#71 in humour
8.3k
Am I dreaming?

40) My First Intervention

"Hey honey what have you got there?" after a sleepless night this seemed like the best way to wake me up. So after sluggishly getting out of bed and pressing random buttons on the machine, I ended up here. Sitting at the kitchen table and inspecting this apparent 'liquid gold'.

"Coffee," my eyes are transfixed on the mysterious dark brown liquid in my cat mug. At the moment I'm hoping that I will absorb the caffeine by looking at it.

My parents exchange a look of concern, "Since when did you start drinking coffee?" dad asks seating himself opposite me.

Since I only had 4 hours sleep last night because I overthink every situation in life. Sam kissed me which has left me questioning every decision I've ever made up to this point. I've been replaying everything detail what happened over and over in my head. I have no idea if that's a good or bad thing. Plus my teacher thought it would be a good idea to have a test that's worth 25% of our grade the last week of school. She's also doing it to make sure we all come to school on the last day.

Instead of making them worry I simply say "Tired."

I taste a sip of the bitter liquid and spray it back out all over the table and my dad "This is disgusting. Why do people drink this terrible stuff?"

"Because," the mug is taken from my hands "they're either addicted or it helps them get ready for their day by mostly waking them up," Charlie takes three long slurps and finishes the cup with an over exaggerated ahhhh.

Looping a hand under my shoulder he hauls me up and puts a comforting hand on me. "We better get going. There's a test waiting for your name to be written on."

I groan, trying to collapse back down but Charlie is too fast and ushers me towards the door.

"Come on" he nudges me into the car. "Turn that frown upside-down. Just think, we have 2 days left until holidays, and then you can relax. Plus we won't be doing anything today besides watching David Attenborough documentaries. So you can sleep all you want."

"Maybe I'm not in the mood to socialise with humans or listen to the life story of a fish," I mumble under my breath, bringing my bag closer to my chest.

"It will also be the last day you get to see all your friends in one place. PJ, Lee, Joel and Zoe will all want to spend time with you" he takes his eyes off the road to look over at me in my bundled up fetal position "Sam will probably want to see you as well" I turn my head so quickly I get whiplash.

"No Sam!"
I'm still processing what happened last night. I can't see him. Not yet.

I don't say another word for 5 hours.

This ends up being a very quiet five hours with my earphones glued to my ears. One of the best things about them is that you can pretend to be listening to music just to avoid talking to people. Though when I did want to listen to music I had to keep readjusting the cord multiple times so I can hear out of the left side. I should probably invest in a new pair that works.

"Something's wrong," Zoe scares everybody on the bench by slamming her hands down without warning at lunch, especially Joel who topples backwards.

"Oh definitely. She hasn't eaten anything sweet all day. Instead, there always seems to be a new packet of Pringles in her hand," PJ takes Joel's seat by sitting down next to Zoe.

He takes a bite out of his sandwich. As for the Pringles, I took them from the Home Economics room as they were going to throw out 8 perfect tubs of addictive salty goodness.

My friends have decided that talking about me while I'm sitting right in front of them is a great way to get my attention. I really doubt my invisibility cloak has started to work so I think they're hoping to get a reaction out of me or for me to at least make a quick comment.

They've been doing this the entire day. It's nice to know they're thinking of me but at the same time, it's starting to get tiring. I'm not in the talking mood. Maybe I should write that on a sign and hang it around my neck.

"Is she on a sugar low?" Joel asks sitting beside Charlie.

"Can she even get a sugar low? I thought her blood was mainly made out of solidified sugar."

"I had to physically pull her out of bed this morning," Charlie joins in on the conversation about me.

"Does anybody know what happened to her yesterday afternoon?"

I laugh under my breath, if only they knew.

"I dropped her at your house," Zoe points an accusing finger towards my friend who has a chocolate stuffed in his mouth.

He quickly swallows and shrugs, "Well I sent her walking home after we talked."

My two best friends intensely stare at each other and start to have a conversation by facial expression and gestures.

