Silent Melody [DISCONTINUED]

Chapter Seven

Silent Melody- Chapter Seven

“So what you’re telling me,” Kyle spoke through the phone, “is that you lied to Adam and your father about your day? It wasn’t as good as you told them it was?”

            I sighed, “No, definitely not.” I had told Adam that my day was good because I didn’t want him or my dad hassling me. It was probably the most awful day I’ve ever had to experience, next to getting my tonsils removed; that was dreadful.

            “What happened?”

            “Well,” I started, feeling my shoulders drop, “it started off fine when I met Jace and his brother. They were the only people who were actually kind to me, aside from the teachers. After first period, though, everything was horrible. I felt so anxious with everyone staring at me, whispering about me. My hands could not stop shaking, I was so nervous. Why I was so uneasy, I don’t know.”

            Kyle groaned, “I wish I could have been there with you; we could have been socially awkward together.” I laughed. “Didn’t you say that people with the condition of selective mutism also have a high anxiety level?”

            “Oh great, so now you’re saying I’m going to have days like this all of the time. This is horrible.”

            “At least you have one friend. Maybe you’ll be able to talk to him if you ever feel comfortable. Just don’t forget about me. I mean, you’re my sidekick. Sidekicks don’t forget the superhero.”

            I gasped in mock-horror, “You’re the superhero? Last time I check, you were the sidekick. I always had to ask for the ketchup at the fast food restaurants. You were too scared.”

            “Touché,” Kyle said, huffing loudly. “Anyway, what happened when you got home?”

            “I played the piano with an audience . . . then I started crying. It was the weirdest thing.”

            He gasped in horror, “You didn’t! You never cry, Auden. Not even when we talked about your dad walking out and your mom’s prostitution. You were always pretty strong about that. The only time I think I’ve ever seen you cry was when that girl insulted me in front of everyone. But, those tears weren’t of sadness, they were of anger. I had to hold you back from hitting her.”

            I chuckled, remembering the time. “Yeah, fifth grade was not a good year. No one gets away with making fun of my best friend.”

            “It’s not the same without you Auden, definitely not. But back to the whole crying situation; why did you do it? Is it because of your awful day at school?”

            “That’s what I thought. But now I think it’s something much deeper than that. Like you said, I’m not much of a crier.”

            He made a noise that resembled a sigh, “It’s got to be rough on you, you know? I don’t think I could picture myself in your situation. But my mom’s calling me down to do the dishes, it’s almost ten here. Call me tomorrow after school and tell me if it went any better, okay? Stay strong. I’m here for you.”

            “Thanks, Kyle. I miss you.”

            I hung up the phone and put it on my pillow. If I could have anyone here with me, it would be Kyle. He was the most amazing best friend a person could have, but he wasn’t here. I was alone.

            There were so many great memories with him. He could talk about anything and everything. He would never push me to talk about anything that I didn’t want to talk about. His mom treated me like her own, his sister made fun of me like she did her brother, and everything was great. Kyle and I were basically family.

            “Knock, knock,” Adam’s voice said through the wood of my door. He walked in, Cameo right behind him. “Dad told me to tell you that dinner is almost ready. My girlfriend is joining us.”

            I nodded, pulling myself up off of the bed.

            “Oh,” he said, looking behind me. I had a suspicion it was the phone that caught his attention. “You were talking to someone?” His expression looked hurt and I felt immediately guilty before nodding. “Look, that’s okay. I just hope that you can talk to me, dad, and mom some day. We all care about you.”

            Once again, I nodded. I felt distraught with the fact that everyone in the house understood so well. They never tried to force me to talk; all they ever tried to do was help me.

            I followed Adam out of my room and into the dining room. A girl with striking red hair and freckles was talking animatedly with my father. Her hair fell in ringlets on her shoulders and she had a pale pink lipstick on. It wasn’t until Adam and I sat that the pair noticed us.

            “This is Lucy, my girlfriend,” Adam introduced. “Lucy, this is Auden, my sister. I’ve told you about her.”

            Lucy grinned and stuck her hand across the table. “It’s so great to meet you.” I brought a shaking and clammy hand up and shook hers. The anxiety was already setting in. I had no control over it.

            “Here comes the food,” Shelbie said, waltzing into the dining room with a pan of lasagna. I poured myself a glass of lemonade and strained a smile at everyone.

            Shelbie placed the pan down and passed around the plates. My hands were still shaking so badly that when it was my turn to put a piece of lasagna on my plate, I dropped it back into the pan and splattered everyone with meat sauce.

            “Are you okay, Auden?” my father asked. He had a line creased in his forehead before he stood. I nodded quickly. “Can I have a word with you?”

            I nodded and stood, wiping my hands off on my jeans. My fingertips were beginning to look like raisins.

            My father walked into the living room and I sat next to him on the couch. “What’s wrong? You haven’t acted like this before. Don’t make me regret throwing away that prescription.”

            I stopped shivering and sat back with my head against the cushion of the couch.

            “Come on, kid, talk to me. What’s bothering you?” my dad asked, placing his hand on my knee. “You trust me don’t you?”

            I nodded.

            “Then what’s the problem? I love you, Auden. But I don’t want to be ignored anymore. I’ve done some extra research about your condition and usually the person can speak at home with family. Is this different because I haven’t been around you in so long?”

            Honestly, I didn’t know the reason. I wanted to talk to him, to Adam, to Shelbie. It’s not like I didn’t. But every time I tried, I’d freeze up and no sound would come out. Speaking came easily with Kyle, but I couldn’t with anyone else.

            “Look, Auden. I think I’m going to get you a new therapist. I know exactly who. You’re going to see her once every week. She’s great, I promise. You need someone who can help you through this, and if she tells me you need medication, I will trust her judgment.”

            I groaned. 

            He waved me off. “It’s not that bad. You can start next week, okay? We’ll pull through this together. Now, let’s get something to eat. I’m simply starving.”