Halcyon Days (Starting over-first draft)

Chapter 02

"Lexi? Lexi wake up!" sounded her voice through the quiet blackness of sleep. "Lexi c'mon —get up!"

Alexi shot up in bed the moment he realized someone was calling his name.

His heart pounded in his chest while beads of cold sweat ran down his neck. He gasped for air while he scanned the room with both eyes wide open. The feeling of paranoia that had consumed him just seconds ago was already starting to settle.

"Are you...okay?" Ada questioned.

"Yea, just a bad dream."

"Again? Was it about the fair again? It's been weeks, are you sure that you're okay?"

"I'm fine," he lied, "what did you wake me up for?"

"You're supposed to walk me to school today, remember?"

"Goddammit," he wined as he rolled off the bed and yawned. "let's go."

He mumbled angrily to himself through gritted teeth as he stomped towards the door, only turning around to ask Ada what the hell she could possibly be waiting for. For just a moment she muffled a laugh, and pointed at Alexi's bare legs.

"Did you plan on wearing pants or were you going to walk me to school in your underwear?"

"Out," he demanded as he pushed the giggling girl out of his room and finished dressing himself.

Angrily, he stomped around his room looking for pants while he brushed his teeth. He dug through small piles that scattered the room, picking up the clothing and putting it on if the scent did leave him cringing.

When a sudden snapping sound filled his ears, he looked down at his hand. "Great," he muttered through foaming toothpaste. He tossed the handle of the now broken toothbrush into the trash, where there were several others. He then pulled open a drawer where there was a stash of other toothbrushes. His hot temper often resulted in bent handles and decapitated bristle heads.

Swinging his ripped denim vest around his back and slipping his arms through, he stepped smoothly into the shoes by his bedroom door and walked hastily down the hall. "Let's do this." He commanded as he tilted his head to both sides, cracking his neck, and shrugging his shoulders.

Alexi lead the way out of the loft and down the steps to the sidewalk where he checked himself out in the dark windows of the small antique shop just below. The shop didn't get much business, but the rent Alexi's dad paid for the loft on the upper half of the building was enough to help the owners keep it open. The whole street was like that. Little shops that couldn't attract business and even smaller lofts above them where people lived. Its wasn't the most private living situation, but it was cheap. God knew they needed something cheap.

It didn't take long for Ada to appear in the reflection next to him. "The undercuts looking a little shaggy there."

"Yea, yea, I know, I need a haircut." He spoke through clenched teeth that held the band he would use to pull his longer hair away from his face. "Quit naggin'. Not like you couldn't use one either. Yours might be short like mine, but it's all patchy and uneven. I think you should just let Kat buzz it."

Ada frowned as she looked at her reflection for only a moment. She couldn't help the sadness that enveloped her when she thought about how long and full her hair used to be. she loved her hair, especially when Kat or their dad use to braid it. She liked going out and buying clips and colorful hairbands to decorate it. It made her feel pretty.

"Let's go," she said quietly, looking down at her shoes.

"Oh, c'mon, don't be like that. Ada, I didn't mean it like that! It would be a badass haircut! You'd rock it!"