So first off I'd like to say that I'm a bit of a beginner at writing.
Yep. I haven't written in a LOOONG time and my writing skills are still very rusty.
Anyway, Murdoc (and his friends) are all 13 in the story. All in Grade Eight. And this story takes place in the present. Not in 1966, when Muds was born.
Just throwing that out there so no one gets confused.
Disclaimer- I do not own Gorillaz or any related characters.
All reviews are welcome!
Murdoc stared blearily out of the class-room window. It was raining out. Hard.
Of course, it was always raining. This, of course, just made the atmosphere even more dreary.
Whatever. He didn't care.
His life was bad enough. Full of, well... abuse. Abuse from his older brother, Hannibal, and his father, who he just called Jacob.
And the rain couldn't possibly make it any worse.
He rolled up his sleeve and gingerly touched a budding bruise on his arm; it was beginning to turn a deep shade of violet, almost black. He was used to this, though. He received bruises and welts daily, and there was nothing he could do to stop them. He didn't fight back, he didn't flinch. He stood there.
Was this punishment?
Murdoc had never figured this out. What had he done wrong? Why were they treating him like this? How had he even arrived in this place?
This was not fair. Life was not fair. He had always been on his own, and he never had any help. Not ever with his homework, not even in Grade One. His father and brother didn't seem to care how far he got in school and where he was going in life.
He wouldn't work and he wouldn't pay attention in class. He refused to. Yet, despite the amount of school-work he was doing (which was none) he always managed to barely pass. He didn't know why. Maybe the teachers felt bad for him. But then again, he had never told them about his father and brother, and the bruises on his arms were usually covered by the sleeves of his grey sweater.
Well, at least he had friends. Two, actually- Crunch and Rocky. Both short, stocky boys. Murdoc was the odd one out; he was tall and anything but stocky. In fact, he was painfully skinny. His cheekbones stuck out a bit too much and his wrist bones looked as if they were about to rip through his skin.
He looked across the classroom. Neither boy was to be seen. Crunch was probably out doing who-knows-what with his girlfriend and Rocky... well, he didn't know where Rocky was. Probably skipping class with his girlfriend too. Murdoc wished he could skip, but the office always phoned his father when he did, and that always earned him a good hard punch to the face. Crunch and Rocky's parents were always away, so that gave them an advantage. Murdoc felt a pang of envy for the two boys, both about their girlfriends and them being able to ditch school. He dug his fingernails into his wooden desk to stop himself from snarling.
He wished his dad was away more often. His brother too. They went away every Friday night to the casinos, but some demented relative of his always came over and kept him in line. How he dreaded those nights. When everyone else was at a party of some sort socializing, he was locked inside, either with his dumb aunt or stupid cousin. They all seemed to have some sort of mental problem, anyway.
The loud, rude clanging of the class bell interrupted his thoughts, and he was forced to get up from his seat with his books and push through the crowd, shoving out a path to his locker. It was the end of the day. Wednesday. How exciting.
Murdoc jostled his way through the traffic jam of students blocking the hallways. A few glared. Most of them shrunk back. Either way, they all knew him. And ninety-five percent of them were scared of him. Without looking back at the people pressed in fright against the corridor walls, the boy trudged home through the sopping rain, carrying his backpack above his head to act as an umbrella. He took his usual route home- through the darkest alleyways and the grungiest streets. They got him there faster and he felt... at home whenever he went through them.
Murdoc had soon reached his house. He flung open the door, dumped his backpack on the floor, and proceeded to investigate the place to make sure no one was there.
Nope, no one. Jacob was probably out at a bar and Hannibal was most likely out with some friends.
He picked up the phone and dialled Crunch's phone number. He had nothing better to do.
"Ello?" Crunch's dazed, tired voice crackled to life over the line.
"'Ey, mate," Murdoc replied. "Whatcha up to?"
"Oh, uh... nothing. Courtney's over. The parents are away."
The tall, black-haired boy sniggered. His girlfriend was always over. "Awright... yeah. I'll let you go then."
"Yeah... 'kay. I won't see you tomorrow, but Rocky'll be there. His folks are coming home."
Murdoc grinned a bit to himself. Someone to hang out with. "See ya."
The line went dead, and Murdoc set down the phone in its charger. He then decided to go raid the kitchen and see if there was anything edible.
In the fridge, a moldy piece of steak and a bad egg. In the cupboards, a loaf of bread as hard as rock.
So, in short, nothing.
He thumped up the creaky, half-rotten wooden stairs and into his room. It was messy, as usual. Clothes were strewn on the floor, his bed-covers were cascading off of his mattress, and his items in general looked as if they had been thrown about. Stepping over his things which had been littered on the rug, he plopped himself onto his creaky bed, which stood on legs so thin they looked as if they were about to snap. He opened up his laptop, which, of course, didn't work, as usual. Hannibal had broken it, probably just because he could. Alright, onto plan B. His cell phone? Broken as well. The television downstairs? Smashed. The Playstation didn't work, and his skateboard had been crushed.
...On the other hand, a pack of cigarettes lay on the kitchen table, and he happened to have a lighter in his pocket. Surely his father wouldn't notice if he took just one?
No. It wasn't worth the risk. Not at all. His nose would be bent even more out of shape if he were to be punched in the face again.
Murdoc decided to phone Crunch for a second time.
"Yeah, wot?" The boy answered grouchily.
"You mind if I, uh... come over?" Murdoc asked, twirling the phone cord between his index finger and thumb.
Courtney could be heard in the background, protesting. She and Crunch talked to each other for a few seconds, and Crunch finally responded, "Yeah, sure. Not long, though... Courtney doesn't get to come over much."
Murdoc sniggered to himself. That was a lie and they both knew it. But he didn't argue. "Awright. I'll see you soon then." And with that, he set the phone down, and ambled out the door and down the street.
Crunch was at the door waiting for him. Without a word, the two boys stepped inside. Courtney was standing in the corridor, looking rather annoyed. She glared at Murdoc as he passed by, and slipped Crunch a quick kiss, crooning something into his ear. He kissed her back. Murdoc felt a pang of jealousy, and tried his best not to growl too loud.
The three of them strolled up the stairs and into Crunch's room. Courtney ran ahead for some reason, and nudged something under his bed, blushing. Murdoc bared his teeth slightly and took a seat on tattered armchair. She glared back and collapsed on a beanbag, Crunch collapsing beside her. The two of them laughed, and he put an arm around her. Courtney glanced smugly at Murdoc, and hugged her boyfriend, giggling. Was she trying to make him jealous?
He clenched his hands into tight fists, digging his nails into the flesh of his palms. She didn't have to rub it in. It wasn't that he cared for her, because he didn't. She wasn't particularly pretty in his eyes, either. Murdoc just felt... alone. Yes, he had two pretty good friends. But he felt alone nonetheless.
Courtney cut into his thoughts to sneer, "So when're you going home?"
"Whenever I feel like it," Murdoc sneered back.
"How 'bout now?" Crunch asked. It was not meant in a pushy, mean manner, though it did seem rude.
There was a pause. Murdoc was surprised at this sudden question."Fine, then." He abruptly stood up from his seat, trudged down the stairs, slamming the door as he went. Why did it seem like all of his friends were ditching him for someone else? Why?
As soon as he had gotten to the driveway, it started raining again, much harder this time, ramming his body as it fell violently from the sky.
Crunch and Courtney had resumed talking, laughing with one another. Murdoc snarled to himself and kicked a stone on the curb as hard as he could.
When was this going to end?
Haha, crappy ending I know. I'm not good with endings.
More to come if I don't get tired of this story like I did the last!