The Worst Things in Life Come Free to us|L.R.H

33- sober.

As I walk into the food hall, everything goes silent, it's almost a re-enactment of Tessa's first day... how does everything return to her?

Conversations stop and the only people I can see are the popular kids, especially Morgan, looking at me with such a smug look I'm tempted to whack it straight off her face.

I don't know what she has said, but I do know Tessa wasn't in last period, and I'm sure she's not going to be in next. Morgan just has to ruin everything.

Without food in my hands, only a bottle of water, I walk with shaky legs over to Calum and Michael.

They give me a smile as I sit down but I don't return the favour, I just lean my head on my hand and sigh.

I bloody hate school.

"C'mon bud, it'll be okay," a voice I recognize as ashton says and I snap my head up, not having even noticed him.

I forgot he was in school today.

"How can you even say that? She wasn't your girlfriend, Ashton!" I say a little too loudly, causing people to hear and look over, but I don't even care.

"Yeah but she was one of my best friends!" he says, clearly hurt by my ignorance. "sorry, she still is one of best friends, and your girlfriend; she's not gone yet," he says softly, obviously trying to calm me down.

"Whatever," I say bitterly. "What are you even doing here again?" I ask.

"Nice to see you to mate," he says rolling his eyes. "I've found out I didn't get the right grades for what I'm aiming for, so I need to join back in year 12, seeing as I dropped out," he says.

"Okay," I say.

"Yeah, plus I kind of wanted to stay with you guys, y'know?" he says and we all nod. Michael tells him he cant wait and calum says he's looking forward to having him here.

Don't get my wrong, I would have been happy, but not today, never today, I'm just so done.

As lunch drags along, I can't help but think about Tessa again.

How she probably cried herself to sleep.

How she's probably not eating well.

How she'll fall asleep by herself without my arms to hold her.

The bell rings and we all get up, the boys throw their trash into the bins and we say goodbye to ash, who has different classes to us.

While cal and Michael chat about some new video game, I zone out, thinking about that one girl, and how much I'm going to miss her.

Because the thing is, it's not her that just needs us; I- and we- kind of need her to.

Especially me, like I describe her, she was a breath of fresh air to me, and now she's gone it feels like I'm dying, suffocating to breathe.

*

I told Michael I'd meet him at his house, I mean though I could easily walk to the cinema I know my anxiety wouldn't allow me, and as I walk up the path to my actual home, it's strangely quiet. Maybe I chose the right day to visit.

As I open the door, I can't tell if I'm right or wrong.

But when I walk in to see my step dad slapping my mum, I know I was wrong.

But at the same time, oh, so, so right, because otherwise I wouldn't know that this was happening.

It's clear my mum is sober, sober, and step dad is the drunken one.