I woke up early the next morning, or at least, early for me. Unsurprisingly, Azazel was already gone, probably taking a cram class for the ranking test next week. I swear, that kid has a seriously one track mind. I mean, it's not like he could ever score lower than me, even if he tried! Heck, I wouldn't be shocked if he moved up a rank by accident!
I yawned and stretched when I sat up, trying to force out the crick that had so kindly decided to form in my neck. I popped my knuckles and toes before standing up, yet my joints still creaked worse than an old man's. I wobbled a bit, still not used to this sudden up-right position. Miraculously, I was able to make it to the bathroom without some major catastrophe happening.
I brushed my teeth vigorously, then inspected my reflection in the mirror. I had a deep red imprint in my left cheek from Jeff the Giraffe's eye. I opted out of brushing my hair. I figured it went well with the under eye bags that had sprouted overnight and my crinkled clothes from yesterday. I sniffed my shirt. On second thought, maybe a change of clothes wouldn't be a terrible idea. Also a shower. Definitely a shower.
XILIX XILIX
I decided now that I was a bit more presentable, I ought to pay Mello a visit. His room was just a turn down the hall from mine, I've seen him dart past my room when Roger or Mr. Whammy was after him. I marched confidently down the hall until I reached a conundrum. Little did I know there was a fork in the road. I haven't ever actually been down this way before. Breakfast was the other way, so why bother?
I dug in my pocket to see if I had anything to use as a directional telling device of fate. Lint, a bubblegum wrapper, and some gears. Cool, but in no way helpful to my situation. I dug around in another pocket, hoping for a touch more luck this time. Score! While I didn't stumble upon a coin of any sort, I did find a pencil. Works for me!
I tossed the pencil in the air with a flip of my wrist. Point end would be the indicator, I decided. Left, it directed.
"Well, okay then, pencil," I said, "You know best."
I ran into another problem after I rounded the corner. There were doors... EVERYWHERE! There were at least six rooms on each side of the hall, and I had absolutely no clue what room was Mello's. I eliminated all the ones with open doors, pegging Mello as a more private type. Aside from that, there was only one way to find out. I snuck towards the left wall, keeping with the pencil's guidance, and grasped the door knob, turning it, and slowly peeked in. I was met by a mop of floppy black hair. Nope. Not the droid I was looking for. I continued down the row, peering in, then stepping back with disappointment.
I finally got to the last door on the left wall, and if it was wrong, I swear I was gonna have to punch someone. I pushed the door open just a crack and looked in. There were two beds, one neatly made and the other was just a mess. Actually, that could very well describe the whole room. I could practically see the dividing line straight down the center where cluttered beyond belief met pristinely organized. The room was empty, and I wasn't quite sure what Mello's living style was. This would call for deeper investigation!
I dropped to my knees, leaning heavily on the door both to keep my balance and to stop it from swinging open. I slowly pushed it open a teensy bit more and started to quietly creep in ever so slightly.
"What are you doing?"
"YEEKS!" I screamed, falling to the floor as the door swung open. My head slammed into the door-frame, and my own personal galaxy glittered across my eyes for a few moments afterwards.
XILIX XILIX
Before I knew it, I was laying on the clear bed with a bag of ice from the residential nurse over my face. My nose was sore and swollen,and I'm pretty sure I looked uncomfortably similar to a clown. At least my face was going numb.
"So let me get this straight," Matt said over the noise of his nintendo, "You were looking for Mello, and rather than asking someone for help, you relied on a pencil and then creeped on countless children, violating their privacy and causing everyone trouble?" he asked.
"You forgot about the part where I scared the bejeezus out of the nurse," I pointed out, rolling to look at him.
"Yes, then you give the nurse a heart attack with your massive face hemorrhage," he added. I thought for a moment.
"Yep. Sounds about right," I agreed.
"Smart." He sounded sarcastic. I could practically hear the eye roll.
"I thought so too. So where is Mello, anyway?" I asked. I rolled off the bed and landed on the soft, fluffy carpet with a thump.
"Taking some cram course or something," he shrugged. "And I wouldn't touch that if I were you."
"What, this?" I asked, gesturing to an unlabeled cardboard box that I pulled out from under the bed. "Why? Is it going to explode if I open it?"
"Something like that," he said. I opened the box. I didn't die, in fact, nothing happened. How disappointing. Inside the box was bars upon bars of sweet, delicious, chocolate bars. I took one out and smiled, I could already feel the sugar rush. I opened it and brought it up to my mouth.
"I am telling you this for the good of your immortal soul," Matt warned, eyes wide. "You do not want to eat that chocolate bar."
What stopped me (after the first bite, of course) was not Matt's warning. Nor was it the fact that he had actually put down his game to administer it and his goggles weren't covering his eyes for once, though that did come shockingly close, I must say. No, what stopped me was the positively horror stricken face of one chocolate munching Mello. The air between us was tense. I couldn't help it, perhaps the frozen silence was to much, or perhaps I'm just completely out of my mind. I smiled at him and took another bite and chewed it slowly. His face changed like a mood ring. From horror stricken to heart broken, finally he settled on pissed.
Mello charged me and I jumped onto his bed, grabbing his pillow for a shield. "Save me Matt!" I cried.
