Something, Nothing

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 16 — TO THE WORKSHOP

It's way too early for someone to be knocking on my door. And it takes me a minute to get reoriented and realise that I am back in my house.

I rub my eyes, and the knock on my door returns. I frown — since when has anyone in this household has knocked?

I stand up and open the door, yawning. Aarnav stands before and looks down at me, bemused. He laughs, not saying anything and walks away. I frown at his retreating figure but he doesn't even spare a glance back at me. Idiot, I think to myself, closing the door, and returning the comforts of my bed.

But my head has hit even the pillows, my mother comes barging in — good to know, the knocking was maybe a temporary thing.

"Aarvin!" she yells out and then pinches my ear, pulling me up.

"Ow, ow," I pull away from her, shielding myself, "What?"

"What did we agree to yesterday?!"

I don't particularly remember agreeing to anything. She was talking and I just dutifully nodded along. Okay, it's possible I might have missed something there.

"We're supposed to go somewhere?" I take a guess.

And now she pinches my arm, "Not we, you! You agreed to go help out your appa and your brothers at the shop,"

"I did?" my voice comes out squeaky and my nerves all bundle up at the back of my head — I want to hit my head against a wall until I pass out.

My mother glares up at me and that shuts my mouth up. Why was I not listening to her yesterday?

"But-" I start but she puts up a hand, cutting me off.

"No. Not a word from you. I asked you yesterday and you agreed. I've even told your appa and so you're going, I don't care," she asserts and then sighing, she adds, "Do you want your appa to be still upset with you?"

"I thought you said he was proud of me?"

"He is," she says, unwilling to let up, "But he's also a little bit upset still. He had made plans for you,"

I had to bite my tongue from saying something to that. My father's not the only one upset here. Does my mother even realise how confining and suffocating it has become for me to be under this roof?

"Would you go get ready fast?" she asks a minute later, effectively suggesting that there's no way out for me from this one, "They have already left. You can take your bicycle from the shed and go,"

I nod as if I still have a choice here and am willingly to agree to add more misery to my life.

↢∞↣

Twenty-two minutes later, my t-shirt is thoroughly soaked with sweat and I can feel the back of my t-shirt ickily sticking, and the bicycle chain breaks. I let out a loud groan and curse even loudly, taking advantage of the fact that no one is around. I sit on the pavement, despite my mother's warning to get to the shop as fast as possible. I know for a fact that no one is anticipating my presence there.

I take out my phone and before I've even fully realised what I'm doing, I've pressed Ken and I's thread of messages. There's a couple of new unread messages. I must have missed the notifications somehow — he'd sent one last night and then a couple more this morning.

Ken FRIEND:–

I'm bored ☹️

Dude !!!!! did jomar text you ????