"Oh, you must be Jackson. Marco told me a classmate would be coming over to work on a project. Come in. It's cold outside. I'm Rosa, Marco's mom," She greeted. A young girl ran up and tugged on Rosa's shirt. She looked to be around three. "Sorry, I have to go feed my other kid. Marco should be down in just a second. He ran upstairs to do something real quick. Oh, and my daughter's name is Carly." Carly pulled again at her mother's shirt, and they both left to go to the kitchen. 

I awkwardly stood in the entrance for a second before Marco came down the stairs. He was wearing a baggy sweater and sweatpants. His brown hair was slightly damp, and it fell in front of his eyes. he must have just showered. I was still wearing the same thing that I had worn to school today.

"You're late," Marco complained, pulling out his phone to look at the time. I shrugged it off. "Well, come upstairs so we can get this over with," Marco sighed, going up the same way he came from. I followed behind him, looking at the family photos scattered around the house. Marco led me to his room, and I looked around. 

His walls were a pale green color, and he had fake vines hanging from the walls. There were two more doors in his room that I assumed led to a bathroom and a closet. He had a desk in one corner, which had several small collectables scattered across it, as well as his computer and school things. His bed was nicely made, with a mix of light green and dark green blankets and sheets. He also had two stuffed animals. One was a big, round dragon, and the other was a small T. rex. In another corner of his room, he had a shelf filled with books and more collectables. Right next to that was a record player on a small table with a crate full of records underneath. The last thing was the dresser, which had a few more books on it and a few framed photos. He had several posters on his walls. One that stuck out to me was the poster of my favorite game. It was a rare poster that was really hard to find.

"Are you going to sit down?" Marco asked, sitting on his bed, leaning over to look at his desk. His desk was right next to his bed. I sat in the desk chair. "Any ideas for a topic?"

"Nope. No idea," I shrugged. "How about a sports documentary?" I suggested, trying to decide which one would be best.

"Absolutely not," Marco rolled his eyes. "What if we did it on a classic book. It would be easy to find the significance and do our presentation on it."

"Boring," I sighed. I glanced at the poster for my favorite game again, Monsters of the Valley. I didn't want to expose that I was also into the game, but I also wanted to get the project over with as soon as possible. "What if we did it on Monsters of the Valley? It's a piece of media, so it should count," I suggested. Marco glanced up.

"You've played Monsters of the Valley? That's my favorite game," Marco asked. We had the same favorite game, but I didn't want to tell him that. He was intense, and sometimes he intimidated me. I try to act intimidating, but there is something about him that scares me sometimes. 

"I mean, I have played it before," I shrugged. "And it would be pretty easy to make a presentation on, so I think it's the best choice." 

"Yeah, totally. I mean, the main character's journey through the valley is such an interesting story. Each monster he fights has a deeper meaning behind it. They each represent one of his fears or struggles in life. The game can be connected to real life and is important and meaningful, because it shows the struggles and fears in life, and the game has a deeper meaning to show awareness about mental health," Marco ranted. It felt weird that he was talking about my favorite game. 

"And if you try to take the secret shortcut, the character doesn't make it through, and you have to restart from the last save point. That represents that there are no shortcuts in healing or life or whatever," I added. 

"Not many people know about the shortcut scene," Marco commented. I glanced away. I accidentally exposed how much I loved Monsters of the Valley. There was a knock on the door, and I was thankful for the interruption. "Come in," Marco called. Marco's mother walked in, balancing Carly on her side. 

"How's it going, boys? Would you like some snacks, food, or drinks?" Rosa asked. I politely declined, even though I was starving and could really use some water. 

"Can you bring us a plate of chicken nuggets and two waters, please?" Marco asked. Rosa nodded and put Carly down. 

"Okay, I'll be right back. Keep an eye on your sister for a minute while I make your food," Rosa responded. Marco agreed, and she left the room, closing the door behind her. Carly climbed up on Marco's bed, sitting next to him. She pointed toward Marco's desk. Marco handed her sticky notes and a pen, and she started doodling. 

"What's your favorite thing to draw?" I asked her. Carly looked up at me, then pointed at Marco's T. Rex plush, then went back to doodling.

"Carly's nonverbal. Doctors say it's because of the physical injuries that happened when she was in a car wreck as a baby. She said her favorite thing to draw is dinosaurs, if you couldn't understand her. Our family is learning sign language to try and better our communication," Marco explained. I nodded.

We went back to discussing how we would format our presentation, and Rosa came in shortly after to grab Carly and drop off the food and drinks. Marco quickly opened his water and started to eat. I stared at the food. I was hungry, but I wasn't going to ask him for food. 

"I promise the chicken nuggets and water are not poisoned. Are you not going to eat?" Marco asked. I didn't realize the food was meant for both of us. I reached forward to eat, too hungry to turn down his offer, then opened the water bottle. I used to despise Marco, but now he just confuses me. I'm not sure what it is about him that makes me feel so confused, but it scares me. 

We continued to talk about our presentation and how we would make it, when I glanced at the time. It was 7:34. My dad would wonder where I went if I wasn't home by eight, and I don't want to get kicked out. "I've got to go now," I said, quickly getting my stuff together and getting ready to head out the door. 

"You're in a hurry. Going to meet a girl?" Marco teased, putting his school things away. 

"Maybe I am," I shrugged, laughing it off. Pretending I was going to meet a girl seemed like a better story than returning home, so I wouldn't get kicked out. "See you tomorrow," I called, running out the door. I didn't think too hard about what I said until I had gotten out the door.