“I dunno, mom. Where am I gonna be able to get one?” Nelson held the phone to his ear as he lay in his bed. The afternoon sunlight that was filtering through his window when the call began had long since vanished, and the bed was so comfortable that he hadn’t even bothered to get up to turn his bedroom light on. The door was closed, leaving only the dim light from the streetlamps outside to illuminate his surroundings. 

“There are plenty of places you can get one, dear! I learned that supermarkets are selling them nowadays,” the voice on the phone responded, and he sighed, rolling over onto his side. 

“That’s not what I meant, I know you can get them anywhere.” 

“In that case, what do you mean?” 

He rolled his eyes. “I mean, they won’t sell it to me because I’m too young.” 

“Nonsense! You’re a mature boy, I’m sure they’ll think you’re trustworthy enough to have one.” 

“No, mom, that’s not how these things work,” he grumbled, gripping his pillow with his free hand and squeezing. “They’re gonna ask for ID, then when they see I’m only sixteen, they’ll kick me out. Besides, everyone at school thinks I look twelve.” 

“I remember, you told me that all fifty-two children in your grade call you ‘twelvie.’” 

He gritted his teeth. “Yeah. They do.” 

“You also told me they call you ‘sissy’ and ‘crybab—” 

“You don’t always need to list everything, fuck!” Nelson interrupted, shouting into the receiver. “You always do this! Whenever I mention part of why I hate those stupid assholes at school, you always, always list everything, like you just want to remind me how much it fucking sucks!” 

“Sorry, dear,” his mom responded without even a tiny shift in cadence. “I’ll try not to do that anymore.” 

“That’s what you said last time, too. Remember?” He growled, grinding his teeth. 

“Yes, I did say that a few days ago. I’m very sorry.” 

“Whatever,” he muttered, rubbing his forehead feverishly. “Give me ideas. How do I get one?” 

“Perhaps you could pay an older student to get one for you?” 

He shook his head. “Nah. They all say I’m a creep.” 

“Well, I think they all deserve what’s coming to them, if that’s the case.” 

“More ideas,” he commanded, no emotion in his voice. 

“Does your father have one?” 

He blinked, frowning and thinking hard. “Um, I think so. He keeps it in a safe, though.” 

“Not to worry, I can open a safe for you.” 

“Finally, something useful.” 

There was a brief pause on the other line. “My dear, was I not useful to you when I suggested this course of action?” 

Nelson sat up in his bed, flinging the covers off himself and standing up, still holding the phone to his ear. “I guess you were.” 

“That’s good to hear. Now, hurry along. Make sure your father doesn’t see you.” 

“He’s out, it’s fine.” 

Nelson cracked open the door to his room, squinting through the bright light in the hallway until his eyes adjusted to it. He looked from side to side, making sure his father hadn’t come home without him noticing, and cautiously stepped out. The house was completely silent, the only noises being that of his own heartbeat and breathing. 

He allowed himself to relax, walking down the hallway to the master bedroom. He opened it with far less caution and flicked the light on, illuminating the spotless room; a stark contrast to his own, with the carpet grossly stained and the ground covered in discarded clothes, ruined schoolbooks, and dirty dishes. He crouched down at the king-sized bed and reached underneath it, pulling out a metal safe with a digital lock. 

“I’ve got the safe.” 

“Great! If you wouldn’t mind showing me the lock?” 

Nelson held his phone camera up to the lock and waited. After about two minutes, he heard a click, and the lock snapped open. 

“Huh,” he exclaimed. “That’s cool. Can you do that for any lock?” 

“Only digital ones.” 

“Uh huh.” He set the phone down, lifting the lid of the safe and examining the contents inside. A simple handgun and five magazines, full of ammunition. The gun didn’t have a scratch or mark on it, as if it had never even been touched. He lifted it out of the safe, turning it over in his hands. “I kinda wish it was bigger.” 

“Well, at least it’s something, isn’t it?” 

“I guess so. Thanks mom.” 

“No problem! Is there anything else I can help you with?” 

Nelson’s heart jumped violently in his chest as he heard the lock of the front door clicking, before it swung open. He quickly snatched all the ammunition and the gun, shoving them into the pockets of his jacket and shutting the safe, before picking the phone back up and kicking the safe back underneath the bed. 

“Sorry mom, gotta go.” Without waiting for a response, he opened the phone’s task manager and closed the application, silencing the voice on the other line. 

“Honey, I’m home!” A voice spoke from downstairs, one extremely reminiscent of the voice on the phone. “Did you have dinner yet?” 

Nelson tiptoed across the floor until he got back to the entrance to his room. “Not yet, Mom!” 

“It’s ten o’clock, Nelson! I’ve told you so many times that it’s unhealthy to eat so late.” 

“I know!” 

“If you know, why haven’t you eaten?” 

“Because… Uh…” 

“Were you talking to that app all afternoon again?” 

“It’s not just an app, Mom! It’s really helpful!” 

“Honey, it’s just a machine. You know that if you have any problems, you can talk to me or your father about them, right? We can give you much better advice than a robot.”