chemical

17.

I put my book down and walked to the phone, it was my mom.

"Hey." I said unenthusiastic.

"Hey sweetie. How's everything?"

I already was annoyed by the pitty she had for me in her voice.

"Fine."

"I'm sorry for not visiting you."

"It's okay."

"No it's not. I want to be there for you because i know how hard you have it right now."

I sighed, she wanted something from me that's why she being like this.

"Why are you actually calling me?"

She stayed silent for a second until she answered me.

"I need you to promote a procuct on your Instagram."

"Not possible without a phone or access to my Instagram." I said slightly annoyed.

"I know and that's why I'm visiting you tomorrow or the day after that."

"What if i don't want to?"

"Why wouldn't you want to do it? You've always loved doing things like that. "

"Is dad coming with you?" I asked ignoring her question.

"I don't think so sweetie, you know how busy he is with work and stuff. "

"I miss him. "I said more to myself.

"Don't worry I'll ask him to call you today. "

I wanted to see him not just hear his voice.

"Are you still mad at me?" She asked hesitantly.

"I don't know."

"That's not a real answer."

My mom always said that when she wanted me to talk more. She hated to accept that sometimes one word was the only real answer i could give.

"I think i am still mad at you. I feel like you're not listening to me most of the time."

"I'm sorry that you feel that way sweetie. I'll try to do better next time." She said.

She didn't even bother to apologise.

"Bye mom, thanks for calling." I said not wanting to continue the conversation.

"Bye, sweetie. I'll see you soon."

I hang the phone up and went back to my room.

I thought that i could continue to read but i was interrupted again.

River walked in with a big smile on his face.

"You seem happy. " i said to him.

He put his crutches against my bed and handed me a piece if paper. "We have to participate."

I laughed and have him the paper back. "I'm not going to do some stupid talent show."

"Come on, why not?" He asked.

"It's just to keep us distracted from the fact the we are here because we're dying."

"God, why do always have to be so negative?" He said as his smiled dropped.

I sighed, i kinda felt bad for ruining his good mood. "What do you even want to do? I don't really have any special talents."

He shrugged. "I can play the guitar pretty well and i thought that you might be able to sing."

"You really think that i can sing?"

"Why don't you give it a try? If you really suck we can always come up with something else."

"Like right now?"

He shrugged. "How about tomorrow when you're in a better mood."

"Sure." I doubted that i was going to be in a better mood tomorrow but some extra time to prepare myself sounded good.

"What's bothering you today?" He asked as he sat down next to me.

"Same as always i guess. My mom is visiting today or tomorrow."

"What's so bad about that?"

"She only visits me when she wants something. This time she wants me to promote some stupid product."

He smirked at me and stood up. "Sounds like it's time to fix your hair."

I gave him a scared look and shook my head. I didn't want to be killed by my mom.

"I don't want to." I said panicked as he pulled me out of bed.

"I've already asked Alice if she wants to help because she has done it before."

River let go of my hand and grabbed his crutches.

He walked ouf of my room but stopped when he noticed that i wasn't following.

"You coming?"

I took a deep breath in and then nodded. It was time to do something that i wanted and not what my mom wanted.

"Do you even have the stuff?" I asked as i follwed him to Alice's room.

He nodded. "My mom brought them yesterday when she visited. I just have to grab them out of my room."

His family always souneded so nice but i knew that they also weren't perfect.

I waited infront of his room as he grabbed a bag out of it.

"We're ready." He said with as smile.

"Do you want me to carry it?" I asked when i saw him struggle with his crutches.

"Nope, i got it."

"Greeting to you, Alice." River said when we both entered her room.

I awkwardly waved to her.

She stopped with what she was doing and stood up. "You got the stuff?"

River nodded and trew her the bag that he was holding.

I wondered when River had talked to her about all this.

"Who wants to go first?" She aksed with a smile.

I quickly pointed to River who accepted it.

Alice told him to sit down which he did. She brushed his hair which caused a lot his hair to fall out.

"Don't worry about that." River said to reassure Alice.

Alice first bleached his hair which smelled horrible and kinda made his hair look yellow.

"Mabye we should just leave it like this." River said jokingly.

"Definitely not." Alice said to him

"You wanna help put the dye?" Alice asked me when she had washed the toner out.

"Sure."

We definitely underestimated how much hair River still had. It took us almost 30 minutes to cover his whole head.

Once the dye was in we had to wait 20 minutes before we could rinse it out.

Alice said a timer so that we wouldn't forget the time.

It was a good thing that she did that because we where all so busy with talking that we almost didn't hear the timer go off.

"Oh shit, it's time already." Alice said as she turned it off.

She layed a towel i Rivers neck and put his head under the shower.

"Ahh it's freaking cold." River cried out when she turned to water on.

We both laughed when he said that. He could be such a drama queen sometimes.