S1. Ep 3

Callum

11:06 AM

"Finding your peace is the most important step to take before tackling any other mental challenges", said Daniel Ferguson, my therapist. "You sound like the dude who sells me my joint." I said with a small sinister smile and turned over to Daniel who was looking at me with a straight face.

"Gosh Dan, it's a joke." I said as he sighed and looked at me again, "which part? I thought my father paid you to be my therapist, not a personal detective."

"Anyway, that was the day's mantra. So I will ask how your week was." He scooted forward and held the coffee mug on the table, leaned backward, and took a long loud sip like he's gasping for his last dose of air.

 I, on the other hand, had no single clue on how to answer this question. My week was a usual routine. Wake up, go to school, daydream my entire day until I hear the final bell, get to the school parking lot, and drive home alone with some good silence. That was my week in basic routine, you know like when you accidentally hit repeat on that particular song in the album you can't skip but don't enjoy at the same time. Going through my mind were at least a million different ways to answer the question, "How was your week?" but I just couldn't find the right answer so I went cliché.

"It was alright"

"So is there anything you would like us to talk about today?" He said

"No, I'm good, I think I've used up 30 minutes. Am heading home"

"If you say so Cal, but remember, I am always here whenever you need me. It's better to not have any heavy emotional problems locked up inside you, sometimes you have to let it out, and even though I am your therapist, you can always look for that one person you trust." And by the time he looked up from the table I was long gone (I was not there when he said that but he does it every time I decide to leave so I memorized the routine goodbye of his). But the thing I didn't understand is why I chose to come to see my therapist on a day that wasn't on the appointment schedule, am sure as hell am not drunk or high. 

I felt a need to go unburden and like every other time on appointments, I completely failed to say a single word I planned but this time felt different but ended as usual but hey, at least I wasn't alone for the last 30 minutes. I have always hated being alone, in my room, at school. Am sort of anti-social, but I do that standing next to people and not giving a single thought to their presence, I drown myself in my own mind and care less about the company I am standing with, God, I don't care if the people around me are feeding each other to sharks. As my thoughts keep scrolling through my mind, I find some weird version of peace, a soothing calmness of knowing I have a social life I care less about.

3:12 PM

Down at the mansion, dad seems to be there more often which is something 8-year-old me would have taken a knee and prayed for but now, right now, am not digging it. Your wondering why this guy isn't happy his pops is pulling up more often but once you walk in on your father with four women in latex gloves (all at once and only latex gloves, nothing else, and this is the only PG-rated memory I could give you) is when you'll get the little packages of flashbacks I get when I see him. But the man does own the mansion and who am I to argue with him if he wants to stay in his property.

6: 13 PM

My phone rings from the side of my pillow. I have nothing better to do so don't judge. I have this catchy ringtone from this anime, Jojo something, and you will tend to hear a good portion of it before I can pick up. 

I look at the screen and the caller is unknown. Do I pick it up? I do not. The call lands straight to voicemail. I open it and it says, "Hi, I hope I got the phone number right, If this is Callum..." the voice is female, sounds about my age or a year younger (I can tell a person's age by the tone they speak in) and she sounds a bit timid, 

"My name is Samantha and I am in your Biology class, I don't know if you noticed me-" half-cast girl who sits on the second row right in front of me, hard to miss, "Am the girl who sits right in front of you-" already knew that but keep going, "anyway, I was hoping we could like meet up and grab a drink or something-" I can't believe myself but I actually like where this is going, "If your okay with it, no pressure, I'd kind of like to get to know each other considering the fact that we have been going to the same class for three years now-" maybe this I didn't know. A sigh of relief was heard on the phone and this would have been a hell of a lot awkward if I had answered that call, "But again, no pressure, if you get some time or if it doesn't bother you, feel free to call me, this is my number so yeah, hit me up." 

And just like that, a cute girl just asked me out on a date. And of course, I've noticed her. She is a smart girl, has this really cute smile, comes with dimples too, but why the sudden interest in me if we have been in the same class for three years, am sure I've said hey before or at least smiled at her but why now? Well, there's only one way to find out. 

I grabbed my phone and opened the phonebook, straight to my missed calls, her number is there, I tap it and freeze for a second before I could hit call, "Cal, are you sure about this?" a voice talks to me in my head, but what have I ever gained from listening to little pessimistic voices in my head? Nothing. I hit the call button, rang for a second, and then….

"Hello, Sam speaking, who is this?"