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Where is he?
I thought we were supposed to meet by the lake after his practice, but he wasn’t there when I arrived.
His mom’s car isn’t here, which could mean he borrowed it, but who knows? Probably not. She never lets him have it. Instead, she makes him walk or take the bus…
He said he had something to tell me, but maybe it isn’t that important.
I take a deep breath and think about what I should do.
Before I can think better of it, I take the steps up to his door.
They creak beneath my feet and make my heart pound harder with anticipation.
I hope she’s not home.
When I reach the door, I take a deep breath and knock. When I do, it opens. It wasn’t even shut properly.
This can’t be good.
Tentatively, I step inside.
The smell of cleaning products fills my nose instantly. It’s heavy in the air, invading my senses.
I glance around, and when I see him, my mouth drops open.
There he is, and it breaks my heart to see him like this.
He looks frantic. His chest rising and falling as if he had just run a marathon, but instead, he’s cleaning the counter.
I move closer, taking him in.
With brows furrowed in concentration, he looks possessed.
From where I’m standing, I can see he’s been at this for a while, probably the whole time I was waiting for him under the tree.
Every surface gleams.
It’s like he’s trying to erase every imperfection on the fake wood.
But I know too well it’s more than that.
This is his way of controlling whatever happened to him today.
Cleaning calmed him. It helped relieve his tension. Except once the compulsion started, it was tough to get him out of that state of mind. He’d clean for hours, going mad because it wasn’t clean enough.
I won’t allow his mind to do that to him anymore tonight.
I walk over to where he is and reach for the hand that holds the sponge. My fingers wrap gently yet firmly around his wrist. “It’s clean. You can stop.”
He shakes his head. “I can’t.”
I take a deep breath, knowing it’s a losing battle for now.
“Then let me help you,” I say, diving in and getting to work. “And maybe next time, I can do it for you? We can add this to my list of responsibilities.”
He laughs darkly. “Even if you do, it won’t stop me from making sure it’s clean.”
“That’s fine. But I bet you find that it’s to your satisfaction. I’m pretty good.” I wink. “Now, what still needs to be done?”