I really wish I could read minds; they could be talking about tacos for all I know. But if I could guess what they're saying, it would go a little like this:

You're the last person that saw her. What did you talk about?

Stuff.

What kind of stuff?

Spam.

Spam?

I was trying to hint how her list of the perfect guy practically points to Spam

How can she not see how obese it is?

So I may need a bit more practice.

"What have you done to my best friend you witch," Lee shouts across from the other side of the lunch area. "You broke him!"

I really do hope that he isn't talking to me but as I look through my fingers which cover my face I can see his hand pointing in my direction. I try to cover up more but it does little to stop everybody around us looking my way.

Like an over-enthusiastic uncoordinated action movie star, he power walks straight towards me not caring about the 13-year-old he just knocked over or the lunch he walked through while climbing over a table.

When he reaches our table he puts two hands on my shoulder and turns me around so I can look deeply into his eyes. He stands there for a solid minute and a half before I ask myself if I silently agreed to a staring contest.

"42%"

"What?" Lee scrunches his forehead in confusion as he's missing an important detail.

I surprise my friends by repeating what I said again "Pringles are 42% potato flour so I wouldn't really count it as a potato chip or crisp if you'd rather use another term."

The table goes silent.

My Pringle fact is not interesting enough to keep away from the topic of me "How did Mackenzie 'break' Sam? What's exactly wrong with him?" Zoe asks curiously.

Lee makes himself comfortable by sitting in the middle of the table, "He's acting all sad and moodier than usual. He keeps talking to himself and saying things like rain, stupid, forward and kiss. I'm not sure why he is talking about the band as he doesn't listen to them. When I asked if he was okay he said he had caught a bug which I know is a complete lie. And the only exclamation to why he is acting so weird that I can think of is Mac and Cheese over here."

"I am NOT a pasta dish," I say in the calmest tone possible.

PJ picks Lee up from the middle like he weighs nothing and sits him down on a metal seat that was not there two seconds ago.

I take another Pringle from the tin and nibble on it "He could have caught a cold from anyone. You should learn not to automatically blame me every time something bad happens."

He snatches the tin from my hand and pours a couple into his hand "Oh, it's definitely you. You're the only person I've ever seen him get truly frustrated over."

"You truly know how to flatter a girl."

"He also hasn't taken his eyes off you all day. My diagnosis is that he is lovesick.

"L-love sick," I sputter showering my friends in chewed up chips.

He has to be joking, right?

He nods "Yes sounds right, he keeps staring at you longingly plus he can never stop talking about you well more like complaining but it's pretty much the same thing when it comes from Sam."

"You're talking about love Lee, that's nothing like-"

Joel leans across the table rudely interrupting me "We should lock them both up in a small confined space until they start talking."

"Or we could handcuff them together for a week."

"That is not how you solve problems," I exclaim.

"You don't get a say in this. You made a decision not to talk all day so why start now?" Charlie questions me crossing his arms.

"Because it's my life." The attempt at emphasising the word my is unsuccessful.

"We are fully aware of that" Zoe says "and as we care about you we have made an executive decision to overthrow your opinion and do what's best for you even if you disapprove. What are friends for?"

Not this, I feel like objecting to whatever they're about to do but I know it won't get me anywhere.

My best friend Charlie (whose friendship I am now questioning) leans over and whispers something devious into Lees' ear. How do I know that it is devious you ask? One look in his eyes which are now twinkling with mischief.

"Don't move," I'm guessing he's talking to me as he races in another direction.

I yell back "Wasn't planning to anyway."

Within a minute he's back with somebody reluctantly in tow.

"Seriously dude, we need to have a discussion about boundaries," Sam pulls his arm out of his friend's grip "you can't just go around dragging people away from important conversations," he readjusts his headphones around his neck.

"You weren't talking to anybody but yourself and I think this demands more attention anyway," Lee nudges his friend in my direction.

As soon as Sam realises where he is, there is a pink tint that starts to grow at the tips of his ears and spreads to his cheeks.

I can barely hear him when he says "Hi."

