Chapter 6
-Farley-
I could still smell the bacon when I woke up the next morning. It was something which irritated me about the cooker, yet on some days it was wonderful. This morning it was torture. My stomach was rumbling before I opened my eyes. Then the buzzing started. I whacked my phone with the palm of my hand in an attempt to shut it up, but I was unsuccessful. I lifted my head from where my face was buried in my pillow and glared at it.
Snoring was still coming from Rowan's bed. Every morning I wake up to see him in a peculiar position. More often than not, he'd have half his body off the bed. This morning he was completely splayed across the bed with his head dangling over the side, mouth wide open.
I rubbed my eyes with a sigh before sitting up. Today I had work. I didn't mind the fact that I had work, my job was enjoyable enough. I got to interact with many members of the public, as long as they were respectful, I didn't have any issues. I work four times a week. It was a long ten hours, but it was what I had to do. I was home-schooled the other three days, but they were a lot more relaxed then the stress of the gym. I was lucky that Caspian saw my work as training, so I didn't have to do much on top of it.
I resisted the urge to fall back into my bed, and walked towards my set of drawers, reaching in to grab the two items of clothing I kept at the front. The pair of black sport shorts and red vest covered in logos was extremely familiar, filling me with a sense of comfort.
I've been going to the gym for three years now. I joined as soon as I could, it was close to where my school used to be, it was a great spot to go with my friends back when I was still attending school. I had gotten to know everyone who worked at the gym, which made it easier to get a job there when I turned sixteen. But none of my friends had been there since. I sometimes felt like they only went to humour me.
I quickly got changed, going to the bathroom and getting washed as well. My morning routine wasn't very intricate. I grabbed my sports bag from where it hung on the bottom of my bed, then headed downstairs.
Iris was sitting in the living room when I came in. She wore dark leggings and an oversized T-shirt. "Good morning, Farley." She had her eyes shut, cupping a cup of tea. She didn't open her eyes to look at me, causing me to shake my head.
"Good morning, Iris," I replied and put my bag down next to her on the light grey settee. "Any plans for today?"
She looked up at me, shifting in her seat slightly. "I've got a literature class today, and I'm thinking of doing more research into the history of medicine." She took a sip from her cup. "I've also got to do some research on how to get stains out of wallpaper."
I winced, my attention turning to the wall. The walls were a soft baby blue, I was unsure of who picked the colour scheme, but it wasn't very practical. Rowan had tripped yesterday and spilled his coffee, making it run down the walls in a very unpleasant shade. The smell was extremely strong, surely leading to a more unsavoury odour later.
"Yeah, maybe something about drying so the smell is not so bad too?" I asked hopefully. She chuckled at me and shook her head.
"Fingers crossed it'll look brand new by the end of the night."
I crossed my fingers before migrating to the kitchen. I got some yoghurt out of the fridge, putting two large tablespoons in a bowl. Then I got some granola, of course that got sprinkled on top. The selection of fruit in the fridge wasn't at all inspiring, so I made a list of what I could pick up on my way home and moved to the cupboards. I immediately reached for the peanut butter and jam, placing some of each on the side. I topped it off with a chopped-up banana, which had to be used that day, judging by the colour and softness.
I moved back to the living room and sat with Iris silently. She was reading one of her books, I knew better than to interrupt her when she was in the reading zone. It was peaceful with the grey curtains open, letting the orange sunlight in. We had a very small television in the living room, only about 21 inches, which never got switched on before noon, or Rowan's awakening. The coffee table which covered most of the floor was brown with four drawers, one on either side. A wooden table was next to me, in the far corner of the room. It held a lamp with a pink lightshade and a homemade coaster with a bold polka dot design, courtesy of Iris.
It took me a quarter of an hour to finish my breakfast. I reached for a sticky note from the coffee table and scribbled down the groceries I was going to buy at the supermarket when I finish. We had learnt it was more economic for us to know what others were buying, so we don't get the same thing more than once. That had happened before, it took us a week to get through three bags of oranges. We got pretty creative that week.
"Good luck with your studies," I told Iris as I picked up my bag.
"Have a good day at work, don't forget your jacket."
