The Attic

“Hey Ryder, do you have something for me?” called Cassie from the back seat of her friends red soft top. Her long dirty blonde hair flew backwards with the wind, placing her bare shoulders on display. It was a beautiful sunny and hot day for once, and strange considering it was only the middle of April, when it was still usually wet and dreary. Cassie’s friend pulled up beside Trent and Chuck and Cassie leapt out of the back seat and over the door. She wasn’t your average pretty blue-eyed blonde-haired girl, the ones that would usually strut their stuff around school wearing nothing but miniskirts and spaghetti string tops, and had to the have the most up to date fashionable shoes and accessories that were on the market.

 

No, Cassie was completely the opposite. Although she was the most beautiful thing that Trent had ever laid eyes on, with her twenty-six inch waist and curvaceous features; her thick long blonde hair and her sparkling blue eyes like two twin pools of oceanic serenity, Cassie was pretty much a boy in a girl’s body. But Trent wasn’t put off by that and loved her dearly for her tom boyish habits.

 

“Come here you,” she said with a wicked glint in her eye. Grabbing Trent’s face with both hands, she pulled him forwards and planted a hot and heavy kiss on his puckered up lips. After a few long seconds of intense pashing, Chuck coughed uncomfortably, breaking their clinch. “Oh I am sorry Charles, didn’t see you there.” Cassie stuck her tongue out him and took Trent by the hand.

 

Chuck grimaced. “Don’t call me that. Anyway, you got one of those for me?” He closed his eyes and pursed his lips.

 

Trent playfully smacked his best friends shoulder and guffawed. “Don’t you even think about it pal, this one is all mine.” He threw his arm around Cassie and pull her close as the three off them continued back to Trent’s house. “Anyway, you seem to have perked up Chuck.”

 

Chuck shrugged and smiled. “Told you, just a stomach cramp.”

 

* * *

“Hey mom, you still hanging about?” asked Trent chuckling as all three made their way into the house via the back door. His mother was sat at the kitchen table hunched over a pile of paper-work, dressed in her sweats.

She didn’t answer, instead her eyes were fixated on the small portable T.V sat on the corner of the work bench.

“Mom?” said Trent, walking over and waving his hand in front of her face. Cassie and Chuck stood at the door and watched Trent’s mother disappear into the program on the T.V whilst monotonously chewing on the tip of a black biro.

She quickly snapped her head up and blinked a few times. “Sorry son, I was in a world of my own there,” she finally said smiling and ruffling her hand through Trent’s messy mop of dusty blonde hair.

“Yeah, you don’t say.”

His mother turn around in her chair and smiled upon seeing Cassie and Chuck. “Hi Cassie,” she said making a short wave gesture with her right hand. “How’s your mother doing now?”

“She’s getting better now thank you, Mrs Ryder,” replied Cassie cheerfully. “The antibiotics are really doing their job now.”

Trent’s mother laughed out loud. “Cassie darling, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Sylvie?”

Cassie blushed and smiled. “Sorry...Sylvie...”

Chuck began fidgeting and twitching on the spot and a loud grumbling sound broke the moments silence. He looked down holding his stomach.

“Chuck, are you ok love?” asked Sylvie, turning in the direction of the noise.

With a scrunched up face, Chuck shook his head. “I don’t feel too good actually.”

Sylvie stood up from the kitchen table and instantly shot into ‘nurse’ mode. She gently touch his forehead, then rubbed her fingers together. The tips were moist; Chuck seemed to have a sudden fever.

“You do have a temperature Chuck. Why don’t you go lie down upstairs and I will give your mother a call.”

“My mum isn’t home...” his words were cut off with another loud grumble.

Suddenly he screamed out clutching his abdomen and collapsed to his knees.

Cassie, standing next to him by the back door dropped to floor placing her hands on his shoulders. “Jesus Chuck, you’re shaking. Are you alright?”

“Obviously not you stupid bitch!” Chuck roared, his face now a deep shade of red and profusely billowing with droplets of sweat.

Cassie recoiled. She had never heard him speak like that before.

Chuck roared with such intensity of pain, it forced him forward, throwing himself onto his stomach.

“Shit mum this is bad. What the hell is wrong with him?” cried Trent, pushing a stunned Cassie out of the way.

“Watch your language Trent,” said Sylvie calmly. “You help him upstairs while I call the ambulance.”

“What about Cassie?”

Sylvie walked over to Cassie and opened the back door. “Cassie dear, get yourself off home. I’m sure Chuck didn’t mean what he said, he seems to be in a lot of pain.”

Cassie blankly nodded her head without saying a word and slowly manoeuvred herself out of the house.

Trent struggled to help Chuck up and towards the stairs. Heaving his best friend up and placing Chuck arm across his shoulders, Trent wrapped his arm around Chucks middle and dragged him up the stairs.

Trent kicked open his bedroom door and dropped Chuck onto his bed. Chucked writhed around him pain as Trent look on.

Suddenly Chuck sprang into a sitting position and patted his stomach. Lifting his hand to his face, it glistened wet and scarlet. Looking down, the same colour began spilling through his white T-shirt, swimming around his body like ink through water.

“Shit Chuck!” cried Trent, backing away from his friend, his heart racing as he watched him lift up his blood soaked T-shirt. “What the fuck is that?”

“I don't know man, but it's fucking killing me!” And Chuck meant literally. The fresh peachy colour had begun draining from his face, and as he spoke, Trent could see the inside of his mouth and gums were beginning to turn blue.

“We have to get you to the hospital,” said Trent, trying to remain calm, but the rumbling in the pit of his stomach was quickly rising, ready to expel everything he had eaten that afternoon.

Whatever it was, that was inside Chuck's stomach, was trying to work its way out of him, and it wouldn't be long before the task had been completed...

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