I slowly opened my eyes to the familiar tapping of my window, feeling both disorientated and groggy despite the almost fifteen hours of sleep I had gotten. I looked towards the window, expecting to see the annoying fucking crow that had decided to become an enduring constant in my mornings peering inside. Yet when I looked, I found any remaining semblance of sleep disappearing in an instant as I paused in shock, not because of the god forsaken crow that was staring right back at me upon my windowsill, but because of the two extra crows huddled on either side that were also peeking through while tapping sharply against the glass.
I stared in bewilderment, wondering if maybe I was hallucinating. I went to stand up to investigate, feeling slightly freaked out as all three crows just continued to watch me intently through the window. Yet before I could, all three took off into the sky, disappearing in a matter of seconds. I felt the need to pinch myself, to make sure I was actually awake, which, based on the extreme amount of pain in my arms and body, I definitely was. After a couple more seconds of staring blankly at the window and realising nothing more was going to happen, I decided to chalk it up as a bizarre situation, knowing there was nothing else I could really do.
Now firmly awake, I climbed out of bed, noticing the dried blood on my hands as I did so and remembering the events that took place the day before. Realising that I didn’t need to go to school any more, I stood in my room unsure of what to do. I considered going back to bed, still feeling slightly exhausted despite the amount of sleep I just had. And while that seemed promising, the longer I stood up, the more and more greasy and uncomfortable I felt due to not showering before I had passed out onto my bed the day before.
And so I made my way to the shower, pausing momentarily at my door to listen for any sound of my father, not wanting another confrontation so soon after last night. Hearing no sound, I rushed into the bathroom, dumping my clothes unceremoniously onto the floor and all but jumping into the shower. The feeling of the hot water as it streamed my body was almost heavenly, making me wish I could have stayed there for eternity. Alas, as my skin started to prune and the water became colder and colder, I knew that wasn’t possible.
After I had gotten out and changed into some of the few remaining clean clothes I still had, I entered the living room, checking once more that there was no sound of my father. Seeing once again that the coast was clear, I entered the kitchen where I was met with the overpoweringly familiar smell of smoke and fumes, letting me know it hadn’t been long since Dad had left. Accidentally, upon entering, I breathed in a large amount of the leftover smoke. Almost immediately, a burning pain started to form, originating in my chest, stifling my breath and making me explode into a symphony of wheezes and coughs.
This lasted a while, only coming to an end after I almost coughed up both my lungs, leaving my throat scratchy and raw once more. Something I was becoming oddly familiar with. Yet even as the coughs ended, the burning pain in my chest continued to stay. Nestled deep in my chest regardless of how I tried to get rid of it. Doing my best to minimise my breathing, only taking small shallow breaths, I looked around the kitchen for something to eat. While doing so and seeing how little any of the food appealed to me, I stumbled across a note on the counter. My father’s chicken scratching reflected back up at me.
My first instinct was to avoid it, not wanting any interaction with my father, not even in writing. Still, I knew that if I didn’t, I would just think about it all day until I did. So with a small amount of apprehension, I slowly inched towards the countertop and read the note. Doing so again right after the fact, then once more for a third time. To say I was completely baffled would have been an understatement. In the note there was no mention of what transpired the previous night, nothing in regard to my confession about him as a father nor about his reply. It was simply a small note asking me to have a look at some of the schools in the city that I could transfer to. Accompanied with a twenty pound note for travel and food.
A wave of anger washed over me. There was not a single part of me that wanted to revisit what happened that night, but to see my father blatantly acting like it never happened, as if we could just forget about it, for some reason made me furious. It was just like him to pretend that everything was just fine when it wasn’t. Just like he did after what happened to Mom. While trying to rein in my anger, I snatched the money off the counter before throwing the note into the trash.
Whilst trying to calm down, I thought about what I could do, already deciding that there was no way in hell I was going to do what the note asked. I thought about simply staying at home and having some peace and quiet for once. Something that was sorely needed after the past couple of days. And while that seemed like a great idea, I noticed that the burning pain in my chest still hadn’t gone away. In fact, it had only ramped up in strength to the point where every breath I took was accompanied by a strong sense of discomfort. It was then I remembered what Dr. Soren had told me before about medication and how by now it should be ready for me to collect. So, with a new goal in mind, I quickly rushed out the door, holding my breath while doing so in order to not inhale any more of the surrounding smoke, lest the pain worsen even more.
