The Story of Us

VIII-Assassins, Assemble!

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

    My old-fashioned, block-shaped alarm clock rings at 7:00 on this faithful Monday morning. I crawl out of the lump of pillows, blankets and hoodies I call a bed and drag myself down the barely lit hallway that always seems particularly long on Mondays, down to the bathroom to brush my teeth. As I approach the door I feel out and flip the tiny, white switch that makes the hundred-year-old lights flicker on. Then, like clockwork, I reach for my blue and red electric toothbrush, squeeze some of my bacon flavoured toothpaste onto it before turning it on and running it in circles on my too-big-for-my-mouth teeth.
However, today didn't stay like clockwork for much longer. Because clockwork usually didn't involve your mum banging the door open to tell you that your friend had been found passed out in her apartment the night you were with her.
It was all a blur but within minutes I was in the passenger seat of our beat up, old Honda minivan with my mum driving, leaving two soon-to-be confused brothers back at home, on our way to St. Marie Hospital to visit someone I just watched Deadpool with the evening before.

***
"You didn't have any of it, did you?" My mum asks as we try and find a parking spot in the hospital lot.
"Have any of what? There's a spot over there."
"Thanks," she mutters, pulling into the spot I pointed out. "Did you have any of the stuff she passed out on?"
"I didn't see her with any damned 'stuff', mum. How do we even know she was on 'stuff', anyways?
"Language. And people don't just pass out for the thrill of it-"
"Yes they do. Dumbasses do. Things are different now than they were in the eighteen hundreds."

She scoffs

"I said watch you language."
"No. You merely said 'Language'. How am I supposed to know what it means?"
"You're smart enough to figure it out." She lets out a little chuckle. "At least, that's what I presumed. You're welcome to prove me wrong, though."
"Fair enough." I smirk.

***

"Welcome to St. Marie Hospital. How may I help you?" The nurse attending to us asks once we walk up to the front desk. She has curly hair that looks like Skylar's, except for the fact that she's blond and Skylar's a brunette. Well, sort of. She has this golden-brown hair that-
"Felix. Let's go. Don't forget it's room 727." My mum interrupts. How did they go that fast?
"727. 727." I repeat to myself.
     Then I hear Warrant, the band, singing 'Cherry Pie' softly. I think I'm going crazy, when I realize it's just my phone and let it play for a little while longer, enjoying the song.

She's my cherry pie. Cool drink of water such a sweet surprise. Look so good bringing tears to your eyes. Sweet cherry pie.

I decide that's enough and lift it to look at the ID. It reads: Blake🤓👵💩. It's my older brother. I swipe it and say,
"Go for Felix."
"Where the hell are you and mum?"
"St. Marie. Why?"
"Bucky's screaming his ass off. Why are you at St. Marie?" Bucky's my younger brother. His real name is James, but his friends-and obviously me and Blake-call him Bucky.
    "Skylar was found passed out on the floor of her apartment this morning. Why is Bucky so loud?" I press the up button in the middle of the two elevators.
    "Isn't she too young to own an apartment? Bucky wants mum."
    "What? We'll be back soon."
    "I can wait." Blake says.
    And with that, I hang up, but by that time, we're already in the elevator and headed upward.

***

I don't think the full realization of the situation really hit me, until I actually saw Skylar.