had
something to do with Mr. Mysterious from a few weeks ago, not to
mention the complete lack of Kai eating us out of house and home
lately and this constant moping in your room.” Wow. I was a little
stunned at how observant my parents were. Here I was thinking I had
been acting completely normal, and they could see right through me
the entire time. “So, no. I’m not mad. Besides, what would I do,
ground you to your room? You already never leave this place. Kind of
sad, really.”
I laughed. “Thanks. You really know how to cheer a guy up.”
“Glad I could help. You want to come sit with your mother and me?
There’s a Hitchcock marathon on tonight.”
“Nah, I think I’m just gonna go to bed.”
“Alright, son. Sleep tight.” He started to pull the door shut, but
paused with it open a crack. “And seriously, Dylan, if you ever need
to talk, we’re right here. We may be old, but we can probably
understand what you’re going through a little better than you think.”
“Thanks, Dad. I will.”
WHEN MEL finally burst through my cocoon of self-pity, I had barely
left my room for four days. She practically beat down my door, dragged
me from the protective warmth of my blankets, literally kicking and
screaming, with one hand grabbing my wrist, the other with a fistful of
hair, and forced me to take my first shower all week, ignoring my
protestations the entire way. She shoved me in the bathtub, still
completely clothed, and turned on the water, drenching me.
“I assume you can do the rest?”
I sputtered under the cold water, still trying to come to terms with what
was happening. Seconds ago I had been so warm and cozy! But Mel didn’t
wait for an answer. She left, slammed the bathroom door behind her. So I
66
After School Activities
peeled off my soaked pajama bottoms, turned up the temperature of the
water, and did as I was told.
It actually felt really good to get clean. There’s a certain trajectory to
ignoring all aspects of your personal hygiene. First, you feel all gross.
Sweaty, greasy, dirty, all of it. But by the end of day two, that passes, and this slimy swamp monster, as you have suddenly found yourself, becomes
the new normal. Before long, you begin to resent the very idea of getting
clean, and shedding this second skin you’ve so carefully developed,
because it might mean you have to go back to being who you were, and
you’re in no way ready to do that.
But as the swamp monster crumbled away, and I felt more and more
like a person again, everything seemed a little better. Sure, my life had
suddenly fallen into shambles. Adam would probably never talk to me
again, and I don’t know when I’ll be able to face Kai, if ever. But now that I was clean, I felt like I could face the world again.
Well, almost.
When I got back to my room, towel wrapped around my waist, I
found that Mel had made herself busy. She’d cleaned up the days’ worth
of dishes I’d left piled on my floor, changed the sheets on my bed, opened
the shades on my windows. She had even laid out clean clothes on my bed
for me to get dressed.
“I knew my best friend was hiding somewhere under all that grease
and body odor,” Mel quipped as I walked in. She was sitting at my desk,
idly paging through one of my books. She turned her back to me, giving
me some privacy to change.
“How did you get in?” I asked as I pulled on my clothes.
“Your mom texted me. Said it was about time someone pulled you
out of your funk.” She gestured at my suddenly tidied room “What, did
you think I did all this for you? I mean, I like you, but come on.”
“Oh.” I hadn’t even realized my mom was home, though that might
have had something to do with my adamant refusal to let them near me for
the past few days. “Okay, I’m dressed.” I dropped back down onto my
bed, but refrained from crawling under the covers. To be honest, I was a
little afraid of what Mel might try next, if
something to do with Mr. Mysterious from a few weeks ago, not to
mention the complete lack of Kai eating us out of house and home
lately and this constant moping in your room.” Wow. I was a little
stunned at how observant my parents were. Here I was thinking I had
been acting completely normal, and they could see right through me
the entire time. “So, no. I’m not mad. Besides, what would I do,
ground you to your room? You already never leave this place. Kind of
sad, really.”
I laughed. “Thanks. You really know how to cheer a guy up.”
“Glad I could help. You want to come sit with your mother and me?
There’s a Hitchcock marathon on tonight.”
“Nah, I think I’m just gonna go to bed.”
“Alright, son. Sleep tight.” He started to pull the door shut, but
paused with it open a crack. “And seriously, Dylan, if you ever need
to talk, we’re right here. We may be old, but we can probably
understand what you’re going through a little better than you think.”
“Thanks, Dad. I will.”
WHEN MEL finally burst through my cocoon of self-pity, I had barely
left my room for four days. She practically beat down my door, dragged
me from the protective warmth of my blankets, literally kicking and
screaming, with one hand grabbing my wrist, the other with a fistful of
hair, and forced me to take my first shower all week, ignoring my
protestations the entire way. She shoved me in the bathtub, still
completely clothed, and turned on the water, drenching me.
“I assume you can do the rest?”
I sputtered under the cold water, still trying to come to terms with what
was happening. Seconds ago I had been so warm and cozy! But Mel didn’t
wait for an answer. She left, slammed the bathroom door behind her. So I
66
After School Activities
peeled off my soaked pajama bottoms, turned up the temperature of the
water, and did as I was told.
It actually felt really good to get clean. There’s a certain trajectory to
ignoring all aspects of your personal hygiene. First, you feel all gross.
Sweaty, greasy, dirty, all of it. But by the end of day two, that passes, and this slimy swamp monster, as you have suddenly found yourself, becomes
the new normal. Before long, you begin to resent the very idea of getting
clean, and shedding this second skin you’ve so carefully developed,
because it might mean you have to go back to being who you were, and
you’re in no way ready to do that.
But as the swamp monster crumbled away, and I felt more and more
like a person again, everything seemed a little better. Sure, my life had
suddenly fallen into shambles. Adam would probably never talk to me
again, and I don’t know when I’ll be able to face Kai, if ever. But now that I was clean, I felt like I could face the world again.
Well, almost.
When I got back to my room, towel wrapped around my waist, I
found that Mel had made herself busy. She’d cleaned up the days’ worth
of dishes I’d left piled on my floor, changed the sheets on my bed, opened
the shades on my windows. She had even laid out clean clothes on my bed
for me to get dressed.
“I knew my best friend was hiding somewhere under all that grease
and body odor,” Mel quipped as I walked in. She was sitting at my desk,
idly paging through one of my books. She turned her back to me, giving
me some privacy to change.
“How did you get in?” I asked as I pulled on my clothes.
“Your mom texted me. Said it was about time someone pulled you
out of your funk.” She gestured at my suddenly tidied room “What, did
you think I did all this for you? I mean, I like you, but come on.”
“Oh.” I hadn’t even realized my mom was home, though that might
have had something to do with my adamant refusal to let them near me for
the past few days. “Okay, I’m dressed.” I dropped back down onto my
bed, but refrained from crawling under the covers. To be honest, I was a
little afraid of what Mel might try next, if
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