Handcuffed

chapter 2

A few too wet laps brought Simon's consciousness back. His eyelids remained closed and his eyes saw the color eigengrau nuanced with a yellow. He knew it would hurt to open his eyes, so he groaned and placed his left hand on top of his nasal septum in a visor-like manner that softens the light. As he did so, a strange jingling sound hit his ears.

He took his time to cautiously open his eyes. At first it was annoyingly cloudy, but the more he blinked, the clearer everything became.

— Fuck —he realized he was lying on the floor and made a face. A carpet didn't end very neatly after parties like Gregory's. Who knows what crap he had slept on.

His desire was to stretch now but as he moved his left arm up, a hold on his wrist stopped him. He looked to his left.

— What the fuck?! —He stirred like a fish out of water and his numb legs miraculously lifted him partially.

The person who had been on the floor with him was already beginning to wake up. His face had been turned upside down because of all the struggling and moving Simon had done.

Simon looked with shock and puzzlement at his wrist, a piece of metal with the shape of a circle caught it and from this, a chain of about eight centimeters joined another circle of silver, enclosing another wrist different from his own.

He pulled on his own hand, trying to see if he could get out of it. He bit his lip and also tried to turn his wrist, but all he did was hurt himself, and not only him, but also the hand that was hanging in the air.

— Ouch! —he exclaimed.

His dumb head rose as high as possible and his swollen eyes narrowed to better focus on what was happening. After seeing the handcuffs he looked at last at the person to whom he was cuffed— what...

Gregory's dog barked, startling them both.

— Hey! Good morning to you guys —said the dog's owner, walking up to the scene with Sebastian.

Both of them looked at each other and burst out laughing, leaning forward.

— Wait, you did this? what the fuck Greg —he gave him a serious look.

— Sebastian's idea.

Simon's dark brown eyes turned black as he landed on Sebastian—. You're laughing, you idiot? You're going to fucking pay!

He walked abruptly forward, ready to smash his friend's fucking face, but again the handcuffs stopped him as well as a shout of pain.

— Wait, you asshole, this really hurts —the boy on the floor had been half dragged by Simon's outburst of rage. He got up staggeringly and looked at Simon badly.

Simon didn't pay much attention to that and looked at Sebastian again.

— Give me the bloody keys and we'll forget this ever happened —Simon showed him the palm of his free hand.

Sebastian put a finger on his chin while crossing one of his arms over his chest. He made a thrilling silence.

— No.

— What is it, Simon? Does the situation make you uncomfortable? —Gregory tilted his head to the side.

— Sebastian knows.

— You mean, everyone —the boy who was unmoved by all the trouble is making noise in conversation—. Come on Sebastian, give us the keys, it's not funny.

— You guys haven't been handcuffed for ten minutes and you can't take it anymore?

— We don't have to —Simon said—. Come on, give them to me.

Gregory and Sebastian shared a look and shrugged their shoulders, passing by the two angry boys. This translated into "we don't feel like it, go fuck yourselves".

— Sebastian!

— Look Simon, not five more minutes?

Simon began with his hostile thread of reasons why he thought that was stupid and Gregory interrupted.

— Would you be interested in a bet?

— Fuck you Gregory, you helped him. You've lost my respect.

— Two hundred pounds you can't stand to be like this for a week.

Simon shut up. He thought and shook his head.

— Who do you think you are, you jerk?

— Six hundred —the rich man changed the amount. Sebastian was astonished, all of them really.