Paired With The Potterhead

Chapter Six: Are We Friends?

Silent Scream - Damien Dawn

Chapter Six: Are We Friends?

You don't know real pain until you've slept in a cramped closet for 14 hours.

By the time I woke up and realized where I was, my legs and back were completely dead. It took a few minutes to get most of the pain out of my body before I could come out of the closet (hah). It was dark, as expected, and my clock read 5 am.

I had spent the entire night on my closet floor. It wasn't the first time and it definitely wouldn't be the last but there was a small part of me that prayed it would never happen again.

Good luck with that one, Laney Rubia.

I crawled out and got to my feet. My knees might've cracked but I wasn't listening for that. The silence downstairs indicated that my dad was either asleep or out but I didn't dare creep down to the living room to see. If he was still down there, I knew he'd wake up this time and shit would hit the proverbial fan.

Grabbing my stuff for school today including my board which thankfully I left in my room yesterday, I opened my window and crawled down my ladder, raising it up using a pulley system that I made years ago so that I could pull it back up from the outside. Luckily, the neighbors weren't up yet and didn't see the weird Asian kid from across the road climbing out of her window.

I thought of going to Sam's but he wouldn't be up this early in the morning. Josh was staying at a friend's so I doubt he'd appreciate me knocking on their door at 5 in the morning. Not to mention I was in the same outfit as I was wearing yesterday.

The skate park was empty and it seemed a good a spot as any as I set my bag down on the cement floor and sprawled out across the bench. If I could catch an hour of sleep then that would be a miracle. Mind you, the bench wasn't exactly comfortable but at least it was quiet here and there was no one around to bother me. So closing my eyes, I dozed off into an uncomfortable sleep but it was sleep nonetheless.

A loud honk woke me up. A transport truck had drove past and was honking his massive horn to a guy across the street who waved at him. It was 7:36 when I checked the clock on my phone. The school would be open by now and students who went there to get breakfast were probably lined up if not already eating. The program called themselves The Breakfast Club but it still reminded me a little bit of the classic 1985 film from the way they always played old music. Old but still good.

I grabbed my skateboard and hopped on it. School wasn't too far from the park. If I were on the second floor of the school I was able to see it from the chem lab so it couldn't have been a three minute ride from here to there. Super quick and it makes for a fast hideout spot if I ever needed one. So far I didn't have to use it in that manner.

Art was in the parking lot as I rolled up. He looked like he was unpacking some band gear and having a little trouble.

"Hey Art. Need some help?" I kicked my board up into my hand.

He turned at the sound of my voice. "Little dudette! I could totally use an extra set of hands here. Big day today for the school band. Last practice before the fall concert."

"It's that time of year already?" I grabbed his guitar case out of the trunk of his car.

"Time flies, little lady. Watch your head." He closed the trunk and lift his speaker into his arms. "What are you doing here so early? I never see you here before 8 in the morning."

"I could ask you the same thing."

He laughed. "I'm always here this early. You wouldn't know that because you're never here this time of day."