|24|

                                    

                                          
E L I A S 
"How was school?" My mother asks.
"Fine."
"It was good." Mateo smiles.
"What'd you two do? Anything interesting?" Mom asks.
"Oh, yeah." Mateo nods. "I had the first two periods free so I went to the main hall with Dylan and they were playing a movie. Other than that, I just had classes all day."
I look up from my plate, finding everyone looking at me expectantly.
"I met my new counselor- she's horrible and I got sent to the principal's office." I nod. "And I got detention."
My parents both sigh in disappointment. I shrug. They asked, didn't they?
My mother just had another visit at the hospital today and told me to stay so we could have dinner together.
Last time we had one of these was before my overdose and it was so much more different than this.
"So, what did you both do at school today?" Dad asks.
"I had a maths test-"
Mateo cuts me off. "I played volleyball with my friends during lunch and got 96 on my maths test."
"That's great, son. I'm proud of you." My father smiles.
"I also got my maths test back. I got an 88." I grin.
"88?" My father scoffs. "Thats horrible, Elias. You're going to have to be better than that-"
Yeah.
I used to atleast be a good kid. Look at me now.
"Alright, so, your mother and I were thinking that we should go back to Italy for a while."
"What?" I snap. "Why?"
"Your mother is sick, she wants to see her family one last time." My father says.
"Then she can go." I shrug. "Why should I?"
"That's great, mom." Mateo says. "Im glad-"
"Shut the hell up, Mateo." I mutter. "No one cares."
"Well, you haven't been acting so great, Elias. The things you just said about your day clearly shows you really need some change. We'll be back in a month and I half or so, don't worry."
"No." I say. "Im fine, im not coming."
"You don't really have a choice here."
"Actually, I do. I'm 18, you can't force me." I say.
"We're trying to help you." Mom says. "I don't want to leave this world knowing my son is...like this."