Falling Hard // Nowhere Boys

3: Temporary Madness

We boost Sam into the dumpster and wait until he surfaces over the side. 

"Only two days out of date and a little bit of mould," Sam proudly throws a packet into Felix's arms.

"Great," I crinkle my nose in disgust and Jake smirks while nudging my arm.

"These will go well with the five-day-off custard," Felix looks up at Sam and slaps his palm.

"Come on," Jake walks over to Andy. "I'll boost ya." 

"Sorry, I'm germ-phobic." Andy defends, backing away from the dumpster.

"Then consider this therapy," Jake grabs hold of Andy's arm and pulls him closer towards the bin. I slap his arm away. 

"Come on, Andy. What would Bear Grylls do?" Andy looks down at the ground for a moment and then back up at me. He reluctantly nods and lets Jake boost him into the dumpster.

"Nice one." Jake nods his head at me.

"Eugh..." Andy pops his head over the side. "I can feel the bacteria attacking, all ten million types!" Jake and I laugh together as Andy cringes.

"Right! Out! Before I hit you mob for six!" A man strode towards us.

"That's my Dad." Felix cringes.

I start laughing and Jake helps Andy out of the dumpster. 

"Come on, sink or swim bro."

"I said out!" The man starts chasing after us.

"Cya!" I start to laugh and take off in front of Sam, throwing my arms in freedom out to the side and looking only once behind me as the man grew smaller and smaller.

/ / / 

Jake grabs a handful of chips from the packet as we sit inside the shack. "Mmm, stale chips."

"I'm not hungry," Andy clutches his stomach as he watches us devour the 'food.'

I pluck a chip from the packet. "Hm. Not bad."

"It has a distinct aroma with a certain intense rubishness." Sam chews a bagel. "Full of surprises. Mold, grainy sugar and a hint of cigarette butt..." He picks the butt out of the bagel. "That explains it. I'm giving it a 3 out of 10."

"Almost inedible." Andy looks at his bagel. "2 out of 10."

"A big fat zero," Felix shapes a '0' out of his bagel, and we all laugh.

"My Mum makes these..." Jake reminisces and I bite my bottom lip thinking about home.

"We'll work this out," Sam tries to lift the depressing atmosphere. "I know it."

/ / /

I roll up the bottoms of the pants and watch as the boys splash in the river water.

"What's that book you're always looking at?" Jake walks up the the shore and stands over Felix, who is sitting on the sidelines across from me.

"My diary," Felix shifts the cover so Jake can't look at what he's writing. "I'm thinking about writing a bestseller about us... five teens no one can remember."

"Have you worked out the ending?" Jake asks and Felix snaps the book shut, shaking his head. I slip my buds out of my ears to listen to their conversation.

"It's a lot more than people just forgetting us," He explains. "It's like we don't even exist."

"Irrational! We exist!" Andy calls over and stands up in the river water.

"Yeah? Prove it!"

I lean over and pinch Jake hard on the arm. "

"There's your proof!" I laugh as Jake rubs his arm, glaring at me.