Noah was shut away in his room again. His mother had called him down to eat three times already, every time he refused with a sad huff. The boy was angry, angrier than he had ever been. No one seemed to understand. George, Rose, and Alex ditched and mocked him, his parents always seem to be concerned whenever he mentions his friends. Noah just could not understand.
Today should have been a happy day. Afterall it was his thirteenth birthday. Noah was not surprised when the kids from school never showed up for his birthday party. His parents weren't even there since they both were busy at work. It was just Noah and his friends. On the bright side, Mildred taught him many things and Noah refuses to admit it to her, but math is starting to grow on him. Just a bit.
Josh had also helped Noah with his Spanish. Noah's parents don't even know that Josh has been teaching him Spanish and he was hoping to surprise them. But as time goes by, Noah realizes more and more that they just wouldn't care.
They had promised to be at his party, they even set it up! Angry tears rolled down Noah's red cheeks as his mother called out for him again. He couldn't, he refused. If she couldn't be there for him, why would he need to be there for her?
After a couple of minutes, the heavy footsteps of his father filled the air. They stopped right outside of Noah's door and were soon replaced by a knock. His father called out sternly, "Noah, you need to get downstairs this instant. It isn't fair to ignore your mother. She's in tears this very moment, for God's sake!" Noah did not move, he wouldn't move. Why should he?
His father's hand angrily slammed against the door and a yell rang in Noah's ears, "You know what, no. You just stay up here and wallow in your own self-pity. Go hungry for the night. See if I care!"
He didn't want to admit it, he really didn't. But that hurt. That really hurt. Tears welled up in his eyes. No, he thought, he can't cry. After all, that is what everyone told him, well, everyone except his friends. Boys don't cry. Boys aren't allowed to cry. But oh God did he want to.
So he laid in his bed, in his empty room. The whimpers from Charley only amplifying the empty feeling in his chest. And he cried. God, he was weak.
---
Noah felt ashamed when he entered the kitchen the next morning. He was still angry, but his anger was shadowed by the hurt that hung over him. Did his father really not care for him? Noah did not want to find out what his parents would say if they found out he cried last night.
He was suffocating as he slowly sat down at the table, an oversized green sweater was his only protection from the glares of his parents. He waited. Nothing. He cleared his throat, hoping a conversation would be started, that they would apologize and say that they were in the wrong. He didn't get that. Finally having enough, Noah snapped, "What?"
With a bitter laugh, his father replied, "You need to apologize for your attitude, boy." Noah hated the tone of voice, and he hated being called a boy. He was more than just a boy. Right?
Still angry and hurt from last night, he murmured, "Not until you apologize to me."
His parents just stared at him. They were stubborn, he knew that much. But Noah was stubborn too. The silence grew extremely awkward and proved to Noah once again that he is nowhere near as stubborn as his parents. "Fine! Fine, I'm sorry!"
He did not hear the words back. But he was used to it by now. Although that never took away the dull ache that always grew in his chest.
Noah quickly ate his breakfast, shoveling down food to quell his growling stomach. Afterall, he did miss dinner yesterday, and anyone who knows Noah knows that he never misses dinner. Once he was done and his plate in the sink, Noah rushed out of the room. Just as he was about to go upstairs and hide in his room once more, the voices of his parents stopped him.
"Erik, there is something wrong with him. I'm telling you this." It was his mother. Why was it always his mother?
"Dear, we can't be certain if anything is wrong. He is going through pu-"
"No. I won't have that excuse again. I'm worried about him. I- I'm worried he might have schizophrenia-" Noah could tell his father was about to cut her off as she continued, "No, hear me out, Erik. There is history on both sides of our families, with my grandmother, your uncle, and others before them! I've done some research and he does show some of the signs. Loss of friends, isolating himself, sleep problems, and seeing things. Not to mention I could go on! Erik, please understand I'm worried, really worried."
His father sighed and replied, "I'm not so sure, Carmen. But I do have to agree with you, he does share some of the signs... But we aren't doctors and we can't just diagnose him with schizophrenia! Hell, maybe we should set up an appointment... It wouldn't hurt."
And with that Noah decided he had heard enough. He did not know what schizophrenia was, but he didn't like the sound of it. Maybe he could ask his friends about it, that is if he can even remember the name of it. What was it again? Schitt-something? Close enough.
---
Pissed would be an understatement. Noah was sat in the doctor's office and the man in front of him, after a long and tedious process that Noah deemed unnecessary, had claimed he definitely had schizophrenia. He forgot the name instantly. Honestly, he couldn't care what the name was, all he cared about was that it was wrong. There was nothing wrong with Noah! There couldn't be. Well... Sometimes he would get out of breath but that was only after sprinting after Charley. And sometimes he would eat too much food but he did have a fast metabolism...
But what made Noah angrier was the pill bottle that was given to his parents. Apparently, he had to take some pill called Abilify from now on to help him. Noah hated pills.
It also didn't help that his friends were gathered around him giving him pitying stares. He hated it. Noah just hated his life at the moment. Totally despised it. If this is how it feels to be thirteen years old, Noah did not want to partake anymore. He would rather enjoy the bliss of his youth. Noah absolutely hated everything at the moment.
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SPECTRAL
Übernatürliches"Can you see them too?" Noah has always been a strange kid, sticking out like a sore thumb from the other children his age. But there was nothing wrong with Noah, at least, not in the way they thought. Afterall, it isn't normal to see your mother's...
