Remember to Forget, Revised and Expanded by Ashley Royer Page B

worry.”
    Now I have to take them. She’s on a total different continent, and she’ll be worrying
about me. I can’t do that to her.
    I get up and quickly take the pills. She smiles a little afterward, clearly still
upset. The atmosphere has changed drastically.
    I’m such a screwup.
    I nervously scratch my nose and chew on my bottom lip.
    â€œSo, uh, have you made any new friends?” Caleb asks, trying to change the subject.
    As if on cue, Aiden walks in.
    Not that he’s a friend, but he’s someone.
    â€œWho was that?” my mum asks.
    Aiden plops on the bed beside me, bouncing the mattress a little. I glare at him,
and he smiles.
    â€œHello there! I’m Aiden! You must be the lovely Mrs. Harrison!” he says cheerily.
    What in the world?
    My mum smiles. “Call me Lilian! Are you Levi’s friend?”
    I wait anxiously for him to say no. My mum will be crushed. I hold my breath for
a few seconds, ready for more tension to be added.
    Aiden looks over at me and back to the laptop. “Yeah! We’re neighbors. I help Anthony
with soccer stuff too! Levi’s great!” He puts his arm around my shoulders and smiles.
    Well, I guess this is better than my mum thinking I have no friends. But I don’t
appreciate his extreme closeness. I wriggle out of his arm and roll my eyes.
    â€œThat’s fantastic! Oh, I’m so happy to hear that!” my mum says.
    Aiden talks to them for a few minutes, and he’s extremely nice. I never noticed how
talkative he really could be. He always laughs at the right times, and he’s making
my mum laugh too. It’s nice to see her happy. I’m so used to seeing her upset and
sad, it’s rare to see her this happy.
    Maybe Aiden isn’t as bad as I thought.
    After a few minutes, Aiden leaves to go do something. I’m pretty sure he just wanted
food, though.
    â€œAiden seems great! I’m so glad you met him!” my mum says once he’s gone.
    uhhh yeah, he just kinda showed up one day
    After a few more minutes of talking, my mum and Caleb decide to leave. We talked
for over an hour, and it’s getting late over there. I hate the fact that the time
zones are so different. I feel even more separated from home.
    We say our good-byes, or they say theirs and I type mine, with a few more tears from
my mum. She makes me promise to take my pills.
    I hate making promises, because I always break them.
    I click the end button and watch them fade away from the screen. I stare at the laptop
for a few minutes after they’re gone, wishing they were still there.
    I miss them already.
    I can hear someone moving around the house, either my dad or Aiden. I head out of
my room and find Aiden in the kitchen eating a banana.
    â€œHey, that kid Caleb is pretty cool. Your mom is nice too!” he says with his mouth
full.
    I shrug and sit in one of the chairs. I pull out my phone and type something. “Why
were you so nice? You could’ve easily said we’re not friends. It’s not like we’ve
actually hung out or that I like you.”
    Aiden shrugs. “I dunno. It’s easier to be nice than to be mean. Plus, I didn’t want
your mom worrying about her little boy,” he says, teasingly.
    I roll my eyes at his remark.
    â€œWhoa, whoa. I just did something kind for you, and that’s how you repay me?” he
says, laughing.
    I shrug and turn away from him.
    â€œThis whole tough guy act isn’t going to last long, I hope you know that,” Aiden
says, gesturing toward me. “You can try to be all cool and mean, or whatever you’re
trying to do, but it isn’t going to work with me.”
    I look back at him and raise my eyebrows.
    â€œYou know exactly what I’m talking about. Don’t try to act all innocent and naive.”
    And I do know. I know I come off as inconsiderate, but I can’t help it sometimes.
At first I did it to keep people away, and now