Words get stuck in my throat as I rake over his appearance. His hair is dishevelled and all over the place. This probably being from running his fingers through his hair multiple times. The dark rings under his eyes are prominent as well as his chapped lips.

You kissed them lips last night.

This is not the time to think about how kissable his lips are.

Darn I did it again.

Stop thinking about his lips on mine. His other hand on my w-

Snap out of it.

Focus.

I shake off my one sided argument I'm having with myself and look at him a bit closer. It's then when I notice something very new. Stubble. Since when did he have facial hair?

My hand slowly starts to move up toward his face when I remember we're being very closely watched.

I feel prickly as his gaze is transfixed on me. His eyes wander down and back up like he's scanning me for damage. His eyes stop at my lips.

I have the sudden urge to punch him or maybe I want to kiss him.

I don't know.

Feelings are confusing.

"Hi" I whisper back.

Good start. Simple. Forward. Can't go wrong with that. You haven't said anything embarrassing yet which is an improvement.

"Get home alright?"

"Yep" I look down at the ground, not game to look at him.

"Sleep?"

"Nope," I almost laugh as he is the one that left me with a sleepless night.

"Neither," my eyes flick up towards Sam who has a crooked smile. I can't help it when my lips lift up slightly. There is a hint of understanding in his eye which says he knows what's on my mind

"Arrrhhgggg" the disgruntled sound comes from PJs direction. "This is too painful to watch. You're coming with me." He latches onto my wrist and pulls me up and out of my seat. "We are leaving so you can sort out whatever is happening here," he points between Sam and I. "And you" he discusses his scary gaze on Sam "Work out what you want or I'll make you disappear. Got it?"

Before I can see his response I am dragged away by PJ to the carpark "No questions just get in the car."

We stop at a tiny green car that could put Zoe's jeep to shame.

I raise an eyebrow.

"It's mums work car alright. It's a prototype for an environmentally friendly vehicle," He explains while struggling to get in the driver's seat.

Guess they didn't take in mind that a giant would be driving it.

"The Flintstones car was environmentally friendly but that doesn't mean it's a good car."

"Just get in okay."

"Fine but only because you promised food."

"No, I didn't"

"You did now" I give him my best cheesy smile that I know will win him over. He takes off without a word.

After a 15 minute drive, we pull up to a small Cafe where PJ immediately goes inside and up to the counter to orders for us both.

We pick a booth in the back corner away from all the noise. PJ's piercing eyes are drilling holes in me.

Not wanting to feel the intensity and the awkwardness of this situation I start a civilised conversation "You said you could make people disappear. How exactly is that possible?" I lean my chin on my hand in curiosity?

He shrugs "I know people."

The waitress comes over to our table and places a large chocolate sundae in front of us. I would be lying if I said I didn't drool when I see this.

PJ pushes the ice cream tower toward me and nods slightly. I think that means this is for me. I really hope that's what he means.

I take the metal spoon and dig in. Getting ice cream, fudge, brownie and nuts on the small spoon all at once is harder than I originally thought.

"Who do you know?" I ask while licking my spoon clean.

He leans forward over the table "Let's just say my uncle can make people disappear without a trace."

"Your uncle's in the mafia?!" I squeak drawing attention to us.

PJ bursts out laughing "No. He's a magician."

"Oh" I can feel my cheeks heating up.

"That's not why we came here though. We're here to talk about you," he moves the sundae away and points at me. Because who else would he be talking to?

"Me?"

"Yes, you. From what I've heard and seen whenever you are faced with confrontation you either ignore it or run away."

"I prefer the phrase 'Strategic retreat' it sounds cooler and like I've got my life together more than I do."

"You have a problem where you get so overwhelmed by situations that you don't know what to do. This usually ends with you completely withdrawing yourself from others and overthinking the situation."

"Tell me something I don't know," I sigh not liking where this is going.

"Did you ever think to talk to someone or to ask questions instead of assuming things and blowing situations out of proportion?"

I shake my head. My thought process usually goes I the order freak- think- get confused.

"Mackenzie. I want to play a game. I'm going to say a word and I want you to answer back with another word without thinking."

