Behind The Mask

Ch. 7

Blake's P.O.V

"Dinner is served." Frank announces in a British accent. He places a bowl of spaghetti, two bowls of difference sauces, and the bread sticks down at the table. All the children at once start to dig in. Frank's cooking is exquisite.

We have a dinning room but no one really eats there. Ever since Frank's wife, Anne, left, we've never sat down together to eat. Everyone is scattered all through out the house. I usually sit in the living room next to Josh and watch a movie of some sort. But today, I decide to take my plate food to my room. I have to do my other homework anyways. It's also been a long day of emotional roller coasters, so I kind of just want to sit back and let it all soak in.

I enter my room and take out my school iPad. All I have for homework today is math and language arts. I take out my blue math notebook and start to work on the problems. I get stuck on one of them, but I can just ask someone tomorrow about it. I may be shy but I'm not anti-social.

I take a bite out of my bread stick. It's so good! I dip it into the spaghetti sauce and take another bite. That is one thing that I'm going to miss about this house; the amazing cooking. I continue to eat my food while reading the language arts assignment on my iPad. We are starting to read "The Catcher in the Rye". I take a spoonful of spaghetti and start to read the first chapter. As I'm reading I have to take notes on the characters and important quotes. I hate doing that. I feel like I'm so worried about finding things for the notes that I don't focus enough on the actual book. Oh, well. What am I to do about it?

"There you are." Josh enters my room with two cookies in his hand. "Why are you eating in your room?" He asks.

"I had to work on some homework. All I have left are two pages of reading and I'm done." I reply back to him. Josh shrugs his shoulders and takes a seat on my bed. He stares at me for a bit then starts to speak.

"Listen, I've been thinking about it and you don't have to tell me about your past. I already told you that it's okay if you don't and that I respect.. I just..." I interrupt him.

"It's fine Josh. I should have told you sooner. You are my best friend."

"I know, it's just that I don't want you to go back into the state you were. When I first saw you, you were absolutely crushed. You barely ate and it took me a long time to get you talking. I don't want you to hide away from the world again. Or at least, more than you are right now."

I think back to when I first met Josh. I guess he is right. I remember becoming friends with him right away, but now that he mentioned it, he's right. I remember spending all my time in my room. He was crushed too after what happened to him, but he at least tried to move on. He succeeded whereas I'm still stuck in the past. He is a true friend for worrying about me, and he as all the reason too. But I think it is time that I tell him. We've been friends through thick and thin. We're more then friends, we're like brothers.

"Josh, thank you for worrying about me. I didn't even think about it. But I trust you and I think you should know." I say. He looks hesitant about my decision, but doesn't appose.

"Alright. Go ahead." He replies. I take a deep breath and begin to tell him my story.

I tell him about the year of suffering my dad and I went through watching my mom slowly die. I tell him about her death and how it affected me and my dad. I tell him how devastated I was when she finally passed because of her amazing characteristics. Her smile, her intelligence, and her fairness. She stayed strong the entire time. I think about her as I speak. She loved gardening. We had a small green house in our backyard and she would spend most weekends in there. My dad and I would help her, she absolutely loved it. She told me once when we were working to look up at the sky. She said, "Blake, take in the light as much as you can. It will lead you to happiness."