Chapter One-Hundred and Nine
John walked into his Science class, letting his limp show because he was to exhausted from his recent seizure to hide it. He dropped his sunglasses over his eyes, hoping to the dark circles that always seemed worse when he had an attack. He knew it was only because his skin became more pale than normal after one hit, but he still didn't like how it looked -it reminded him too much of the beginnings of the withdrawals when he'd been so weak that he could barely make it to the bathroom to puke or take a piss on his own. He took his seat in the back of the class, relieved that he could relax for a moment since he'd glanced at the text book a couple days ago and they happened to be going over the pages he'd looked at. He placed leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes to catch a cat nap and restore some of his energy before he had to finish the next few hours of the school day.
"Mr. Bender." Called Mr. Nelson, as John had just started to dose off. "There will be no sleeping in my class."
John glared at the teacher, crossing his arms over his chest as he fought the urge to tell him to fuck off.
Mr. Nelson watched the boy for a moment, noticing that something was off about him. "I would like you to graduate before you turn twenty." He stated, knowing that John couldn't speak.
John nodded, waving him off.
Mr. Nelson started toward the teen, stopping when Vernon pushed the door open. "Aaron, let him be. He's on edge, and you don't want to push it." Vernon warned, knowing that John had just suffered a seizure from what Tyler had told him before his class had started. "He's an ass, but believe me, it's not worth the risk."
Mr. Nelson backed off, knowing that Vernon had more experience dealing with this rebel than he ever would. "I'm not giving him any special treatment if that's what you're asking."
Vernon smirked, a little of John's influence showing in him. "Believe me, he doesn't need it. I'm just warning you that you're close to his breaking point, and I've been there before. You don't want to get there."
John relaxed for a moment, leaning back in his seat as sleep over took him, giving in to his exhaustion after he'd fought it for so long. He didn't hear anything until Mr. Nelson woke him up for the test. "If you fail this, it's on you kid."
John nodded, waving him off. He started checking off answers, and writing his reasons for them down, finishing in a few minutes and handing it over to Mr. Nelson before he finished his nap.
John jerked awake when the bell rang, picking up his backpack as he started for his locker to meet Claire before he went to music class. He spun his combo into his lock, popping it open to the strong smell of cheap beer wafting over him. He heaved a sigh, looking at his soaked belongings, he pulled his denim jacket from the locker, relieved that he'd worn that instead of the leather today, he grabbed one of the many water bottles in the bottom of the locker, tossing it into the trash with the knowledge that he couldn't drink from it anymore since it was covered in booze.
Claire watched as he emptied his locker out, knowing that he was aching to find the kid who'd done it, if not to beat him up then to try and get him to give him a drink. She knew he'd been trying to get rid of anything he could use to get his hands on something he wasn't supposed to. He'd burned his fake ID, tossed every lighter and pack of matches in his room into the trash, he'd even gone as far as not carrying cash with him unless he knew he would need it, instead stashing it in oddball places like Claire's glove compartment in her car, or under the seats in Andy's bronco, or under the insole of Dominic's shoes. He'd taken every precaution to keep him from temptation, especially today. Today, he wasn't even carrying his wallet or anything else he could possibly trade for a beer or a high. "We can wash it off." She stated, seeing the want in his eyes at the stench of the beer.
He nodded, tossing most of the stuff he'd had inside of the locker into the garbage, knowing that anything paper was ruined.
She rubbed his shoulders, able to feel the tension returning to his muscles. "Maybe we should tell someone."
He shook his head, closing his eyes as she touched him, trying to let her contact ground him. "No…"
She pulled him to her, bringing his head down to meet her lips. She let him set a pace, feeling his hunger for her as he nipped at her lips and moved his tongue against hers. She could sense the battle raging inside of him as he retracted his tongue and sucked on her lip, knowing that he only did this when he was desperate for a distraction and a high of a different kind. She sighed into his mouth as he moved back into the kiss, happy that he was slowly grounding himself through her, while at the same time giving her the feeling that she was lifting off into the air. She felt his hands trace little patterns on her hips, knowing that he was content in this moment.