Absent

Twenty Six

Mitch's P.O.V
"Kirstie. Where do I even begin with her. She is so beautiful, with dark eyes and lovely blonde hair. She has pure white teeth and is always smiling. I can only imagine when I see her again, she will smack me upside the head and tell me 'I told you so, stupid.' Just like when we were kids." I laughed, tears gathering in my eyes as I remembered her.

"I would love to meet her." Tuesday smiled, watching me closely as he ate another piece of cookie.

"Avi and Kevin. Now those two, complicated." I smiled. "Avi is very handsome man. He actually was not technically a student. But he went to class and did the work anyway. I am still confused on that. He was so handsome, with these beautiful green eyes and such soft hair. Now Kevin? He was never really my friend because we hung out only a few times, and that was because I was there with Avi. He had dark skin and kept his hair short, and he always had this strange sense of humor. Was filming one time and he said that the camera couldn't see him "'cause I'm dark." Then proceeded to make a face. He was so talented. That boy could seem and beatbox, and play the cello. I can't even sing." I looked at him.

"They all sound so wonderful." He smiled contentedly, swinging his legs in the air. Somewhere along the way in my speech, he had rolled over into his stomach and put his feet in the air. Before I could respond, Dramine crashed open the door and looked at us with glazed, red eyes.

"If it isn't my two favorite mice!" He greeted. He was high.

"Come here, my little mouse!" He squeaked and held his arms out like a young child. Knowing Tuesday was petrified of him, I scooted off the bed and walked towards him, into his drinking embrace.

"You have been a bad mouse. Now I have to punish you." He whispered in my ear.

He was higher than I had ever seen him. I didn't like it. I looked at Tuesday over my shoulder and motioned for him to hide in that same corner. Thankfully, we had experienced him high enough to know he never searched. Just stood at the door.

He moved me to a wall and pushed me up against it. I could feel the frigid wall through the thin material and holes him my shirt.

I stood there, hands on the wall, eyes shut tight, waiting for what I knew was coming.

"One!" He counted and I felt a belt connect with my skin. I screamed, and my joints locked up, muscles tensing. The next hit sent me to the ground. I could hear his laugh, harsh in my ears.

I lost count of the hits, crouched in a fetal position, hands over the back of my neck and head.

Finally, he stopped, but replaced the whipping for giving me a few hard kicks to my shoulder, one of them connecting with my head.

I don't remember anything after that, only blackness. Then a voice, worried.

"Mitch? Oh, God please don't be dead!" The voice pleaded and I forced my eyes open, fighting back the wave of dizziness that made my stomach churn.

"What the fuck?" I swore and looked up at him. My back was on fire. I knew this pain. The first punishment in had ever received was whipping. "Damn."

"Y-you um, passed out!" Tuesday stuttered. He had never stuttered before. This must've scared him bad.

"I'm fine. Just a little queasy." I lied. In reality I felt like crap. My head was pounding and I felt the all to familiar whip weals. I reached and arm up and hugged him, pulling myself up.

He wrapped his arms around me and I held back my groan of pain.

"He really did a number on me. Damn." I grunted as I managed to sit up, Tuesday letting me go.