HOW TO DISAPPEAR

;-;

If the dare I'm about to attempt goes badly, I'll be able to blend into my surroundings and disappear before anyone notices. My best friend, Jenna, is making me do this. We were FaceTiming last night from our respective bedrooms, mine in its usual place, and herself in the very far away state of Wisconsin, where she now lives. Her mom got a really good job there, so their family moved in mid-August, a couple of weeks ago before the start of our sophomore year.

"I'm worried about you", she said.

I leaned out of view, so all she could see was my cat, named Kat, curled into a tabby fuzz ball on the bed.

"It's been two months." Jenna put her face extra close to the screen and whispered, "have you spoken to anyone in two months?"
"I speak to you," I said.
"A real person."
"Your not a real person?"
"You know what I mean."
She tipped her phone sideways and propped it on a dresser, giving me a panoramic view of her new bedroom, which I hated on principle.
"A real live person. Not your parents. And teachers don't count."

I tried to think of the last time I spoke to someone at school, aside from mumbling "sorry" when I got bumped into or whispering "bless you" when the kid next to me sneezed. For pretty much as long as I can remember, Jenna has been the only person I ever really talk to.