"I told you not to eat it," he said, once again fully immersed in his game.
Mello yanked my foot out from under me sending me sprawling. I flailed my foot about trying to dislodge his grip. Thump. I kicked him in the shoulder, but it, if anything, made my situation worse. He tightened his fingers around my ankle and pulled me off the bed.
"Save me!" I shrieked both with fear and laughter, "He's gonna eat me!"
"Shut up!" he yelled kicking me in the stomach. I zipped my mouth shut and curled around his leg. I grit my teeth, the kick hurt like a devil. Then I got a funny idea. Maybe he wasn't playing. Maybe he was seriously going to kill me over a stupid bit of candy. I bit his ankle through his jeans. His body twisted and more out of shock than anything, I presume, he lost his balance and fell, landing directly on my ribs.
"Ack!" I gasped.
"Sh*t!" he groaned. And just like that it was over. No more yelling or punching or kicking or biting. I craned my neck and saw Matt silently laughing his head off. I rolled my eyes. I looked up higher and saw the reason for the calm. Mello, still red faced and huffy, was finishing the chocolate that I just realized I dropped. Dang it. I sighed.
"You're so melodramatic," I laughed weakly, the air still being crushed out of my lungs. He bounced on my ribs, letting me feel the full force of his boney butt again. He clearly wasn't quite so amused with my pun as I was.
"Not to be rude, but was there a reason for your visit, or nah?" Matt asked, bringing our focus back to the point.
"You mean I need an excuse to visit my favorite geniuses?" I asked mocking a hurt tone. "But alas, there is a point. I need you guys," I pointed at the both of them just in case they needed clarification, "to come with me."
"Why?" Mello asked, though the way he said it made it sound less like a question.
"Because," I said as I wriggled out from under him like a worm. "I want you to. And you're my friend, so you have to do what I say." I crossed my arms and Mello looked angry again.
XILIX XILIX
I led the two boys into the forest only slightly against their will. I explained to them on the way that we were going to go swimming in the pond. My secret pond. I also warned them that if they told anyone about it they would soon find their eyes eaten out by maggots. It felt bad to threaten my new found friends, but I got over it. After all, I was showing them my private hiding spot.
"Here it is," I gestured widely to the glistening body of water. It was maybe fifty feet in diameter and only got about ten feet deep. There were burr reeds growing around it in clumps here and there and a short little pier to sit on. I had also tied a thick rope around a branch of an oak to swing from. This was my own private paradise. "Let's swim!" I pulled off my tee shirt, but kept my shorts and undershirt on.
Matt seemed very uncomfortable with the idea of getting wet, and Mello just looked defiant. Very reluctantly Mello started edging towards the water. I grabbed the sleeve of his shirt and tugged lightly, causing him to glance at me.
"You aren't gonna wanna swim in long sleeves," I warned. "I used to do it, but it gets really heavy and rubs when you get out. Also, it could come up over your head if you go under. It looks kinda baggy. And-"
"Fine." he grumpily interrupted. He pulled the shirt over his head and dropped it harshly on the grass. "Happy now?" It was a rhetorical question and I didn't want to anger him more with a smart-alec response, so I bit my tongue to keep myself quiet. Literally. I figured I'd live longer that way anyway.
"C'mon!" I cheered, grabbing his limp wrist and pulling him into the water with me. The water was a bit nippy, though it could definitely have been worse. I tugged him along behind me until I got where it was too deep for me to stand. I sucked in a deep breath and relaxed into a back float, closing my eyes and basking in the warm glowing light of the afternoon sun and the sweet humming of the crickets and bees. I let the calm wash over me, and I fell into a sort of daze.
I heard Mello splashing around a bit, but I deemed it as unimportant. That is, until I felt him swim up right behind me. Before I even knew what was happening, I felt his hands grasp my shoulders. In one swift movement he flipped me over onto my stomach an pushed me underwater. Hard. The water below the surface was close to freezing, and I was trying to keep down the choke trying to tear its way out of my throat as a response to the water I snorted.
I struggled free of his grip and popped out of the water like a rocket. Mello was laughing his butt off and I glared at him. Apparently he found that immensely funny too, because he broke into a whole new fit of laughter. I glared harder and splashed him in the face, aiming for his nose and mouth.
"Not cool, dude!" I yelled. Matt was laughing now too, at both of us. Mello sent him an evil death glare which stopped Matt not at all. He fixed me with such a devious gleam to his eye that I couldn't help but smirk. I knew exactly where this was headed and I wouldn't miss such an opportunity for the world.
Mello and I both descended under the water and swam towards the pier. Simultaneously, we each grabbed one of Matt's legs and yanked him in. Matt let out an animalistic howl as he crashed into the water. In my excitement I turned to high-five Mello, forgetting for a moment that he didn't like me. Thankfully, he seemed to have forgotten too, otherwise he would have received a less than pleasant slap to the face. We froze and stared at each other for a moment my brown eyes meeting his blue ones. I smiled hesitantly at him. He snarled slightly at me and turned away. After we had our little moment, Matt returned coughing and sputtering to the surface.
"I really hate you guys, you know that?" he asked grimly. I smiled.
"I love you, too, Mattie," I grinned, only to receive a big face full of water. Yes, this was the seedling of a wondrous friendship. I could tell.