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Anna was a little bummed when the girls got up early and had to leave. She wished she was going with them on their camping trip, but she tried not to dwell on it as she found something else to distract her from thinking about.
"Hm." Izzy looked down at her phone as she slung her bag over her shoulder.
"What?" Amelia asked.
"That was Javi. He says he's not going now. That he doesn't feel well." Izzy shrugged.
"Weird." Amelia commented.
Anna ran her hands through her hair, using her fingers to detangle the knots that were there. She looked at the two girls as they gathered all of their things before Anna walked them out. She had a plan for when they left. Clean her room and then head to the treehouse to hopefully make some progress on her work.
She waved to the girls as they headed down the sidewalk. She watched them turn the corner before going inside and going up to tidy her room. Though the girls didn't affect her in the present moment, Anna couldn't stand looking at the disorder when she walked back in. She folded blankets and placed them back in the closet where they belonged and then began making her own bed.
Then she followed her normal routine and got ready for the moment - forgetting to take her medicine in the process. It wasn't going to harm her by not taking it, but she would surely be more anxiety ridden and symptomatic throughout the day. Again, not a bad thing - but sometimes it annoyed her.
Anna pulled on the straps of her backpack as she walked towards her trail. The clouds were gloomy as she walked and she wondered if it was going to rain. She had thoughts about going back, but she decided to take her chances anyway. The air was rather warm but it was comfortable to her as she kicked at the gravel while she walked.
She skipped over fallen twigs as she walked the trail and gravitated towards the treehouse. She stopped to look at Dinohenge and then made her climb up the ladder. When she reached the top, she heard muttering and tapping coming from inside. She paused on the platform and peered inside, seeing that it was Javi sitting there with headphones on and a stick in his hand that he was using to tap against the boards.
She walked closer, seeing that he still hadn't noticed her as he blankly stared away from the entrance. She gripped one of her backpack straps and then gently kicked him in the side of the head. He looked up at her like a deer in the headlights and ripped off his headphones. Anna sat down next to him and then opened her bag, pulling her computer out - fully prepared to work as she talked with him.
"Sorry..." Javi looked at her.
"For what?" She slowly typed her password in and waited for her computer to load.
"Stealing your spot." he said.
"I don't own the treehouse," she shrugged, "Why didn't you go camping?"
"Well, still... you found it first." Javi shrugged back.
"As long as you're fine with me being here too, then it can be both of our spot." Anna suggested.
"I think that sounds like a fair compromise." Javi agreed with a cheeky little smile on his face as she looked at the girl sitting next to him.
"Why didn't you go camping?" she repeated.
"Just didn't feel like it." he muttered.
"Is everything alright?" she wondered as she started fidgeting with the little usb plug that was plugged into the side of her computer for a wireless mouse. She pulled it out and shoved it back in - repeating the movement in sequences of three's before stopping for a few seconds and returning to it.
"Yeah, just a fight with my dad that's all." he cleared his throat, "Did you come to write?"
Anna nodded, still playing with the usb plug. Her document was slowly opening and she waited impatiently for it to load while she looked back at Javi.
"Yeah." she told him, "Sorry if I startled you."
"I startled you first, so I guess that's payback?" he chuckled.
"What did you get into a fight about?" Anna wondered, hoping that she wasn't overstepping by asking. She knew it was none of her business, but she wanted to know anyway.
"It was stupid," he shrugged, "How's your ankle?"
He didn't want to talk about it and Anna needed to respect that. She looked at him for a second longer and then flicked her eyes back to her screen when the document finally loaded.
"Fine, a bit sore... but fine. It's a good thing that Ranger showed up or I would have been toast." she told him, "They were seconds away from slashing me with their weapons... He got there just in time and stopped them. I couldn't imagine being that brave."
"The Rangers are very brave and they will do anything to protect us." Javi bit his bottom lip.
"They're so cool," she thought about it, "It's so weird to think about all the teams before them. Like the Beast Morphers, Jungle Fury, Ninja Storm, Lightspeed Rescue, Mighty Morphin... So many different teams of rangers. How is that possible?"
"They were all really brave too," he agreed, "So many teams in history that vowed to protect the earth. Definitely something crazy for sure."
"There should be a museum." she laughed.
"True, seriously though... How is your ankle? I feel bad that you got hurt." Javi said.
"You shouldn't be sorry," she looked back at him, "You didn't push me down those stairs. I tripped like an idiot."
"I should have been with you though." he told her.
"But you had to make sure Izzy was okay too." she reminded him.
He frowned as he looked over her shoulder. She followed her gaze to the screen and stared at it - at the blank screen with nothing but a picture of a sunflower as the background. She was telling herself to open her document, to start working... but instead her gaze turned into a moment of zoning out from the mental thoughts and even the conversation with Javi.
She listened to the silence for a few minutes before snapping out of the state. She shifted her position and tucked her foot underneath her so that she could get into a comfortable position to start working. Then, she opened the document, and got started on her work. It didn't bother her that Javi continued watching over her shoulder. She had been used to that - her mother used to do it all the time.
She carefully typed each word, stopping and erasing certain words two or three times before finding the right one to fit the part she needed. The entire time, she would start messing with the usb key again when she needed a moment to think but then she started tapping her fingers against the empty space on her laptop board.
Then she started zoning out again when she was trying to think some more. She didn't even realize she was doing it until Javi pointed it out to her. He lightly tapped on her shoulder and didn't even have to say a word.
She looked at Javi and started laughing, "I forgot to take my meds today. Oops."
"Meds?" he questioned.
"For my OCD. That's why I keep zoning out. Today's a fidget and zoning out day apparently." she continued laughing.
