Chapter 2 {Joey's POV}
The wait for Charlie is like a nightmare, I can hear all the taunting and remarks from the other students about me but chose to ignore it, like I always do. Chase pops his head out of my bag and I stroke him gently, still looking out the window. I smile when I recognise the street were on, Charlie will be coming on now. I move my bag onto my lap and wait for her, as expected she comes and sits next to me, we've been best friends forever and I really don't know what I'd do without her. I smile brightly, it's so much easier to ignore the comments coming from the students a few rows behind us when I have someone to talk to. As usual I didn't do my algebra homework and she says she didn't even know about it, I guess that means another lunchtime detention, not that I care anyway, I'm used to it. I take a quick look at my timetable for today, "I have double geography first and you have double history," I sigh softly.
"At least we have art after! That'll be fun!"
I smile slightly, Charlie always makes everything seem better, "yeah! Hey are you going to try out for the school play this year? I hear they're doing Romeo and Juliet."
Charlie laughs, "Maybe! Oh joy that shall be fun!" She says sarcastically, I know what she means, the drama teacher has to be one if the worst teachers in the school, I only put up with him because drama is one of the subjects I actually enjoy.
As we approach the prison known as 'school' I gently push Chase back into my bag, earning a hard bite to my index finger which draws blood, I'm used to that too, the first thing you see when you look at my hands are the never ending bite marks on every finger. We get off the bus and I try my best to ignore everyone but Charlie, we go to our lockers and get our books, "sorry Chase, you have to stay here, I'll be back later" I whisper gently and kiss the top of his head, leaving his food and a torch on in my locker before closing the door and locking it, he hates being left alone for too long, that's why I bring him to school, I've been caught a few times but no matter what happens I'll keep bringing him to school, there's no way I'd leave him at home with my parents all day. Charlie and I walk around to find our classrooms, hers is the first we reach and I smile and say goodbye before heading off to my own class. I walk in slightly late but the teacher wasn't there anyway so it didn't matter, I sit at the back of the classroom by myself, like I always do in geography. I start doing the homework I didn't do, it's not much, I can probably finish it before the teacher gets here. "Hey Joey, where's your boyfriend?" I recognise the voice instantly without even looking up, Kyle Darlen. I sigh and close my book, without looking up at him. "Oh, that's right, he's dead, isn't he?" I jump up from my seat, "SHUT UP!" I scream at him before slowly sinking back into my seat when I see the teacher come in, it'd been over a year since my friend Josh died in a car crash and I was still getting teased about it, everyone called us gay even though we obviously weren't, though I don't see what's so bad about being gay anyway, I mean, even if I was gay, I'd still be the same person. The rest of the class goes as normal, more teasing, boring work, a small break inbetween the two periods in which I stay seated in order to avoid anymore remarks from Kyle about Josh, I miss him, alot, and it's almost impossible to not think about him when people like Kyle are constantly bringing it up. Our teacher lets us out early and I quickly run down the hallway and wait outside Charlie's classroom, But she comes from the direction of the girls bathroom instead, I don't bother asking what happened because she seems pretty upset and I don't want to make it worse. We spend recess talking and being weird like usual, thankfully the rest of our classes were together and lunchtime detention wasn't too bad. In English and science Charlie's sister April sat with us, I've never really liked April, she's too...preppy, for my likings, but I always try my best to tolerate her for Charlie's sake. After school we get onto the bus and I sit next to Charlie again, "hey Charlie, can I come over tonight? My parents are fighting again.." Chase crawls out of my bag and onto my lap where he begins chewing my fingers again and slowly drifting off to sleep.
Charlie smiles, "of course!" She says cheerfully.
Words cant describe how grateful I am for Charlie always letting me stay over at her house and I guess I should be slightly grateful for April putting up with me, I know she doesn't like me, but it doesn't bother me too much as I don't like her either, though it is her house too so I try to be nice to her. When we reach Charlie and April's house I put Chase on my shoulder and follow them off the bus, ignoring the shouting from Kyle wanting my attention, I have better things to do then to listen to him.
