3

I hear the front door open. I look up from my video game and see my mom walk in. She looks confused. I run up to her, glad to see that she's alright. 'Mama, welcome home!' I smile.

'Ah, hi Ari..' she says, kind of in a daze, as she walks straight past me to sit on the couch and watch TV. Though it seems weird, I'm just glad she came home at all.

However, the next few days, her confusing behavior continues, and even gets worse. Her timer has disappeared. Sure, I am relieved that nothing happened to her physically, but... there sure is something going on.

About a week later, my mom enters the room with the brightest and realest of smiles on her face. I seldom see her this happy. It calms down my nerves. 'How was your day?' I ask when she comes to sit next to me.

Her big smile immediately turns into a frown. 'Ah, Ari, you're here too.. How was school..?' She responds.

'I stayed home since my birthday,' I remind her, a bit surprised.

'That's good to hear..' she answers, clearly not listening.

Days pass, and my mom becomes more and more distant. It's not just her being absent-minded anymore. Before her timer ran out, she was already pretty cold towards me and my dad, but this is just crazy.

It has been over two weeks since my birthday. Today's a Saturday. I don't feel like getting up, so I bury my head in the pillow a little deeper, until a loud bang sounds throughout the house.

'Mama? Papa?' I yell. 'Hello?'

I run into the living room, but quickly come to a halt. Devastated, I try to bring out words, but they get stuck in my throat. On the couch, my dad lays with his head buried in a pillow, crying. I try to walk towards him, to ask him what's wrong, but I feel like the ground is sucking me in, the air not forming the words I want it to. Without knowing why, I feel fear run through my veins.

After a few seconds of silence, I come to a realization. 'Where's mama?!' I ask.

My dad pulls his head out of the pillow. His eyes are red and swollen. I've never seen him look so bad. He stands up and gives me a big hug. 'What's wrong..?' I finally find the strength to ask him.

We sit down on the couch. My dad is trying to find the right words, clearly not knowing where to start. 'It's your mom,' he finally starts, 'she met another guy at work, and she fell in love with him.' Tears welled up in his eyes, but he swallowed them away. 'She decided we make her unhappy, so she ran away with him.' My dad continues about how it's gonna be alright, but I don't hear him.

She doesn't love us anymore..? We made her unhappy..? Tears start to stream down my face. All sorts of thoughts run through my head. My dad seems to notice that he lost my attention, because he suddenly pulled me into a tight hug. 'We're gonna make it, even if it's just the two of us.'

I still had hope that she might come back that day. But now, years later, I know better.

We cried, screamed, until there were no more tears left and our throats were worn out.

That Monday, I went to school to keep my mind busy. My dad updated the principal on our situation. I knew I wouldn't be able to concentrate, but it was better than staying at home, all alone with my own thoughts.

Just two days after the most drastic change in my life, the best thing in my life happened. He was a transfer student. A small, fierce boy, with dark hair and emerald colored eyes. His name was Ezra Miles, a name that would be engraved in my heart until it stopped beating.

He was seated next to me. As a distraction, I started to talk to him during lunch break. Ezra is a very sensitive boy, even though he may not seem like it. He must've noticed me struggling to get words out of my sore throat, my eyes glittering from the tears wanting to burst out. He asked me if I want to go outside, worry visible in his eyes, but not on his face.

And so we ended up beneath a cherry blossom tree. He stayed silent, and so did I. For some reason, I felt like I could trust him. A comfortable feeling filled me as I finally let my tears stream down my face. I started shaking uncontrollably, sniffing loudly, not caring whether I looked ugly or not.

Suddenly, I felt someone pulling me close. Ezra put my head on his shoulder, still not saying anything. I cried and cried, unable to stop, until the bell rang. Ezra stood up, grabbed my hand, and lead me inside. Even though he was a bit smaller than I am, he made sure I could hide behind him.

It was the beginning of my trust in Ezra, my appreciation for him, and a beautiful start of a beautiful friendship.