Reticent (h.s fanfic, punk Harry)

Chapter 22

People died, they die night in and night out. It seems the world has no emotions to show the dead, no way to help but attract parasites to help the body decay faster. I wonder what it would look like to watch bugs crawling over a still body, invading space that doesn't exist anymore. What would it feel like to know your body is slowly rotting in the ground while a picture is hung in an old house with someone walking by with a sad face. What would they feel if they knew that that body was sheltered by insects. What would happen to Anne's body as it passed on to another dimension-another world. Would her flesh be sizzling with mites, with ants? I could picture her just laying there with her eyes open, her chest void of all movements, and her tender skin covered in these things. I could see it happening. Was that bad?

The teacher walked back and forth reading from the text book, repeating soliloquies that were written with hands that were probably decomposed by now. By a mind floating fresh in a museum. I listened, and wondered what people thought about these dead men we were reading about now. Did they wonder what the world was like when these people were alive? Did they wonder about the childhoods? Puberty? What made these men hate the world so much? What made them embrace every aspect of it?

But they sat motionless in their seats, simply listening with the ear. My mind fogged over with thoughts about the philosophers. Were they ready to die, were they ready to witness death?

"...But as we continue in the textbook, we move on to Karl Marx. What was the main centre of this man's attention. Homework was to move forward in your notes. Zayn?"

Zayn turned away from Liam and stared at the teacher, and then went on to ask what the question was. "Karl Marx, Zayn, I do hope you finished-Oh never mind. Lance, what was it?"

The boy in the back looked up and cleared his throat. "He wanted to end the line between rich and poor." His teeth clamped over his lip, waiting for positive feedback.

"Yes, he did have that in mind, but as you might have seen in the notes, I want to know who were the people and why did he want to do this?"

"He wanted the proletariats to rise and in other words overthrow the bourgeoisie. Karl wanted equity for both the working and property owning class. The whole point of it being that the bourgeoisie were selling off the labor of the proletariat for more than they earned. Which by the way still happens, so really Marx didn't succeed fully." Louis said. I wasn't new to his voice, or his knowledge-Louis was always keen to learn. He craved knowledge.

The people around were quiet, they stared at him then turned around again. "Why don't you just ask Louis next time?" Zayn exclaimed. "He obviously knows the answer."

"Yeah, and you don't, why don't you do your homework next time?"

"Very very busy night." He muttered.

"Alright, moving on. Louis, thinking you did do the homework, can you please answer question fourteen in your-Freddie off your phone."

"Just sending a text to my mom...Almost finished."

"God, what class did I get stuck with?"

"There, all done. Phone away, done." Another minute away until he was on his phone again.

"Question fourteen then Freddie?"

"I didn't put up my hand though."

***

Social books open, two coffee cups were sitting on the table. Louis sat across with a piece of spaghetti rocking back and forth from his lip, and his fork halfway to the plate. That was how Jay found us, her eyes watering and her breath coming in quick gasps like she just ran a marathon. Jay always managed to keep her cool, she was just a woman who didn't enjoy being objectified and did everything possible to avoid it. After Ray, she didn't want anyone seeing her fears or weaknesses, but something's weren't worth her ego.