The Monster Under the Bed || Kickthestickz

Drunk in Love

Pj hasn't talked much in the last week. He hasn't eaten and he hasn't slept. I'm no longer sure if it's because things have gotten worse since they day he got arrested or if he no longer has to pretend things are ok. When he doesn't sleep, I don't sleep. So I don't dream. No nightmares- maybe that's the only good part.

"Hey, Peej. Your first exam is today right?" His first exam is most definitely today but whether he will actually turn up is a completely different story.

No answer.

"Okay! So, here is what is going to happen. You are going to get up and put your uniform on in that perfect way you do so. You will come down to the hall with me and attempt to eat some breakfast. You have 10 minutes."

Sighing, I walk to the en-suite bathroom, pick up my toothbrush and begin to scrub away my morning breath. Before too long the floorboard begin to creak slightly in the adjacent room. Eventually, Pj's form appears in the doorway and trudges towards the shower. He flicks the lever upwards and a stream of warm water beats into shower tray. My eyes widen as I peek in the mirror at the boy behind me. Pj yanks his shirt over his head and pulls his boxers from his legs, kicking them haphazardly across the floor. I avert my eyes away from his body by spitting my toothpaste into the sink before rushing, flustered, from the room.

*

"Good luck, Pj." I say as the tall boy gets into his place in line. Calum, Ruben and I watch him into the examination hall, issuing encouraging thumbs up whenever his eyes flicker nervously back to the three of us. He is taller than a lot of the others in his class so we can easily see him right until he goes through the door. He scrubs up well, even if the circles under his eyes match that of the corpses in the mortuary down town. Usually, that is me. We watch as he stressfully runs a hand through his hair, the other gripping tightly onto the see-through pencil case each student is given by the school.

As soon as the doors to the exam hall bang closed I hear Ruben take a breath. "He's not going to pass this exam is he?"

"Nope," Calum sighs before pinching the bridge of his nose. Keeping Pj engaged in his school work for the last month or so was impossible. No matter how hard the three of us tried he would not turn up to his scheduled classes in the House. Now, there is no way on earth Pj will pass all his exams and I feel my heart shatter just that little bit more once I think about how Jonah and his crew succeeded in ruining his life.

"There's no point worrying about it now, Chris. There is nothing you can do to help anymore. Who knows? He might surprise us. He might do really well!"

"Thanks, Ruben," I mutter and swing my bag round to retrieve my carton of cranberry juice. "I just hope that he does do well. He deserves to."

Calum turns and begins to walk in the direction of the school field. The sun is shining brightly through the windows; lots of students will be revising on the grass today and cramming in last minute revision for exams held this afternoon. When we get out into the fresh air I notice Ruben stretch his hand towards Calum's fingers. Slowly, my hand moves to cover my mouth, shock evident on my face. Lucky for me the pair stay facing forward oblivious to my surprise at the action.

Once I regain my thoughts I open my mouth to question them both. My words make it no further than my brain before they are cut from my line of thought. A ghastly cackle echoes its was from a nearby tree and its evident I'm not the only to hear it as both Calum and Ruben swivel their heads to glare at Jonah sitting against our usual tree.

The trio look up, confrontation obvious on their faces as we trundle towards their revision session. Before we make it past, Oakley shoots out a chunky leg in a malicious attempt to trip me. Usually the stunt would bear no effect on me; I'm used to petty torment. This time however, thinking fast, I squeeze my juice box hard and watch with a smirk on my face as the bright red liquid splatters onto Jonah's hand written science notes. Anger visibly cuts its way across Jonah's face as the black ink from his special left-handed pen runs and smudges across the now soggy paper of his notebook.