The unbearable sound of the smartphone's alarm sound filled the room with a generic tune that Ian found easy to dislike, mostly because he associated it with waking up.
"Ugh. No fucking way it's time yet." Ian said and turned off the alarm and then put his head back on the pillow.
He turned to his side and let his ear rest on the pillow. He only kept his ear on the pillow for a few seconds before raising his head and looking at the pillow. The reason why he raised his head was because as soon as he put his ear on the pillow, he felt something wet and disgusting on his ear, and the answer to the mystery was right before his eyes now. A dark red stain was on the pillow, and smaller stains were in other places. Ian touched his ear and felt something wet on it. He looked at his fingers afterwards and they were drenched in blood now too. He tilted his head and felt the blood dripping out of his ear, so he straightened his head again.
"Guess that big bloke hit pretty hard. How do I explain this? Just more shit to worry about. That's for later." Ian said and flipped the pillow over to hide the stain.
He stood up from the bed and blood still dripped from his ear. He realised that he can't leave the room in this state. He looked for anything that he could shove in his ear but he couldn't see any paper, towels, paper towels or tissues in his room at all. He wasn't the type who would keep tissues on his nightstand. He put on a hooded sweatshirt as that was the only way he could think of to hide his leaky ear. He tilted his head in a way that the bloody ear pointed to the ceiling and then he pulled the stings of the hood to make it as tight as he could.
"That'll help for now. I look bloody stupid. I'll have to shove some toilet paper in there but that'll look stupid too. Fuck it. If anyone asks, it's none of their business." Ian said and left the room.
"Nah, I'm not walking around at school with bloody toilet paper sticking out of my ear. The hood has to stay unless the teachers complain about it." Ian said and walked to the bathroom in the empty house.
He took a shower and cleaned his bloody ear without touching it. Hot water going into the bloody ear was painful but Ian did it anyway, finding it necessary. After drying he noticed that the hood of his sweatshirt was already bloody from the brief moment that he wore it. He threw it in the laundry bin and went to his room to get a clean sweatshirt that he would wear under his uniform. He went back to the bathroom where he took several pieces of toilet paper and rolled them into a thick roll, almost like a cigar, and then shoved it in his ear. He put on his hood and then looked in the mirror that is in the bathroom.
"Still looks bloody stupid. Not even sure if the hoodie with the uniform passes the dress code. Doesn't hurt to try." He said and left the bathroom.
"Still need a ride. My bike is still busted. Lloyd has that shitty little bike of his. Suppose that's better than running there and being all stinky by the time i get there. It'll look bloody stupid when I'm sitting behind him on that thing but who's even there to see?" He said to himself alone in the hallway.
He took his phone from his room and picked Lloyd's number from the list and felt embarrassed to ask him this favour.
"Can you ride me to school today? Bike's still broken." Is all that the message said.
After Ian sent the message, he took a quick visit to the bathroom and when he came back, he discovered that his message had been answered the same minute that it was sent.
"Sure. Happy to!" Was Lloyd's answer.
"Great. I guess it's good to have useful friends. If I can even call us friends." Ian thought to himself and went to the front door.19Please respect copyright.PENANAMAVGiSebua
He decided to wait outside for Lloyd to pass by the house. Once Ian saw the bicycle approaching down the road, he looked around to see if anyone was looking. Nobody was outside on this misty morning in the neighbourhood where most people are retirees.
"Good morning." Lloyd cheerfully wished when he stopped the bike by Ian's front yard.
"Hi." Ian simply replied back.
"What's with the hood? Does that pass the dress code?"
"Don't know. Don't care."
"Fair enough. Hop on." Lloyd said.
Ian got on the back of the bike and looked around once again to see if anyone was around. Once he saw nobody, he put his hands on Lloyd's shoulders and the bike got moving.
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"Oh no. Oh fuck no." Ian said while riding on the back of the bike and feeling silly.
He heard a car behind him and saw that it was the car that William gets driven to school with. As soon as Ian recognised the car, he turned his head the right way round to hide his face with the hood. Once the car passed the bike, it slowed down and the window on William's side slid open.
"Little Lloyd. What criminal are you transporting here?" William smugly and amusedly said from the shotgun seat where he sat.
Ian chose to say nothing but just keep his head down.
"Maltman! It's you isn't it? Curious new fashion choice. Did you decide to bring some of your culture into the university? Not sure if being your hoodlum self fits with the university's aesthetic." William continued.
