BLOODWORTH

002: crickets

        "Yeah."

Unsure of what else to talk about, the conversation swiftly died.

            "Well, I-I'm glad you're doing well kid. Just call me in case anything happens, alright?"

"Of course." He won't.

"I love you, kid." His father breathed into the phone. A slight ripple of static crackled.

Aspen took a second too long to reply. He could feel it.

       "I love you too."

And with that Aspen hung up the phone first.

        He sighed, allowing the light pressure in his chest to dissipate.

                For a second he thought of what he should do next which was probably getting ready; getting up, stretching his legs, moving, rummaging through his mahogany closet to find his uniform, being a responsible well-to-do student like he promised he would be to his parents.

          But he felt too comfortable. His plaid-blue bed sheets draped over him cozily and the heater was still on-humming softly with warmth that it almost felt sinful to ignore the way his bed beckoned for him to lay down again and close his eyes.

              He was tempted by the thought of sleeping in-that maybe this time he could get a better nights rest-until Hadrian had bursted forth from the bathroom door half-undressed with a glittering minty-green streak of toothpaste smudge the corner of his mouth.

         "Sorry for taking so long!" He apologized. "I'm telling you it's like that piece of mucus had a mind of it's own. I could barley get the rotten thing to budge."

     Aspen grimaced. "Morning to you too, buddy."

           Hadrian went on mull about it much to Aspen's chagrin. He tried to ignore him as he unbuttoned his pajama top.

     "It felt like it was taking forever. I'm coughing right? And it's nearly on the brink of getting out. Practically had to ruin my throat to upchuck it. It was all yellow like piss and sticky and—"

    "Please shut up." Aspen said, his nose wrinkled. "I don't need to know that."

     "Okay, okay, but I have too Penny. You couldn't imagine the amount of gunk in there—"

             Aspen stuck his fingers in his ears, wearily approaching  the bathroom. "I'm not listening anymore, Hads. And I don't want to imagine that anyway! I hope to god to rinsed that monster out of the sink."

        Hadrian huffed. "I did already did that. But I shouldn't have because you should've seen it, the mass of that thing was—"

          Aspen waited for him to finish his sentence but he never did, instead Hadrian yanked him by the forearm so suddenly he would've tripped if he were anymore tired.

        "What the hell Hads?! I was just about to-"

                "What's that?" Hadrian asked. The sound of his voice felt so acrid and so rough that Aspen nearly (and fearfully) mistook it for disgust—perhaps toward the cowlicks in his brassy hair or dark circles hanging underneath his eyes—but the look on his face: the forehead creased and nostrils flared with furrowed brows-it couldn't have been anything but concern.