A perfect life, Nath

Nathaniel

The sound of someone pounding on my door knocked me out of my slumber. My breathing came out heavy, everything still somehow foggy.

“Who is—”

The moment I opened the door, a punch landed on my face, completely knocking me off guard. I stumbled backward, the metallic taste of blood flooding my mouth before I even understood what was happening.

“You useless piece of shit,” a familiar voice snarled.

My vision cleared just enough to recognize them.

Mcoy?

And the two boys behind him, who I easily recognized as his group of friends.

“What the hell—” I tried, but another hit slammed into my stomach. Air exploded from my lungs as I doubled over, collapsing to my knees.

“You think this is funny?” Mcoy grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked my head up. “You had one job.”

“I did it,” I choked out. “I did exactly what you told me to do.”

A kick struck my ribs. Pain shot through my side, sharp and blinding.

“You call that doing it?” one of the other men spat. “You screwed everything up.”

“Please…” I gasped.

Mcoy’s fist connected with my jaw again, snapping my head to the side. My ears rang.

Roughly he grabbed a handful of my hair, forcing me onto my knees, blood dripping from my lips.

“You bloody motherfucking bastard. I fucking told Reina that involving this worthless piece of shit would be a problem.” Mcoy glanced at his friends.

“Killing him is an option,” commented the one with porcupine hair, cracking his fingers.

Horror clashed in my eyes as I quickly shook my head, a pleading look on my face.

“He already saw his face, and the chances of him coming after this shit are high. We can’t trust him to keep his mouth shut,” the other guy hurled.

“Please…” I dragged out, my ribs screaming. “I will… I won’t say—”

Another kick collided against my chest.

Something cracked. Or maybe it just felt like it did. The pain burst through me so violently that for a second I couldn’t even scream. My mouth opened, but nothing came out except a broken wheeze.

“Shut him up,” porcupine hair muttered.

A shoe pressed against my throat, not hard enough to crush it, but enough to remind me how easily they could.

Mcoy crouched in front of me, gripping my chin so tightly his nails dug into my skin. “You think begging is going to fix this?”

Blood dripped from my lip onto his hand. He grimaced and wiped it on my shirt.

“I did what you said,” I whispered again, my voice shaking. “It was the dude who came after me…”

“Shut the fuck up, Nath,” Mcoy snarled, pushing his nails into my face.

“Now listen to me. I’m merely following Reina’s orders, but if that bulky dude comes after you, shut that hole of yours and pretend it was anonymous. Got it?”

“I will,” I whispered.

Porcupine hair snorted. “He’s going to piss himself the second that guy stares at him.”

“I won’t,” I forced out, even though my hands were shaking so badly I had to dig my nails into my palms to stop it.

Mcoy finally let go of my face, only to shove me backward. My shoulder hit the floor first, pain ripping through me again.

“You’ve got three days,” he said. “Three days to fix this mess. If he’s still sniffing around after that…”

He didn’t finish the sentence.

He didn’t need to.

Porcupine hair crouched down and patted my cheek mockingly. “And if you try anything stupid? Police. Running away. Talking?”

His expression hardened.

“We’ll find you before they do.”

A cold sweat broke over my skin.

Mcoy straightened. “Let’s go.”

Their footsteps echoed as they walked out. The door slammed so hard the frame rattled.

Silence.

It felt louder than the beating.

For a while, I couldn’t move. I just lay there on the floor, staring at the ceiling. My chest rose in shallow, uneven breaths. Every inhale stabbed. My jaw throbbed. I tasted iron every time I swallowed.

Tears rolled down my eyes, each breath burning.

I didn’t know what happened after that, but I must have passed out, because when I woke up again I was freezing.

My whole body shook violently, teeth clattering even though sweat soaked through my shirt. My skin burned, but at the same time I couldn’t stop shivering. My head throbbed like someone was still punching it from the inside.

“Shit…” I croaked.

My voice sounded wrong. Hoarse. Weak.

When I tried to sit up, the room tilted. Black dots crowded my vision and my stomach rolled. I pressed a hand to my forehead.

Hot.

Too hot.

Of course.

Beaten up and now a fever. Perfect.

I dragged myself toward the bathroom, legs unsteady. One look in the mirror made me flinch. My lip was split, dried blood crusted at the corner. A bruise had already started blooming along my jaw. My eye looked slightly swollen.

And I looked pale. Sick.

I turned on the tap and splashed water on my face, but it didn’t help. My hands were trembling too much.

I needed medicine.

The thought felt heavy. Everything felt heavy. Even breathing felt like work.

I stumbled back into my room and grabbed the nearest hoodie from the chair. It took me an embarrassingly long time to put it on. My arms wouldn’t cooperate. I kept missing the sleeve opening, getting tangled halfway through.

“Come on…” I muttered, frustrated tears stinging my eyes.

Finally I shoved it on, not even bothering to zip it. I didn’t notice my glasses still sitting on the desk.

The hallway outside my apartment felt too bright. Too loud. Every sound echoed in my skull. I pulled the hood up over my head and started walking.

Each step jarred my ribs. I pressed a hand against my side, breathing shallowly.

The pharmacy wasn’t far. Just around the corner.

Still, it felt like miles.

When I pushed the door open, a small bell chimed overhead. The sudden sound made me flinch.

The fluorescent lights were blinding. I squinted, trying to read the signs, but everything looked blurry.

Right.

My glasses.

“Great,” I mumbled.

I shuffled toward the counter anyway.

