The Prince

Part 2

"Noah! Where the fuck did you put my shirts?" A squat, dark-haired man in his mid-thirties came barreling into the kitchen. "Hey, I'm talking to you!"

"I don't know. The cleaning lady must have left them with the ironing."

"I didn't ask for an explanation! Get me my shirt, now!"

With a sigh, Noah got up from the breakfast counter and went on a hunt for his brother's shirt. To say that his brother wasn't happy with him staying there, would be an understatement. He'd made sure that Noah was reminded of it every day.

As miserable as he was, he couldn't run away. He didn't know anybody outside of school and he had no money. It was better to stay and wait it out until he graduated, but that didn't mean that life would get any better.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he closed the front door behind him and walked toward the bus stop. At school, he got a few hours of reprieve from the emotional abuse that was tossed his way on a regular basis. It felt like he was in the middle of a war zone sometimes, especially when his brother had been out with his friends.

Hitching his backpack higher on his shoulder, he cut through a wooded section to get to the bus stop faster. He had already worn a path through the trees and sometimes came here to get away from the nagging, shouting, abuse and guilt trips. Looking to his left, he wondered again who owned the property, as he caught glimpses of a house in the distance.

Once he stepped foot on the school grounds, he felt slightly better. At least here he could get some peace and quiet for a few hours. He wasn't the brightest in their grade, but being able to get away from his brother made him work extra hard. Thankfully, their parents had invested in a scholarship for him, which was another sore point with his brother.

The fact that he had to go to public school, while their parents saved up to send Noah to private school was a thorn in his side. Somehow he forgot the fact that he was living in the house that their parents had left for both of them.

Maybe he should start looking for a part-time job, he thought as he walked to his class. That would give him a little more independence from his brother and who knows, maybe he could even save up enough cash to get away.

By lunchtime he jogged to his favourite spot under the trees, overlooking the vast lawns. Most people sat in the cafeteria, but he found it too stuffy, especially on a sunny day like this.

"Noah? Where have you been all morning." A dark-haired teenager who looked like he was still carrying his baby fat came to take a seat next to him.

"Hi, Travis. Needed to get a headstart on the year. They all say that this is the tough one where they decide whether to keep you on for the last year. They say it can even influence your chances of getting into college." He explained.

"Are you sure that's not a rumour? I know this school is very highly thought of, but being able to control whether their students go to what universities seem a bit beyond me, mate."

"Even if it is, I'd rather not miss my spot in the next matric class and ruin my chances of getting into a good school." He unwrapped his sandwich and offered Travis half, who looked half-heartedly at the lunch in front of him. After a moment's hesitation, he took the sandwich

"Oh, this is so much better than what she packed," he moaned. "You could pack me lunch every day, you know."

"I'm already making sure one person gets fed, I don't need more work. What did she pack, anyway?" He grabbed a corner of one of the containers and gently shook it. It looked like brown jelly with chunks in it. He didn't even want to know what those chunks were.

"That's vegan pate and the greenish stuff are beansprouts with organic brown rice and lentil dahl. Apparently, Goop recommends that you eat this for two weeks and fast in between." He shivered at the thought.

"I've been sneaking burgers into the house, but she kept sniffing them out," he explained with a pained face.

"Starvation will do that to you." Noah laughed. "So, why don't you get food from the cafeteria?"

"I've been cut off mate. She said part of my journey is to learn independence. Apparently, her spirit guide..."

"Her spirit guide?" Noah spluttered, barely able to contain his laughter.

"Who's an otter, by the way." Travis looked as if a dark cloud was hanging over his head. "I'm going to have to find a job, mate. Why she had to go nuts now is beyond me." He groaned, throwing himself back on the grass. "Why?!" He called out dramatically to the sky.

"I was thinking of getting a job myself actually." Noah also fell back onto the soft grass, staring at the sky through the green leaves.

"We should look for one together!" Travis sat up and poked him in the ribs.

"Ow! You serious?"

"Of course I am. We can go hunting next week when things die down at school. All the teachers are still trying to prove that they can control us, so they're going to be especially awful."

"Prison life." Noah laughed getting up and brushing himself down. "Come on, the last stretch of the road ahead." He held out his hand and pulled Travis up.

 By the end of the school day, it felt like he'd been put through the wringer. It seemed as if they were going to kill them with work overload this year and while his grades weren't that bad, all the extra assignments had him worried the most. In the midst of it all, the winter ball was also planned halfway through the year.

Everybody was overly excited about the idea, but to him, it didn't sound attractive at all. It meant that he'd have to ask his brother for money, which will of course end in a massive argument, with him probably not going.

Prison life, he thought as he walked past other students, hanging about, to get to the bus stop.