Suffocate

Chapter 2

I receive a text from my girlfriend at five. Sapphire's a girl who knows when you need your space, and knowing me, I need a hella lot of it. She's not needy, but she can be at times. When those times come around, it's only fair that I put her at the center of my attention when she wants it the most. Now isn't one of those times, luckily. She texts me a simple hello and a "What's up, babe?"

I send her back a text, telling her that I'm working late.

She asks me about my sisters, wondering if they got home safely. I smile at the text.

I send her a quick one: Thanks for worrying. They got home at 4. Safe an sound. No probs.

Alright, she says. I'll let you get to work. Call me later. I love you baby. She sends me a heart emoji.

My only response is an "I love you". But man, don't I love it when she calls me "Baby".

Now, looking at the butt-ton of boxes in the "box-room", as we call it, I sigh dejectedly.

"Dade, screw you and your job."

***

At six-thirty, I come busting through the front door of our house, feeling unbearably fatigue. I have never been so exhausted in my life. Stumbling across the living room, I fall onto our cheap, ripped, leather couch. A groan escapes from my throat when I realize I fell on the wrong set of limbs. As much pain as I'm in now, the extra money in my back pocket makes me feel like I just won the lottery.

"Bryson's home!" announces two voices from the kitchen. I don't bother opening my eyes to see who comes running into the room, but I can tell who's there just by the sound of their feet.

It's Ashley and Chastity.

"You girls get home a'right?" I mumble against the couch's leather seats. Chastity climbs onto my back. I groan again, feeling completely uncomfortable. Goddamn it, that hurts.

"Yes!" she sings into my ear. I grumble.

"That's good," I say tiredly.

"You worked really hard today, huh?" Ashley asks me. I nod, eyes still closed against the seats. All I see is darkness.

"You hungry, Bryce?" Chastity asks. She bounces lightly against my back, making the leather creak even more against our weight.

I am hungry. I am very hungry. But I'm so freaking tired. I seriously cannot move my body. I feel like the energy just disappeared, evaporated, from my body.

I shake my head at them. "Nah, 'M good," I mumble. The two of them are quiet for a moment, which goes unnoticed by me, considering I'm trying to fall asleep and ignore my growling stomach and the pain within my body.

". . . Okay," they both mumble. They eventually return back to the kitchen. I suppose they're doing their homework in there.

Ah. Shit. I have to call Sapphire. Just the thought of that red headed beauty makes me want to wake up and call her to hang out, but I seriously didn't know how to with how dead-to-the-world I'm feeling.

Just to my luck, I feel a vibration in my back pocket. My phone. I gather up the energy to fling my left arm back around me to get the device, wincing as I felt needles shoot up my arm. Bringing the cell back up to my face, I answer the call.

"Mm?" I mumble into the cell phone. A ruffling noise is heard, and then a light voice.

"Bryson?" Yeah, it's Sapphire.