The woman behind it looked up at me, her expression shifting almost immediately.

Concern?

No.

More like discomfort.

“Are you alright?” she asked cautiously.

I became aware of the way I must look. Pale. Sweaty. Bruised. Hood up. Swaying slightly where I stood.

“I just… need fever medicine,” I said, though it came out slurred.

A couple of people nearby were staring. I could feel it. Their eyes crawling over me.

One of them whispered something.

Stop looking at me, bitch.

Heat crawled up my neck. Was it because of the fever, or embarrassment?

I subtly lifted my arm and sniffed myself.

Oh.

God.

I smelled.

Sweat. Dried blood. Something sour and metallic.

I quickly lowered my arm, pretending nothing happened.

The woman handed me a box. “You should see a doctor if your injuries are serious.”

“I’m fine,” I said too quickly.

She didn’t look convinced.

I paid, fingers clumsy as I fumbled with the cash, nearly dropping the coins.

The walk back felt worse. My head pounded with every step. My vision blurred in and out of focus. I thought I saw someone across the street watching me, tall and broad.

But when I blinked, no one was there.

Paranoia.

Or maybe not.

By the time I reached my apartment, my hands were shaking so badly I struggled to unlock the door.

Inside, I didn’t even bother taking off my hoodie. I tore the medicine box open with trembling fingers, popped two pills out of the foil, and swallowed them dry.

They scraped painfully down my throat.

I didn’t care.

I collapsed onto the bed, not even pulling the blanket over myself.

The ceiling stared back at me.

What the hell am I doing with my life?

Getting beaten up for people who would throw me away in a second.

What a perfect life you have gotten yourself into, Nathaniel. Absolutely perfect.

⸻

My alarm exploded beside my head.

I flinched so hard pain shot down my ribs. My eyes snapped open, throat dry, body heavy like someone had tied weights to my limbs.

Monday.

The word hit me slowly.

Then everything rushed back.

Pop up test.

“Shit…” I tried to sit up too fast. The room spun violently. I had to grab the edge of the mattress to keep from falling off.

My skin still burned. Not as bad as before, but enough. My hoodie was still on. I had slept in it. Sweat clung to my back. My mouth tasted bitter.

I checked the time.

I was late.

I didn’t even think about breakfast. The idea of food made my stomach twist. I dragged myself to the bathroom, splashed water on my face again, and stared at my reflection.

Worse.

The bruise along my jaw had darkened. My eye was slightly puffed. My lip cracked when I swallowed.

I should stay home.

But if I missed that test…

I couldn’t afford another problem in my academic life.

I grabbed my bag, shoved the medicine inside, and left. I didn’t even notice my glasses still sitting on the desk.

Outside, the morning air hit my feverish skin like ice and fire at the same time. I felt both too hot and too cold. My legs felt weak, but I forced them to move.

Each step jarred my ribs. My head pounded in rhythm with my heartbeat.

People stared.

Of course they did.

I caught fragments of whispers as I passed.

“Is he sick?”

“Did he get into a fight?”

“God, he looks terrible.”

Fuckers.

I kept my hood low and walked faster, though my body protested.

By the time I reached my departmental block, my vision was swimming. Everything looked slightly blurred without my glasses. Faces were just shapes. Buildings looked distorted at the edges.

The lecture hall doors were already closed.

The test had started.

I swallowed hard and pushed the door open.

The sound echoed louder than it should have. Dozens of heads turned at once.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

Professor Loe looked up from the front. His brows furrowed when he saw me, clearly unimpressed.

“Nathaniel?” His voice carried through the quiet room. “You’re late.”

“I…” My throat felt tight. “I’m sorry, sir. I wasn’t feeling well.”

That was an understatement.

He studied me for a moment. His eyes lingered on my bruised face.

Murmurs started around the room.

After a few seconds that felt like forever, he sighed. “Sit down. You’ll have whatever time is left.”

Relief almost made my knees buckle.

I walked down the aisle, painfully aware of every stare burning into me. I slid into an empty seat near the back.

The test paper was placed in front of me.

The words swam.

I blinked.

They wouldn’t focus.

Right.

My glasses.

“Damn it…” I whispered.

I leaned closer to the page, squinting. The letters blurred together. My head throbbed harder the more I tried to concentrate. Sweat dripped down my temple.

Question one.

I read it three times.

Nothing stuck.

My mind felt stuffed with cotton. Every thought moved too slowly. I couldn’t remember anything I had studied.

Focus. Just focus.

I gripped the pen tighter.

It slipped from my fingers.

My hand was shaking.

The room felt hotter. Or maybe it was just me. The fluorescent lights above seemed too bright, buzzing loudly in my ears.

My vision darkened at the edges.

Breathe.

In.

Out.

Pain stabbed behind my eyes. My ribs screamed every time I shifted in the chair. The letters on the page began to tilt.

I blinked again.

The paper looked like it was moving.

A drop of sweat fell onto the page, smudging the ink.

“Nathaniel?” someone whispered nearby.

I tried to straighten up.

Bad idea.

The room lurched violently.

Sound became distant. Muffled.

Professor Loe’s voice echoed from the front, but I couldn’t understand the words.

My heartbeat roared in my ears.

I think I stood up.

Or maybe I just swayed.

The edges of my vision collapsed inward.

“Nathaniel!” someone shouted.

A chair scraped loudly.

The pen slipped from my fingers again.

The last thing I remembered was someone calling my name louder this time.

And then everything went black.