Candy Man 2 [✓]

1. Boys Are Assholes

                                          Sequel to Candy Man. 

                                 Chapter 7 “Boys Are Assholes”

There’s a single knock at my door.

I don’t answer, because the only person who knocks once is Drew, and he doesn’t wait for you to answer before coming in.

But, strangely, not this time. The door cracks, but no one enters. The smell of strong cologne is the only indicator that it is my big brother on the other side of the door. He might as well have been on the other side of the country, to be honest.

I’m in no mood for brother-to-brother heart-to-hearts.

“Hey, yo, you okay, kiddo?” he asks. The door creeks a bit more and I can see his brown hair. Soon, his eyes come into view, and not long after, the entire top part of his body is visible. “You didn’t say anything when you came upstairs.”

“I’m fine,” I say. But I am well aware that I do not look so. I am also well aware that it is a lie.

There feels like an emptiness in my gut; like something heavy, maybe an elephant, is sitting on my chest. I lay in my bed, head hanging out of it, with my eyes to the sky, as drew finally does what he does best, and intrudes.

He at least closes the door behind him and has the decency to ask if he could join me. I know he’s thinking thllthe worst about what had just happened. I know the reason he’s being so cautious is because he’s thinking that I’m about to sob uncontrollably, but he’s wrong.

 “You can,” I say, patting the empty space I left beside me.

Drew jumps into my bed, and lies beside me. He huffs, then raises his hands to the sky. “Your ceiling looks taller than mine.”

“That’s kind of impossible,” I say. “Unless someone made a mistake, and measured something wrong.”

“Hmm,” he responds. “That could be true.”

“Which one?”

“Both of them.” He waits a couple of seconds. “That kid wasn’t just a friend, was he?”

“It doesn’t matter was he was,” I say. “It only matters what he is now.”

Drew turns his head. In the corner of my eye, I could see his eyes focusing, with heavy intent, on my face. It almost makes me feel uncomfortable for my brother to be examining me so closely. “And what’s that?”

“Someone whose name shall never pass my lips, ever again.”

Drew nods. Then he sighs and flips himself back vertical. “Boys are assholes,” he declares.

“You have no idea,” I respond.

“I’m dropping out of the talent show.”

Kevin, who is supposed to be my best friend and official confidant, says nothing over the line.

“Did you not hear me, Kev?”

“I heard you, Allen.”

“Then say something, man. I need help. Really big help right now.”

He sighs. “Man, I don’t think I can help you with this.”

I could hear the static on the other side. It felt like it is yelling at me, screaming at me. “I don’t think…I can do this alone. I don’t think I can, Kevin.”

“You’re always underestimating yourself, Allen. As a witch, and as a person,” he says. His voice is soft and small and I know it is just to calm me down, and to come off inoffensive. But I do not need any pity right now, I need help.

“I know you’re thinking that I’m this guy that is supposed to be brave and strong, but I’m not Kevin. I’m just not.”

“You will be,” he says. “You will be.”

We end our call. I spend the next hour or so alternating between flipping through my TV, thinking about what Kevin said and about Matt.

I had sometime between my conversation with Drew and Kevin, convinced myself that it is okay to say his name inside my head. If I don’t say it out loud, it’s not real.

Matter over Mind.

When doing all of that does not ease my mind, I decide to get up and go downstairs.

The lights are on, and I know my mom must be in the kitchen working on potions, but I go in anyway. My mother, likes to work at night. She’s like an owl, a night bird. Only, she actually must get up in the morning.

I sometimes think that she forgets this fact.

“Mom, you should go to bed,” I say. “It’s nearly midnight.”

“You’re one to talk, My Little Man,” she responds. “You have a big night tomorrow.”

She’s hovering over a pot with a big green book in her hands.

I sit down on a stool in front of her. “I can’t sleep.”

“Witch troubles?” she asks, dropping some sour smelling grains into the pot. It brims over with fog, and she sighs. “You’d think that a witch as experienced as I am could make one demon killing potion without so much hassle.”

 “Maybe you’re forgetting something.”

“I’m not,” she says. “It just takes time and patience.” She looks at me. “And some things never work out the way we expected them to.” She winks. “But they do in very unexpected ways.”

“Mom,” I groaned. “Your being all Sage-Mother again.”

“Good,” she hummed. “Then maybe you’ll stop moping about some blonde teenage boy and get some rest.”

I lifted a brow. “Who told you…” I stopped and sigh, “Of course you know. You’re an empath.”

“No,” she says, placing the book and reaching over to kiss my forehead. “I’m a mother.”

 A/N (This won't be here very long).

 This is a 6 chapter mini event. One chapter everyday. (This was delayed, so you get 3 chapters today and subsequently 3 more this week. My power comapny is suffering from technical problems, so this is late.) 

This is also a short story, which means I have a 30 page limit. That means that the first chapters are not very long, as a precaution, so I don't go over the limit. But yay! This is happening! And it's better writen! 

It also takes place over 24 hours. It's like one jumbo chapter, divided into 6 pieces. It's just a little special thing so that everyone gets a proper ending. 

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