Luke

Chapter 2

Jay's alarm was set off for the next morning and she jolted awake, then she lay back down next to me. I reached over to turn it off, my arm limply falling next to me as if a weight was attached to my wrist.

"What're you doing in my bed, you creep?" Jay sleepily joked, her words mumbled together. I smiled, too tired to react. I don't do mornings. 

She sat up with all the effort she had and climbed over me. I moaned, pulling the blankets over my head. It felt even colder than last night. 

I heard her retreat downstairs, the creaking of the stairs growing quieter as she descended. The sound of running water was heard through the walls as it raced to the shower. The sound faded into the moan of the ceiling fan motor and the cars' engines outside. It was still dark out the last time I peeked out from under the blankets; I liked that feeling of darkness.

I don't know when she came back up the stairs, but I heard the closet creak open and hangers clapping against each other. The thud of something hitting the floor and a hanger coming off the rack followed, then footsteps coming towards the bed.

"Don't turn around," she instructed , opening the drawer next to her bed with a creek. "Unless you want to see a naked girl."

"Oh, I'd just love that," I replied sleepily sarcastic. 

"I know you would," she responded, closing the drawer. There was a silence for a couple seconds and then she went back to her closet, followed by another silence. 

"Are you going to get up?" she asked, keeling next to her bed and resting her arms next to my back. 

"No. I'm dead."

"I assumed so."

I turned around, my eyes heavily opening. Jay's face was close to mine; her breath smelt of mint, which was always an off-putting scent considering the amount of cigarettes we smoke. She didn't have any makeup on yet, but she didn't need any honestly. 

She smiled, pinning my dry black hair back with her cold hand. "We'll be late for school."

"What's your point?" I sarcastically asked.

"You already missed a bunch of days. You don't want to flunk out again."

"I'm already flunking. It won't make much of a difference."

She tilted her head and her smile faded, then she let out a sigh, standing up and patting my shoulder. "C'mon. I believe in you. You can do it."

I moaned and pulled the covers back, the coolness of the room shrouding me, sending goosebumps along my arms and legs. I ruffled my hair and looked to the end of the bed for my shirt, which I took off in the middle of the night. 

"Want anything before we leave?" Jay inquired, having already moved to the desk and applying makeup to her eyes. "Coffee? Breakfast?"

"A cigarette," I replied, pulling the shirt over my head and standing up, walking over to my bag to pull my cigarettes out of the side pocket. 

Jay didn't respond; she was too busy applying eyeliner to her other eye. I sat on her window-bed, opening the window and lighting my cigarette, taking a deep pull. Smoke billowed out into the air outside, the red char from the tip blending in with the rising sun. 

I heard a ruffling and Jay joined me on the window-bed, a cigarette in her mouth. The smell of the lit match surrounded us as she lit her cigarette, taking a pull and looking at me. I ignored her gaze, staring outside. 

We sat there in silence for the smoke. She didn't finish her cigarette and put half of hers away, packing her bag to head out to school. I chucked my cigarette out the window once I finished mine shortly after her, walking to the slim mirror resting against the wall to make myself look reasonable for school. I was already wearing the same outfit as yesterday, so I couldn't do anything about that. And I wasn't going to go back home to grab a new pair of clothes.