The moment I got outside, having gone red in the face, I inhaled deeply in a frantic search for oxygen. Unfortunately, in my desperation to breathe, I forgot that while the smell of smoke might have disappeared, the stench of fumes seemed to have only worsened, forcing me once more into an extreme coughing fit. One I tried to ignore as I rushed forward to the hospital, or at least out of the smog-infested neighbourhood I lived in, all while coughing up a storm. By the time I made it into some of the nicer areas of the city, full of clean, unpolluted air, I was a mess. My face was streaked with tears, and my posture was hunched on the side of the pavement as I greedily vacuumed as much clean air as I could manage.
After a couple minutes later, and not too few wary glances shared between the other passersby, I tentatively stood up. Cautious with every movement in the fear that it might set me off again. Thankfully, after a few tentative seconds, I found no need to devolve back into a fit of coughs. And so, seeing that I appeared to be alright, I continued my rush to the hospital with a new found vigour as the reminder of how quickly my condition had seemed to worsen in only a few days played heavily in my mind.
I arrived at the hospital not too long later, breathing heavily from exhaustion despite having barely gone quicker than a jog. As I entered, I looked around, observing the bright white walls and chairs scattered around the reception, something I hadn’t had the chance to do last time in my frantic escape. The reception looked deserted, with only a couple of people to be seen filling the vast room. An oppressive silence hung in the air, only broken up by the occasional typing of the receptionist sitting not too far away and the coughing of one elderly man hunched over in one of the chairs in the corner.
The more I looked around, the larger my dislike of the hospital became. Whether that was due to the dreadful atmosphere that seemed to suck the life of everything and everyone, or the bad memories associated with it, young and old, I was unsure. I just knew I didn’t want to be here any longer than necessary. I swiftly shuffled to the receptionist’s desk, where sat a middle-aged woman with dulled red hair that was placed in a loose bun who was staring at her screen in utter boredom. Every step I took echoed loudly across the barren room, breaking the oppressive silence. As I got to the desk, I waited for the receptionist's attention, knowing she must have heard the thundering of my steps. Yet as I stood there waiting, she made no attempt to even acknowledge my presence.
A part of me idly wondered if it would ever be possible for me to get through a day without being overcome with a feeling of annoyance or anger. Something that, based on the last few days, was becoming a harder and harder challenge. And with the way I was feeling at that moment, standing in front of the receptionist, it was clear it wasn't going to be happening today, either.
After a few more moments and still seeing no reaction from her, I let out a loud, intentional cough in her direction before beginning to speak. “I need to collect some medicine.” I said, not bothering to hide my annoyance.
“Follow that hallway down and take the second left.” She pointed to one of the hallways on the left-hand side, her eyes never leaving the screen.
Not even bothering to say my thanks, I headed down the aforementioned hallway and followed it along, turning at the second left exit before I came across a small counter dug into the wall. I walked up to the counter which was shielded by a thick clear plastic screen, praying for whoever was working there to be even one-tenth more sociable than the receptionist.
“Hi there. Can I help you?” A young voice spoke, bringing my attention to the young nurse hidden to the side. A nurse who appeared to be in his mid-twenties with short brown hair and a cheery smile.
“Yeah, I’m just here to pick up some medicine.” I answered, thankful that my prayers seemed to have been answered.
“No worries, can I just get a name?” He asked.
“Yeah, it's Adam Collins.”
“Okay, just give me one moment.” He turned to his computer that sat at his side before typing away. During the wait, I looked around at the space behind him, which was filled with shelves upon shelves of different medicines that lined the floor to ceiling, seeming to encompass the entire room he was in.
While I continued looking, I noticed the man look up from his computer, his smile no longer as wide nor his voice as cheery. “ I think I found it. Was this medicine for COPD?”
“Yeah, I think that’s the one. Why? Are there any issues?” I asked, confused with his sudden change in expression, afraid there was an issue with the medicine. Medicine I sorely needed as the pain in my chest became more and more uncomfortable.
“No, no. everything’s fine. I’ll go get it now.” With that, he headed through the jam-packed aisles and out of sight. Only the sound of the muted shuffling of containers and boxes as well as the billowing of his coat was able to be heard. I wondered what had caused his sudden change in attitude. However, before I could figure it out, he popped back into view. Carrying with him a small container that rattled with every step he took.
“Here you go.” He said, handing me the small container. “Now, this is only a month's worth of pills, so you’re going to need to come back in a month's time. When it comes to the pills, you're going to need to take two pills a day. One in the morning and one at night. Also, make sure not to eat anything two hours before and nothing thirty minutes after taking the pills. In case you forget, the instructions are also written on the box.” He said, pointing to the long label attached to the box.
I nodded along, despite having already forgotten the bulk of what he had just said. “Alright. Well, thank you.” And with that, I turned around to leave.
