"Hey, you remember what I said last year, right? We're Zombie Boy and Ghost Boy. I'm not ever gonna leave you."
"Promise?"
"One hundred percent."
***
In which Alistair fights the monster that possessed his friend alongside his friends, while trying...
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Chapter Ten: The Complexities Of Mike Wheeler's Love Life
(The Mall Rats, Pt. 2)
***
To say that Alistair felt like death when he woke up the next morning would be a severe understatement.
After the nightmare and the encounter with the ghosts, Alistair had tossed and turned for the remainder of the night, catching a few fitful hours of sleep. So it was really no surprise that when Alistair made himself get up at around six, he was more or less a walking zombie. Especially when he hadn't had any coffee yet.
His family immediately noticed—well, maybe his aunt more than his sister, who was currently inhaling a bowl of cereal like her life depended upon it—when he entered the main space, and Aunt Aco quipped, "Well, good morning, zombie. Would you like some brains with your scrambled eggs?"
Alistair only groaned and shambled over to the coffee machine, pouring himself one. The minute the hot liquid passed his lips and went down, he felt himself perk up.
"Coffee really is a miracle," he murmured as he went back to the table, sitting down. Looking at Rowan, he said, "Hey."
"Hey," his sister replied through a spoonful of cereal.
"Speed-inhaling because of Pennhurst?" Alistair questioned.
"Yup," Rowan confirmed, as she finished off the last of her cereal and slurped up the milk. The minute she was done, she put it into the sink and raced off to her bedroom to get ready.
Alistair watched her go, before digging into his eggs and finishing off his coffee. When he did, he made to get himself another cup of coffee, but his aunt slapped his hand and said firmly, "No."
Alistair gaped in disbelief. "Seriously?"
"Yes, seriously. You've had enough for today, kid," Aunt Aco told him, already grabbing the coffee pot to put leftover coffee in the fridge for tomorrow.
"I've had one cup!" Alistair protested.
"One cup is enough," Aunt Aco shot back, giving him a look as she added, "I don't like you drinking so much coffee, kid. You need to curb it back, okay?"
Alistair glared at her. "You drink three cups a day!"
"I'm an adult. You're a kid," Aunt Aco fired back, a steely look in her eyes as she went on, "One cup. Two, max. That's it, kid. No more until you're older."
Alistair stared at his aunt, torn between shock and irritation. He glowered at her, saying, "Okay, then how am I supposed to function on one cup?"
"You functioned pretty well without it. I'm sure you'll live," his aunt quipped, sarcasm dripping from her words like melted ice cream. However, her face softened as she said, "I'm just worried about you, kid. I don't know how drinking this much can affect you, but I don't want to take any chances, okay? Especially when you already struggle so much with sleeping."
