Oliver. The name flowed through my mind, but nothing clicked. Oliver was one of those names that would stick out, that you would remember, but I didn't. I responded back, "whoever you are, leave me alone. I don't know you." Their responses were instant which made me feel somewhat uneasy. "Okay. See you tomorrow." I felt a cold chill run down my body. This person knew me, saw me, and apparently was going to see me tomorrow. Although it did make me feel slightly paranoid, I tried to focus on what was important, and in that moment. It was homework. Since most of my day was filled with tears and anger, my homework list was significantly large. English was my main priority. The assignment was to read a small passage and then write a 3 paragraph response to it. Writing is my life, I love writing. Twenty minutes passed and that assignment was complete. Science, History and Math I pushed off another day and decided to get ready for bed. I walked into my bathroom and turned on the shower. I quickly took off my clothes and put on my furry black bath robe. I plugged in my phone to the small set of speakers I kept in my bathroom and walked back into my room to gather my pajamas. After sorting through a pile of old clothes, I finally decided on a faded tye dyed teeshirt and my favorite black sweatpants. I showered relatively quickly, the song "Mad World" played in the background. I got out of the shower and wrapped myself in my towel. In the fog spattered mirror I saw myself. The black entanglement of hair was stuck to my face and my skin looked splotchy red from the hot water. I stood there for a few moments, then brushed my teeth, towel dried my hair, and finally got dressed. Around 11 pm, I wandered downstairs to find that my mother was still awake. I tried to turn around but I was caught. "Elizabeth!" She silently screamed. "Yes?" I said. "Where the hell were you? I am sick and tired of this. You're going through some phase, and you're acting like the world owes you something. Guess what Dear, the world owes you nothing." I felt anger flow through my veins. I cleared my throat because I refuse to let her know how much her words hurt me. "You wanna know where I was? When I left school I went to the flower shop, got flowers, and spent the rest of my time at the cemetery. Remember John? I know it's been a year but... you probably don't because all you do is pay attention to your 'good kids.' Im just the outcast right? So that's where I was mom, and I know you didn't remember because you don't care. Now if you would excuse me, I'll be in my room." I felt her hand glide across my face. The sting crawled through my cheek. At least she let me say everything I had to say before she slapped me. It didn't bother me anymore. If I showed her that it hurt, that would give her what she wanted. So whenever it happens, I would just stare at her and eventually walk away. John hated my mother and she did not particularly enjoy him. He helped me "run away" a few times. I would just gather my clothes for a few days, call him, and he'd come pick me up. I stayed in his apartment, which was small but cosy. He always offered to sleep on the couch, but we usually just fell asleep in his bed. I would get close to him, he's put his arm around me, and I'd rest my head on his chest. We'd watch movies, but I was never focused on the movie, I was focused on my best friend. This was before he got sick. The pre-cancer John. My favorite John.
I walked back upstairs. I decided that dinner wasn't that important to me tonight. I wasn't hungry anyways. I got into my bed and then realized that I left my phone in the bathroom. I got back up and got my phone. To my surprise, I had a missed call. No one ever calls me. The number was the same number I got the riddle texts, the so called Oliver. He left a voicemail. My heartbeat sped up as I pressed the button to listen. There was a pause. The voice was rich. There was a hint of southern, and he had that raspy sound, as if he was in the last stages of puberty. "Elizabeth, I know you don't know who I am, but you do. I'll explain someday, but I really miss you. It's going to be okay, I promise. Please don't freak out." He sounded familiar. Something inside of me knew that voice.
After a few moments of mentally adjusting to what I just heard, I plugged my phone into the wall and put the playlist entitled "sleep" on. I closed my eyes and focused on the words and the sounds of whatever song was playing. Slowly, my mind slipped away into a deep state of unconsciousness.
