Introversion

I'm so glad it's video games that cause school shootings.

It's not the actual shooter...or unstable mental health, bad parenting, lack of governmental support, racial and gender-based tensions, or even shitty friends.

Now his parents don't have to wonder what they did wrong. Now the government and school administration don't have to be held accountable for constantly increasing stress levels of teenagers and belittling their depression by writing it off as a typical phase of adolescence. Now the media can go back to villainizing movements for human rights.

I'm glad it's only video games that cause school shootings, because now I can be safe again.

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"I'm so scared." I drawled sarcastically at my twin brother. "Terrified."

Arturo's best attempt at blackmailing me into helping him go to a party tonight was threatening to post my baby pictures on social media.

Weak.

I looked as fabulous then as I do now.

"Rosie...ándale. No seas así." He whined, and once again stepped into the part of the floor I was currently sweeping.

I shoved him out of the way. "Do you not see me sweeping? Stop stepping on the floor!"

"Where else is he supposed to step? The walls?" A comedian suddenly remarked from the couch.

"Alex, I'm gonna shove this broom so far up your – " I cut off at the sound of my mom's chanclas nearing the door.

The other pain in my ass was still trying to convince me in hushed tones now that my mom was within hearing distance, "You know my mom would let us go if you go. Like, I'll just pretend to go just to protect you and when we get there you can go to the library or church or whatever your nerd ass does in your free time."

Can you believe the audacity? I should've absorbed him in the womb.

"Why would I help you?" I snapped. "Remember last week when I asked you to help me fundraise for my club and you just called us a bunch of hippies and tree-huggers? Because I remember."

"Aye. No empiecen." My mom warned, probably having sensed an upcoming battle between her two youngest offspring and wanting to put a stop to it.

When Arturo brought up the party tonight, I thought her immediate answer would be a convenient "no" (in Spanish).

However, she then had the revolutionary idea for me to finally "salir de la cueva" and be social.

Given, it was my junior year and I hadn't done anything remotely teenager-like besides study and partake in extracurricular activities that they didn't deem fun enough. It didn't help that I was always forced to do household chores while my two male brothers got to sit on the couch with all their privileges.

But apparently now my mom thought it was a good idea to be cool.

So that's how I ended up sitting awkwardly in the back seat of a car with Joshua, a quiet kid who I shared a few of my honors classes with, and his older sister Kaylie, who was currently holding hands with Arturo in the front seat.

I turned to Joshua, wanting to break the uncomfortable silence. "Ayo, Josh. Why are you even going to this thing? I didn't even know you talked."

Shockingly, he replied with silence.

So I continued, "I haven't even seen you hang around anyone else but my brother and the rest of the soccer team. Do you even know the people throwing the party?"