“Bye, have a good rest of your day.” I heard him say from behind, his voice once again strained, sounding almost sad.
As I left the hospital, staring daggers at the receptionist while I did so, which she saw none of, being too focused on her screen, I wondered what else I could do for the rest of the day. That was when the loud rumbling of my stomach reminded me of my need for some food, as well as the twenty dollars currently in my pocket. So with a skip in my step, I headed off to Top’s Cafe, the cheap cafe I had visited last time.
Before I did so, however, I remembered the instructions the nurse had given me in regard to food and the pills. Knowing the walk to the cafe would be longer than thirty minutes, I tore open the box, revealing a see-through container, filled to the brim with small oval shaped, muted pink tablets. I forced open the container, grabbing one of the tablets before proceeding to choke it down. A difficult task with the lack of water I had on hand, but one I managed to accomplish. Not, however, without scratching my raw throat further in the process on its way down. I proceeded to place the container into my pocket, placing my hand on top to keep it safe from falling out, knowing how important it was.
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The walk to the cafe was slow and peaceful. I took my time, appreciating the fresh, clean air around me. Air that no longer burnt my lungs with every breath, the pill having already gotten to work in such a short period of time. Close to forty minutes later, I stepped through the door of the cafe, the familiar ringing of the bell above declaring my entrance. I immediately moved to the same open booth near the window as last time, manoeuvring around the few busy tables scattered across the room.
“Why in the hell are ya back ‘ere kid when ya should be at school?” Eileen's raspy voice spoke as she appeared out of thin air once again the moment I sat down.
“What's this? I thought you would have wanted my company. I just know how much you adore me.” I said while batting my eyes. A technique which had no effect on Eileen.
“Not this time punk.” she huffed, crossing her scrawny arms along her chest. “No answer, no food.”
Seeing the stern stare she was giving me and really wanting some food to eat, I told her what happened. Albeit with a few details left out. Such as the attempt I made to attack Matthew's father.
“Ya bloody idiot!” she yelled, slapping me over the head, injuring both my ears and my head at the same time. “Why in god's sakes would ya do tha’?”
“Look, it’s fine. I just really don't want to talk about it right now, alright.” I mumbled, absently rubbing the spot where she had hit me.
“Fine.” she reluctantly huffed, making it clear despite her agreement how she wanted to say much more. “What do ya wan’? The usual?”
Glad she decided to stop her interrogation, I went to say yes. Yet before I did, my eyes landed onto the menu, where I saw a multitude of options I had never been able to afford before, options that I realised with the twenty dollars in my pocket I could.
“Actually, this time I’ll have a full English breakfast, please. No mushrooms though.” The moment the words left my mouth, I could already feel my mouth start to water at just the thought.
“Full English, no mushrooms coming up,” she stated, turning around to leave. But just before she did, her voice drifted over once more. “Kid, if ya ever need help, no matter what, ya can always come to me.”
Before I could even respond, she proceeded to rush off towards the kitchen. Immediately, a feeling of warmth that I sorely needed after the past day filled me, causing a carefree smile to appear on my face as I waited for the food. Food which thankfully came only a few minutes later as Eileen came back into view carrying the massive pile of food.
“Thank you Eileen.” I said, both for the food and for what she said before, leading to a small blush forming on her face as she quickly left, grumbling under her breath.
As I sat there enjoying the mountain of food in front of me, relishing each bite, I pondered what I would do for the rest of the day. Drawing a total blank, I pulled out my phone, hoping it would help in producing an idea. Yet all it did was leave me face to face with the two blinking unanswered messages from Sam and Helen I had ignored the night before.
I knew I should respond, that they were probably worried about what happened to me after I got dragged away from the cafeteria. But every time I thought about doing so, the image of Sam and Helen's shocked and horrified faces came to mind. Faces I didn’t want to have to confront and figure out what they meant. To know whether they were going to start treating me differently after what I did, especially Helen. I knew it was stupid and completely irrational, but it didn’t change the thoughts that were constantly plaguing my mind. So I left the messages on read once more, deciding it was far easier to just ignore them, at least for now.
Still with no idea of what to do, I continued scrolling on my phone, coming face to face with a contact I did not expect, despite its recent history. I had completely forgotten about what had happened with Clark the day before yesterday, although for a good reason, I suppose, with how hectic the last twenty-four hours had been. Seeing his name on screen, I considered messaging him, with it making more and more sense the longer I considered it. We had gotten along well, and he seemed down to hang out again. Not only that, I realised that when we had first met it had been a Wednesday morning. Yet, just like myself, he hadn’t been at school, meaning he might have been available to hang out once again despite it being a Friday. And so, coming to a decision, I shot him a quick message asking if he would want to hang out later before turning my attention back to the still large amount of food in front of me. Food which I devoured with an insatiable hunger.
