They just called him in sick." She smiles carefully. "But we can still do what we initially planned. We can go together. We'll even go to the park and grab an ice cream..."

"I want to see Calo." I tell her firmly. "Or is he adamant about not seeing me anymore?"

"I don't know, honey. Apparently, his mom thinks it's better for you to not see him right now."

I let her words sink in, realizing Calo didn't decide to not see me, his mom did. And she might not know that I know about Calo's bipolar disorder.

"Can I call Mrs. Delgado? I have to ask something."

"I think she has to focus on Calo right now –,'

"I think Calo needs a friend." I simply tell her. "I think I know why he is sick, and if I'm right, he needs a friend."

Mom cocks her head to the side, staring at me in wonder.

"I have two weeks to finish the assignment, so we could always do it later, right?"

"We could, but you always want to get started right away."

"But now I think Calo needs me and the assignment can wait." I ruffle the table with my fingers, biting on my lip. "Please, can I call?"