Mud & Kale

High Time

"Are you going to lay in your bed all day moping?"

My eyes shot open, processing my surrounding. I was on my bed, in my room. I glanced at my alarm clock. Twelve sixteen.

"Go away," I muttered groggily.

Dad ignored my protest and stepped inside. The mattress dipped down from added weight. Then I felt hands underneath my armpits, and I instantly began to squirm.

"Stop tickling me!" I yelled, but he continued to do so.

"Not until you get up and get ready. I'm not paying you not to show up."

I rolled my eyes. "You're not paying me at all!"

He ceased with the tickling and began whining,"c'mon, I have about twenty minutes before my lunch break is over. Your help is greatly needed and all that jazz. Please?"

I huffed, feeling way too depressed to suffer through another day of enabling people and their poor taste in music.

He huffed back at me, his eyes holding true concern. "What's bugging you, grasshopper?"

"Besides you?" I mumbled.

"I'm serious. Ever since that party you've been down. Speaking of that, you never told us how the party actually went."

"The party went well," I lied. " You act like I've been holed up for a month or something. It's only been two days, dad."

"School starts tomorrow, so there's no time to throw a pity party. You gotta get something done today, man. What's it gonna be, Great Expectations or record shop?" His tone sounded a bit authoritative and I was amazed. I never thought it could sound like that.

"Record shop," I answered reluctantly.

He grinned. "So, see you there."

He leaned to give me a peck on the cheek before leaving my room. "And don't be square."

I exhaled, my mind overflowing with memories of last night. I was a dweeb, yeah that was so fucking clear, but I never thought I'd be the butt of a whole sick joke. That stuff only happened in chick flicks, or so I thought.

My feet landed on the rug and I slumped onto the floor. I managed to crawl to my bathroom door before wheezing. Eventually, I lifted my hand to the doorknob. I attempted to twist it, but I didn't have the energy.

"Stop being so dramatic," Mom scolded as she walked right past me.

"Thanks for caring so much!" I lifted myself off the ground and opened the door to the bathroom.

After cleaning up, I didn't bother with a band t-shirt. I just slipped on a tank top and some shorts before putting on my hoodie and heading downstairs.

"Care for some vegan pancakes?" Mom asked from the kitchen.

"They're bluebelly!" My brother shouted.

"Blueberry," Mom corrected.

"No, thanks!" I shouted back. I wasn't in the mood for pancakes. They were way too good and I felt like suffering some more.

"Okay, have a nice day, honey."

I slammed the door behind me. I doubted that I would.

"So, will that be all, sir?" I asked the middle-aged man standing in front of me.

"It blows that you don't have Blondie. What kind of record shop doesn't have Blondie?"

I rolled my eyes. "Will that be all, sir?"