Just as I finished scarfing down the last of my breakfast, lying back against the booth in extreme bliss with my stomach bulging forward, the familial buzz of my phone rang from my pocket. As I went to check, I released a sigh of relief I hadn’t known I was holding when I saw that Clark responded saying he would love to hang out, asking if I would want to meet up in an hour or so.
While I was delighted by this, I saw a potential issue in his message. Primarily how he mentioned how his other friends would be there as well, something which made me slightly cautious. Yet not having any other plans for the rest of the day and wanting to escape from my thoughts, I sent a quick reply saying I would see him then. Thinking that in the worst-case scenario, I could always just leave.
Now with an hour to kill, I heaved myself up out of the booth and waddled over to pay for my food, saying goodbye to Eileen as I did so. Once done, I left the cafe, letting the now risen sun's warmth wash over me as I began meandering around with no destination. Knowing that the place Clark wanted to meet up at was only a five-minute walk away.
Time passed quickly as I walked around the city centre, watching the hustle and bustle of it all. Before I knew it, the hour had almost passed, and I started to head to the small corner shop mentioned in Clark’s message, wandering down the narrow and desolate alleyways and passages needed to get there.
The moment I made it and could see the store in question, Clark and his friends stood out like a burning fire on a winter's night. The group was huddled around near the steps of the store, their voices so loud and raucous I could hear them clearly despite the distance. I originally believed that Clark was one of the most unique-looking people I ever knew, what with his array of piercings and shaggy brown hair. Yet when among his friends, he seemed to fit in perfectly.
Clarks was surrounded by four others, making the group five in total, with there being three boys and two girls respectively. The male to Clark’s left, standing at the edge of the group, had short sandy brown hair and looked to be close to two metres tall, taller than even Sam by a few inches. However, unlike Sam, he looked to be incredibly skinny, so skinny that his bones jutted harshly out against his skin, looking as if they could be snapped with but a single breeze.
In comparison to him, the male to Clark’s right seemed his polar opposite with his buzzcut haircut and endless supply of muscle, with him being as wide as two regular people put together. The most recognisable thing about him however, besides his muscles, was the gigantic black snake tattoo that seemed to be wrapped around his neck, looking as if it was choking him.
The girl, currently hanging off his arm to his right-hand side, seemed no less weird, dressed in both a pure black skirt and tank top with a myriad of black tattoos scattered over her arms. Something which, when paired with the full black eyeliner and lipstick she wore, as well as her long straight black hair, made her look as if she belonged in a Tim Burton film or as a part of the Adams family.
Lastly, there was the girl on the far right-hand side, seemingly oblivious to the shouting and laughing of her friends, somehow. She was like a model or an actress, with short brown hair ending just at her shoulders and a pair of bright red lips. She was beautiful. At least she would have been if not for her black, ice cold eyes that were staring impassively to the sky and the deep onset frown that was stuck to her lips.
As I stared at the rambunctious group of people and how intimidating they all seemed, I wondered for a moment if I should just turn around and leave. Unfortunately, just as the thought entered my mind, Clark happened to look up, noticing me standing dumbly from down the street.
“Yo, Adam over here!” He waved as if it would have been entirely possible for me to have missed them.
Immediately, as I began walking towards them, having lost my chance to escape, I felt four more pairs of eyes stare in my direction. Trying my best not to be self-conscious, I pushed my shoulders back and kept my head held high, pretending I was far calmer than I truly was. In reality, being only one step away from shitting myself.
“It’s good to see you man!” He shouted once I was only a few metres away.
“You too.” I replied, flashing a smile that was undoubtedly strained. Seeing my obvious glances to his friends, Clark quickly spoke up.
“Ah, my bad man, let me introduce everyone to you. This is Lewis and Jamie.“ His hand pointed towards both the skinny giant and the muscular snake guy, respectively. To which I received a small nod from the first and stoic silence from the other.
“That ray of sunshine over there is Cindy.” A comment which rewarded him with a middle finger and an eye roll in return from the goth-looking girl.
“And finally, our other beautiful companion at the end is Alice!” Alice didn’t even seem to react, simply continuing to stare at me for a few seconds before going back to looking up at the sky with a frown. “Sheesh, I never realised how depressing you lot are before.” Clark muttered jokingly, loud enough to be heard by everyone.
