Chapter 1: Friend 1.1

Ever since I was 5 years old I never had a friend because no one approaches me, and I tried approaching someone to be my friend but he just yelled to me to stay away from him.

He pushed me to the ground and his friend beat me up. I tried transferring to another school because maybe they will not hurt me and become my friend, but, it was, all the same.

They hurt me, they pour drinks in me, they embarrassed me in front of the whole school, and I'm still alone in the corner, imagining if only I have a friend that will always be by my side.

I still didn't have any friends when I became a 2nd grader.

Not until I met Carl.

I met Carl at the entrance of the school he seems friendly and kind so I try to approach him because I can somehow feel that he's different from the others.

I have this feeling that Carl will stay by my side, so I ask him if he can be my friend and...

He says yes!

I've got my very first friend!

I teared up, but I told myself that it's not the time to cry!

On our way home we talked about each other's hobbies and we talked about what we liked and what we don't, we talk about all kinds of stuff, I'll never forget how happy I was while talking to Carl,

I wished he never hurt me too.

Years passed and Carl is still by my side, he started to come into my house, we play some video games and talk about what happened to our school.

Mark's father's POV:

"Hey Christian take care of Cody and your sisters, you're the oldest 'Kay?" I told Cody because they're going to an amusement park.

"Hey, honey do you think it's unfair for Mark? His brother and sisters are in the amusement park, and there he is in his room." Caroline asks worriedly.

"Well, Mark was never as friendly as Cody when it comes to siblings, he never has a friend and gets bullied when he tried to make friends. We can't blame him." I respond to Caroline.

"Bring this to him, at least he can eat what his brothers are eating," Caroline told me

"Oh, okay I will" I take the plate and go upstairs.

I go to Mark's room and knocked, "Hey, son here's your fries, I'm coming in 'kay?" I told my son, I was about to open the door but Mark yelled, "No, dad just leave it in the door I'm busy here", " Oh, okay eat it before it gets soggy" I told my son. I was about to go downstairs again.

But I hear Mark talking to someone, so I put my ear in his door and listen to what they're talking about, and they were talking about something like school?

"Well looks like it isn't a girl" I whisper I was about to leave but I heard something,

"WHAAAT!?"

I was shocked that Mark scream and was about to open the door but, I hear Mark saying

"YOU THINK I CAN NOW MAKE FRIENDS?? REALY?"

"Yeah! You just gotta be confident y' know, just be yourself, Mark"

"Okay, Carl! I will try making a friend next school year, HAHA!"

I was shocked to see Mark so cheerful, he's always so timid and just alone but, now he has a friend and that guy seems to know Mark well.

I was about to take a peek to see who is this Carl guy.

I looked at the tiny space I made when I opened the door to look at what this Carl looks like but,

I saw my son alone, he's not holding a phone or anything, he's just alone but, he's still talking to Carl.

"Carl, do you think I can make friends?"

"Of course! You just gotta be yourself!".

I was shocked by what I heard, my son is talking to.... talking to himself...

I watched him for a while and I noticed that It was like there are two humans in one body as if this Carl was his imaginary friend or someone that was made by his brain.

Every time my son asks something, he's also the one that answered it but, the way he talked is different, and his eyes became different, I can tell that when this Carl talked he's pure, and there's no hate, anger, and bad thoughts in his eyes.

I got downstairs and Caroline asks me why Mark screamed.

I tell my wife that we need to talk in the living room.

"So, why did Mark shouted? I never hear Mark shouted in his existence." My wife asks.

"Yeah, I was shocked too when I hear him scream," I told her.

"Anyway, what's the thing you want to talk about? Is it about Mark's scream? I was kinda worried too I thought something happened" Caroline asks.

"Um, Caroline did you notice that something is weird in Mark?" I asked my wife.

"Un no, why?" Caroline answered.

"When I bring him the fries I heard him talking to someone. At first, I thought that it was just his friend and they're talking on the phone. But when I was about to leave, Mark screamed, I was about to enter the room to see if Mark was okay, well he seems okay, I looked around and I saw him talking to someone called "Carl" but-"

"What's strange about that? he was just talking to his friend" Caroline interrupts.

"I know at first that's what I thought, I watched Mark for a long time and, he was not having a call with someone, he didn't have his phone and he didn't even have earphones. He was talking to himself." I explained to Caroline.

"What? How could that happen I know our son is lonely but it's too absurd for you to say that he was talking to himself right?" Caroline asks.

"Yeah, I know, that's too absurd but it's true, I saw it with my own eyes. Yeah, our son is lonely and that's what makes what I'm saying more believable." I told Caroline.

"Did you hear who he was talking to?" Caroline asks.

"Yeah, he was talking to Carl," I said.

"I think we need to take Mark to the doctor," Caroline said.

"Why don't we talk to him about Carl first? We can't just take him to the doctor and make the doctor tell him that Carl is not real, that Carl is just his imaginary friend." I suggest.

"Yeah, let's talk to him first." Caroline agrees.

We got upstairs and were about to open the door but, we hear Mark still talking to Carl.

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