there. Slowly, he stood and followed her to the car on deadened legs. He sat in the passenger seat, still as stone, until they reached the driveway in front of their house. His mother pulled her keys from the ignition, removed her seat belt, and turned to him. Before she had a chance to ask, he answered her question.
“Dr. Mayer assigned our project partners today,” Aaron said in a lifeless voice.
“You don’t like your partner?” his mother asked.
“I never found out who it was.” Aaron spent the next ten minutes explaining to his mother why he had felt so trapped and why he needed to get out. She nodded, like she understood, but she didn’t. She couldn’t.
“I’m just going to have to drop the class. I can’t let another student fail because of me,” Aaron sighed as he got out of the car and walked up to the house. Each step felt like he was dragging himself up the walk. He couldn’t wait to get upstairs so he could lie down. It seemed as if, lately, he had been the poster child for lethargy. In the afternoons he would get a soda from the fridge, use it to wash down a few pills, and chase unconsciousness.
When Aaron got inside, he headed upstairs first to change into a long-sleeved T-shirt and sweats. He knew from experience that the more comfortable he was, the easier sleep would come. Well, except they were hot as hell. All his clothes, every piece was designed to cover his skin— from the long-sleeved shirts to the full-length pants. He never wore anything, not even in midsummer, that showed the scars on his arms and legs. They sickened him. It was enough that he couldn’t hide the ones on his face and neck. They were all a constant physical reminder of his nightmare, haunting him through every waking moment.
When he came back down for his soda, he heard his mother talking. Since they were the only ones home, he had to assume she was on the phone. Feeling faintly guilty about listening to her conversation, he turned to go back upstairs, but stopped when he heard his name.
“No, Aaron is all right. He was just… uncomfortable with the method you chose for pairing your students. He didn’t want a room full of people staring at him as he stood up to find his partner,” his mother said, and it sounded like she was starting to lose her patience. “No…. No… you couldn’t have known.” God knows his instructor could not have predicted that Aaron would run out of class. Most of the time, Aaron really had no idea what would set him off, and he’d been living with his neuroses for over two years.
“Yes… I will talk to him about it. Thank you for calling.”
She would talk to Aaron? Not that she would talk to Dr. Mayer for Aaron? Talk to him about what? Mildly irritated, he walked into the kitchen as she set the cordless phone on the counter. Continuing on to the refrigerator, he grabbed a soda from the bottom shelf. Should he just stay and talk to her now, or go up to his room? Sleep sounded really good right now. Unfortunately, his mother had made the decision for him.
Aaron
“Aaron, could we talk for a minute?” she asked in a voice that left little question she wanted to have a serious discussion with him. Her posture was almost rigid and her expression determined. He opened his soda, considering, and finally resigned himself to the inevitable. Taking a seat across from her at the table, he braced himself.
“I’m going to drop the class,” Aaron told her, trying to beat her to the punch. He had no idea if she knew he’d heard her conversation, but he hoped she would take that decision and leave it at that.
“I agree that is one option,” his mother said, surprising him. He didn’t think she would take that as a viable option. When she did, he relaxed, just a little. “There are other alternatives too.”
“Such as?” Aaron asked without any real interest.
“First, I want you to think about something. Dr. Mayer doesn’t generally assign partners in his classes. This
“Dr. Mayer assigned our project partners today,” Aaron said in a lifeless voice.
“You don’t like your partner?” his mother asked.
“I never found out who it was.” Aaron spent the next ten minutes explaining to his mother why he had felt so trapped and why he needed to get out. She nodded, like she understood, but she didn’t. She couldn’t.
“I’m just going to have to drop the class. I can’t let another student fail because of me,” Aaron sighed as he got out of the car and walked up to the house. Each step felt like he was dragging himself up the walk. He couldn’t wait to get upstairs so he could lie down. It seemed as if, lately, he had been the poster child for lethargy. In the afternoons he would get a soda from the fridge, use it to wash down a few pills, and chase unconsciousness.
When Aaron got inside, he headed upstairs first to change into a long-sleeved T-shirt and sweats. He knew from experience that the more comfortable he was, the easier sleep would come. Well, except they were hot as hell. All his clothes, every piece was designed to cover his skin— from the long-sleeved shirts to the full-length pants. He never wore anything, not even in midsummer, that showed the scars on his arms and legs. They sickened him. It was enough that he couldn’t hide the ones on his face and neck. They were all a constant physical reminder of his nightmare, haunting him through every waking moment.
When he came back down for his soda, he heard his mother talking. Since they were the only ones home, he had to assume she was on the phone. Feeling faintly guilty about listening to her conversation, he turned to go back upstairs, but stopped when he heard his name.
“No, Aaron is all right. He was just… uncomfortable with the method you chose for pairing your students. He didn’t want a room full of people staring at him as he stood up to find his partner,” his mother said, and it sounded like she was starting to lose her patience. “No…. No… you couldn’t have known.” God knows his instructor could not have predicted that Aaron would run out of class. Most of the time, Aaron really had no idea what would set him off, and he’d been living with his neuroses for over two years.
“Yes… I will talk to him about it. Thank you for calling.”
She would talk to Aaron? Not that she would talk to Dr. Mayer for Aaron? Talk to him about what? Mildly irritated, he walked into the kitchen as she set the cordless phone on the counter. Continuing on to the refrigerator, he grabbed a soda from the bottom shelf. Should he just stay and talk to her now, or go up to his room? Sleep sounded really good right now. Unfortunately, his mother had made the decision for him.
Aaron
“Aaron, could we talk for a minute?” she asked in a voice that left little question she wanted to have a serious discussion with him. Her posture was almost rigid and her expression determined. He opened his soda, considering, and finally resigned himself to the inevitable. Taking a seat across from her at the table, he braced himself.
“I’m going to drop the class,” Aaron told her, trying to beat her to the punch. He had no idea if she knew he’d heard her conversation, but he hoped she would take that decision and leave it at that.
“I agree that is one option,” his mother said, surprising him. He didn’t think she would take that as a viable option. When she did, he relaxed, just a little. “There are other alternatives too.”
“Such as?” Aaron asked without any real interest.
“First, I want you to think about something. Dr. Mayer doesn’t generally assign partners in his classes. This
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