Inhale

10.

"She is passion embodied, a flower of melodrama in eternal bloom." - Fyodor Dostoyevsky, from The Idiot.

(A/N: There is discussion of sex in this chapter. If that makes you uncomfortable, that's okay! Feel free to skip past it. There is some brief discussion of reliance on substances, be wary of your triggers.)

(A/N 2: Later in this chapter, one of the characters makes a remark about a gay character which is pretty ignorant. Once again, I don't personally believe any of this, this story is simply set in an older time period where people were less sensitive on the matter.)

Tuesday.

Josiah did not leave bed. I felt too guilty to wake him and let him sleep. I brought him a bagel which was only half eaten even after I returned from school.

Ellie stopped me on my way to the lounge, hand in hand with Cyrus. She asked me how Josiah was doing, and I knew that she was genuinely interested in the answer. Cyrus handed me another flyer, now purple. Funny how it works sometimes.

Evette asked me at lunch where he was. I told her he was nursing a hangover, and asked her in return if she knew where he got the alcohol from. She did not meet my eye as she lied to me, and told me no.

       ***

Wednesday.

Josiah's jaw turned a disturbing purple colour. I managed to get him out of bed but he said he could not leave with his 'beauty impaired'. He laughed as he spoke but flinched from the pain it caused and the smile he gave me did not quite meet his eyes.

Jordan was loitering by the printing room when I left. I thanked him for having Jo's back, and he nodded solemnly. He patted my arm once as he wished Josiah a quick recovery, as though he were sick.

I asked Evette in the lounge if she had anything to tell me.

She squirmed.

***

Thursday.

I finally got Josiah to come down and eat breakfast with us in the hall. I waited patiently for him to poke at and eat his food. He asked me questions about David Copperfield. We spoke quietly about Dickens.

Evette and Ezekiel appeared, joining us. Selene came later. I pretended not to notice Selene's hand on my arm, or the way Evette shot looks at Josiah and I.

Ezekiel asked what Evette chose to do with the alcohol she took from him.

Josiah left abruptly, and I considered the chances of me winning if I tackled Ezekiel to the ground then.

                                                                                              ***

Friday.

Josiah went to two lessons, before returning back to our dorm.

I brought him food to our room at lunch. Some kind of salad with the grilled chicken I knew he liked. He asked me to stay and eat with him. I obliged.

When Josiah finally fell asleep, I left for the lounge. Selene asked me how I'm doing, and I told her I'm doing just fine. She gave me a half-formed story Archie found about a girl named Anastasia in his year, whose mother was recently engaged to one of the school's top donators.