Angel of Death

chapter 4

 

The week was pretty uneventful, to be honest. I didn’t go to work, they didn’t call. I didn’t know if I was happy or disappointed by that. I went to lesson, met up with Nick and went home on most days. Nick was acting weird; he didn’t say anything so I didn’t mention it. But even I could tell he was changing. He seemed to look more and more tired by the day. Friday was much like Monday, full of events. In the morning Nick sent me a text saying he couldn’t come. I rushed towards the door, hoping that I hadn’t missed the bus when-

 “Honey I’m working late.” I stopped in my tracks. ‘I was going to be… alone?’ I thought.

“Kay.” I left in a hurry and almost ran to the bus stop.

 

I tried to find Nick, I was really starting to worry, but he was nowhere in sight. I hurried around the field looking for him. There weren’t many people on the field, especially near the back. The alley was the only part of the field I hadn’t looked in. ‘There’s no way he would-’I thought, when I realized that he probably would. I went down the alley, which was by far the creepiest place in school. It had never freaked me out before, but now it felt eerily silent. But I was determined to carry on, especially after I saw Nick’s back. I put my hand on it and he turned around sluggishly, his whole body reluctant. He had something in his mouth, it couldn’t be. I grabbed it and stared at it, hoping that I was imagining it. It felt real. My mind went back to all the times I had been in his house while his dad was smoking. The horrid smell was clinging to my nostrils. I remembered Nick looking horribly glum by the fact that his dad would spend loads of money every week on something that would ultimately kill him.

 

“A cigarette? Seriously?” He raised his hand as if he was going to defend himself and then dropped it to its previously droopy position. “Since when did you start smoking?” I demanded. I sounded grown-up, more grown up than I should have been. He shrugged, his arms looking numb and his back slightly arched down. He closely resembled his dad which I’m sure, had he known he would have resented it. He looked drugged and defenseless. But that didn’t stop me.

 I mean seriously! After everything and you just decide to smoke? Gosh. I can’t believe you would even th-” he was staring at me all throughout the tantrum. I could see his something boiling over inside him, until he shouted “Shut up! You have no idea what it’s like for me!” he may have carried on talking if I hadn’t have disrupted him.

 “Why don’t you talk to me?” he looked like he wouldn’t answer. But when he did I froze.

“What like you talked to me?”

 

Before I could deny it he carried on. I stared at him as he said

“You keep pretending, well guess what?” I looked up at him helplessly, suddenly understanding how he must have been feeling when I was doing exactly what he was now beginning to do.

“Well guess what, you ain’t fooling anyone. We all know something’s up.” I didn’t think anyone knew; I didn’t want them to. Everyone was acting completely normal around me. Were there signs I missed? “What!” I Shouted before I could stop myself from expressing my surprise. As if I hadn’t have said anything, he carried on.

 “And what can I do?  I’m no use to anyone; I mean I can’t even help my best friend. ” He was still talking but he was quieter now, almost as if his anger was fading. I couldn’t hear what he was saying so I listened harder.

“And then there’s school and dad and-” that caught my attention. “Stop.” I said suddenly regaining my voice. “What about your dad?”  He stopped talking; His face looked so glum that I expected a tear to run down it any second now.