Trash (boyxboy)

Four

Simon reminded me that I'd get it done, that I always did and proceeded to tell me about when he built his daughters a dolls house from scratch when they were younger. He told me how for months he kept changing the design, making it bigger then smaller, taller then shorter and even once it was built he couldn't decide on colours. But eventually he decided to just ask his daughters what they wanted, rather than try and guess for them.

A wave of nostalgia washing over me as I reminisced on all the experiences and secrets Simon had told me about his life over the years. It was in that moment that I realised I hadn't checked in with Simon for quite some time, that I missed his stories and tales from a life he lived in long ago.

"How are the girls now anyway? Must be so grown up. I bet Mary misses them terribly since they moved out. What does she do with herself these days?" I asked, instantly regretting my decision when Simon's face dropped. With a trembling sigh he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, staring down at  his wedding ring on his other.

"Sadly she passed about three months back. It was peaceful, the kids came down to see her and we made her last moments as special as we could. It's just me here now," Simon practically whispered, slipping his left hand into his pocket to conceal his ring.

"Simon I am so sorry," I said softly, my heart filling with guilt and sadness that I had not invested more time in keeping our morning routine because then I would have known. I could have been there for Simon and offered him a helping hand. It pained me to think of him returning to an empty house, an empty bed and nothing but the ghosts in his memories to remind him of the life he once had.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

"That'll be your cab, best hurry now you know how impatient they are!" Simon tried to say cheerily, his forced smile failing to distract from his watery eyes. I could see the pain laced in his face, the way he was slouched over more than usual and he'd let his hair grow out. I must have walked past him so many times as I rushed to work and just not noticed the slow decline in his well-being.

"We'll have dinner soon Simon, it's about time we had a catch up. I'll cook." I offered, offering him a sympathetic smile as he nodded and I rushed out to grab my cab.

As I clambered into the back seat large raindrops plummeted down from the now darkening sky, I instructed the driver on where to go and we set off.  I leant my forehead against the cool glass of the car window, my eyes flickering back and forth as I watched houses and shops rush past me.

It saddened me to see how many rundown and abounded buildings there actually were around the city. As a kid I remembered every neighbourhood flourishing, kids played together freely on the street, everyone knew everyone and there was a real sense of community.

However the local economy had become unbalanced a long time ago, with the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer many areas were struggling. For those who became unemployed because they lacked experience but couldn't find one person to hire them to gain said experience, crime became their full time jobs.

Murders, rapes, robberies and gang violence had been increasing rapidly throughout the city. Once people hit rock bottom it was clear it was even more of a struggle to climb back out. The shame I felt about not checking in on Simon more just seemed to increase as I realised I hadn't been checking in on my city either. I could have made a difference.

We eventually arrived at the Coffee Pot and as we pulled up I stared mindlessly out of the window until something caught my eye.

Across the road there was a figure collapsed on the ground, their hang hung messily over their face as people passed by, barely giving him a glance.

Squinting my eyes I tried to make out who it was and once I did I shot out of the cab, tossing a note towards the driver. I knew that bright, blonde hair could only belong to one person.

"Oscar!" I shouted, running frantically over to his collapsed body.

He was completely drenched, his skin was practically white and although unconscious he was shivering all over. The rain hammered down on us as I gently cupped his face, his skin cold to the touch. I was shocked by the large purple bruise that was surrounding his left eye. He felt and looked like he'd been out there all night. Once I had lifted his head his eyes fluttered open as a groan escaped his lips and he squinted up at me.

"Oscar buddy, you with me?"

---

As soon as I stepped inside the shop the owner came rushing over, her face riddled with panic as she began pushing me towards a small room behind the counter. The room was small but cosy. The back wall appeared to just be books upon book crammed in tightly next to each other, a mahogany desk was nestled in the corner with a cork board hung above it, countless recipes pinned up and there was a large burgundy sofa in the centre of the room.

"You lay him down I'll get some ice and a blanket." The woman said quickly, scrambling off before I even had a chance to ask her name. Oscar groaned as I carefully laid him down on the sofa, brushing his damp hair from his eyes as his teeth chattered. It was as I retracted my hand that I realised my fingers were covered in blood and my eyes widened.

"I-I'm sorry, you don't have to stay. Don't you have work?" He whispered as he stared up at me, I couldn't help but notice how the bruise over his eye was just becoming darker and darker.

Before I could reply the shop owner burst back in to the room carrying a bag of ice, a few towels and blankets draped over her shoulder. I took a step back, allowing her to do what she needed to do since I was still in shock that blood was coming out of Oscar somewhere.

"There's blood coming from him." I whispered, lifting my hand to show the woman who immediately started panicking. I looked between the pair as she checked over Oscar's head, asking him where it hurt and reassuring him that everything would be ok. She almost seemed like his mother as she ran back and forth, grabbing her first aid kit and some tweezers.

It became clear that someone had smashed a bottle over Oscar's head and that were still tiny shards left in his scalp. Oscar howled in pain, nails digging into the fabric of the sofa as the owner carefully removed the glass and cleaned the wounds. After a slow hour and a few drinks from the secret stash of Vodka in the woman's office Oscar seemed to be in a lot less pain. I couldn't help but smile warmly as I watched her take care of Oscar, stripping him of his wet top and jeans, wrapping him in towels and then the blanket.

"My names Julia by the way, so sorry I've only just realised I never introduced myself." Julia said, turning around smiling at me gratefully.

"I'm Monty, just one of Oscar's friends." I replied, sitting on the edge of the large coffee table.

Oscar eventually dropped off, me and Julia both agreed that a long nap in the warmth of her office would probably be the best option for Oscar. I just sat watching him, wondering who on earth would ever want to initially hurt him the way they had.

Hi guys, firstly I just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who's been reading so far! I stopped using wattpad ages ago because I thought people had lost interest in my work. Sorry for this short weird chapter. I've been so busy with exams and stuff so it isn't as good as it usually is. For now I'll probably be uploading short chapters rather than taking months to write massive ones. I feel like this is the best option for you as readers and easier for me to keep up with. I'm really interested on where you want this book to go, so please keep letting me know how you're finding it and what you'd like to read! x