Standing on One Foot

3. Fog and Lobotomies

Welcome to chapter three. As you can see, updating is hard but I'm trying :')

As always, this chapter is heavily influenced by the music I was listening to, so it is sort of...bleak lmao

Anyway, enjoy

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Lex liked the fog; he always had. He imagined he was inside a cloud, which was a childish fantasy – he knew this. He liked how it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. He liked the way it cloaked the water like a big, heavy blanket. Most of all though, he liked the way it moved. It had a quality of delicate elegance – like if he stayed for too long, it might just pick him up and sweep him away with it.

But was it admiration or was it envy? Maybe Lex wanted to be swept away with the fog. Or perhaps he was envious of the way it could come and go as it pleased. Everyone could see it, but nobody could touch it.

His fingers brushed over the surface of the desk in repetitive circles. Part of it was smooth, others were bumpy with names and letters carved into the wood. The room was stacked with furniture – it had been used but not in a very long time. The windows were framed with termite eaten wood and curtains that were tired from sun exposure. Dust clung to every chair, desk, sill, and surface.

Lex didn't mind. These characteristics could be forgiven on the redeeming factor that the windows looked out over the courtyard.

The courtyard was bordered by the school's four buildings – each was two stories tall and made of red brick. They were ugly, with moss growing where the mortar should have been, and grass sprouting from the roof. A mess of cement paths broke up the space. They served a purpose, but only to those who had fully functioning legs. Seventeen years ago, an earthquake disturbed the ground under the school, and so the paths were buckled, cracked, and warped. As was one of the school's four buildings. It was declared unsafe and permanently closed by the district counsel. Nobody could afford to knock the building down, nor could they reinforce it, so it was left to rot.

Usually, there would be a grassy area with a mature willow tree visible, planted after the death of the last principle seventeen years ago.

But today, all Lex could see was fog.

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On the opposite side of the classroom, Gus sat alone. Hugo was always excused from homeroom because he helped in the library – or they thought he was helping – and Robbie only showed up when he felt like it.

Gus closed the apps on his phone and opened them again. No new messages from Robbie or anyone else. That wasn't unusual. Robbie didn't really respond to anyone.

He would never care to admit it, but it hurt Gus that Robbie was so indifferent. He was so immersed in his own head that he neglected his friendships.

Robbie didn't mean to be that way, but sometimes the real world looked so bleak compared to his internal one.

He would never say it, but Gus overwhelmed Robbie.

Gus refreshed his messages and still nothing.

"Hey."

Gus looked up at his phone and there was Robbie. He looked the same as always: dark clothing that fit loosely, sneakers, and a beanie because it was cold.

"Wow," Gus put on a smile, "fancy seeing you here. Decided to turn up today?"

Robbie sat down. "If I don't show up at least twice a week Mrs Holiday reports me to the principal." He was talking to Gus, but he was looking elsewhere.

"You seem distracted, didn't you sleep well?"

"No." Robbie didn't expand further.

"What're you listening to?"

"Bowie."

Gus made a sound of acknowledgement. "You know, I was thinking that you should give Hugo and I your playlist. It must be good since you're always listening to it. Plus, I wanna know what music you like-"

Robbie stood up and is chair scraped on the floor. Gus' voice had merely been a hum in the back of his mind. "Give me a minute."

"Oh, alright." Gus watched as Robbie crossed the room and stood in front of Lex. Gus wondered how they knew one another. He assumed that they weren't complete strangers because Robbie didn't approach people that he was unfamiliar with.

Lex was still watching the fog. He was startled by Robbie.

"You're not hurt?"

"I told you I could handle it."

"How did you handle it?"

"I told Richard I would push him in front of the next car that passed."

"And he believed that?"

Lex smiled. "People fear the unpredictable, and that I am. If they think you're insane, they'll fear you. That's why they handed out so many lobotomies in the 40's – anything that wasn't the status quo was dangerous."

"Would you have?"

"What?"

"Pushed him in front of a car."

"Of course not," Lex paused and looked Robbie in the eyes. "He's much bigger than me."

Robbie couldn't tell if Lex was serious or not.

Lex's eyes drifted back outside, and Robbie took that as his signal to leave.

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"How do you two know each other?" Gus asked as Robbie sat back down.

"We don't really. He doesn't even know my name." And Robbie regretted not telling him.

"Really? He seemed to recognise you."

"The Williams brothers were following him home yesterday. I just warned him. That's it."

Gus laughed and poked him teasingly. "Ah, so you were saving another damsel in distress."

"I didn't save him. He already knew he was being followed."

"And?"

"And what?"

"Well, how is he fine if you didn't help him?" Gus was invested now. Both of his elbows were on Robbie's desk, leaning forward to hear better. In comparison to his own volume, most people spoke quietly.

Robbie didn't want to tell Gus. Telling Gus was as good as announcing it over a speaker to the entire school. Robbie suspected that broadcasting his business to everyone wasn't Lex's preference. Besides, if it got back to the brothers that they were scared to beat someone up two-on-one, they wouldn't let it go. They would do it publicly, regardless of the consequences.

"Ask him if you wanna know."

Robbie left as soon as Mrs Holiday marked him present, and again, Gus was alone.

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Was it good or nah?