I sighed and smiled. I always tried to leave the house without my jacket, my boss wasn't at all swayed by any argument I made. It made me far too warm when exercising, but it was a part of my uniform.
"Aye, Aye boss." I saluted and grabbed my jacket from the coat hangers around the corner. I slipped my trainers on and headed out the door. There was a surprising breeze, which was extremely pleasant on a warm summer's morning. Another reason not to wear the jacket.
I jogged to the bus stop, which was just around the corner, it may have been a long corner, but it was a corner. I put my headphones in and leant against the pole for about ten minutes before my bus arrived. It nearly drove past but if it had, it may have taken my arm with it. I used my bus pass which I had gained from work, and stood near the back of the crowded vehicle.
I may have had my motivational podcast on the lowest volume, but it still did a fairly decent job of covering the sounds of the screaming child at the front of the bus. I didn't get a chance to sit at all through the twenty-minute ride, something I was used to by now. The morning rush was something you should never take your chances with if you go in unprepared.
I hopped off the bus and waved to my friend Kelsey. Her house was across the road from the bus stop. She always waited for me at her front door. I didn't know why; she'd done that since I got the job. Her blonde hair bounced as she jogged across the road.
"Good morning Far," she said in her bubbly voice. "Ready for work?"
I scoffed jokingly. "Am I ever ready for work?" She shook her head at me. I took my headphones out and wrapped them around my phone. That would do until I get to the locker room. "How's it going?"
"I've been at work all week." She groaned and tilted her head back to look at the sky for the sake of dramatics. "How do you think it's going?"
"Achy and annoyed?" I raised my eyebrow at her. "You're the one who wants next week off," I pointed out.
She sighed and shrugged. "It's not my fault that the hen-do was non-negotiable." Kelsey's sister was getting married soon. She had often asked me if I would be her date, I'd told her that she wasn't my type, which was fairly obvious in my opinion, and she was a little too old for it to be legal, as she was nineteen and I was sixteen. She told me I didn't look my age, I either looked younger or older. She would never tell which though. I didn't know if she meant it as a compliment either.
"What've you got today?" I always envied how scheduled her job was. I just had to deal with whoever found the motivation to drag themselves to the gym.
"I've got two spin classes, one pole dancing, three kid's gymnastics, and one Zumba." She counted the events on her fingers as she spoke. We were reaching the dreaded building. Its walls were made of glass, giving you a particularly unobstructed view of the white desk facing the door. The carpet was a boring grey, which matched the skirting board. The walls were all white, apart from irrelevant posters dotted here and there. Four hallways extended from the entryway, two leading to locker rooms, and two leading to the fun places.
"Sounds very energetic and bubbly," I said with a playfully disgusted tone. Honestly, I could hear their music whenever they had classes, which was always. I knew that the upbeat sounds and vibrations helped me get through my work, never letting me rest for a single moment.
The two of us walked in and signed our names at the desk before heading separate ways. The staff cupboards were situated in the changing rooms, so I went to the males whilst Kelsey went to the females. I put my bag down, hung my jacket up, grabbed my water bottle, and left after locking the door behind me. I rested against the wall with my stopwatch out. It had been a joke for me to time how long it took Kelsey to get settled after she took twenty minutes. We always arrived approximately an hour before we were scheduled.
I waved to anyone who exited, the early risers or ones who came at four am for no particular reason were always in a delightful mood when they left. They either jogged out with smiles, or barely got to the door. We had arrived once to see a man faced down in the middle of the floor, sleeping like the dead. Kelsey had nearly called an ambulance when we first saw the man, but after turning him over and checking for breathing, we found he was just asleep. I won't forget that day anytime soon.
"Eight minutes and forty-three seconds," I said without looking up to see it was her. The sound of her trainers was very distinctive. I pushed myself off the wall and dropped the watch around my neck. "Need help setting up?"
She was wearing a cropped version of my vest, with pink yoga pants and white trainers. "You know I do," she replied with finger guns. I clicked my tongue and followed her as she skipped to the white door across the room. The walls were the same miserable white colour, as were the doors. I didn't even need to look at which door I was entering, though the slim windows in the doors helped to ensure the avoiding of knocking heads.
