The Show Must Go On [boyxboy]

The Show Must Go On {16}

                “Vesper, stop,” I groaned, rolling over. But Vesper continued to paw at my face.

                “Meow,” he said, giving a particularly hard scratch.

                “Ow!” I said, rolling over and flinging him off of me. I reached up, touching my face and pulling my fingers away with blood on them. “What the hell, Vesper? That’s it; I’m giving you to Neo.”

                Vesper jumped back at me. “Meow!”

                I caught him and held his paws. “Stop it!”

                I listened and realized why he was in such distress. I could faintly hear the dishwasher beeping in the kitchen, and the sound had terrified Vesper ever since he was a kitten.

                “I can’t believe you clawed off half of my face just because of a dishwasher,” I said, setting him down and pushing myself out of bed.

                I went downstairs and yanked the dishwasher open to make the beeping stop. I shut it so Vesper wouldn’t crawl in and looked around the kitchen. I didn’t have to be to school for another two hours.

                Link padded over to me, bumping his head against my arm and licking my hand. I stroked his fur and pulled out a bowl and a box of Cheerios. Might as well eat while I was awake.

                I sat down with my cereal, slipping a handful to Link. Vesper jumped up on the table, curling up in front of me.

                “Oh, now you want to be friends?” I raised an eyebrow at him.

                “Meow.” He stared back at me.

                I finished eating and went upstairs, getting dressed. I had so much time to kill before class, and I didn’t know what to do.

                I admired my new cuts in the mirror, running my fingers over them and wincing. Great, Vesper had done some work on my face.

                “Thanks Vesper,” I grumbled, leaving the bathroom and sitting on the edge of my bed.

                I pulled out my phone and dialed a familiar number. I held it up to my ear, and waited as it rang.

                “This better be life or death. My alarm isn’t supposed to go off for another hour,” the voice on the other end grumbled sleepily.

                “My cat woke me up by tearing half of my face off. I’ll be over to pick you up in a little,” I said.

                “Alexander.” The voice was a mix of exhaustion, whine, and defeat. “Just don’t knock on my door. You’ll wake my parents up.”

                “I’ll be there in a few minutes. Be ready,” I said and hung up. I grabbed my school bag and gave my pets fresh water and food before climbing into my car.

                I played Manchester Orchestra as I drove. It was still dark out, the sky starting to lighten a little with the promise of the sun.

                “So from the roof, she will fly 15 feet down the side of the house where she once was happy,” my music sang.

                I pulled into the driveway, my lights illuminating the figure standing outside, his arms wrapped around himself. His bag was haphazardly hanging off his shoulder as he moved forward, getting into my car.