Did You Get What You Deserve?

Dad sighed, frustrated.

“Come on, Alec, go pack your bag.”

“But I don’t wanna go to school tomorrow...”

James looked up.

“Just do it, Alec. The first day of term shouldn’t start badly. You’ll feel better once you’ve done it.”

I groaned and stretched, sliding out of my chair and onto the floor.

“I’m staying here.”

“No you’re not.”

He got up and extended a hand to pull me up.

“How about I help you?”

I considered this.

“Okay.”

“Great.”

He grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the room and down the hallway to my bedroom. Then he kicked the door shut and grabbed my schoolbag, emptying the contents onto my bed.

“What subjects do you have tomorrow?”

He found my diary and flicked through until he found my schedule.

“Maths... English... Art... Science... PE... and Social Studies. Okay, now which of your books are at school?”

I sighed and took the bag and diary out of his hands. I then proceeded to repack what I needed.

“Okay, done!”

He grinned.

“Now, was that so hard?”

“Yes.”

“No it wasn’t.”

“Yes it was.”

He laughed and sat down on my bed, picking up my guitar. The blue body rippled in the light as he turned it over.

“When did you get this?”

“I inherited it.”

“Inherited? From who?”

I sat down beside him.

“You know on our mantelpiece, there’s a picture of a boy?”

“Yeah?”

“Him.”

He nodded.

“Right. Um, who is that kid anyway? I’ve never asked.”

“Alec Marshall. He was a friend of my dad’s.”

“Oh, right. What happened to him?”

“He got hit by a car. On my birthday. His birthday. That’s where I got my name.”

“Really?”

I nodded.

“He was really special too. Every year, my dad gets sad on my birthday. Coz it’s his birthday too. And the day he died. Dad thinks I don’t notice, but every time he thinks I’m not looking, he gets this look in his eyes...”

I leaned back and rested my head against the wall.

“In a way I’m proud of it, this connection with him, and in a way it kinda pisses me off. Any teacher who’s worked at our school for more than fifteen years knows who he is, and they all talk to me like I’m his ghost. Well, most of them do.”

He nodded sympathetically. Just then Dad opened the door and walked in, holding the phone.

“Alec, sweetie, can I talk to you?”

I nodded. James stood up and left, closing the door behind him. Dad sat down next to me.

“I just got a call from the police station. The guy who... that guy, they found him.”

“Really?”

He nodded.

“He’s dead.”

“What?”

“They found him on their files. His name is Hobo Joe. That’s all they know him as, anyway. He was found in the park last night, and they matched up the DNA tests and found it was him.”

I stared at him, taking it all in.

“Are you okay, sweetie?”

I smiled and nodded.

“Yeah. Great.”

He hugged me.

“Brilliant. Now come on, we’ve got a party to plan.”

**Author's Note: After getting stuck mid-way, I have completed another chapter for you to read. And here's a teaser for the next chapter: Someone appears. Someone you'll be very happy to see. But I've given too much away.

Oh, I almost forgot to add the list of people who commented:

As always, Days_News. You're brilliant, really you are. I think we upgrade that medal to a trophy.
My beloved Bellkura, who also gets a medal for being the best Onee-san ever.
And finally, Critical_Lemon, my stalker of sorts. No medals for you because I'm mean that way. XD

Luff to all who comment!**