The room was the complete opposite of the entrance and the hallway. It was bright, with every single colour of the rainbow represented by hula hoops, balls, foam squares, mats, and any other piece of equipment you could see.
"It burns," I joked once again with a grin.
"Yes, wicked witch of the west, let the fun consume you." She hit me on the shoulder before doing three cartwheels into the room. "I need mats over here."
The workday wasn't too bad in my opinion. I had some people who came in and didn't know how to use the machines, but that meant I got to show off my knowledge. I liked any opportunity that allowed me to do that, it made me feel useful and like my job was actually worth doing, along with my paycheck.
Kelsey didn't have such luck, she had a few temper tantrums in her children's classes, and I had to help her clean up some sick. It wasn't too bad; it could've been much worse.
The two of us walked to the bus stop together, and she waited with me until the bus came. "See you...week after next?" I tilted my head as I stepped onto the bus.
"Yup, I'll send you my rants." I waved to her as I took the seat closest to the driver,
"I look forward to it."
I sat silently for two stops until the person I wanted to see got on the bus. I noticed her cane on the floor of the bus before I saw her.. She was wearing a long yellow skirt and white button-up top. She had long white hair which blended near perfectly into the fabric.
"Regular Mrs. Hubert?" The driver asked with the same smile as everyone has when interacting with Mary Hubert.
"Now, now. How many times have I told you to call me Mary?" The driver chuckled and shook his head.
"At least once a month since I was eighteen," the driver joked as he handed her a small slip of paper.
"Then you should do good to remember." Mary teasingly pointed a finger at him before turning to the rest of the bus. I slipped out of my seat and walked behind her. I knew the driver wouldn't start the bus until she sat down, but she'd fallen a few times in the past. "Good afternoon, Farley."
"Afternoon Mrs. Hubert," I replied as I let her sit in the window seat. "Any luck?"
She gave me a scolding look after my tease but sighed dramatically. "Not a sausage. I tell you; I'll stop going one of these days."
"No, you can't stop until you take me." I looked at her seriously whilst pointing a finger. "You've got to introduce me to the world of bingo, since you enjoy it so much. So, you have two years before you can quit."
"I've been there for thirty years, only missing a few weeks," she said with her head held high. "I even won the national twice."
I had no clue what that was, even though she's tried to explain it to me before. "See? Maybe cutting down...but not stopping all together." I nodded as I talked.
Her lips broke out into one of her signature smiles. The bus had reached the next stop. Two people got on and they waved towards Mary. She waved back to them with bright eyes. "I saw your mother the other day," she started. I bit my lip; my mam hadn't said anything about bumping into her. "She's so proud of you, you know? She wouldn't stop talking about you." She chuckled and rested back into the seat.
"Ah, I'm sure you're sick of me by now." I regretted saying that almost immediately.
Her eyes became sharp, and she rested a hand on my shoulder. "Don't go there Farley, talk like that isn't good for your health."
I tilted my head and looked at her with guilt. "I know, you taught me that."
It was true, Mary used to work at my primary school. She was the counsellor, and I was in her office at least once a week. I wasn't really a troublemaker; I was just bad at the work I was set to do. Most of the teachers put that down to not caring about the work, or rebellion. Mary had helped me figure out what it was.
"Toffee?" She reached into her bag and searched, pulling out the golden wrapped sweet.
"Please and thank you," I replied with a smile. "Rowan and Iris really enjoyed your fudge, by the way." They were the only two who had a chance to try it, I didn't have the sense to take some before Rowan got his hands on it,
"That's delightful to hear," she said as she handed me the sweet. I unwrapped it to find the light brown deliciousness in perfect condition. "I'll have to make some more."
"Or you could give me the recipe?" She raised her eyebrow at me in mock shock. I raised my hand in surrender. "Or you could tell me where you get these toffee's from?"
"Those are secrets I'll take to my grave." She laughed and nudged me. "If I tell you that, you'll run away whenever you see me."
QUESTION OF THE DAY!!
What show are you watching right now?
I'm currently trying to re-watch Merlin :D