I was over at Drew’s house again. He was upstairs, unaware of my presence, probably. I was sitting at the kitchen table across from his mom.We’d discovered we were both absolutely fanatical about Ginkgo tea, so we’d taken to drinking it while we talked. I glanced at the stairs, sighing. Why was it I could get through to his mom but not to him? She gave me a worn half-smile, “It’s difficult, isn’t it?”
Typically, I’d say something like ‘just a little’ or ‘not too much’ but I couldn’t lie to Sharon, “Yes.”
We sat in silence for a second when I finally spoke again, “It’s… strange. I feel like there’s something I don’t understand… like there’s something I’m missing. Maybe if I knew I’d be able to help him… he just doesn’t respond to me.”
“Maybe he needs time,” she suggested half-heartedly.
I scowled, “He’s had plenty of time. It’s something else… it’s like he doesn’t want to be happy again. This has never happened to me before. I mean, I’ve failed, but this isn’t like that. He’s here, but he isn’t.”