Pseudology

Eleven

EDITED 2/8/13

The pain was deep inside his chest, crawling up his throat and screaming to get out. God, he felt ill. God, he wanted to vomit. God! Why did he keep saying ‘God’? He wasn’t even sure if he believed in Him!

Adrian rolled over and stretched the muscles around his mouth, squinting and yawning. At the yawn, his stomach protested and he reached, producing nothing but a raw throat and teary eyes. He curled up into a fragile ball and moaned, slamming his mouth shut with such force that his jaw ached.

“M-martin?” Adrian called out to the boy next to him, but the boy didn’t stir. “Martin…? Martin?”

“Urgh! What, Adrian?” the small voice called out from under the covers; soon, a head emerged. Martin’s hair was sticking to the pillow and his eyes were rimmed with sleep.

Martin had been known as the ‘boy-in-the-next-bed’ since Adrian joined the school, and often talked to him when they were both alone. They didn’t hang around with each other, but Adrian knew that Martin was reasonably nice.

“M-martin, I feel ill. I can’t get up to work. Could you tell the nurse for me?” Adrian tried to sound as though he wasn’t ill, but he didn’t really see the point.

“What’s wrong with you?” Martin asked, his voice hushed as he wiped grime from his eyes. He had sat himself up in bed and had turned his body so that he was half lying on his side so he was looking at Adrian.

Adrian remained silent, shutting his eyes and trying to ignore how loud Martin’s voice seemed.

“Adrian? I said ‘what’s wrong?’ Tell me so I can tell the nurse!”

“T-t-tell her I’m ill.”

“No, tell me what’s wrong!” Martin hissed. Adrian rolled his eyes at the boy’s stubbornness and groaned a little as his head started to thump. “Adrian, what’s wrong with you? Why are you so awkward?”

I’m not awkward. You’re awkward. Adrian thought a little sourly and attempted to turn away from Martin but at his slight movement, something stabbed him directly in the stomach.

“It… it f-feels like I’m b-being s-stabbed!” Adrian gasped, ashamed at how high pitched and impish he sounded. “Owh. Argh.”

“You’re ill, I’ll go get the nurse…now.” Martin decided aloud, and he flung the bed sheets off himself.

As soon as Martin stood up, Adrian didn’t focus on his own pain because something very odd occupied his thoughts. His mind remained still for two or three seconds until it registered what on Earth Adrian had seen, yet he wasn’t too sure. Martin… Martin had something yellowish on his trousers. Something yellowish which was positioned right between his legs; but what was it?!

“Um…M-martin? You… you have something on your trousers. You better change them before y-you go to the nurse… um…” Adrian stopped because he didn’t know what to say. Martin’s cheeks glowed red as he glanced down at his crotch; he gasped and swallowed, shoot Adrian a dark look.

“Erh…right. Ignore that, okay?” Adrian nodded as Martin gulped, pushing his trousers off as fast as he could and struggling to put on some new ones. “Just…it happens. Ignore it, Adrian. Don’t tell.”

“I won’t.” Adrian whispered through gritted teeth, and Martin ran as quickly as he could out of the room.

II

What had he seen?

What was yellow and sticky-looking?