As soon as I walked in the door, I ran and toppled up the stairs, to my room. I flung the door open and… He- he wasn’t there.

I waited all day to see him, maybe ask some questions about him and where he’s from, and he’s not even here?! WOW! I thought that he was gonna stay here until I got back! I thought that if I said his name then he would come out so I uttered his name “Frikio..” I waited for a response. Because all that I wanted was a response, a beam of light to come from under my bed, a noise, anything. Yet there was nothing. 

***

I didn’t realize it then, but that was the last I would see of him in like, seven years.. I waited for him every night for two years. Hoping- wishing he would come back to maybe help me through some of this, or at least tell me why he left.  After a while, I had forgotten about him. It was like he never even existed. That is, until recently.  

It’s now the present day. I'm 16, 5”2, and I haven’t seen Frikio since that morning. My mom died when I was 12, and I developed depression and anorexia a year after she passed.  My father and I are moving away in the summer so I’m packing everything in my room. 

While I was cleaning under my bed to pack up anything I had left from under there, I found a lot of stuff along with the old shriveled remains of what looks like a flower..?! Oh! This is the flower Frikio left under my bed! Huh, guess I never moved it after that morning. 

I pick up the withered, stale, flower, put it up on my nightstand, and continue cleaning under my bed. “How did I let so many things get lost under here..?” I thought to myself, touching the place the portal appeared. 

“Alexia!” I’m startled out of thought as I hear my fathers stern voice coming from down the main floor. 

“Yeah?” I yell back, loud enough for him to hear me.

“Come here!”

My blood feels cold as I rise up off my knees and slowly walk towards the door. What did he find? Did I do something wrong? My mind is moving a mile a minute and I started feeling shaky as I made my way down the steps to where my father was. Once I’m down the last step, I search for him with my hand still holding onto the stair railing. 

He was by the door, back turned to me, talking to someone. I make my way over to him, and see that he was just talking to some dude. All that adrenalin for nothing. I look over my fathers shoulder to see a boy from my class, Ben. 

“Uh, what’s up Ben?” We aren’t really that close, so I have no clue as to why he’s here at my front door. And talking to my dad of all people.

“H-hey, uh, Alexia.”  He’s sweating like crazy, what’s he up to?

“Sup”   I say, still slightly behind my dad.

“Heh.. Uh, could I talk to you outside for a minute?” He says with his thumb pointed behind him. 

“Sure.. Dad?” I look at my dad and give the look of -please help me-. My dad knows that look very well, yet dismisses it and chuckles. 

“Go on, Alex, don’t be rude.”  Wow.

I give Ben an awkward smile and walk past my dad. The moment I step outside, my dad slams the door behind me. I glare at the door before turning back around to the boy in front of me. He’s red as a freaking tomato… What is up?! I look at him with a “really?” face, and clear my throat.

“So are you gonna tell me why you’re here.. Or just stand there lookin’ like a strawberry?” His eyes go wide and he looks at the ground to hide his face from me.

“O-oh, uhm.. I just came here to ask if you wanted to go to my party this weekend?” Ben asks.

Ahhh shit i dont wanna go to a dumb party with dumb people and dumb music and dumb everything.. It’ll be dumb! Is what I would say if I was a mean person. But I’m not so I, stupidly, agreed. 

I put on a plastic smile and say 

“Sure. I mean it’s not like I have anything to do this weekend, so I’ll stop by.” That was a lie. I have a crap ton of homework to do. I’m failing a class, and have B’s in three classes. Other than that, though, I have A’s. 

“What time and where?” I ask

“Oh uh It's at 10 tommorow night, on 2059 Burnside street, my place.”  I have no effing clue where that is. I don’t get out of the house other than to go to school. 

“Ok! I’ll see you then?”  Yeah right, I wouldn’t be caught dead at a party.  I have really bad anxiety so when I talk to people I don't know, I freak out. I got it from my mom. Plus.. Why me??? Ugh I don't wanna be talking to him because I don’t really know him and I didn’t think I would be socializing today. 

“Yeah yeah for sure..” After our little chat, we both just kinda stand there not saying anything to each other.

Well this is awkward… I nod and end the conversation with “m’kay, bye Ben.” and turn around to go back into the house. 

“Well, wait!” Ben calls out as I place my hand on the doorknob. 

“Mhm?” I  say without turning around to face him. 

“Would you wanna go out with me saturday?” He blurts out. 

“What?!”  I whip my head around and look at him with disbelief but he looks completely serious. Why would a popular kid at school wanna date me??  Is this all a joke?

“Would you wa-” I cut him off

“No, I know what you said! But…” I wanna ask him why but then I’m cut off by my front door being opened violently by my father. I snap my head back around to meet his gaze. He looks at Ben with a blank face. Ben's eyes go big, and he says 

“Yeah ok bye Alexia, see you then!” and then speedwalks to his car which was parked on the curb in front of my house. 

I awkwardly smile at him and wave without saying a word.

I smile as I watch him drive off but not because of what Ben had said to me, because of my dad. 

“You’re welcome~” My father says proudly with a smile. 

I jokingly roll my eyes

“Yeah, yeah. Thank you.” I give him a heartfelt smile, he’s trying.