Born A Murderer

Chapter 3

"Apparently you missed two classes today"

Josh states plainly as I walk in the garage at 3pm. "Uhm...I wasn't feeling well" I lie then set my back pack on the visitor's old rusty chair. I can feel Josh's eyes follow me to the bathroom but I pretend to be calm. My spirit is still disturbed by seeing that woman inside the closet room. Now Josh knows I left school early. This is clearly not my day.

When I finally walk out of the bathroom, Josh is still standing next to the kitchen sink, peeling an orange and clearly waiting for me to return. Josh is like a big brother and the only reason I don't live in his house is because of a pact his parents made before getting married. Many years ago, Brad's wife, Carey, brought her late cousin's son to their house and begged Brad to let him stay with them since his mother had just passed away. Brad reminded his wife of an agreement they made, which was they will never live with relatives for peace sake. In the end, the boy was flown to Norway to live with a father he had met after his mother's death.

When Brad found me and suggested they keep me for a while, Carey reminded him of how she had to let her own nephew go and that was the end of the conversation.

"You know that an orange is the only fruit that doesn't have a name?" Josh always has to say something that makes him sound smart. "How so?" I entertain him with a question pretending to not understand where this is going. "Orange is the colour of the fruit which just so happens to be what we call it too. You don't call a banana yellow or a pear green. They have their names which are different from their colour".

"Oh wooow" I say slowly, trying to sound impressed.

"Okay, spit it out. Why are you missing classes?" Josh's mood changes without warning and I just want to disappear.

Right at that moment, a red city golf pulls up with music blasting loud. I'm a VW fan but I am taken by this car. A cool-looking guy jumps out and approaches already asking if Andy works here. Josh attends to him while I walk to the cool dude's car to admire it closely. I wasn't following the conversation but I got that he needs a hook up for cheap reams for a soon coming golf event. Something about a group of his peers who drive the exact same cars meeting for a party. Josh tries to get an invitation but gets told he has a week to own a city golf and register as a member.

"Do you know that this car was banned many times after it was invested because the Scottish government believed it was messing up with military business?" I hear Josh tell the visitor as I walk pass them going to the kitchen. He sounds impressed by the information but I don't trust it. I feel my heart pump in my throat as I reach for the carboard door for a mug. My mind involuntarily travelled back to the time I opened the closet door earlier. What kind of sick situation is that?  I don't normally scare easily with all I was exposed to as a child living in a hospital but this afternoon's events left me shaking. "Timothy, bring me my hat!" Josh shouts, shocking me back to the present. His bucket hat is sitting facing up as usual. When he's not wearing it on his heard, it turns into a bag where he keeps his phone, keys, lighter and cigarette pack. Today it feels a little heavy so I inspect its content and see a pocket size knife. Without even thinking about it, I pull it out and slide it in my back pocket.

I should've fallen asleep over an hour ago but I'm laying on my back in Andy's car familiarising myself to the feel of this beautiful multi-functional knife. I'm in love with it.