Angels Like You

Help from Unlikely Places

I couldn't stay awake. It'd been a week since I'd punched Hunter and he hadn't said a word to me. He'd requested to be switched to a different student at the after-school program and I'd been left to suffer through Mr. Alberts trying to help me with AP composition.

It'd been so shitty that night that I'd gone with Toby on our break and we'd each shot up half a needle. It had probably been too much. All I wanted was to suppress the anger I felt at myself that was slowly starting to apply itself to Hunter even though I knew that none of it was his fault. He'd tried to warn me and I'd shrugged him off.

"I'd offer to let you go take a walk," Mr. Alberts said with a sigh, "but you'd probably fall asleep in the hall, crack your head on the tile as you went down, and I'd have to clean up your blood." I propped my head up on my hand and focused all the energy I had into opening my eyes. "I'm going to have to report this, Rhys."

I shrugged. "Like I give a fuck."

"I think you do," he said, looking me in the eye. His face had the serious adult look on it and I couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled out of my lips. "You wouldn't be here if you didn't."

I snorted. The movement of my head caused my hand to smack against the table and my head jerked down. I slowly recovered by sitting back in my seat and sliding down until my head rested on the back of the chair. My sweatshirt hood slipped further over my face. The lights were giving me a headache.

"My father and probation officer forced me to be here."

"No one can force you to be anywhere," Mr. Alberts said. I let my head fall forward. "You could always ask to go to the restroom and not come back. You could go do whatever you and Mr. Moz do on break and not come back. No one has you cuffed to the table."

"Mr. Alberts, could you look over this problem? I think it's right, but I want a second opinion," Hunter's voice said beside me.

I covered my face with my hand. There was a feeling building in my throat, but I couldn't place what it was. It just felt like I was floating. Only moments before it happened did my brain register that I was going to puke.

"Shit," Hunter said as he jumped back.

"Rhys," Mr. Alberts said before a trashcan was thrust in front of me.

"Fuck," I heard Toby mutter as I hurled again into the trashcan.

"Hunter, take him to the office to change and get cleaned up. I need to go call his dad," Mr. Alberts was saying as I tried to catch my breath.

"No!" I snapped.

"I have to," Mr. Alberts said. When I looked up, he was already walking out of the library.

"Come on," Hunter said as he reached for my arm. "I have clothes you can borrow as long as you don't puke on them too."

"Get off me," I hissed as I stood up. The world spun, but I gritted my teeth and marched towards the door.

"I'll clean this up," Mr. Hemmings said to Hunter before Hunter followed me out.

"Don't even say it," I said as I stalked down the hall. The puking had brought the original high feeling back. Hunter was grounding me and I needed him to shut up.

Hunter easily fell into step beside me. "What happens now? With your dad?"

I spun to face him, grimacing as everything spun. I grasped his shoulder so I didn't fall over. "I go to juvie."