“You’re not looking too hot.” A weary gaze shifted to regard the brunette walking along to the right. “I mean, not that you’re hot anyway. That’s usually me. You’re kinda…frigid.”
“Gee, thanks, Michael,” Hunter muttered with a yawn.
Fumbling with the lock on his locker, the blue-haired teen hit his head against the object when he couldn’t get it open. Being brushed aside by Michael, Hunter raised an eyebrow before his friend entered the combination to open the locker. Concluding that questioning how he even knew his combination was going to be more of an ass pain, he just rifled through the textbooks there before trudging off to leave his friend to close the metal door.
“Were you pulling an all-nighter or something?” Mikey questioned as he finally caught up to his friend. “Hunter?” Said person rubbed at his eyes. “Hunter?”
The tired gaze took its time before resting on the other. “What?”
“Dude, you look like shit.”
“And you’re a ray of sunshine,” came the reply.
“Papa Smurf!”
Michael shuddered before glancing at Hunter to see him nearly falling asleep in place. Snapping his fingers twice in his face just as Mitch walked over, Hunter put on lopsided smile before having Michael tug at the strap of his book bag.
“Hey, now isn’t a good time, Mitch,” Mikey said as he started to lead Hunter away. “Hunter, let’s–”
Flinching when the jock draped an arm along Hunter’s shoulder, Michael tried to brush off the other student before being knocked away so that Hunter was now with the person he despised.
“Now that the annoying one is gone, how are you doing today, Papa Smurf?” When an answer wasn’t received, Mitch leaned forward to see the glazed over and distant look in his classmate’s eye. “Smurf.”
“Mitch, leave him alone” Mikey said as he tugged his dazed friend away. “Shouldn’t you be catching a football or failing a test somewhere or whatever it is you jocks do?”
“I was thinking of discussing a new color with our friend here but perhaps blue will do,” Mitch said matter-of-factly. “I do enjoy the name Papa Smurf anyway.”
“You’re an asshole,” Mikey replied as he led his friend off to the infirmary
Nudging the door aside to be greeted by the familiar face of the school nurse, the brunette gestured towards his friend before being led to one of the beds that were further in the back of the room.
“I’m kinda surprised you brought someone along with you to the infirmary, Michael. You’re usually intrude in here on your own before sneaking into one of the beds here for a quick nap.”
“Hello to you too, Mr. Williams,” Michael replied as he got Hunter to lay down.
“You know I hate when you call me that.”
“Yeah, well, we’re at school and I’m sure people would find it weird if I started calling you by your first name.”
“I’m pretty sure they find me weird enough already,” Mr. Williams muttered more so to himself before he got up to go see the other student that was out. “What’s his story?”
“’m not entirely sure,” Mikey replied.
“You don’t know why his hair is blue?”
“Oh! Nah, that was because of that asshole Mitch.” The nurse hummed in concern. “Don’t worry about it though. Hunter is pretty passive aggressive so I think him acting like he likes it pisses that ass hat off even more.”
“Hey, don’t start cursing because you’re comfortable. You’re still in school.” Michael simply glanced at him before holding in a laugh. “Hey, I’m serious.” That got him a snicker before he too laughed. “Ok, ok; how long is he going to be here?”
Mikey shrugged a shoulder as he headed back to the door. “I dunno. I figured I’d come get him before his last class. He has detention anyway so a nap should do him some good before he’s sent off to prison.”
“Why would he be going to prison?”
“Detention is prison, duh.”671Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdT7t8cG69R
“Hunter….Hunter…” Said person shifted. “Papa Smurf.” Dark eyes cracked open before glaring at the wide grin in face. “Morning, Sleeping Beauty.”
“…fuck you.”
“Is that anyway to thank me for finding you a place to sleep all day?”
“All day?!” Hunter questioned as he bolted upright.
“You’re welcome by the way.”
“How could you let me sleep all day?!”he griped as he climbed out of the bed.
“Dude, relax. Mr. Williams is cool. He let's me sleep here like all the time.”671Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWMBJbMKZim
“Not all the time you little troll,” the nurse said as he peeked around the curtain. “According to your friend, Mr. Quinn, you looked like shit so he brought you here.”
Hunter looked towards his smiling brunette. “You think of how I’m supposed to explain this to my teachers?” His attention was redirected to the slip of paper. “What-?”
“It’s a slip from Mr. Williams,” Michael explained as Hunter read it over. “I suggested him writing that you had explosive diarrhea but he said that was in poor taste or something.”
“It was of poor taste so I simply wrote you were running a slight temperature and came to rest here. Of, course your teachers are free to call me if they have any questions.”671Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJv9DLP9zhS
“Thanks, sir.”
“What about me?” Mikey whined before receiving an eye roll from his classmate.
“Not to rush you but you both have about two minutes before the bell.”
“I don’t have my b-“
Michael presented the Chemistry book. “You’re welcome by the way.”
