"A friend in needs a friend indeed,
A friend who'll tease is better,
Our thoughts compressed,
Which makes us blessed,
And makes for stormy weather,"
I was woken up by a sudden fist punching at my stomach. My eyes shot open in alarm and I gazed up at the one who thought they had news so urgent they had to punch me awake. My younger brother Mikey was the culprit. Our age gap is only three years but it certainly doesn't feel that way - immature is the one word I'd use to sum up Mikey to anybody.
"What was that for?" I quizzed, pushing myself up and positioning myself so I was leaning against the wall, head titled sideways - eyes flickering due to the sudden rush of light Mikey had decided to bring with him.
"I wanted to annoy you so I said I'd tell you," he explained, giving his cheeky smile.
"Tell me what?" I folded my arms and pursed my lips as a sign that whatever he had to say wouldn't bother me nor annoy me.
"That you're gonna be stuck with just me for a whole week," he batted his eyelashes and looked up to the ceiling in an attempt to look cute before he smugly ended the sentence, "…big brother!"
I tried not to strangle him right on the spot, I wanted to wipe that cocky look right off his face in one blow but I mustn't, that's exactly the reaction, strangely enough, he wanted and I wasn't particularly known for giving others what they wanted.
"What?" I asked, wanting to know why I was actually going to be stuck with him for a week.
"Basically, mum and dad are going on a 'romantic getaway', yes, they want to get the hell away from us and go make love in France, kinda disgusting if you think about it-" he babbled on but I'd already stopped listening. So, mum and dad where jetting off to France to rekindle their love or whatever it is parents do. I pushed Mikey aside, rather too gently for my liking and hopped off my bed. I wandered over to my wardrobe and swung open the doors and stared blankly at the array of dull colours.
"You're not bothered?" Mikey piped up, swinging his strangely long legs over my bed.
"No," I lied. I'd have to mope about this later, I had an art class today at school so today there was actually an urgency of getting there on time.
I skipped breakfast, which isn't very weird for me at all and managed to catch the bus just as it swerved around the corner to my street. I pressed my head against the window, using my finger as a brush to create various little pictures with the condensation on the window. I amused myself by doing this until the bus came to a harsh halt and we all, like little sheep, hurried off the vehicle. Before entering the crumbling building I called a school, I sneaked around the back to have a smoke. I know, I know. It's going to kill me and all that? Hey, it calmed my nerves and I'm a nervous kind of guy. As I dived into my pockets to collect the essentials for my short puff of relaxation, I noticed a new kid. There was the usual lot, including myself, who snuck round here for the quick fag or two now and at lunch, but this kid was new. If he wanted to avoid any bother that he was sure to get around here, he wasn't exactly putting in much effort. What I'm saying, is this kid stood out. He looked over at me with a grim expression, before calling over in an all-too-confident tone, "Take a picture, it lasts longer!" Had I really just been staring at him? Not my fault he sticks out like a sore thumb. I bowed my head and quickly finished the cigarette, stomping on it aggressively to show him I wasn't one to talk to shit to.
"Oh wow, you killed , I'm so scared," he chuckled, stepping closer. I couldn't help but smile - as he approached me I noticed his height, or should I say - lack of it. This kid wasn't some tough and rough hooligan, he was the same age as Mikey - probably just a new kid trying to make a reputation.
"You shouldn't be smoking, young'in," I teased. He raised his fist, narrowing his eyebrows in frustration toward me.
"Don't. Just 'cause you're older doesn't mean I'm a fucking weakling compared to," he scanned me from head to toe in disgust, "you."
I nudged his fist aside, turned my back to him and walked back around the corner to the entrance of the kid. Just some silly little kid trying to make a name for his self. No big fuss. I pushed open the swing doors just as the bell sounded, feeling the awkward, lingering pain of the boy's eyes burning holes in my back.
I'd slept through science without getting caught … again, and now sat scribbling away in art. We where doing tonal work, sketching out apples and pears keeping extra care to include every mention of light and to exaggerate the lack of it in some areas.
"Hey, Gerard," I heard that all too familiar voice call my name.
"Hey, Lindsey," I smiled up at her with my own chapped lips as she grinned down at me with hers that as usual, where painted a vibrant red.
"You're good," she complimented, looking down at my work. I gave her another warm smile, Lindsey was one of the few I actually liked. "I prefer your other work though," she added, her grin growing.
"Huh?" I quizzed, stopping my sketching for a moment.
"You're 'doodles', the things that look like they will grow up to be comic superhero's, that guy with the monkey suit? The girl with the hair?" she informed myself of my own drawings as I seemed to know nothing of them. Then I realized. She'd caught what I'd been hiding on a crumbled piece of paper behind what I was supposed to be doing.
"Oh, you mean Spaceboy - and the girl, her name is The Rumour but I can't seem to get her sign right-" "Stop flirting with each other you two and get to work!" demanded an authoritative voice from above who belonged to the teacher, a grumpy old woman with squinted lips and beady eyes that peered down at us un-approvingly.
"Yeah, stop flirting with me, Gee," I blushed at the nickname she'd given me.
"It's you who's flirting, Lyn-Z," I replied back, causing her pale cheeks to match her lips in an instance.