The Boy in the Rain//Klance

7. Lance

The text was plain and short but my heart still skipped a beat when I read it over for the seventh time.

Hey, this is Keith. We're partners in English. Let's talk about what we'll do for this project.

I go for a simple and plain answer to his text as I sit on a the edge of my bed.

Hi Keith. What do you want to talk about?

Perfect.

After I hit send I put my phone on my nightstand and leave the room. Right now the house is quiet which hardly ever happens. After my walk with Marco, Danny took him and Nina to go to a park. Veronica is hanging out with friends she just made today. I don't know how she does it. I mean I once was a friendly person. Until the incident happened and all my reputation jumped off a cliff. Chloe's school doesn't get off for another hour and Mama is at work.

Abuelita! She must be sleeping. I get up off the bed and leave the room to go into the kitchen. Now is my time to shine, I'll make dinner for everyone so Abuelita doesn't have to. I give myself a thumbs up as I skip into the kitchen.

I want to make a big traditional meal but I know that would take a while and I need this surprise to be quick so when everyone gets home dinner is ready. I search through our mostly empty cabinets. I can't find anything until I see a box of pancake mix. That'll do.

I grab the box and grab milk and eggs from the fridge. I stir everything into a bowl and pour the mix onto the single pan we have. We couldn't afford a griddle so I have to make one pancake at a time on a pan. It takes a while but I can do it.

I use the spatula to scoop up each pancake and set them on a big plate. When each pancake is made I get out enough plates for everyone. I get out eight plates for everyone else, of course I'm not eating. Maybe I'll have a bowl of cereal or something but this is just for my family. No you won't. You won't eat and you know it.

I push the thought down and set our makeshift dinner table. We have four metal fold up chairs, two wooden chairs, an actual high chair and a plastic chair with a baby car seat on it as a makeshift high chair. To make it work as a high chair we just let Marco use the actual table to eat his food on. Nina gets the real high chair since she's younger. Marco just turned three and we're trying to convince Mama to just let him use the normal chairs but she won't let us.

Mama is really stubborn.

Once dinner is ready I sit on a chair and wait for my family to each come home for maybe twenty minutes before someone actually shows up.

Chloe is the first home. She runs to the table when she sees what I did. She hugs me and then puts her backpack in her room so she can get seated to eat.

Danny comes home second with Nina and Marco in his arms. He smiles at me and puts the two kids in their high chairs. Danny sits down too and we all talk about how our day went.

Veronica is third home. She comes in on the phone with someone, probably a friend. And immediately hangs up when she sees dinner. "Sweet Lance! Thanks so much!" She hurries to the table and sits down. She smiles brightly at Chloe and I. "How was your guys' day? Mine was awesome! Let me tell you about it-"

Mama and Luis come home right after Veronica and gives Mama gives me a big smooch on the forehead. "Thank you Lance." She then kisses Ver, Chloe, Danny, Marco and Nina. Luis quickly takes a seat and smiles at me. "Lance! Today was awesome! I made so many new friends! My teacher was really nice too!" I reach over the table and ruffle his hair, "That's awesome bud! I'm glad to hear it."

Abuelita wakes up from all the racket. "Oi! Why are you all so loud?" She yells at us, scratching her white haired head. Her Spanish accent is thick. She then sees everyone at the table and smiles. "Who made dinner?" Everyone points at me, which makes Abuelita smile with her missing teeth. "Lance you're such a good boy! What would we do without you!" As she plants a kiss on my cheek she whispers into my ear, "But this is my job!" She sits down next to Mama and puts pancakes on her plate.

Everyone starts digging in.

"Mama! You wouldn't believe the school! It's amazing!" Ver gushes to our mother. Luis and Chloe are talking about homework and I see Danny helping Nina eat little bits of pancake. Abuelita eats silently.

"I'm glad you enjoy it mija. How about you Lance? What do you think of the school?" I smile brightly which just hurts. "Everyone is so nice and the food is great!" Lies. Mama nods, "That's good. Let's hope this school is better than our last one." I nod too and so does Veronica.

I excuse myself from the table and go into my room where I see my phone lit up with notifications.

I lay down on my bed and grab my phone off of the nightstand. It's Keith.

KeithfromSchool: I was wondering what you would like to write about. 

KeithfromSchool:I was thinking a sort of weather. Weather is easy to write about.

KeithfromSchool:Should we hangout sometime? So we can write and talk about ideas?

I gulp. He already wants to hangout. Definitely not my house. I type up a text.

I like the rain. A lot can be written about rain. Can we hangout at your house?

His reply is almost instant.

KeithfromSchool:We can't do it at yours?

I gulp down the immediate sense of nervousness.

No...my house is...cramped.

KeithfromSchool:I see. Mine is as well.

KeithfromSchool: How would a coffee shop work? We can meet up at some cafe

That works perfectly. Thanks man

Wow! I'm being casual. With someone that isn't my family! That's the first in about two years!

I set my phone down and shut my eyes. My stomach grumbles. I wince at the sudden pain there is now. Why do I have to be hungry. "Shut up stomach!" I whisper as I feel the tears spring into my eyes, "Shut up and just let me sleep!" I curl up into a ball with my blankets and I let the tears fall. "Why? Why? Why do I have to be this way? Why can't I be a normal person and eat normally?"

Because you're not normal. You're a freak. Weird. Nervous. Panicky. Scared. That's what you are your scared. Scared of being alone. Scared of people. Now you're just dumb. Make up your mind Lance.

You're scared of your dad. What's he going to do now Lance? He can't get you while he's locked up. Or maybe he can. Maybe when he's let out he'll get you!

I cry as the voice keeps taunting me. This evil voice comes from my own mind. My own thoughts made into an evil voice. And the voice is none other than my own fathers.

So maybe you can see what I'm getting at with Lance's dad. I'm trying to make this voice be as real as possible. So before you judge or anything and say this isn't how anxiety is: this is how it is for me. My own thoughts is what scares me the most. But I hope you aren't judging. I'm sorry if this chapter was boring! I'm trying to insert Lance's family life in. Thank you for reading and have a good day~~~~