"Oh, right..." he wasn't sure if he should be laughing or not so he awkwardly chuckled and then waited to see what was going to happen next.
"I'm definitely not getting any work done today." she closed the laptop and placed it back in her bag, "Sorry."
"Don't apologize." he shook his head.
"I really need to stop forgetting to take my medicine," she sighed, "It really does help... You probably think I'm weird."
"I don't think you're weird. We all have things about us that make us unique. This just seems to be your thing." he said.
"I guess so..." she trailed off.
"Can I ask you some questions about it?" Javi asked.
"Of course," she nodded, "Anything you want to know."
"What exactly is OCD? I know Izzy used some fancy words for it, but what is it and how did you get it?" Javi folded his hands in his lap and stared at the girl.
"Well for starters, it's not a disease. It's just a disorder. Think of it like... anxiety or depression. It's present, and people are aware of it, but it's irregular... unpredictable. Whereas a disease can be more predictable." Anna explained to him.
"Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?" Javi raised a brow.
Anna nodded, "I was diagnosed when I was seven. My mom noticed that I would repeat certain patterns and behaviors and often have panic attacks or meltdowns when I couldn't complete them. So, they initially thought I had autism. Which, I'm on the border of being autisic but all the tests decided that I'm barely on the spectrum enough to obtain that diagnosis."
"So, is it different for everybody?" he questioned.
"Very much. People with OCD, or Autism, for that matter all have the same symptoms but they are presented differently in each person. For me, I focus mainly on patterns... and I have very intrusive thoughts that aid the patterns. Sometimes I won't step on cracks because my brain will tell me that I'll break my leg if I step on them... or I'll have to close the door multiple times until it feels right, or I'll fidget with stuff. My medicine helps control that tremendously." Anna continued explaining.
Javi turned his head slightly, keeping eye contact with Anna as she told him all about her disorder. She appreciated him taking the time to listen - not many people did that. They often wrote her off as weird and never took the time of day to ask like he was doing.
"So what can we do to help you?" Javi asked.
"Redirect me. Sometimes if you can distract me, the thoughts and behaviors will go away. I do have my bad days... and they are bad... I'll freak out over the slightest disturbance. If I break my routine or something falls out of line it could set it off - even if I had taken my medicine. For example, the other day..." Anna cleared her throat as she was thinking about it, "Linda was sitting in my spot at our kitchen table and it made me really uncomfortable. Like, I couldn't focus because all I kept feeling was a sense of being out of place."
"Sooo..." he turned his head slightly so he wasn't looking directly at her, "If you're fidgeting with your hands like you are now.... And I reach over and grab your hands like this, will it distract you?" Anna could see the redness in his puffy cheeks.
Hers were turning the same shade as Javi grabbed her hands and interlaced their fingers together. She wasn't entirely sure how to react at first, but she didn't pull her hand away or even move her gaze from him. Though, she felt a strange sensation wash over her and she really didn't know how to decipher it all. On one hand, she was nervous about holding her hand because she remembered what Amelia and Izzy had said about Javi possibly liking her. Then, on the other hand... she was excited that Javi was holding her hand because the more she stared at him, the more she found his features attractive.
"Yes." Anna breathed slowly, trying to keep calm while Javi held her hand.
"Anything else we can do to help?" Javi looked back at her.
"All I ask is that you guys have patience with me if we're all going to be friends. Patience is really helpful, especially if I am having a bad day." She thought about it.
"That is something we can definitely do," Javi nodded, "I will make sure of it."
She went to say something back to him but she felt her phone start to vibrate in her backpack before it started to loudly ring. At the same time her phone started to ring, she heard a little faint beep and Javi checked something on his wrist. She answered her phone, only to be asked to come home and watch her brother. Linda had mentioned something about Aris not feeling well and Anna didn't want to deal with a crabby baby - especially not on a day where she kept zoning out. Though, she didn't want to tell Linda that because she would only get scolded for not taking her medicine and she didn't want that.
It was still early enough in the day where she knew she could take it and it would help. Not much, but some. When she hung up the phone she met eyes with Javi.
"I have to go." they said in unison.
They both laughed for a brief second and then began gathering their things. Javi climbed down first and then Anna followed. That's where the two parted ways, and Javi took off in a sprint. Anna stared in his direction for a moment and then began her own walk back home. She skipped almost the entire way home and then stood on the porch for a few seconds to compose herself before going inside.
She swung the door open and the faintest scent of fresh paint slapped her in the face. She stood in the doorway with her brow furrowed. Linda walked in and right over to Anna, telling her that Aris was taking a nap and that she would be back as soon as she could. She had come home early for the day and done some home projects.
When Linda left, Anna instantly went to investigate. It was obvious that something had been painted and Anna was determined to figure out what or where it was at. She observed the living room, then the kitchen, and even the downstairs half bathroom. Nothing seemed newly painted so she ventured upstairs and began checking each bedroom. Nothing. Which left one room and it instantly hurt Anna's heart in a way that nobody could understand.
She stood outside of her mother's old office. She hadn't stepped foot in there in well over a year, but she had many years of memories of sitting in there with her mother. She would work and Anna would play with toys, do homework, or even help her mother.
She involuntarily held her breath as her hand reached for the door knob. She was already on the verge of tears and they started falling when she opened the door. Her eyes looked right for her favorite spot in the room. Every year since Anna was two, her mother had drew a line on the wall that indicated Anna's height. It had always been there and seeing it gone, made Anna feel so saddened that she could barely walk out of the room.
How could they paint the room without asking her? They knew that room meant so much to her - that she had a very special bond with that room with her mother. How could they just erase the memories of her like she had never existed? Anna ran to her room and fell straight into the comfort of her bed while she sobbed over the thoughts.
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