Lethal Ways Not To Kill Yourself

Resolution 3: Elikai

Have you seen one of those commercials where people screw up the simplest of the tasks in the most idiotic fashion ever? Yeah, that's basically Alex.

"Do you know him?" Kal asked his sister, making his way up to let us in. Kassandra saw that she was blocking the way, so she invited us.

Her glares and suspicion never left Alex alone, nor did Alex's red cheeks leave him.

She led us to the hallway, asking us to have a seat at the dining table. We were greeted by a woman in her late forties who had Kassandra's eyes and Kal's smile.

"Elikai!" I was surprised that she remembered me after all this time. She would accompany her son to all the national competitions held in different states. Mrs Callahan would always give us company so that Alex and I never feel excluded.

"It's been a long time since I last saw you, how have you been?" She left the kitchen counter to give me a hug. I could smell the spices we had added in the dinner.

"I have been great, ma'am, I just came to drop Kal." I returned the warm smile.

"Oh, come on, you know I can't leave you without feeding you. I am so sorry," she turned to greet Alex, who until now was busy tracking Kassandra's moves," I have seen you with Elikai but I forgot your name. Please excuse this old woman!"

"He is Alex." Kassandra was leaning on the wall between the living room and the kitchen, unamused. She pulled the chair and took her seat, before waiting for us to settle down.

"Excuse my daughter," Mrs Callahan spoke in a hushed tone, but I am sure Kassandra knew what her mother was saying," she can be on the edge sometimes."

"Yeah, that's a family trait," Alex muttered under his breath, smiled and then took the seat himself.

"Kal's father is not at home, he has a double shift and I'll be busy with the laundry downstairs, Kassandra, why don't you serve our guests?"

"Why do I need to do everything? Ask Kal to serve his friends-"

"He came home just now, let him rest. You were home all the time-"

"No, what about when I come home late?"

"From parties? Now, don't have this argument again."

His mom left four of us in an awkward state to eat from the empty plates.

"You sit, I'll bring the food," Kal said to his sister and rose from his place.

"No, she's right. I shouldn't have argued with her in the first place." She shook her head and went to bring the casserole from the kitchen table. She served us sautéed beef and broccoli. I thanked her for the food.

Everyone ate in silence. I tried my best not to look at Kal and wonder what would have happened if we didn't stumble upon him. Under different circumstances, I would have wished the floor to split in half and eat me up. The flustered butterflies emerged from the dread of losing him. Right now, I was glad Mac called me. I tried hard to wave the thought off my mind, how tonight, he would have scarred us with his absence. The dinner table would have been a mourning site, the smiles and cheers would have turned upside down, just like Callahan family's life. I wondered if I would have regretted not talking to him enough, not understanding under the sparkling veil of charisma, his mind was rotting in the gutter of depression.

"Where were you, Kal?" Kassandra asked.

Kal was playing with the peas and broccoli. He answered without rating his head, "I went to Juniors, then met El and Alex. I stayed with them to catch up. Then I asked them to have dinner at our place, I am sorry if I disturbed–"