How to escape your imagination

Chapter 10

After a good half hour of convincing Nancy and her brother that I'm not sick, we await the departure of their mom, Karen.  After we're are sure that she's left, we walk down the stairs and into the kitchen.  "Are you hungry, Jonathan?"  I nod with enthusiasm.  She turns her back to me and begins to cook up some eggs in the frying pan.  

"So, uh, Jonathan."  Mike says with a mouthful of bagel.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

I partially spit my coffee out onto the table, and Mike recoils in shock before laughing his head off.

"Is your love life really that bad??"

Nancy turns around and gives him a death stare which seems to shut him up, but his eyes continue to ask the previous question.

I wipe my mouth off with the sleeve of my already dirtied hoodie, and reply as casually as I can.

"No, I uh, like guys."

Nancy's eyes widen in shock, and I can't help but laugh.

"Mike, apologize!"  She demands at him.

"Sorry..."  He says, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

I shake my head with undeniable amusement.  

 "It's fine kid, you wouldn't have known otherwise."

As I find myself talking like Francis did, I can't help but wonder if I'll ever see him again.

Nancy finishes lecturing Mike and walks back over to the steaming eggs.

"Mike, you made me burn the breakfast!"

As Mike and Nancy continue with their sibling bickering, I drift off into space, thinking of Simon, and the ways that I could possibly have him back.  

There is none.  

"Jonathan."  Nancy says.

I snap my head upward, looking at her.  

"I've called your name a good 5 times now."

She sits down across from me.

"Are you sure you're alright??"  Her eyes are blazing with concern, and I glance over to Mike who looks away quickly, pretending to be busy.

"I'm fine, I'm just tired, that's all."  I reply, wiping at my forehead.

Nancy stands up, letting out a puff of air.  She walks back over to the pan and shoves Mike out of the way to guide the eggs onto a white plate.

"Then maybe you should go and sleep."  She says, her voice disguised by the sizzling of the eggs.

I shake my head, even though I know she can't see me.

"Nah, I wouldn't want you to get all nursey on me again."

She laughs, walking over with a steaming pile of eggs, with a burnt tinge to them.  Regardless, I'm starving, and so the plate barely touches the table before I begin scarfing them down.  

"Wow, you were hungry."

I nod between mouthfuls.

Finally, I finish breakfast and push the plate away, looking over to Mike, who is eyeing me cautiously.

"So Mike,"  I begin carefully

"Can you tell me about the Demogorgon?" 

Mike's eyes widen slightly, but quickly go back to normal.

He looks over to Nancy who very slowly shakes her head, clearly indicating not to say a word.

"It's a monster from a game my friends and I call Dungeons and Dragons."