Kai

My head still pounded and my ears hurt with the ringing. However, now my throat was also dry and my thoughts were starting to muddle. My eyes blurred and fought to close, something similar to tears forming indicating that I was fatigued beyond belief. I couldn’t fall back asleep, though, not here. I had to get out while I was able. I couldn’t get my words to work and before long I realized that my eyes had closed on their accord. I couldn’t even fight off whoever was tilting my head back or taste whatever was being forced down my throat. I nearly lost it, hoping that whatever it was actually belonged in the human body.

Waking again made me realize that I had fallen asleep, despite still being in the cold, bright room. I felt dull and sick, though it was the kind I was much more used to. This I could function with. The sleep, and perhaps the liquid earlier had worked its magic surprisingly well. Now I just needed some more sleep and I would hopefully be good to go. More sleep, however, would only come where I felt safe now that I wasn’t so out of it, and safe meant the room I shared with Clyde.

I could skip the classes and lectures, maybe have my professors email me the assignments coming up. Sleeping sounded like a much better option than attending courses that I would never pay attention to in the first place. Sleep and then the hour-long trumpet lesson later. Someone had asked if I have time in the evenings on campus, so of course I said yes. I needed the money.

Sitting up was a painful experience. I was still unbelievably sore and my head was pounding. Nausea and dizziness lurked at the edges of my control, waiting for the slightest misstep. I knew that one wrong move would likely give it free reign over my mind. I had just managed to sit up when one of the university nurses came in.

She was young, probably having just graduated or close to it, and decently pretty, but she was persistent and stubborn. She refused to let me leave without an examination. Too tired to try arguing, I let her take my temperature as she babbled disgustingly cheerily. She tried to continue, but I was done. I refused to let her so much as check my blood pressure or heart rate. She even tried to “call my bluff”.

“Alright, Mr. I’m-just-fine. Prove it. Prove just how macho and pain-tolerant you are,” she stood, hands on offset hips. I raised an eyebrow, almost amused by her sass and naivety. After a moment, I stood without grimacing, a feat in and of itself.

She sighed heavily, finally realizing that I was going to be leaving whether she liked it or not, and I would not be continuing with this “exam” she wanted to give me. She even tried to make me sit through her own version of a lecture on concussions and other fall-related injuries. I ignored her, already knowing that she had very little information that I didn’t know, if any.

Once she was done, she let me leave, though standing again nearly through me off. Trying to hide my disorientation, I walked as quickly as I could while still being cautious of my obvious limits. Luckily enough, my backpack had been left on a chair by the exit. I grabbed it without stopping, not wanting to lose what little momentum I had. Sleep was about the only thing I could concentrate on, and my bed was my motivation to stay upright.

The walk thankfully gave me some time to process what had just happened, or at least start processing. My main concern was that the nurse, or whoever she had been, had wanted to do a “full exam” on me, whatever that meant. I didn’t know what all was involved in an “examination”, as I had never experienced or read about one, but I did know that the slightest hit of my injuries from this weekend would lead to further inquiries. It had happened before, and some had even tried to tell me that the causes of said injuries was “disgusting” and “sinful”. People just didn’t understand that we aren’t a “normal” family. None of us are normal people, so why should we have a normal family?

Maybe I had felt left out as a kid when I saw that my relationship with my parents has never been the same as other kids’, but I had grown up with it. Besides, no one would ever want to care for me, that much was abundantly clear, so why should I? I never had and never will matter to anyone. There had plenty that claimed I was important to them, but none of them had ever stuck around or stuck up for me.

Well, aside from him of course, but I had known from the start that I would never be able to stay with him. Nothing I valued ever lasted, and I had greatly valued him. Besides, I knew I would eventually have to leave. I always had to leave.

I finally reached the room I shared with Clyde and locked the door behind me. It would hopefully keep any random people from wandering in. Plus, Clyde wasn’t in the room right then, which meant that whenever he did return, he would know that I was here as I was the only one to ever lock the door. Maybe that would keep him quiet if he decided to stay.

I checked my phone, realizing I still had most of the afternoon to sleep away. My only lesson today was the new student later, but that shouldn’t take too much effort on my part. I set an alarm, knowing that if I didn’t, I would never wake up in time for the session. I was far too tired to risk it. After plugging in my phone and setting it on my nightstand, I crashed into my pillow and promptly fell asleep.