We're Not Sleeping, We're Just Dreaming (Waterparks fanfic)

Five - Keon

The sun obnoxiously made itself known in my bedroom the following morning - I rolled my eyes and glared at my alarm clock but then realised that after today it would be all over. At least it would be if I was lucky. God, I needed this to work.

I didn't bother with breakfast. Packing my bag, I left most of my things in a pile in the corner of the bedroom I had had for nearly 18 years. It was a bittersweet taste, looking around my room. My artwork adorned the walls but so did holes of varying sizes and depth, from the seemingly endless battle with my mother. Years and years of brushing off the bruises and cuts and swollen parts of my face as sporting accidents, or a fight with another kid, through fear that they would arrest her - fucking stupid fear. Why was I so afraid of the police putting away my abuser? I don't know. It didn't matter anymore. She couldn't hurt me if I wasn't around anymore, only my reputation. I sighed, throwing a spare hoodie into my bag, my pencil case and art book, and nothing else. My fingers trembled slightly as I tied the bow in my boots, pulled on whatever t-shirt came out of my laundry hamper and my bracelets, sliding my phone into my pocket and ruffling my hair in the mirror, adjusting the piercing in my lip with one finger. I sighed, as I felt the weight of the pills in one of my pockets. It would all be over soon, there would be no more pain. Soon.

Riding the bus in silence, I found myself gazing out of the window at the horizon. It was particularly pretty today - typical. A pretty day on the one day where nothing would be pretty. Watching all of the people from the window, milling about doing whatever regular people do on regular days, I wondered how many had ever felt like this. After all, it was all I had ever known, being depressed and beaten by my mum. You can only "fall off a horse" so many times for a black eye, you know. As the bus juddered to a holt, I stepped off and trudged my way through the school gates, surrounded by students. The realisation I was one of thousands, just a number in a system, was particularly prudent as I climbed the stairs to the art department and slid into my seat waiting for roll call. Behind his desk, Mr McKenna raised an eyebrow at me and sighed.
"Keon, you've really got to stop getting into these fights outside of school, you know." He said. "That's a nasty one."
I fake laughed. "Yeah it stings, I'm okay though."
"I spoke with Barton," he continued, putting down his pen. "Apparently you've got after-school detention for the rest of term, so that's next week as well, every school night until 5."
I sighed. "Okay," I mumbled.
"He also said we will involve your mum next time." He spoke with a tone of warning, and gave me "the look". You know what I mean. The one-eyebrow-up-one-down look with the stern yet disappointed eyes.
I sighed again. "Okay."
Other students began to filter in for role call and I sat there in silence, as usual, drawing on a spare bit of paper I had fished out of the paper recycling bin. Just scribbles, I guess - a little robot with a big heart. What else was I going to draw? I fiddled with the edge of the paper as the call bell sounded and the scrape of chairs and hustle of students leaving created this almighty wave of sound as I slowly made my way out of class.
"Keon!"
I turned on my heel at the sound of Mr McKenna's voice.
"What do you say to some tea and a chat this lunchtime? And some help with your art project?"
I nodded. "That sounds good."
"You can bring a friend or two if you like."
I smiled. "I'll keep it in mind. Thanks, sir."
I turned and walked out the door, through the corridor to my locker and picked up my English textbook, slamming it shut and continuing to walk down the corridor with my head down low, not paying attention. Suddenly, I was interrupted, walking straight into another boy.
"Hey! Watch where you're going!"
I looked up to see this boy, tall, with a nose ring, a black one, and brown hair with blue eyes.
"Sorry, I guess", I mumbled, reaching down to pick up my English book and the other books that had fallen out of the other boy's arms. As I scrambled to pick up the papers that had fallen from the books, I heard a familiar voice.
"We meet again."
I looked up to see Awsten, stood with another boy with brown curly hair.
"You know this kid?" asked the boy whom I had bumped into.
"Yeah, the kid in detention from yesterday." Awsten mumbled. "Lay off him, Geoff"
The boy whom I had bumped into - now he had a name, Geoff - sighed as I handed him his books back. "Sorry," he mumbled.
"I...uh" I stuttered. "Thanks I guess...bye?"
I walked off, flustered. Never mind, it wouldn't matter in a few hours. I'd be gone. No more awkward memories. No more awkward full stop.

*

The day lulled last, I barely took any notice to it until I got to Chemistry. Group work - the worst kind of work. Groups of 4? That's four too many people. I sighed, and glanced around the room, struggling to pick a group to go and work with who would even vaguely tolerate me, until:
"Keon, go with Awsten's group." Miss Dovey called out to me. I sighed, and walked over, sheepishly pushing my pencil case and chemistry book onto the table and sliding into the seat next to the boy who I hadn't spoken to, in a black slouching beanie covering his curled and unruly hair - Otis or something? I glanced at the textbook - Otto. That was it. He smiled at me but quickly resumed his resting facial expression as the sound of the instructions being read out came into focus in my mind. I didn't care to look at the boards glancing every minute or so as not to get caught as paying no attention, instead looking at the three boys I was suddenly sat with. What motivated the purple hair? The nose ring? The black slouching beanie?
"Keon are you actually listening?"
Awsten was looking at me, as Geoff and Otto turned to stare as well. Everyone was getting up, fetching equipment.
"You were just...sat there, staring into nothing."
I mumbled an apology. God I'm awkward. Never mind, just a few more hours. I moved to grab safety goggles, a heatproof mat, and a worksheet from the front desk as the others grabbed the rest of the supplies. I started to write our names at the top of the worksheet: Keon, Awsten, Otto, Geoff.
"Nice handwriting."
I glanced at the sound of someone addressing me. It was Geoff. I smiled meekly, sheepish even, the way I always do when I'm not sure how to respond. I wasn't sure if he was sarcastic or genuine.
"I got 1.1."
Awsten glanced at me to write the result in the box, as Otto lined up the next test round. I did as requested and watched the next test, concentrating, but becoming lost in thought within a few seconds. Were they being genuinely nice? They seemed to be but I wasn't sure - would it really matter if I wouldn't be alive at the end of the day? Probably not.
"Hey!" I suddenly said, loudly, as they call turned to look at me. I stuttered for a second.
"Uh, my tutor says I can bring a friend to hang out and do some art at lunchtime. Do you guys...maybe wanna come?"