“It’s nice to meet you all.” I said as calmly as I could, still doing my best to mask the nervousness I felt. Especially in the face of such unfriendly faces
An awkward silence soon filled the air, with no one saying a word, which was expected. What with them not knowing a thing about me and vice versa. Just as I was about to speak up with an attempt to bail, not wanting to deal with any more of this awkwardness. The goth girl, Cindy, beat me to the punch.
“Why aren't you at school?” She demanded suddenly with her arms crossed.
Surprised at the randomness of the question, I paused for a couple of seconds before deciding whether to tell the truth. Seeing no reason to lie, I decided to be honest. “I got expelled for getting into a couple of fights.”
“What happened?“ The muscular guy Jamie asked, leaning forward, looking far more interested than he did a moment prior.
‘Of course the dude who looked like a miniature Hercules would be interested in fighting.’ I thought with a smirk.
I began a short retelling of what happened, throwing in a bit of hyperbole where I could to try and make myself seem cooler and more badass than I actually was. Seeing the focused looks they all had as I spoke, I started to feel more confident, becoming more expressive and passionate in my storytelling, throwing in a couple of small jokes here and there as I did so.
“That’s fucking sick man.” Clark cheered, acting far more excited than any of the people who had actually witnessed the fight had been.
“It did feel fucking good,” I admitted. Something which I hadn't been able to say aloud to anyone else. “Only downside is now that I’m expelled and I’m bored as fuck.”
“Don’t worry about that dude. Finding fun shit to do is our speciality.” Lewis smirked, sharing a look with his friends that I couldn’t quite decipher and which led to a frigid chill running down my spine.
“Damn right! What should we do?” Clark thought out loud, turning towards the others.
“We could sneak into the cinema and see what's playing?” Cindy suggested.
“Nah, there's nothing good showing this morning. I already checked online.” replied Lewis, shaking the phone in his hand as if to back up his point.
“Let’s go to Shark’s.” Jamie piped in. “Adam here clearly loves to fight. I can’t think of a better place for that than Shark’s.”
“Ain't it way too early to go to Shark’s? It doesn’t usually get busy until around four or so” Lewis remarked, looking back down towards his phone.
“There's always a few people there. And in the worst case scenario, we can get something to drink and hang out while we wait until later.”
“You just want to get into some fights yourself after hearing about what Adam got up to yesterday.” Clark smirked, having seen that his assumption was spot on as Jamie just shrugged in response before a wicked grin appeared on his face and a dangerous glint could be seen in his eyes
“Sounds good to me. We could also go to Underworld’s after. Show Adam here how we party.” Cindy mused, throwing me a somewhat flirty smile and making me turn a blushing red. As I went to look away, I noticed the look in Jamie’s eyes go from friendly to furious in a heartbeat as he moved his arm, wrapping it tightly around Cindy’s waist, forcing her onto his lap and causing her to let out a giggle in shock.
‘Note to self. Stay the fuck away from Cindy if I don’t want to get the shit kicked out of me.’ I thought to myself as I slowly took a step backwards, just in case.
At this point, I was completely lost, having never heard of a place called Shark’s before in my life. Though I did vaguely remember having heard about Underworld before in passing. But for the life of me, I couldn’t remember exactly what was said.
“Now that seems like a plan! How about we go get something to eat first and then head to Sharky’s?” Even though he framed it as a question, by the time Clark had finished speaking, he had already started walking ahead. Quickly followed by Jamie, who, while dragging Cindy along with him, gave me one last suspicious glance in my direction. Lewis followed a couple of seconds later but caught up to them easily with his giant steps, eyes stuck to his phone as he walked. In comparison, I just stood there, motionless, surprised at the quick pace everything was going. It hadn’t even been five minutes since I had arrived, and already they had planned out the entire day.
“Are you just going to stand there all day, or are you going to get a move on?” A voice I hadn’t heard before spoke from my right, breaking me out of my thoughts. I turned around and came face to face with Alice, who I hadn’t realised hadn’t already gone on ahead with the others.
“My bad. Was a bit lost in my thoughts.” I said while scratching the back of my head, embarrassed at being caught looking so dazed like a moron.
“Yeah, I could tell.” She smirked, the first sign of emotion I had seen on her face since I had arrived. “Anyway, you better start moving. I’m starving.” And with that, she left, walking towards the others at a casual pace. Clearly in no rush to catch up to them.
After processing her words, I quickly jogged forward to her side. A sense of anticipation within me at the thought of what the day was going to bring. Excited at the prospect of stepping out of my comfort zone and doing something different for once. Little did I know how insane the day was truly going to turn out.