"Cloud."

"Sky."

"Summer."

"Burn."

"Cat."

"Fuzzy."

"Skydiving."

"Thrilling."

"Charlie."

"Friend."

"Cupcake."

"Love."

"Sam."

"Kiss again," my hand quickly covers my mouth in shock. What did he just do?

"I KNEW IT," a voice yells from across the cafe.

I look over my back to find Joel, Lee and Zoe all sitting at a table together.

Well, Zoe is not sitting anymore. No, she is charging forward and tackling me into the chair "Why didn't you tell me?" She shakes my shoulder so vigorously I start to feel a bit nauseous.

With all my strength I push her back to sit next to me, "I would have as soon as I worked out exactly what had happened I'm still processing everything."
I look around and notice all my friends are standing around giving me a sympathetic look.
I let out an audible groan "Is this an intervention?"

"We're all here today because we want you to sort out what is happening between you and Sam. We want you to be happy and to finally make up your mind" Zoe says patting my arm gently.

"All of you?" my eyes settle on Charlie who has the same expression as he did when he read the letter. "I want you to be happy."

"I am already happy and I don't need a guy to make my life any better." I exclaim "I appreciate everything but I think it's best if I work this out with Sam. If I get the courage to actually face him" I say the last part under my breath.

"But I've already written a speech! I put them on special cards and even laminated them!" Lee whines, showing me his perfectly cut and laminated cards.

Agreeing seems like my only option "I guess I have to listen to you now because they're laminated."

Clearing his throat, he shuffles through the cards carefully.

"Mackenzie. You are a really cool person. You put up with me in both classes and I've grown accustomed to your very helpful comments over the year. You have become one of my closest friends, you could even say best friend." He looks up from his cards to give me a small smile. "It makes me sad when you're sad. I've been watching you and my other best friend, Sam; grow closer over this past month. But not in the normal way. It makes me happy to see you two not killing each other. I know you guys have a funny relationship but I can tell that you make each other a little bit happier which is nice. Though he won't admit it, he really does care about you; he has a weird way of showing it. I think you guy would go great together like ice cream and chocolate, like peanut butter-"

I cut him off "Thank you Lee for what you just said, it means a lot but I don't think-"

"You didn't let me finish." Lee clears his throat again. "The thing that I like about the two of you being together is his smile. You make him crazy. But in a good and happy type of way."

I get a funny feeling in my gut when he says that. Either I need to sort out my feelings immediately or I should not have eaten that much ice-cream.

Scooting out of the booth I look at all my friends in the eye and smile genuinely. "I don't deserve friends like you."

"You bake for us. We make sure you don't do anything entirely stupid," Charlie replies with a dimpled smile.

The shop bell rings as I leave and start to walk home.

Fresh air is good for the brain and good for the heart. This would be a great time to clear my mind, relax and enjoy my surrounding.

This sadly does not happen as the entire way home all I can think about is a certain boy's smile.

This turns out to be dangerous as I trip over a tow bar while crossing the road.

Feelings are dangerous enough to make you forget where you are and what you're doing.

Cupcake Theory #40 Sundaes and laminated palm card make every intervention better.

:):):)

One down four chapters to go (I think)

What is up my friends?
(Technically a possum in a tree our the front of my house)

The only song that is going through my head at the moment is The Final Countdown.

Three cool things that happened this week (which definitely did not include the weather)
- I made paparoti bun for the first time and they weren't a complete fail
- The Cupcake Theory has 8k. It still blows me away every time I see it
- I saw the greatest showman and need to watch HMS immediately after

I hope your week will be as amazing as you.
And for anybody who has a test or exam, I believe in you, you will kill it!!

ALSO 71 IN HUMOUR!!!
I CAN'T THBK YOU GUYS ENOUGH FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND LOVE FOR THE BOOK WHICH I THOUGHT WAS GOING TO BE A FLOP AND A LITTLE HOBBY.
STILL IN A DAZE

Till next time

Lots of laminated love

Theforgottonone