Bottled love

The world is a subsequent color of blue. There is enough sadness and not enough darkness. But there is abundance, lurking around in the shadow. There isn’t enough light to discard the shadows. And there isn’t enough history to cover the past.

No matter how far you go, you fall back because of your own inhibitions.

The rain splashed down on me, as I lay on the ground with a bloody nose, staring up at the sky. It is more grey than blue. The numerous injuries on my body should at least faze me, but they don’t. Instead, the pain is smoked away like the burnt out cigarette beside me.

It feels like I am drowning under the rain.

I fight more times than I can count. And I get injured just like that.

My head throbs for some reason. Perhaps it’s bleeding. I can’t tell the wetness caused by the rain and the wetness caused by the blood apart anymore. My shirt has started to stick to me like a second skin, and I don’t know, how long I shall lay like this anymore.

The confusion never leaves my head. I bring my hand over to my throbbing head. I feel the wound, probbing around it a little. It indeed is bleeding. I sit up, and lean against the tall wall standing behind me. I fish out the phone from my pocket and look at the time. Ten past nine. I am late for school.

But it doesn’t even matter if I skip school. I am not that diligent of a student. Neither am I a cherished student. I turn to my side to look at the street. There are not many people on the sidewalks. And there are certainly not as many cars. I exhaled out a deep breath and rested my palm over the wall in order to stand up.

Ouch.

My calves do hurt a little now.

I thought if I had waited out the pain then it wouldn’t really hurt as much. But damn it, looks like a group of five was too much for me to handle.

The rain was picking up its pace. The water droplets falling down on me had started to hurt now. I trudged forward somehow. Maybe I could go back home if not to school.

It looked visibly impossible for me to go back to school in such a state. I fished out my phone once again, not being able to even make it out of the alleyway. There were many numbers that I couldn’t call. But there were a few that I could.

Austin. We exchanged numbers only because of the one assignment that we had to do together. We hadn’t contacted each other any more than that. We didn’t even speak in class. Moreso, it felt like he was going out of his way to avoid me.

Just below him was Danny. Without thinking twice, I hit the call button. He wasn’t the person I trusted completely; but at least he was the person who could help me. “Yo,” I said into the phone when he picked up. “ ’Sup,” he replied back. “I need you in Amelia Street. There were some guys you see. They picked a fight. While I did do a solid on them, I might have taken a big hit.” I said, sighing out. I needed something in my mouth. “Again? Just how many of these bullcrappers do you attract?” he asked yet again, and it now sounded like he was away from people. “And it’s raining. Where are you in Amelia Street? I will pick you up,” he sighed out. He could cut class alright. “Mmhm, I don’t know. Some dumb alleyway. It hurts when I stand up,” I said.

“Stay right there. Don’t move. I am coming,” he sounded exhausted. I wonder if I was adding to his already bulky list of doing things. But knowing him, he might not have much to do anyways.

The wall in front of me looked as old as it could be. It was half-stained with paint and half-stained with nothing. Black ink had spreaded out spelling something, but there was nothing that I could read. Scratches on the wall wrote names, shipping themselves with someone.

I fished out my cigarette box and pulled out another. The rain had started to slow down a little. I covered the nozzle of the lighter with my hand and brought the cigarette near the flame. I inhaled the first puff and exhaled out the smoke.

The sky was starting to lighten up a little. It clicked me at that moment. There were probably assignments that I needed to submit today. I don’t really remember if I did them or not.

“There you are, Elijah,” a familiar voice called out to me. Danny stood at the entrance of the alley, leaning down trying to catch his breath. “Why did you run to get here?” I asked back, throwing the cigarette onto the ground. “Aah, don’t ask. Austin was guarding the class like a hawk. I had to make an excuse to get out.” he flapped his shirt. “Whatever. Help me get to school,” I said back, trying to get up using the wall as a support. “Dang they got you good,” Danny held out a hand for me to hold. “You wanna go to school in this state?” he asked raising a brow at me.

“Where else can I go in this state?”

“I don’t know, maybe to the hospital,” he shrugged his shoulders at me. I slung my hand over his shoulder trying to support myself. “You know I can’t do that,” he, of all people knows that very well.

This small city, congested with people, has everyone speaking of things. And everyone has ears here. My father is a good example of being an ear, or perhaps a bad example. It depends over the person he is projecting.

“Then do you want me to take you to the school infirmary?” he asked. I nodded at him. “That would be the best,” I replied. “But it looks like we would have to use the back gate, since Austin must be waiting like a hawk,” he muttered to himself at this point.

I don’t really care about him. But he is what everyone aspires to be. He is mindful with his words and appearance. He is assertive. And he is good at everything he does. He is good at studies. And he is good with his academics.

He is what you’d call a golden child. A total opposite of me.