The Game

Chapter 9

The next months went very fast and it was hard for me to find free time between school and my life at home with the new little guy who had definitely decided not to let anyone sleep in here. Christmas had passed with the new year, my 18th birthday, Vic's and Tony's but I had missed all of them and I would blame this on my inexistent hours of sleep.

I was working hard for the exam of the end of the year, trying to do at home everything I couldn't do at school because of sleeping in class. Sooner I was graduated, sooner I coud leave to college and stop depending on Chris. My scale was still broken but I seemed to be the only one bothered by this. I had tried to climb up on my bed in any way possible but as I had never succeeded, my couch stayed the best option.

Midnight. I was sitting at my desk, my hands were holding my head and as my eyes were begging for rest but I was fighting to get this algebra done for tomorrow. I could barely even read, I was so tired that everything I was writing didn't make any sense, I was making mistakes at every word, writing letters instead of others...Then I gave up. My head fell on the desk and I had literally no strength left in my whole body. I crept to the couch and let myself fall onto it.

I had just fallen asleep when something violent woke me up. Alfie was crying. His screams wouldn't stop resonating in my head until Kelly would make him fall asleep again. I was so done with this. I know it wasn't anyone's fault but I still couldn't keep living this way without enough of sleep.

The next morning, I woke up and got ready for school. It was hard not to make noise in this house but I couldn't wake anyone up. Chris wouldn't go to work today. He had taken days off to help Kelly at home. I walked to school, I had no cigarette left. Couldn't choose a worse day for this to happen. I arrived at the gate and joined the guys who were laughing out loud in a corner.

"No one told me that the zombie apocalypse had started already !" Tony joked when he saw me approaching, half asleep.

"I would punch you in the face if only I was capable of it" I answered.

I spent the rest of the day completely unable to focus on anything. I was really not doing good and I guess Vic had noticed that because he came to talk to me at the end of the class.

"Seems like you don't sleep much these times..." He said.

"I can barely pay attention to anything. I'm soooo tired !"

"What's wrong ?"

"The consequences of having a new born nephew at home. Add to this the exams and the fact that my scale is broken so I sleep on the couch...And I don't have any cigarette left which pisses me off !"

"Oh I can fix this ! Wait a second." He ran his hand inside his pocket and took out a brand new pack of cigarettes. He opened it and gave me one. "Here ya go !" He said proudly.

"I thought you didn't smoke." I said, surprised, as I took the cigarette and lit it up.

"I don't but I do live in your head."

"Wow. Well if that's true then it's creepy but thanks anyway." I laughed.

"Why don't you ask Chris to fix your scale ?" He asked

"No way I ask him anything these times."

"Yeah...So you won't sleep 'till the exams badically."

"I guess I'll be fine. Plus we have spring break soon." I lied.

"You won't make it to spring break." He was reading my mind.

"Probably not..." I confessed.

"You can come at my house if it's that impossible to sleep at yours. I have a real bed and no screaming baby...I can sleep on the floor."