Story of A Lonely Guy

Chapter 21: Overdose or Bullet Wounds?

Before heading to bed, I walk down stairs and search for some cleaning supplies to pull the stench up out of the floor. There’s no way I can sleep in that room tonight. I’d have dreams of bits and pieces of indigested corn flying out of my mouth. I shudder. I close the cabinet doors after finding a few cloths and something that’s supposed to get rid of things like this and set off.

                The rest of the night goes by slowly. Dad falls asleep almost instantly. His words ring in the back of my mind. It’s been a year and me incapable of being docile to live without her has slowly begun to find its difficulty. Every morning I still wake up hoping to hear her chorusing down the hall that little phrase that meant so much. I still wake up expecting to see her smiling at me from the doorway, glowing because of the happiness radiating from her. Her body was thinning as days grew to months but, she was still the most beautiful woman to ever be a part of my life.

When I wake up the sun is shining brightly outside my window. The rays stream right above my eyes and when I open them I see a mixture of dust and light. The room’s silent apart from my ruffling of the large quilt I threw over myself last night. Glancing to my right the clock above the fireplace blares 7:10. I slept late-again. I run up the stairs and rummage for a bit until I grab a cardigan slung over the top of my closet door and slip on a pair of loose jeans.

                Before I step out in the hall, I think about checking on my Dad. Did he throw up again? I sniff the surrounding air. No. He’s probably so drained he puked himself into a temporary coma. I’ll leave him a note in the kitchen where he’s sure to find it.

                I jot down a few sentences exclaiming that I went ahead to school and that there’s coffee already made once he wakes up which shouldn’t be before too long. I slide the note next to the coffee maker and head out for school.

                ~

                The halls are booming with liveliness. What happened to mourning the death of a fellow student? Everyone seems to have forgotten that her body was thrown indiscreetly in the woods right outside our homes. Yet found by our police with the help of the infamous Angela Hammick.

                People seem oblivious to her absence and I wonder if anyone even knew that she existed. You express your condolences one day and then when the next day rolls around it’s all over? How typical of a high school full of druggies and morons. I hear bits and pieces of conversations as I stride by.

“Overdose? There’s no way. I knew her back in sophomore year. She’d never.”

“Are you sure? The past few months she’s been hanging out with a… different crowd. People can change.” As I pass I’m thrown by the snide comments of my fellow classmates. She wasn’t one to do drugs so who’s the one speaking out of turn?

I step into the main office and stand out amongst the rest of students here for the usual things like schedule complaints or an outbreak of rumors. After waiting a few minutes, the secretary at the front desk notices me.

“What can I do for you, Hun?” she says.

“I need a pass. I came in late,” I say in a rush hoping she’ll send me off quickly without interrogation. She only shakes her head and scribbles out a pass on a blue, square piece of paper before handing it to me over the counter. I walk out the same way as I came wondering what class period we’re even in.

I pass Joel a multitude of times in the hallways on the way to my locker, but I tell myself it’s merely a coincidence. Senior year is going quick and I can’t risk failing anything because of distractions unworthy of my time. Jade finds me in French third hour just as I enter my seat at the back.

“Hey, I waited this morning but never found you.”

“Yeah, I slept in a bit late and missed half of first period,” I say.

“Why? Being irresponsible as always?” she says, picking through a blue folder and rummaging through her book bag.

“I was looking out for my Dad last night and lost track of time. He released a giant, liquid-formed bomb in my room. I spent at least an hour cleaning it up.”

“How’s he been holding up?”

“Not the best but he’ll have to pull himself together eventually.”

We talk a bit more before I head off to class, leaving her to stand by my locker. Reaching the stairs to go to second floor, I find Joel peering down the top steps. His eyes lock with mine. I keep my eyes trained on him as I walk by. To my surprise, I don’t stumble down the steps and I don’t feel anyone’s hands on me. I remain untouched.

He didn’t punch me, shove me, or trip me. Nothing. He didn’t even touch me. This is unusual. He almost always has some snarky comment or some reason to shove me out of his way. His face was expressionless as he descended down the stairs alongside me. Maybe he was affected by the death of Ariel significantly more than the rest of the senior class? Improbable. He’s an ass. He’s incapable of feeling any remorse or sympathy towards anyone. Could Ariel and Joel have once been friends? Now that’s a question I’d consider finding out the answer to.

~

                I walk down the buffet bar lost in my thoughts before retreating to my seat with Roger, Jade, and Briggs. They all look up at me as I set my tray down in front of me, sliding my feet under the table as I do.

“Pretty shitty about Ariel, huh?” Briggs says before shoving forkfuls of salad in his mouth. Ranch drips out of the corner. Everyone at the table just nods. I use ‘everyone’ in a rather large amount of people, but I’ve really only got a few friends. So, sure ‘everyone’ nodded.

“Has anyone seen Angela lately?” Jade’s eyes immediately avert away from her lunch to meet mine.

“Why?” she says brusquely.

“I don’t know I just thought it was a bit mysterious that both she and Joel were involved in finding her body.”

“Just let it be. If they want to help the police let them. God knows they weren’t already involved with the law.” Her eyes cast down to her hands and her annoyance in my question radiates around her place at the table. Roger and Briggs must feel it too because they both look at me quickly before rolling their eyes and jumping into a very descriptive conversation on the new release of video games.