The House Guest

It was a warm summer day. The sun shone brightly. I could hear the kids outside playing. But the sunlight irritated me. So, I just kept my curtains drawn over. Inside my room, it was as dark as night. I liked it better this way. I submitted my last draft as my mom entered the room. "Jeez, Julie. How many times have I told you to keep the curtains open? It will make you feel better."

"Mom, I'm working. If you want to nag, then come a little later."

"We have some guests. I want you to come to meet them."

I get up, annoyed. The last few months whoever my mom wanted me to meet were all annoying counselors. I mean, I know my mom is worried about my mental health because of the incident with Jennifer, my best friend. But what my mom does is a bit extreme. No matter how much I tell her I'm fine, she brings a counselor to talk with.

Since she doesn't listen to me, I also do as she tells me. I meet with them. Then my mom leaves us alone to talk. As soon as she leaves, I wear my headphone and start listening to songs.

I was prepared to face a similar guest but I was shocked to see the guest. More like, confused. A woman in her mid-forties with a rude-looking teenage boy. The woman stood up when she saw me with a huge kind smile. Her smile was so infectious that I also smiled seeing her and offered her a small bow. Then I looked at my mom with a questioning gaze.

"This is Sally Allison. I told you about her before. She is my best friend who left the country a few years before you were born." my mom said answering my gaze.

I remembered her. My mom talked about her a lot since I was a kid. A few years before I was born she ran away with her lover because her family didn't approve of them. In the process, she lost contact with mom. I heard from mom that she was pretty but I never imagined her to be this pretty.

"Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Allison.''

"Oh just call me Sally."

I really liked this woman. I exactly knew what made my mom like her so much to call her best friend because my mom is really antisocial.

"This is her son, Ryan. They just moved to San Marlon. Ryan will be going to school with you. Say hi to him." my mom introduced the rude-looking guy.

He didn't smile, unlike his mother. He didn't even look pleased. He looked bored. I already wanted to hate this guy. But I couldn't. Because I have a weakness towards good-looking guys. In San Marlon, there are barely any guys who are up to my high standards. But this guy was a real piece of art. So, I swallowed my distaste towards him and smiled the same saying," Hello Ryan, pleased to meet you."

He didn't even properly reply. He just said," Same here."

His mother hurriedly said, "Don't mind his lack of social skills. He never interacted before. So he is a little weak in that sector. Except for that, there is barely anything he is not good at." I could tell Sally was trying to compensate with excessive smiles.

"No, it's totally fine. Julie's all the same." mom replied before I could. I'm a really social kid. Before the incident with Jenni, I used to have tons of friends. I just took a break from them.

"Please have a seat", I offered seeing that my mom was going to the topic where she starts nagging about how I should make more friends and be more approachable.

The next favorite topic of my mom after roasting my social skills was how great I was at drawing comics. So she started about it when Sally asked her what I like to do in my free time.

"She is midway writing a comic. She doesn't like us interfering in her work so we don't ask her much about it. But sweetheart you should really tell Sally about it." the way mom asked me she knew I wouldn't be able to dodge if she did it. My mom's really smart in these things.

Finding no way out, I just smiled and said as little as I could, " It's nothing big. Just a hobby. I don't even do it much." It was a lie. as long as I wasn't sleeping or eating or in school or in the washroom, I was drawing. It's the only escape from the hollowness I feel.

For the first time after that vague hello, Ryan spoke, " What do you draw?" He was really curious. I could see it in his eyes. It made me smile wider. It's probably the first time in the last two months that I smiled so happily.

Ryan and I talked about comics and writing and drawing for a long time, while Sally was in the kitchen with mom, showing her a recipe she had just learned.

Talking with Ryan, I found out a few things about him. He is a year older than me. But he dropped a year. So he's gonna go to my class. They rented a house just a few roads ahead of our house It takes at most fifteen minutes to reach their house by foot from ours. He is the only kid. Our interests are quite similar. He also likes drawing not comics but actual paintings. H even apologized for being so rude before. When he smiled, it was all I could see and hear. It was the prettiest thing I ever saw.

Sally came awhile later and sat with us, chatting.

As we were talking about the weather differences of San Marlon and Mayhill(the place Sally lived before returning to San Marlon) and the pros and cons of living in these two places, a message came on my phone.

It was Daniel, Jenni's brother.

'She's awake.'

I stood up and ran out of the room. I vaguely told my mom I going to the hospital before rushing out. It was rude to leave your guests like this. But I wasn't in the right mind to think about it. After all, my best friend who was almost successful in committing suicide came back to life