The Play Book

The phone started to ring as I sat at the kitchen counter and lit a cigarette. I brought it to my lips and took a drag as the phone continued ringing until the expectant beep sounded and the caller's message started playing. "Roshin, I know you're there because your school phoned and said that you didn't turn up. I don't know what you're playing at but when I get home, you are in big trouble," my father's voice floated from the speakers – not like I was expecting anyone else, of course.

He's threatened 'big trouble' so many times before that I've lost count over the years; however I could also probably count the amount of times I have seen my father since I was thirteen on both hands with two extra fingers. He works more than the average 9-5 hours and is rarely ever home, but it's not like he's needed in the house. I've taken care of myself ever since we moved here four years ago, with my younger brother Adam having been a reclusive ever since he received his first gaming console when he was ten years old. Neither of us see each other much, but we both don't talk to our father because firstly he's never home, and secondly he gave us such a shitty childhood that we don't like him at all.

Taking another drag of my cigarette, I stood from my seat and pressed the delete button on the phone stand. I then called up to Adam to remind him to not even think about touching the alcohol that's in the fridge otherwise I would kill him, and after that I left the house. Adam and I don't go to the same high school because there's no way I would go to a school that has a relative in and also he preferred to go to a private one so that he could milk our father of money. It worked but now he picks and chooses what days to actually go into school – not like me where I wake up and decide not to go in on any day of the week, but rather he schedules every Thursday off, has a recurring bug every other Monday and whenever he cannot be bothered going in on a Friday, he makes up an appointment to do with his hindered speech development and gets away with it.

I got to school within twenty minutes, looked at my watch and realised it was halfway during third period so there was no real point in me going in just yet so I went on to the field and laid down on the grass. Occasionally, I would sneak a smoke on the field but I didn't do that often because I have been caught before and that resulted in my father being called – actually, that resulted in the house being called and my brother picking up the phone and pretending to be our father. Thanks to him, I received a week worth of detention that I never showed up for.

Soon the bell sounded and people started coming onto the field, giving me reason to leave. I had taken three steps when someone grabbed my arm to stop me. "Hey – Roshin, right?" he asked just as I pulled my arm from his grip.

"What's it to you?" I replied, looking him up and down. I don't recall him from the bunch of smokers I hang round with at lunch, he's not a distinct face in one of my classes and he's definitely not someone I give the time of day to.

"I was just asking, jeesh!" he answered, his hands in the surrender position in the air. I rolled my eyes and began to walk away. "Wait! I didn't see you in History today."

Can he not take a hint? I'm not interested in whatever he wants to say, and it's not like we've ever spoken before so I don't know why the hell he'd need to have anything to say to me. "Obviously you wouldn't as I wasn't in school at that time," I drawled.

He settled into a walk next to me, not deterred by my lack of enthusiasm to talk to him. "You've also never been to one of our games this season, or any other, when I think about it," he mentioned casually, almost as if he were dropping a hint. "Y'know, the soccer games."

I snorted a laugh. "Wow, I'm being talked to by one of the soccer players of the school. Is this a privilege that I should be grateful for?"

"You know what? Forget it. I'll try talking to you when you're less of a bitch," he hissed, either offended at my sarcasm or that it was being directed to his team. The joy that when boys are so attached to their toys, they're so much easier to annoy.

"Well you're wasting your time because you're not going to get any other side of me any time soon," I laughed. With him being a sportsman, any time soon will never come.

He was about to reply when another guy called out to him. "Yo, Liam, you're looking pissed."

I just rolled my eyes and walked away from him. Well today clearly turned out to be a terrible day to come to school and I hadn't even attended a class yet. It wasn't so much the conversation than it was the person I had the conversation with that annoyed me the most. I don't associate with anything to do with the sports teams at school because I absolutely despise sports in general. It's doesn't matter whether it's soccer or tennis or even badminton – if it's anything to do with sports, I hate it and everyone who participates in it.

To cool off, I found the smokers outside the school's grounds and smoked three of my cigarettes before the bell sounded for the next period of the day. After brief deliberation, I decided that I might as well attend the remainder of my classes as I was already out the house so there's no point wasting the effort I'd put in to getting up this morning.