Hunter shoved the item into his bag as they hurried out the infirmary. “I need to change my locker combination after detention.”
“Aww, don’t you trust me?!”
Throwing the other a look as they hurried down the hall, Hunter rolled his eyes mentally. “Definitely changing the combination.”671Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYaf44q6hQP
Hunter hadn’t been in detention in a long while but an hour after school felt almost unbearable. Granted he got his homework done, he even managed to get a bit of studying and catch up on what he had missed but it was the incessant tapping of a pencil along the tabletop that got to him.
It startled him at first until it had stopped for a while. When it had started up again, he casually looked about the library to see that it was the teacher. Glancing at the pencil then up at them again during a brief moment of eye contact, Hunter nearly snapped his pencil in half before the teacher had stopped. Continuing his studies for a few more moments, he gave up altogether when the tapping started again.
When his time was served, he gathered all his things before hurrying home. Exhaling slowly when he reached his front door, he walked inside before dropping his things off in the living room. Raking a hand through blue tresses, he paused when he heard footsteps upstairs.671Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JxjoeGu9w
“Mom?” He didn’t receive an answer. “Dad?”
No, that didn’t make any sense as none of the cars were in the driveway.
Hearing the sound once more, Hunter tiptoed towards the kitchen to grab a knife before making his way to the stairs. He then paused before looking at the knife in his hand.
Perhaps he didn’t get enough sleep because the idea of him doing anything to an intruder sounded pretty idiotic.
He wanted to live after all.671Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKODHy26TkH
Backing towards the front door as he heard the sound of footsteps once more, he was startled by the sound of keys in the door. Whirring around in time to see his dad looking at him then the knife, Hunter lowered the weapon before setting it down on a nearby stand.
“Care to explain why you had a knife in your hand?”
“I…I…there was someone in the house.”
“Excuse me?”671Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡucJEiriOYX
“There’s someone in the house,” Hunter whispered as he looked up at the ceiling.
“I stepped out for like ten minutes. There’s no one in the house, Hunter.”
“I heard footsteps.”
“Well, I don’t hear anything now,” his dad replied as he collected the knife.
“But-!”
“If you’re so worried, I’ll even go check.”
“You can’t go alone!”
The man stopped at the foot of the stairs to look at his blue-haired son. “What, you gonna come with me?”
Glancing up at the ceiling as his father started up the stairwell, Hunter followed close behind. Looking left then right as the older man walked down the hall, the teen froze as he heard a thud come from his room.
“Dad.”
Said person looked back to see his son pointing at his bedroom door. Walking over to the boy’s room, he stood in front of the door and looked at his son prior to turning the knob. Hunter held his breath as the door was pushed opened as his dad walked inside.671Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡziBqxxuzrn
“There’s nothing in here, Hunter,” he replied after a few moments.
“But-!”
"And no talk of this to your mother. There’s no need to get her all upset over nothing.”671Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzRyEWXh0vT
“But-!”671Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB65UVLrxrH
“You know how she can get.”671Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ov0YMajaN
“But-!” Receiving a stern look, Hunter relented. “Fine.”671Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUxPaesUOLO
“Good; now, I’ll be downstairs starting dinner seeing how I already have a knife in my hand. Is there anything particular you want to have tonight, Papa Smurf?”671Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1CrbFEHUFh
Hunter made a face. “Don’t call me that.” Receiving nothing but a chuckle, as his dad went back downstairs, Hunter remained in his doorway. “I know what I heard,” he muttered to himself as he slowly entered the room.671Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqVmr3ZZzq
Everything was still in place from what he could tell.671Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3WcQMuz9Ke
It was neat even..671Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZ76As40T2
Walking over to his bed to take a seat, Hunter kicked off his shoes before laying back. Resting his hands behind his back as he stared up at the ceiling, he soon rested his eyes for a time.671Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZlOM52LmsQ
The faint sound of tapping then had him cracking an eye open. When it ceased, he closed his eye once more until the sound started up again though that wasn’t the thing that mad the teen sit upright.671Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0SckuDqCG
He had an unnerving feeling of being watched.
Looking around the room again, he even peeked under the bed expecting to see someone there.
When he saw no one, save an old sock, he sat up right before scrubbing a hand down his face.
Perhaps he was still tired despite sleeping most of the day at school.
The tapping came again along with the shiver running down his back.
“Hey.” Hunter lowered his hand slowly. “I know you can hear me.” The teen recalled hearing the same thing a few nights ago. “Hunter.” Aforementioned stiffened. "Or would you prefer 'Papa Smurf'?"671Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAmA1oJmosn
Looking in the direction of the sound, Hunter’s face blanched at the sight of the mirror. He had turned that thing towards the wall, right?
Recalling that he indeed do so, Hunter’s face continued to pale when he noticed that his reflection wasn’t doing the same thing he currently was.
No, instead, it had a very intent yet somewhat amused look in its eye as it sat cross-legged on the bed.671Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS49m2si2mc
and then Add to home screen.