Slums And City (BxB)

Chapter 3

I woke up groggy and completely unaware of my location, the time and which day it was. Of course, when I realized I was in a foreign kitchen, slumped over a table with a plate of chicken bones before me and another body fast asleep across from me, I was a bit surprised. But the true horror was when I took notice of the fact that the room was illuminated with DAY light. I always woke up before dawn normally, I think I was late.

I fumbled to grab my phone, checked the time and almost fainted when I saw it: 8:12 am. I was fucking late! I stumbled out of the chair and hurried to Cue's sleeping frame to shake him awake.

"Dude! Cue, wake up we're late!" I urged.

He grumbled but didn't move so I slapped his shoulder with force. He batted my hand away and slowly let his eyes meet mine, his face etched in suffering and hate.

"Dude, it's past eight! Don't you have class or something too?" I asked.

His eyes widened in momentary shock but then slumped back down on the table like in defeat.

"My class started at seven, there's no point in going anymore." He said.

I stared at him in disbelief.

"Well maybe for you but if I miss school without a proper excuse that means I get a detention." I argued " One more detention means I won't be allowed to graduate!"

"I don't care!" Cue snapped. He stood up roughly, knocking the chair down, "I don't give a shit."

He was looking me straight in the eye, tired and cold. I bit my lips in hot anger as he strode out the room.

"God, Jesus! You're such a fucking jerk!" I marched out of the kitchen and then out the front door, slamming it behind me. Fueled up with adrenaline from that, I began to run.

Busses didn't run in the mountainous parts of the slums, especially not in the morning, so all I could do was run. My school was on the bayside so it was all downhill from here. I didn't have my books but I could probably ask Jenny to lend me hers. All wasn't lost, yet, the longer I ran the more frequently I wondered whether or not to give up and try for a sickness excuse. But I knew better, a detention would be the death of me, by being late I only got a strike. It would be ridiculing sure, but one day's embarrassment was nothing compared to never seeing the day I graduate and get the fuck out of the country.

My decision meant that forty six minutes later I was standing before the teacher's desk, receiving my expected strike, a long scolding speech and the displeased or amused stares of the other students.

I sighed when I finally made it to my desk. I was drenched in sweat which made it all that more obvious that I had been running and all the more embarrassing. At least it was history period, relatively easy but distracting enough to not focus on my problems. And so, as the new teacher entered the class, I drowned out my thoughts and let the French revolution and Napoleon take over my mind.

I was standing outside the school gates after class with Jenny wrapped around my arm while she texted away on her new phone.

"What do you think Jen?" I asked "Would you consider it my responsibility?"

"All I saying is that is you that bring the child, he didn't ask for it, so yeah it is your responsibility, technically."

"Ok but, what if he already brought the child to the city himself?" I asked, reluctant to give in. "I don't wanna go up there for nothing."

Fact is, Cue and I had stayed up last night deciding on what to do with the kid. People here cared for stray kids as much as they would a stray dog, they didn't. Furthermore, it's not like they could afford to take care of an extra child anyways, they had enough of their own. So subsequently, we decided our best bet was to go into the city and try to get the kid into an orphanage there. His chances of adoption were highest there than anywhere else in the area. However, after this morning's little breakout I wasn't sure where Cue and I stood, or our plans for that matter.