In case you don't live forever

Chapter 5: D'artagnan

Peter's Pov:

I slowly walked into my house after being at Mikes. It was late but both my dads were out and Steve was still out. Probably being the only time I was going to be alone for a bit I ran upstairs to my bedroom, put on some pjs and grabbed my notebook. I ran back downstairs and sat at the piano in our living room. I turned to the page of the keys and lyrics for a song I had been working on. I had been working on it ever since I found out Will wasn't really dead about a year ago. The song was for him.

"You put all your faith in my dreams
You gave me the world that I wanted
What did I do to deserve you?
I follow your steps with my feet
I walk on the road that you started
I need you to know that I heard you, every word
I've waited way too long to say
Everything you mean to me
In case you don't live forever, let me tell you now
I love you more than you'll ever wrap your head around
In case you don't live forever, let me tell you the truth
I'm everything that I am because of you" 

I sang the first bit of the song softly and played the piano keys. Tears built up in my eyes and ran down my cheeks. I heard the front door open, I wiped my eyes and got up to go to the front door to see a seemingly sad Steve. "W...what happened at the party?" I asked him. "Oh its nothing to worry about right now Peter" He reassured me and I nodded a little. "Are you okay?" He asked me and I nodded a little before going upstairs to my room.

Time skip brought to you by GOODBYE FLAGNER

"The case of Phineas Gage is one of the great medical curiosities of all time. Phineas was a railroad worker in 1848 who had a nightmarish accident. A large iron rod was driven completely through his head. Phineas miraculously survived. He seemed fine. And physically, yes, he was. But his injury resulted in a complete change to his personality. So much so that friends that knew him started referring to him as
"No longer Gage." At the time this was know as the American crowbar case. Although it wasn't a-" Mr. Clarke explained being interrupted by Dustin coming in the room, loudly. "I'm so sorry Mr. Clarke. Really, I'm so sorry. Please continue with the class. Don't mind me. Really, continue please. Thanks" Dustin said, panting and taking a seat at his desk. "Although it wasn't a crowbar, it was a rod, as I said" Mr. Clarke continued. "We have to meet. All of us. At lunch, AV club" Dustin whispered to Lucas, Mike, Will and I. "Why?" Mike asked. "I have something that you won't believe" Dustin told us and we all turned back to class. "Dustin" Mr. Clarke said loudly. "Yes, my lord?" Dustin turned back to face Mr. Clarke. "Would you care to join the class now?" Mr. Clarke asked him. "Please, yes" Dustin said. "The Case Of Phineas Gage" Mr. Clarke told him. "Phineas Gage" Dustin repeated and reached down to open his backpack. "Page 104" Mr. Clarke spoke and Dustin nodded "104. 104." He pulled his textbook out of his backpack and sat up. "Focus" Mr. Clarke told him. "Focusing. Focusing." Dustin said.

We stood around the table in the AV room with Dustin's trap thing from Halloween in the center. Dustin opened it up to reveal a small, slimy creature. "His name is D'artagnan" He told us. He brought it out of the trap and held it in his hands and I gagged. "Cute, right?" He said. "D'artagnan?" Mike asked him. "Dart for short" He said. "And he was in your trash?" Max asked. "Foraging for food" Dustin told her. "You wanna hold him?" He asked her. She shook her head "No. No" but Dustin placed it in her hands anyways. "Oh, god, he's slimy" She said and gave Dart to Lucas. "Ugh he's like a living booger" Lucas gave it to Will. "Ugh, oh god" Will spoke and almost gave it to me. I stopped him before even letting it touch my hands. "Nope I am not touching that gross-" I said but he put Dart in my hands anyways. "OH MY GOD" I yelled and quickly gave it to Mike. I pulled hand sanitizer out of my fanny pack and put a lot on my hands. Mike looked at Dart closely. "What is he?" Mike asked. "My question exactly" Dustin told him.

Dustin grabbed a bunch of books from the side of the AV room all on reptiles and stuff like that. "At first, I though it was some type of Pollywog" Dustin explained, putting the books down on the table. "Pollywog?" Max asked. "Its another word for tadpole. A tadpole is the larval stage of a toad" Dustin told her. "I know what a tadpole is" She said. "All right, then you know that most tadpoles are aquatic, right? Well, Dart, he isn't. He doesn't need water" Dustin spoke. "Yeah, but aren't there nonaquatic Pollywogs?" Lucas said. "Terrestrial Pollywogs? Yep. Two to be exact. Indirana semipalmata and the Adenomera andreae. One's from India and one's from South America. So how did one end up in my trash?" Dustin asked us lile we were supposed to know. "Maybe some scientists brought it here, and it escaped?" Max suggested. "Do you guys see that? Looks lile something's moving inside of it" Mike said to us and we all looked at Dart. Mike moved the light so it shone on Dart and it freaked out, screeched at us and moved away from the light. "Its okay. Its okay. I got you, little guy. I know you don't like that. Its okay. And there's another thing. Reptiles, they're cold-blooded. Ectothermic, right? They love heat, the sun. Dart hates it. It hurts him" Dustin first talked to Dart then us. "So, if he's not a pollywog or a reptile..." Lucas started. "Then I've discovered a new species" Dustin finished.

The bell rang and we all ran out of the room. "We gotta show him to Mr. Clarke" Lucas said. "What if he steals my discovery?" Dustin asked. "He's not gonna steal your discovery" Mike told him. "You know, I'm thinking about calling it, Dustonious pollywogus. What do you think?" Dustin asked Max. "I think you're an idiot" Max said. "When I become rich and famous for this one day, don't come crawling back to me, saying, "oh my god, Dustin, I'm so sorry for being mean to you back in 8th grade, oh my god"" Dustin made his voice higher pitched. We walked down the hall and I noticed Will wasn't with us. I turned around and saw Will standing the with a worried expression on his face. "Are you okay Will?" I asked him. "I tell you later, okay?" He told me and I nodded

Word count: 1187