Lloyd started peddling faster with the delusional hope of getting away from William's rudeness but the car easily kept up.
"Don't exhaust yourself now, little Lloyd. You'll be tired all day like your backseat buddy there." William said from his seat and then closed his window and the car sped away.
"Can't stand that wanker." Ian said under his breath on the back of the bike.
"What does he even have against you?" Lloyd asked, never really having paid attention the relations of Ian and William.
"No idea. Guess I'm just easy to poke fun at. Keep peddling." Ian said with clear disdain in his voice.
"Don't let it get under your skin. That's what I tell myself when everyone around me are knob heads." Lloyd said back.
Ian's response was silence.
"I'll just shut it for now." Lloyd said and kept riding the bike along the misty road on this gray morning.
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Once Lloyd got the bike to the university's premises, Ian quickly hopped off of it with a quick "Thanks." and then quickly distanced himself from Lloyd while keeping his hood on.
"Don't leave me alone here!" Lloyd shouted from behind and jogged to Ian who paid him no mind, like usual.
They entered the halls of the university where Lloyd's usual bullies were once again sitting on a padded bench and on its backrest. They all glared at Lloyd as he and Ian walked past. Ian didn't even look at them but he knew who they were looking at anyway. None of them sat up.
"Where's the first class?" Ian ask Lloyd without looking at him.
"Upstairs." Lloyd answered from behind.
"Why is it there?"
"The exam."
"Oh fuck. Right. The exam."
"You think it's going to go well?" Lloyd asked with genuine care.
"No."
"Haven't studied?"
"I have. A bit. But I've forgotten almost everything."
"You sound tired again."
"I am tired again."
"Why do you keep... Never mind."
"Exactly." Ian said and found the stairs leading to the next floor.
At the second floor they waited by a bench right next to the classroom, as they usually did. Some students looked at Ian still wearing his hood, but nobody said anything to him. As minutes passed, more classmates gathered by the door of the classroom and lastly, the professor supervising the exam showed up with a stack of papers in her hand.
"Take that hood off, young man." The professor said to Ian and unlocked the classroom.
Ian didn't do as asked, but just joined the wave of pupils flooding into the classroom where the desks were separated and the air smelt dead. All people took their seats. Ian kept his hood on and felt how damp his ear was.
"Of course." He quietly said.
"I told you to take that hood off." The professor said from the front of the class.
"I can't." Ian replied impatiently.
"Oh. Is it stapled to your head?"
"Maybe it is."
"Wear clothing appropriate to the dress code or you won't take the exam at all." The professor threatened.
Ian sighed and took his hood off. His frizzy hair of dirty blond was electric from being inside the hood so long. He tilted his head and leaned his cheek on his palm that was pointing up towards the ceiling.
"Was it so difficult?" The professor asked in a snarky manner but Ian just stayed quiet and closed his eyes in tiredness.
Papers were passed around to everyone. When a paper was put on Ian's desk, he didn't react to it at all. Just kept his eyes closed.
"The test may be started as soon as your paper is handed to you." The professor announced.
"Just a bit of regrouping before I start." Ian thought and kept his eyes closed.
A little while later he felt tiny pieces of erasers being chucked at him. He ignored them, figuring it's just some idiot. Then an entire eraser was thrown at his bloody ear and that got his attention. He gave an angry glare at the direction where the throw came from and noticed that it was Lloyd who threw the eraser.
"It's been fifteen minutes and you haven't even started. Don't fall asleep now." Lloyd said to Ian.
Ian looked at the exam sheet and the first question.
"Write a 400 word answer to what opportunities and challenges do urbanisation and technological advancement create for international enterprise." Is what the first question was.
Ian looked at the question with his baggy eyes and with an expression on his face like he had just lost a thousand pound bank note. He picked up the paper and wiped it on his bloody ear and put it back on the desk.
"Fuck this." Ian said and stood up from his chair without even putting his name on the paper.
He put his hood back on and walked out of the classroom. The hallway was quiet and empty as all classes were currently in session. Before Ian walked too far away from the classroom, he stopped himself.
"Should I at least try?" He thought and stood there for a moment.
"Nah. I could use that time to make money." He then added and picked Ronnie's number from his phone.
"Got any gigs?" He sent a message to Ronnie and then kept walking out.
Outside of the university building Ian realised that he has no vehicle to get home.
