The Marx Brothers

Chapter Eight - 'Surprise'

When Monday morning came, I had a little over 2 hours sleep over two days under my belt. I was exhausted, but I was alert, I had to be. I dragged myself out of bed and made a steaming hot cup of coffee before collapsing on the lounge to switch the early Monday news on. I had half an hour to leave for school, yet my body wouldn't allow me to move.

The news made me feel more depressed, one stabbed in a nightclub across town after a brawl over a girl. Two arrests after a year ago hit and run. Everything was morbid. Everything made me feel worse than what I already felt. I ended up channel surfing until I found a bunch of scheduled cartoons, sure it was childish and un-productive, but it made me feel better, happier in a way as I sat in the almost dark, listening to the light rain fall. I was quite comfortable sunk into the lounge, my body relaxing for once over the entire weekend, to the point where my eyes fell.

My phone began to ring, suddenly forcing me awake when I realized I had dozed off without images of aggression and violence.

"What?" I groaned into the phone, angry whoever it was had woken me

"Eden, where are you?" Penny asked through a whisper

"Home" I yawned

"Are you sick? It's nine in the morning" She whispered and yelled at the same time

"Nine?!" I jumped pulling my phone from my ear to glance at the time. Sure enough, it was five past nine in the morning. I was long gone late, yet, I didn't feel all too guilty. I had fallen asleep, I was comfortable, I needed a break, I needed sleep, I was working way too hard and my brain needed to catch up.

I leaned back down and continued to watch the cartoons across the television, the bright colours entrancing and distracting.

"I'm not sleeping too well lately, I might take today off to catch up and see you tomorrow" I lazily told her

"Are you serious? You haven't missed a day in at least two years, are you sure everything's okay?" She worried

"I'm fine, I promise" I urged her, keen to hang up and attempt to drown myself into sleep

"Okay, I'll pop by this afternoon and give you the work" She chirped before hanging up on me, shortly after, I received a message

'I'm in class, talk this afternoon'

I slightly smiled to myself before settling back down into the lounge. Oscar hadn't messaged me since, apparently he wasn't happy about the fact I had walked off with a stranger and rejected him. I guess I deserved it, thinking back, I should have stayed with him, I missed him. I missed talking to him. He was normal, plain, and I missed that.

I picked my phone back up and decided I couldn't do without him, guilt was riddling me up inside and I wasn't going to let that happen.

'Oscar, I'm really sorry about what happened Saturday night, I was wrong and shouldn't have left you. Please forgive me, I miss you'

I set the phone back down and waited impatiently for a reply, anything, something would be appreciated. If he chose not to speak to me again, sure, I would be hurt, but I couldn't blame him. I blew it, I deserved it.

I let myself settle into the lounge again until I began to doze off, thankfully. It wasn't long until I had passed out completely, no sign of a bad dream, no sign of Jaz, no sign of nightmares, it was pure bliss.

When I woke, I felt like I had caught up, revitalized. I stretched my limbs out, switched my newly found love for cartoons off and made myself a sweet cup of herbal tea. The rain outside had stopped and it was just about time for Penny to be heading home, or in today's case, to my home. I grabbed a fleece blanket and wrapped it around my shoulders, the bottom dragging on the floor as I opened the front door inhaling the calming scent of after-rain moisture. The sky was overcast, creating a dark cloud of shadows. All was silent, all was still as I left the front door open and sat on my porch in my mother's wooden rocking chair. I closed my eyes and soaked in the ambience around me, it was beautiful and I wished I could have frozen time. I watched the street in front of me, no sign of human life, no sign of distress. I wished life was like that all the time. That was until I came to know the boys across the street.