One Fucked Up World

Chapter Ten

Ten

     The next day was more or less the same. Dread. I didn't go to sleep. I stared at the girl in the window, and sometimes I saw the outline of Tommy next to her. I didn't think either, just listening to opera music. I dragged myself up two hours earlier than usual. Just sat on the bed.

     Max wouldn't get out of his bed. He made what like a fort with his blanket and hid there. I knew what he was doing.

     "Max!" I shouted at him, I was late for school already. I had to be on time, to keep my life functioning.

     "Just go," I heard his muffled voice.

     "I can't go anywhere with you being like this!"I said angrily, tearing the blanket away from him. Max held it so hard and I said I'd call Anne.

     "No she's an acting class today," Max said. I ignored him and Anne sighed with annoyance. She said she'd come and bring him breakfast though.

     "I've called her," I said tiredly.

     Max groaned in frustration. "I'm not coming out."

     At some point, we'd like to act like a kid because we wanted things to go back to the way they had been. So I stopped dragged Max's blanket and I left for school. Call me irresponsible, but Anne would deal with it.

     The school office lady frowned at me. She didn't like students being late. I made up something and was reminded of my appointment with the school counsellor today after school.

     "Can you cancel it for me?"

     "Miss Johnson asked for you," the office lady said after scanning through her pile of paper.

     We had Literature today and were to study an America short story. Kelly was sitting at the far end corner. I was too tired to argue with her.

     The short story was written by Edith Wharton. Roman Fever it was called. It was about power, and jealousy and deceptions and those classic things. Deception - what a never out of fashion theme. In the end of the story, a kid turned out to be a bastard.

     The teacher talked and I remembered being in the blanket with Tommy and Max.

     "Maybe you're really my brother," Tommy had said to Max once. Everything was blurry when I remembered them, they didn't need to be clear though. Tommy was holding a torch and I remembered white lines of pillows.

     "Maybe we're like those long lost brothers," Max said quietly.

     I was the only one who laughed. I was eleven. The three of us were lying on Mrs Knit's bed under a white sheet. I couldn't remember why, but I was sure we had some pancakes a moment ago.

     It was raining, that day, with thunders. Mr and Mrs Knit's laughter downstairs was echoing.

     We had talked and laughed and fallen asleep. What a grey and warm day.

     The school day ended. I realised I couldn't keep the day functioning as I wanted it to. I went to the counsellor office and found Miss Johnson. She had dyed red hair and was wearing a blouse.

     "I'm sorry," I said to her. She was really young. It was properly her first job after university.

     "You're Minnie Daze?" She said. Her name tag on the table said "Erica Johnson".

     "Yes," I said, yielding for an excuse to leave.

     "I supposed I was to see you last week," She said. She was smiling at me. "where have you been?"