"Might as well get to whatever gig Ronnie can get me in the town, rather than take the long walk home." He thought to himself outside.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and looked at it.
"I got one gig. But it's a risky one. Not sure if you want that. If it goes wrong, you're on your own." Ronnie's message read.
"How much does it pay?" Ian texted back and waited.
"Depends on how well it goes." Ronnie replied.
"Fuck that then. Got any fights tonight?"
"Of course. Same place and same time as always."
"Alright. I'll be there in the evening." Ian replied and put the phone in his pocket.
"This whole university deal isn't going anywhere. I'm dropping out. So bloody dropping out. but before I do that I might as well catch up on sleep before the fight. But then I'd have to go home and I can't be arsed to walk there. And when mum comes home she'll wonder why I'm already there even though the bike is busted. Agh. Do I just go back to class? Nah fuck that." Ian pondered to himself and stood there.
"Cindy lives in the town pretty close the factory..." Ian reminded himself and stayed quiet.
"She'd probably let me take a nap there, but she'd see something that isn't there and think that I'm there for other reasons. Then I'd have to explain the real reason and she'd be disappointed." Ian thought and stayed quiet again.
"But fuck if I care about how she feels. I don't intend her to be in my life anymore..."
"But then again, I should be on her good side if I need money from her, which is a real possibility. She might be happy to see me again and if I need to ask for money, she'll be more willing. I'm a genius. Way too smart for school." Ian thought and walked out of the university's premises to the direction of the town.
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"While I'm here in town I may as well ask Hamilton how much it would cost to repair the bike. His shop should be along the way. And I should also probably ask Cindy in advance if I can crash. But how do I word it?" Ian talked to himself while walking the street at the town.
He kept looking at his phone and had Cindy's contact open. He typed "Hi" on the field but didn't send it yet.
"No, fuck this. I'll just walk home and walk from there when the time comes. This was a stupid idea. But if I do that, I can sleep for an hour maybe and then I'd have to run back. Fuck it." Ian said and pressed the Send button.
He kept looking at the screen and just ten seconds after he sent his Hi, it appeared that Cindy was now online.
"Hi!" Was Cindy's quick reply, accompanied by a smiley emoticon.
"Great, what do I say now? Why is this so hard for me? She's not a stranger to me."
The screen on the phone was still on and the sky was lightly dripping. Ian kept looking at the screen and the contact on it as small droplets fell on it. He could just imagine Cindy eagerly awaiting for what he would say next.
"I'm away from home and sleep deprived and I need a place to... fuck that. That sounds weird. I can't say that." Ian said to himself and erased the message he was about to type.
"How are you?" Came a message from Cindy.
"Damn. I can't just tell her that it's nothing now that I got her interest. I mean, I could, but she'd make all kinds of theories about what I was about to say to her." Ian said to himself.
"Can I take a nap at your place for a few hours? I have some business in the town tonight and I'm closer to you than to home currently." Ian typed and pressed Send.
The following seconds passed awkwardly as Ian waited for a response. Once the chat app showed that Cindy was typing, Ian got nervous thinking what the reply would be.
"I should just keep her away from my life but I went and did it now." Ian said and waited.
"Of course! Any time. I work from home anyway so I'm home for most of the day." Cindy's reply said accompanied with a smiley emoticon.
"Great. Now what? How do I look at her when I show up to her door? She's probably thinking the same thing. Ugh. Why does this make me more nervous than confessing to her back then? It's just for a few hours. Just be professional and it'll be nothing." Ian said to himself and started typing a reply.
"Alright. I'll be there. Thanks." He typed and pressed Send.
He looked at the screen for a few moments and no reply came from Cindy. Ian's finger hovered above certain buttons for a while before he made the decision to send an innocent smiley after his previous message. No reply came. He put the phone in his pocket and started walking to where he remembers Cindy's home being.
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"There's Hamilton's garage. Right where I remembered. I should ask the wanker how much a repair would cost now that I'm here." Ian said to himself when he saw a familiar repair shop as he was walking toward's Cindy's address on the outskirts of the town on afternoon.
A big door on the side of the building was open and inside Ian saw an old Saab being hoisted from the ceiling with four chains in what looked like an extremely unsafe way to elevate a vehicle, but in this small town nobody would comment about it and Ian saw nothing strange about it. He entered the garage and looked around. On the walls of the room were wrenches and other tools hanging and a pile of empty fuel canisters was on a corner. A single light bulb hanging from the ceiling was the only thing lighting the garage. An unsavory calendar was on the wall as well.
