Stardust

Chapter Two

"I did terrible, Pippi," Thomas explained on the phone with his friend as he sat down in his parents' home, flipping through the various but boring channels that showed up on the television.

The lights were dim, air condition blew in his face and pizza from the night before scattered the dirtied glass coffee table. College was expensive, all he was able to afford was terrible pizza since his dad was never home and his mother was on hiatus.

"Come on, mate. You were great, you were always one of the best students in that class," she replied through the phone speaker.

"Yeah right. Did you see how the professor looked at me at the end of class? I failed, Pippi. You know it. You nearly fell asleep at the explanation in the beginning, I almost did the same near the middle." He scoffed. "Face it. I did the bloody test in pen. Who is their absolute right mind does that?"

Thomas looked at the pen that once belonged to his mother, clipped to his polo's pocket.

She sighed on the phone and Thomas continued to click the buttons on the remote, the lights buzzing and flashing in his face. He still lived with his parents as his family supported his education and never agreed to living in dorms. Better yet, his brother Oliver still lived with his parents.

After Oliver's failed attempt at going into the British Army, he was a miserable street con thief.

With every channel being a newscaster, even on the cartoon channels, Thomas ignored it and yawned.

"Well, you at least were able to clock your Stardust appointment, right? That's good, those are very important."

"For what?" he asked.

"Scientific research. We learned this in-"

"For what?" he repeated sterner. She chuckled.

"Damn, you're hard to banter. Well, some of my other friends and I are going out, you are welcome to join."

"You know I am not a drinker."

"A sin for a Brit, haha! Well, we can talk when we get our scores. Have fun eating cold pizza, mate. Bye."

She hung up before Thomas could say bye back, but he wasn't too disappointment by it.

Throwing his phone recklessly on the glass table in front of him, it clinked and slid against the stack of his thesis draft. He eyed the papers, not yearning to write it.

He shook his head.

Thomas continued to flip through the channels on the television. His eyelids drawing heavy and vision going dizzy, he was about to fall asleep. Until his brother Oliver crashed in holding a card terribly wrapped in orange.

"Happy birthday, brother of mine!"

"Fuck off."

"Don't get so down. My brunette little brother always deserves the best, especially after he thinks he won't get the degree."

Thomas looked at him with discerning look of discontent when Oliver smiled.

Oliver spied on him.

"Cheeky. I know." He set the card down in front of him. "But listen, sure I picked on you every year, but I promise I won't this year," he explained, holding his arm up. Thomas scoffed without looking, his eyes closed with tiredness.

"Stop crossing your fingers. Every time ..."

Oliver chuckled, "I know you'll pass the exam. You are literally the smartest person I know."

"Oh really? How do I know that isn't the trickster part of you talking?"

"Remember that time I didn't know the answer to how much Stardust someone had?"