Fear is Real

Fear is Real

Everyone has some type of fear. For some fear is described as a weakness and must not be shown upon others. For others, it's strength to become better and stronger in life. Liam was one of those people who believed that fear was non-existent and fake. Like a scary story set up by parents to get their children to behave. He didn't believe, not one bit.
He only believed in one thing. Success. That was key for getting through life with ease and get into the big leagues. Liam was at the top of his class with an exact 4.0 GPA and already received letters from various colleges. He studied almost every night to reach his goal of success. Of course for this 17 year old dreamer, Liam still wanted to have some fun.

But that was no easy task. Then again nothing was easy for Liam. He had friends that were always trying to push him to come out and loosen up for a change. Maybe take a break from all the school work. But Liam knew he couldn't stop now. Not when he was so close. His mother and father were proud of him and they expected so much from him. He couldn't, no, wouldn't stop now. He wasn't going to lose his parents respect or lose his success to one night out with friends.

On one particular evening, the night before his big science test, Liam sat on his own personal desk in his room with a desk lamp, showing light on his notes and his science book sprawled across the table top. He had been studying there for two long hours, trying to memorize every definition by heart and every element by sight. Dark circles formed under his eyes as he tried to concentrate on his work. His phone vibrated for the fifth time as his friend, Charlie, kept trying to get him out of his little spot. Liam was getting sick of this. He had told Charlie already that he was too busy to go out. Liam picked up his phone with irritation, not wanting to hear it vibrate anymore. He slid his finger across the screen answering the call and put it up to his ear.

"Hey nerd," Charlie said in his mocking tone. Liam could hear him grinning as he said that.

"Charlie what have I told you before? Do not call me when I'm studying," Liam said, his tone of voice showed he was very much annoyed by the constant phone calls.

"Lighten up, dude. I'm doing you a favor by calling you," Charlie said. "Come on, we're going to the junkyard. I know how much you love it there."

It was true. Liam loved to see the useless junk that was mounted up in huge piles of rusted metal and torn pieces of rubber from tires. He liked to take the pieces and create something useful with them. He always went there as a kid but never had the chance to go since he turned 14. "I can't Charlie," he said. "There's a test tomorrow and I don't want to mess this up."

"Fine," Charlie says with a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Well call if you change your mind and we'll come and get you," he tried saying, then hung up the line. Liam put his phone down on the desk and rests his back against the chair. He couldn't help but feel guilty for the way he talked to his friend. But if that was the only way to shut him up, then that's what he was going to do. Liam went back to his studying, hoping he could be done soon.

About a half an hour later, his phone vibrated again. Liam rolled his eyes in annoyance. He was so done with all these constant distractions. He snatched his phone up, slid his finger on the screen without looking at the name and held it up to his ear, about to yell at Charlie on the other line.

"Brother?" a young girl's voice said.

Liam's heart clenched. He recognized that voice immediately. It was the voice of his 4 year old sister, Brianna. Or Bri, he liked to call her. He sat there with his mouth opened a gap, trying to find the right words to say to his little sister instead of yelling like he was prepared to do.

He cleared his throat. "H-Hey there, Bri," Liam finally managed to say. "What's up?" He asked softly.

"Can you come and pway with me?" Bri said in her baby voice. She had a hard time speaking since she was so little.

Liam paused to think about it. It was easy to turn down his friends for a junkyard trip. But to turn down his little sister... now that was tough. Liam cared for his sister very dearly and would do anything to make her happy while he was still here.

He finally spoke "I can't, Bri. Liam's really busy right now and won't be out until later."

He could hear Bri pout as she tried to form words to speak. "But brother you pwomised me you would come and pway with me whenever I wanted." Bri said with sadness in her voice. Liam felt sad by this. He did promise her that and he felt guilty he couldn't live up to that.

"I'm sorry Bri... maybe next time. I promise," Liam says. Even his own words tasted bitter as he forced the lie out. He hangs up the phone, putting it down on the desk. He puts his hands on his face, feeling so guilty and sad that he couldn't live up even to his sister's expectations. Older siblings should've set an example to their younger siblings. He was so afraid to let her down that he had to lie to give her hope.

Liam started to realize the fault in his actions. Since he was afraid, he lied to Bri. Being afraid could only lead to one thing; fear. The one thing he refused to believe in, had suddenly bit at him with a vicious blow. He slowly slid his hands down his face as the sudden realization plastered on his features. Liam looked at his scattered papers of notes and crumbled papers. He had been so caught up in his work that he forgot the most important thing. Being with his family and friends.

He turned off his desk lamp and scooted out of his chair. He walked to the door and turned the knob. He left his room without looking back.

The End