Wishes In The Dark - A Peterick Fanfiction

Nine

I must have cried myself to sleep last night, because I wake up with my head on a damp pillow.

I sit up. My suitcase from Kevin's apartment is on the wooden floor by the bed. Thank you, Pete. From here I can hear his voice. Who is he talking to? I get out of bed and go to the lounge, where Pete is sitting on the couch with his phone to his ear.

"Yes, Sir," he says to the person he's talking to on the phone. "Thanks. Bye."

He hangs up and turns to me.

"Morning Patrick," he says. "How are you feeling?"

I don't feel any better than yesterday, but I don't want to worry him, so I just shrug and say: "Alright."

"I, um...I just told Principal Way about last night..."

My heart sinks. Now everyone's going to pay attention to me at school. All I really want is to be the kid who no one takes any notice of, but now that won't happen. I'll be the kid whose brother died. But I suppose calling Principal Way was the sensible thing to do.

"Okay," I say.

Pete stands up from the couch and outstretches his arms. He's wearing a baggy t-shirt and boxers and he smells a bit sweaty.

"We've got..." He looks at the clock on the wall. "...An hour until school. What do you want for breakfast?"

"Anything," I shrug.

It takes longer than I thought to get ready, but Pete takes as long as me. While I'm faffing about my hair and trying on all my hats to see which one I should wear today, Pete is faffing about his hair and circling his eyes with eyeliner. The eyeliner makes his eyes look more sincere and powerful – it suits him.

When we're ready for school, Andrew gives us a ride to school. Pete sits in the passenger seat next to his brother, and I sit in the back on my own. It's not a very long journey.

About halfway through the journey, Andrew says to Pete: "So, is he a dork?"

He's speaking quietly, thinking I can't hear him.

"Does it matter?" snaps Pete, looking back at me. "He can hear you, you know."

"So?" says Andrew.

Pete sighs, annoyed. "Will you just show some respect? His brother died just last night."

Hearing him say that makes me get a lump in my throat. I still haven't fully accepted that Kevin's gone.

Andrew doesn't reply.

We pull over outside the school gates. Pete gets out the car, looking grumpy, and I do the same. Without saying goodbye to his brother, Andrew drives away. I follow Pete inside the school building. Every student I see is looking at me sadly. I look away from all of them.

"Principal Way wanted you to go to his office," says Pete.

I nod and keep walking. When we get to Principal Way's door, I start crying.

"I can't do this," I tell Pete.

"What are you talking about?" frowns Pete. "Of course you can. Way isn't gonna interrogate you, he's just gonna apologise for your loss and all that. You can do this, Patrick."

I sigh and knock on the door.

"Come in," Principal Way calls from inside the office.

I open the door with a shaking hand and step inside the comfortable room. Principal Way stands up from his desk and comes over to me, putting his hands on my shoulders.