"It will be okay."

[FlockOfHens]

(2012, 2nd Grade)

Rikario felt confused about what he was doing. After school, he always remembered that he and his brothers would log off from CR, and his parents would drive them somewhere to get lunch. But today was different, instead, his mom drove his brothers to get food, while he and his dad stayed home so that Rikario could log into a private server. What perplexed him even more was that it was connected to his local hospital, which was strange because he didn't feel sick. He looked up to his dad and asked what this place was and why they were there.

"Well... umm..." Rikario could see that his dad was struggling to say the right words to him. "Your... your uhhhh... Let's just say your teachers recommended your mom and dad to send you to this lovely place after school. It's like a little play space for other kids!" Other kids? There were going to be other kids there? He goes on to question his dad again, "Why?"

"Well... as your teachers found out, there's something different about you than your classmates. But don't take it as a negative thing, there's nothing wrong with you. You're just... special..." He could see a slight hint of pain on his father's face. There was something wrong, but he didn't know what. He then looks at his CR headset, nervous. His dad could see this and gave him a reassuring pat on the head. "Don't worry, it will be okay..."

(2015, Summer Break)

Rikario felt miserable as he sat in the car. he could see the many familiar buildings pass by him as the car continued to drive. His dad was going behind the wheel and his mom was sitting in the front, while his two brothers sat next to him as they started to joke around with each other. He looked at the moving truck in front of his family's car. Today was the day he and his family had to move to California, which meant he had to leave his hometown behind. His mom looks over to him, "You doing okay back there?"

"Yeah, I am." He says looking in her direction. "I'm just sad that I have to leave my friends." His mom tries to reassure him, "But can't you just use CR to talk to them?" Rikario looks at her with a saddened look, "It just feels better to meet them in person." She looks back to comfort him, "You shouldn't worry too much, you might meet new friends in California!"
"Are you sure?" He asks. His mom could only smile at him, "It will be ok..."

(2016, 7th Grade)

Rikario felt furious as he stormed to his room. He slammed the door and made his way to his bed. How come he didn't know? How come his parents didn't tell him sooner? Looking back, he should've known that his teachers earlier decided to place him in an after-school class filled with those on the autism spectrum. The reason why teachers treated him differently was that he had autism. And why his parents constantly worried for him every day. He could feel the anger boil over him until he heard a knock on the door.

"Rikario?" It was Matias. His older brother was probably there to tease him. He yells at him, "Go away! You knew also, didn't you?!" Matias tried to assure him the opposite, "Look, I was in the dark as much as you are!"
"LIAR!" He shouts back, "You knew that there was something wrong, and not ONCE did you do anything to help me! You guys made a fool!"
"C'mon, it's not like autism is a bad thing," he replies. Rikario could almost feel tears forming, "IT IS! Now people are going to assume that I'm stupid all because I can't think straight!" Matias then raises his voice, "HEY! You're not stupid, okay? For all I know you're completely normal. And so you got a mental issue, so what!" Rikario buries his face against his hands, his tears finally rolling down his cheeks. "It's... It's not fair... It just isn't..." From the other side of the door, Matias sat against the door as well. "I know, but nothing in life is truly fair, is it?"

There was a pause between the two, until Rikario spoke up, "What's going to happen now?"
Another pause. "...I don't know," Matias replied, "But whatever happens, it will be ok."

(2023)

Rikario rests on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. It was the middle of the night, and he could sense he was the only one awake. This had happened to him many times before, and couldn't help himself. He tried different solutions to sleep, but it always ended with him awake throughout the night. The drowsiness slowly starts to get to his head, and still, he can't even sleep. He could feel his emotions starting to spiral around him, over and over, making his mind ache. He can't sleep... He couldn't sleep...

...

...

"It will be okay..."

...

It will be okay? What did that even mean?

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(Btw, this might be my 1st time writing in SOTF!)