Dragging myself out of the office, I thought my whole body would break the second I bumped into something. I worked all last night, right up to the point of finishing five minutes after it was time for me to get up and leave. I felt as if I was moving like a robot, because I don't remember consciously doing anything. After I finished working, I put all my stuff away, lest I risk ruining another batch of paints. I pulled on some shoes, fixed my hair, washed my face, and grabbed my coat and keys. And then I wound up here.
I gripped the tiny piece of paper in my hand, not even caring to read it. All I needed to know was that I had a week till it was due. As I slowly made my way to my car, I started to wonder how Johnny did it. How did he run on no sleep for days - more like weeks - without feeling the side effects? But I shuddered at the thought of him and shook my head. I didn't need to think about stuff like that.
I crawled into my piece-of-shit car and slammed the door behind me. I had to get home as fast as I could or risk falling asleep behind the wheel. It also occurred to me that I used to be able to stay up for two or three days at a time when I worked for Nerve, but I guess the pressure that they put on me allowed me to get used to something like that. I've been out of a hardball game like that for a little too long, I guess. Now I slept on a normal schedule like normal people.
But my hopes of rushing home to my lumpy couch (seeing as how Tenna was still passed out on my bed when I left) were crushed when I looked out my window and checked my side mirrors. I got a small glimpse of a familiar lanky kid, but then he was ambushed and out of sight. I jerked my head to find him and saw that a bunch of kids were ripping his backpack off and surrounding him. My instincts told me to start my car and drive off - to just leave and let him defend himself. But from the looks up it, he wasn't even putting up a fight.
After sighing and banging my head against the steering wheel a few times, I started my car. I convinced myself that I owed him one for carrying my grocery bag when we first met. Maybe after I repaid him, I'd stop seeing him all the time. I quickly hit the gas and drove out of the parking lot and onto the street. I revved my pathetic excuse for an engine and took off right at the group of bullies. When they saw that I wasn't letting up, they screamed and cried like toddlers and scattered. When I saw that Todd was the only one left, I slammed on the brakes, stopping just a few centimeters before him.
I stayed in my car and watched as he rose to his feet. He had a couple of dark bruises on his arms and face and his lip was bleeding. He coughed and some blood came up and his hand immediately went to grab his side. Despite being in pain, when he looked through my windshield at me, the kid smiled like he was happy to see me. He picked up his bag and hobbled his way over to me. I rolled down my window for him.
"Going home from work, Devi?"
"You make it sound like you didn't just get the crap beat out of you."
"It's been going on for a few days now. Ever since I lost Shmee, I've been a walking target for bullies. Well, I always have been, but things have gotten worse."
So we're back to that again, eh? This kid needed some serious help. I wasn't sure what to say anymore, so I shifted into reverse and put myself correctly back on the street. I saw the look of sadness in Todd's eyes, but I was getting tired of bothering with it. Whenever I talked to him, I had to deal with Sickness. Just like after Johnny tried to kill me, I had to deal with her. Hell, I created her because of him. What was it with the people I met that made Sickness thrive? It actually made me want to run him over just to shut her up. I wouldn't, though...
"I'm going to go now. Try not to get pounded while you're at school."
"It's not so bad when I'm in class. Pepito usually steps in to rescue me. But he can't walk home with me."
Blinking, I decided to just nod, roll up my window, and drive away. He had someone to protect him at almost all times, so I didn't need to be there anymore. But I could see him in my rearview mirror as he was trying to get himself together so he could walk normally. Any sympathy I had for the kid was starting to become overridden by how many times he'd caused Sickness to come out hiding. It didn't even matter anymore if I tried to reason with myself. Just because it wasn't logical, didn't mean it didn't majorly piss me off.
The more I thought about it, the less I was paying attention to the road. I got honked at several times, almost ran a red light, and when I pulled into my apartment complex, I almost ran Tenna over. Luckily I swerved and missed her, but she still pounded her fist on the hood of my car and started yelling at me. She kept doing that, too, until I managed to park and get out.
"... no way to treat someone who spent hours cleaning your entire apartment!"
"I didn't do it on purpose."
"That's the only logical explanation! You're a better driver than that!"
"Tenna, I didn't sleep last night. I've been up for more than twenty four hours now."
She didn't really seem to care, though, but she shut up once we got back up to my apartment. The living room and kitchen were just as I left them, but my room was a different story. When I grabbed my stuff this morning, it was a pigsty. My clothes were tossed around everywhere, garbage was on my floor, Tenna had my CD's scattered everywhere (the ones I never listen to), and my bed was unkempt. Now it was exactly the opposite and then some.
Don't get me wrong, I like it when my room is clean, but I had a sinking feeling that she threw away some "garbage" that wasn't really garbage. I pulled open my nightstand drawer and found my earplugs and journal. That was fine. There was nothing under my bed and I was suspicious. I felt like maybe I had stashed an important box of... whatever under there. All my clothes were either folded neatly and in my dresser or hung up on a hanger in my closet. I found all my shoes organized on a mini shoe rack that I didn't even remember buying. Did my mother buy me that when I left home? Whatever. I found a few boxes of miscellaneous stuff, some other painting supplies, old belts that I never wore, a small jewelry box full of stuff from my teenage years, etc.
I wracked my brain for whatever was missing, but nothing came to mind. Tenna led me into the bathroom and showed me all of my organized soaps, hygiene products, and neatly folded towels. I shrugged my shoulders, pleased with her work. I certainly wouldn't have gone to such lengths to clean this place. Just having it tidy is fine with me. But I kept getting drawn to my bedroom, and even though my body was crying for me to crawl into bed and sleep, I got down on the floor and peered under my bed. Tenna went with me and we both stared at the nothingness.
"Missing something?"
"I don't know."
She gave me a quizzical look and stood up, wandering off to wherever. I thought I heard her mumbling something about me owing her breakfast and I about snapped when it finally hit me. It was a vague memory, but I remember having a blue tote box that I shoved under here. And if my memory served me right, I had shoved all the clothes that I wore on the day that Johnny tried to kill me in there. Why I didn't just wash them and keep them or even throw them away, I don't know. Then after Sickness was born and emerged from her painting, I shoved what was left of her canvass in there and hid the box under my bed.
"Tenna!"
"Yeah?"
"There was a blue box under here. What did you do with it?"
"You mean the one with bloody clothes and a weird looking painting? I threw it out!"
Standing up, I bolted past her and out the door, not even caring anymore that I didn't lock it. I had to get out to the dumpster and get that box back. Why? Well, I don't really know, but... I just couldn't bear to get rid of it just yet. I might have been symbolically holding on to it until I felt I was ready to let those horrible tragedies go, but... oh, it didn't matter, that time wasn't now anyway!
I went around the building and saw the garbage truck hoisting the dumpster up and taking all of its contents in. I tried to go stop the driver, but he blew me off, put down the dumpster, and left. All I could do now was stand there, my eyes bulging and my mouth hung open, and stare at the retreating truck. Tenna came out, put her hand on my shoulder, and squeaked Mr. Spooky.
"What's the matter, Devi?"
"A/N: The update is here! Yes, the day before I leave for my trip and return to school on Monday, here is the update I wanted to give you. I'm thinking the next chapter will be in Todd's P.O.V., so keep a look out for it. Until next time: Review?"
