Two Halves Of One Whole (bxb)

Oliver sighed upon realizing that it was now 6pm, and he was due home for dinner any minute. He was many blocks away from his large house, and he would most definitely be late. His mother was going to scalp him.

And it was beginning to rain, only lightly. But the mist falling from the sky sent a shiver down his spine. He could only hope it stayed like this. He tugged his grey beanie further down and over his ears.

“Come on, Puppers.” He called gently to his little white dog as he began jogging in the direction of his street. The dog, named Scruffy but commonly referred to as “Puppers”, trotted along beside him, her little but long tongue out as she happily wagged her tail.

“Ow!” Oliver cried out as he stepped on a small incline in the concrete, and rolled his ankle. He slowed down to a walk, continuing on his way but this time with a tight grimace and a noticeable limp.

By the time he got home it was now 6:13pm, dinner was served at 6:15pm but every child was expected to be washed up and sitting at the table, or helping serve by now.

Oliver had a lot of siblings, not because he lived in a group home, or because his parents, and I quote “fucked like rabbits”, but because his parents fostered different children of all ages. Him, along with his slightly older brother were the only two out of the nine that were biologically related to Sandra and Dan, their caring and supportive parents.

Oliver walked through the front door, and bent down to unclip Scruffy’s lead, and untie his shoelaces. Sandra hated it when her children simply kicked their shoes off. It ruined them, she always said. He placed them neatly on the rack and hurried down the hall, eager to get to his room to put his slippers on, and clear the mist from his glasses. He couldn’t see a thing, but he didn’t want to risk scratching them by using the material of his also damp clothing.

“Oliver, is that you?” His mother called out from the dining room. All conversation ceased as everyone waited for his response.

Oliver poked his head around the wall, to see his entire family sitting around the large table with their plates loaded with food. “Yes, Ma. I lost track of time, I’m sorry.” He smiled sheepishly. Sandra smiled, instantly accepting her sons apology. Oliver rarely broke rules, so when he did it was usually overlooked, especially when it was a genuine mistake.

“Okay, Sweetheart. Now go wash up before your dinner gets cold.” She urged with the same smile. Oliver turned and continued his trek down the hall and up the stairs. Scruffy followed him, her nails lightly tapping against the polished wood.

Soon enough Oliver had changed into a pair of loose tracksuit pants, a dry hoodie and a new beanie. He was seated at the table and began eagerly engaging in conversation with his family.

-

Harrison glared at his confusing math homework in front of him. The equations looked simple at first glance, but once he began trying to work them out he was stuck. The yellow light from his lamp fell on his arm, causing shadows to appear on the page.

Harrison’s eyes grew blurry as he focused on question 12.

Which of the following equations has the same solution as 5 x + 8 = x − 9?

A) 4 x = −1

B) 4 x = 17

C) 6 x = −17

D) 6 x = 17

E) 4 x = −17

No matter how hard he focused, the answer never came to mind. Instead of continuing, Harrison simply sighed and flipped the pages back over, hiding the unanswered questions. He could finish it during lunch tomorrow, when he was more awake and focused. He pondered about whether he should get to class early and ask the teacher to explain it to him. His friends would be frustrated that he was missing lunch, but Harrison was sure they’d make do.

He placed the folder into his school bag along with his pencil case and some other work he finished earlier. Once he finished cleaning up the mess in his room, which mainly consisted of a few dirty shirts and some socks, there was a quiet scratch on the door. Harrison smiled, it was like clockwork.

Harrison finished putting a new, warmer shirt over his head before opening the door, peeking around the small gap. He saw nothing but darkness, until a nose pushed the door further open, and Harrison’s Golden Retriever Buddy invited himself in.

The dog wagged his tail happily and stepped up onto the single mattress that was in the corner of the room, the blankets and pillows neatly made as an effort to make it look like he didn’t have a total let down of a bedroom. The dog laid his head on his paws and looked up at the boy with large, sad looking eyes. Harrison soon crawled onto the mattress beside his dog, resting a hand behind his head and the other one wrapped Buddy’s fur.

Harrison sighed deeply as he thought about what he had to do this week; Monday he had school, and would have to finish that English assignment, Tuesday he had to go grocery shopping, Wednesday was appointment day, so he would leave school early to be able to drive his mother to the next down over. Thursday he needed to get his car serviced, and then Friday he had to pick up his sister. Saturday he planned on taking Ruby to the park, and then later that afternoon he would catch up on homework. And maybe Sunday he would finally hang out with his friends. Or perhaps he’d finally get around to fixing his bedframe, sleeping on the floor wasn’t the worst, but it certainly wasn’t ideal. Harrison liked having a weekly, and daily plan. It helped quiet his mind and he knew what to expect.

Harrison stared at the roof. Aside from Buddy’s breathing, the cars driving past, the tick of his alarm clock, and the beeping of the machines in the next room, it was silent and Harrison relished in it. He loved the gentle noises that lulled him to sleep every night. They never bothered him.

Soon enough, just like clockwork, Harrison fell asleep alongside his canine friend.

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Word count: 1136

Uploaded: 15/12/2020

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PROLOGUE and CHAPTER 1 will be posted immediately <3 I hope you enjoy!