Videotape

Chapter 4

The next day, I was more exhausted than ever. It took all my willpower and three cups of coffee just to stay awake until lunch, and even then, I was fighting to keep my eyes open. Biology had sucked, P.E. was worse, and the passing periods were chaos; I was fighting my way through an ocean of people, my mind a blur, desperately trying to make it to my next period awake and and in one piece. At least my headache was gone.

At last, I settled down in my usual seat at the lunch table that my friends and I always sat at, heaving a sigh of relief. Gabby and Caleb were already there, but Ethan and Jade were nowhere in sight. Gabby smiled from across the table as I sat down. "You look like crap," she remarked.

I nodded. "Yeah, I know. Thanks."

"Another bad night?"

I sighed. "You guessed it. I got a decent amount of sleep for once and drank almost an entire pot of coffee, but I still almost fell asleep in biology and P.E. I can't win anymore, I guess."

Gabby frowned. "I noticed. You seemed really out of it in bio."

I chewed my bottom lip, reaching up to pick up my sandwich. "You don't have to worry about me. My body will adjust to the meds soon enough, and it'll be smooth sailing from there. Anyway, how were your guys' nights?"

Caleb shook his head solemnly. "My dad got mad at me again over nothing, but that's about it," he said. Gabby and I raised our eyebrows at the same time. "What happened?" Gabby asked. Caleb shrugged. "You know that rainbow button I ordered last week? Well, he saw it on my backpack and nearly had a stroke. Started yelling at me about how I didn't need to be 'flaunting' my 'alternative lifestyle' or whatever. He might've been drunk, but I don't know for sure. At least my mom got him to shut up."

I felt a pang of sympathy deep within me. I'd known Caleb since the sixth grade, and in that time, I'd gotten to know him well; on the surface, he always seemed cheery and optimistic, and he generally was. However, he'd had issues with his parents since forever, particularly with his dad. All Caleb had ever wanted was to be himself and exist in peace like everyone else, but his dad had robbed him of that the moment he found out that Caleb was gay. That brought him down more than anything else, and it hurt to see him struggle the way he did, knowing all the while that there was nothing I could do about it. I shook my head. "I'm so sorry, Caleb. You know you can come over anytime you want if you need to escape, right?"

Caleb smiled. "Thanks, Ase. I appreciate it."

Gabby sighed. "People like you don't deserve to suffer like this."

"I'll get through it. I've only got three years until I turn eighteen, and then I can finally get out of here. Until then, I've got school. School is good, you know? I'll be just fine, you guys. Don't you worry about me one bit." Caleb's smile widened, and I could tell from the look in those cheery pitch-black eyes of his that he was being completely genuine. "I'm sure you will be. Until then, we'll be here," I said. Caleb smiled gratefully at me, then turned to Gabby. "What about you, Gabs? How was your night?"

Gabby shrugged. "Nothing happened. I hung out with my siblings and stayed up for a little while to read."

Caleb smirked knowingly. "A little while?"

Gabby sighed. "Fine. It was until after midnight."
"Called it!"

Suddenly, there was a tap on my shoulder. I gasped, whipping my head around in surprise to see Jade standing behind me. She raised her hands in defense. "Whoa. I didn't mean to scare you," she said apologetically. "Sorry I'm late. Ethan wasn't feeling well, and I had to walk him down to the nurse's office so he could call our mom to take him home. I was thinking we could skip study hall and meet up in the art room after this, if you want to. I heard that it's empty during that period."