8th February 2014
Although it has been a few days since that fateful event, the shadow of what had happened still haunted the household. As much as I love shadows, I had to ask my dark friends to leave Skull Boy alone. He may be related to a long line of actors but he was not fooling me with his personas. I walked up the stairs, surprise in hand, and knocked softly upon the door. Doom added the finishing touches on the gift just as we strained our ears to hear Skull Boy's reply.
"Come in. It's not locked." A hushed but strained voice came from the wooden façade.
It wasn't Skull Boy's usual custom to lounge in bed so late into the morning. In fact, the only time he had truly done that was in his first year here, at the Gloomsville Manor. I was instantly worried and shrill warning bells of concern sounded. The incident may have driven him right to his intense battle with a very deep and very dark depression. Something told me that my present would just make him feel worse so I tossed it away as he folded his blanket neatly, taking his own sweet time.
Once I had convinced myself that the crash I heard was just Misery taking her daily stroll, I greeted him,
"Hey, you're still in bed? Breakfast is almost finished."
Skulls frowned and squinted at me before his countenance hardened into a remote mask as he snapped at me,
"Did I miss the day you were appointed as my personal wake-up call? What do you want?"
Not a good start...
"I'm sorry, but I need to talk to you... I'm worried for you."
Maybe it was because he detected my sincerity or he was too exhausted to argue. Whatever the reason, he approached me in a drowsy shuffle, rubbing the sleep from his puffy eyes in the most adorable fashion.
"No, forgive me for being rude just now, please. I'll just get ready... have Frank and Len eaten all of the...?"
"Save a fresh batch of Doomcakes for ya! You're going to need a lot of energy for your walk on Doom's Island."
Just as the cuckoo clock nailed on the wall struck seven and the skeletal bird started chirping, Doom and I had flourishingly prepared a breakfast set for royalty: ham and cheese omelets, my attempt at Belgium waffles, and the aforementioned Doomcakes. It had been no small task to assemble the meal and wrestle the cart through the narrow passageways but that was worth it as a tiny smile worked its way to his skull. He was practically drooling at the soporific and tempting food. However, he soon cocked his skull in confusion,
"Wait, much as the food looks great, what do you mean by 'my walk'?"
Thus, I corrected myself while sampling the waffles, "Sorry, wrong words. I meant to say 'our walk'. Hope you can keep up with me. It's okay is your pace is way different from mine."
I really did say the wrong words. Now I'm completely exhausted from a totally unnecessary workout session I had just received. Every single stand of my hair is wet with sweat.
I know that I have made getting in shape for my first year of high school to be a 'must achieve' goal but that still does not justify a certain skeleton's actions for suddenly changing the leisurely walk into an intense marathon at the last minute. Doom's instincts once again saved her from certain torture as she insisted on taking her hourly nap.
Note to self: Never challenge the possible descendant of the great Sir Roger Banister, the first person ever to have run a mile in under four minutes.
My bony friend was determined to achieve the same feat but even after running there rounds, he could not break his record of four minutes and zero point one seconds. So you can forget about me.
During the fifteen minutes spent on catching our breaths, there was a wall of dead silence between us. It seemed like an eternity as we sat in the edge of the island, regaining sensation in our limbs on the craggy bluffs that loomed above the pitching gray-green sea. Soon, I finally made an attempt to address him. Apparently, he had the same idea and we executed our plans simultaneously. After giggling like a couple of maniacs, he invited softly,
"You first."
"Well, I was hoping to find out... how things are?"
Smooth Ruby. Really smooth.
"Kinda well considering how I only have a week of detention and no teachers who want to kill me."
"And I kinda know how you're feeling but just to be doubly sure, correct me if I'm wrong as I summarize your emotions— you feel horrible."
"Now, if only you did well in Social Studies, I'd say you're a straight-A student!" He joked briefly, suddenly whipping out a microphone and putting on his best comedian voice. Still, his fingers fumbled clumsily with a piece of string that had come undone on his green exercise jacket and my mind automatically compared him to Doom when a giant ball of yarn was unleashed.
And so did my thoughts of him. How he was my friend and as a friend, he meant the world to me. The world has done nothing but shelter its inhabitants even when some don't deserve it. Some of them even seek to destroy it. Thus, the planet had no choice but to defend itself. However, they are some who can and will help him. He was not alone anymore.
I told him as much, which strangely enough provoked an altogether rare reaction. Skull Boy actually blushed.
"Ugh, Ruby," He grunted, "You know it makes me itchy when you lay your feelings bare like that. But I'm willing to let this time slide because I've been such a jerk to you lately."
I smiled, trying my best not to shiver. Oh, the tingles he sent down my spine... it also didn't help that the air suddenly became colder. "Thank you, SKULLY."
"Shut up."
He then slipped off his emerald jacket and held it out to me expectantly, I could only gaze in awe. When I didn't move to take the jacket from his grip, being the paralyzed fool that I was, he leaned forward and loosely hung the piece of clothing over my shoulders. And well, I was suddenly very aware of the fact that my heartbeat was audible to myself, sounding both heavy and abnormal. Maybe it would have helped if I hadn't feel his breath on me neck, or if I wasn't able to inhale his scent, and I would probably be a lot better off if his wasn't so firm yet warm. Time somehow came to a halt around us, and I felt the air shift, felt all the pieces just clicking into place at the gesture. And then, I could only take in his expression, an expression foreign on his face. A look I had never seen before, one I couldn't quite place.
Well, at least my SKULLY is back. Feeling better than ever...
Oh, he just sneezed so adorably...!