"Fucking piece of shite! Work for fucking once!" Came a shout from behind a blue metal door on the corner of the garage.
"Sounds like Hamilton is the same as he's always been." Ian stated to himself and went to the door.
"Hey, ginger cunt!" Ian shouted right after he pulled the metal door open and saw Hamilton sitting by a coffee table and shaking his phone angrily.
The hairy ginger headed man in a greasy t-shirt turned to Ian when he heard a nickname that he recognised.
"Malty! Almost didn't recognise ye on under that junkie hood. The fuck ye want 'ere? Isn't it school hours?" Hamilton asked and stood up.
"Forget about that. My bike's busted and needs a proper gander." Ian answered.
"I can do that. Ye got the bike withya?" Hamilton asked.
"Nah, mate. I left it home."
"Well, I sort of need it here to look at it."
"Yeah, well I didn't intend to have it looked at today. Just came to ask."
"Right. Any day is fine by me except Monday and Sunday. Ye got any idea what's wrong with it?"
"Haven't got a Scooby Doo, mate."
"I'll see what I can do. Cost depends on how bad it is. If parts need replacin' then that's all out of yer bag." Hamilton explained.
"Two hundred probably won't cover that." Ian said.
"Nah. Not quite. Not quite." Hamilton said and chuckled at the proposition.
"Well. Thanks anyway. What hours do you usually work?"
"Depends on how I feel that day."
"What a professionally run establishment. Alright. I'll show up with the bike when I do."
"Yeah that's all right. Ye got anything else to say?" Hamilton asked.
"Not really." Ian said and put his hands in his pockets.
"Good." Hamilton simply said and sat back down with his frozen smartphone.
Ian figured that he was no longer wanted here, so he quietly turned away and left through the metal door again. Inside the garage he heard a quiet crack coming from the ceiling and a piece of concrete dust fell to the ground.
"Better not be here when this entire place collapses." He said and quickly walked out of the garage and back to the street.
"Getting my arse beat at the factory every night is never going to get that bike fixed. I just know it. And then mum also has her own money problems that she can't handle. Maybe I'll need to ask Ronnie about that risky gig. What else can I do? I mean I could ask Cindy but I don't think she'd agree. Not at this point. One problem at a time. That's how I roll. Just got to get some sleep before the fight. That's what I'm worried about right now." Ian thought to himself as he walked the sidewalk.
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While walking the sidewalks Ian felt his phone vibrate and checked it. It was a message from Lloyd.
"Great. What does he have to say now? He's probably getting his arse beat without me there. Not my problem anymore." Ian said and opened the message anyway.
"You really just ran away from the test? You know you'll have to take it again at some point now?" Is what Lloyd's message said.
Ian thought what to reply for a few seconds and then he decided.
"No I won't." His reply said accompanied by a winky emoticon.
It took a minute for Lloyd to reply again so Ian just kept looking forward while walking until he felt another message coming.
"You're dropping out?" Lloyd's message said.
"Probably." Ian replied.
"Why?"
"I have more important shit on my plate." Ian replied and angrily put the phone in his pocket after getting sick of thinking about school.
He focused on walking for another minute before getting another message that he had just enough patience to check.
"Take care. I'll miss you." The message from Lloyd simply said.
"Oh for... That bloody loser really is going to be eaten alive if I'm not there. Hmm." Ian said and didn't reply to the message.
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"There's her house already. I don't feel like I belong in a neighbourhood like this. I know she won't judge but still. And hers looks like the most elaborate and expensive on the whole street. So this is where she moved into. I knew the address but I've never actually been here. I wasn't going to come to her housewarming party in a million years, despite her invitation." Ian thought to himself when he arrived to the right address and looked at the abstractly shaped two story gray concrete monstrosity with tinted windows.
He nervously stopped to the front door where Cindy's surname was written in gilded letters. He looked at the doorbell and had his final doubts before ringing it.
"Why am I making such a big deal of this? It's a favour from a friend to a friend." Ian said and rang the doorbell.
He put his hands in his pockets while waiting for what felt like an hour, and then the door was opened by a suit wearing man with a trimmed beard and short brown hair.
"Cindy! Some chav is on the door! You know this guy?" The man at the door yelled into the house.
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