Page 2 of Honest With You

At this boy for playing games.

My fingers start to shake, and I can feel my lips tremble.

I just wanna go to my room and cry.

“Because I said so!”

The boy turns the game off and stands in front of me. He’s tall, and has eyes the color of the sky. I think I’ve seen him before, but I can’t remember.

Whatever. It’s not important.

“Are you okay?”

I scrunch up my nose and that’s when I feel a teardrop on my arm. I’m crying.

“I’m…I’m going to m-my room. Stop playing your stupid game!”

I turn and run to my room. I fling myself on my bed, burying myself under the covers and hugging Katy, my gray koala, tight. Mama got this for me after she went to Australia with Daddy for her birthday when I was six. I swear it still smells like her.

I hear footsteps outside my room, and I peek from under Katy to find the blond boy. He’s standing by my door, hands in his pockets and eyes on the floor.

Sighing, I sit up on the bed and pull the covers up to my chest.

“You can come in if you want.”

My mama raised me to always be polite. I want to be a good person like she was. Even more so now that she’s gone.

Maybe he didn’t know Mama died… maybe no one told him.

He walks in slowly at first, but then his head swings right, his eyes widening. He goes straight to my bookshelf. Taking one of mymangasout, he flips through it and smiles at me.

“I like anime too.” He looks around the shelf at my other books, “You like to read?”

I nod when he looks over at me.

He grins, “Me too but just manga.” He puts the comic book back.

I feel my anger lessen. I could use a friend right now.

I don’t want to think about Mama being gone or Daddy being mean or Reese being sad or Stephen being angry.

I just want to forget for a little bit and feel normal.

I point at the remote on my desk next to the shelf.

“Do you want to watch something? I don’t want to go back downstairs yet.”

He nods and picks up the remote. He sits on the edge of my bed, his back against the wall.

“I’m Jesse, by the way.”

“I’m Ava.”

He smiles again. He smiles a lot. I don’t think I’ve smiled in a long time. Not since Mama got sick.

I swipe at my face, not knowing what else to say as he looks for something to watch.

“I’m sorry I made you mad. Your dad told me I could come up here and find something to do… I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to play the game.”

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