Asleep, chapter 4
"Billie? Are you here?"
Billie Joe's eyes snapped open at once.
He gasped for breath sharply.
He got up as fast as he could, his vision getting blurry at his action.
One of his hands grabbed for the wall as support as not to fall over, while the other reached for his forehead.
He could feel cold sweat, when he touched it.
Nervous as hell he tried to collect himself, to calm himself down.
Had he really just heard something?
Had someone just been calling his name?
He waited for a minute, holding his breath to be completely silent.
If this was his mother, she would kill him.
She had threatened him the whole week with insisting on being paid back the
boost costs if he failed the exam.
And how miserably had he failed?
He staggered.
"Mum?" he asked, his voice all throaty.
No answer.
Had he just immagined that?
"Mum?" he asked a second time, a little louder now.
He waited.
Still no answer.
He let himself sink to the floor again, grabbing for the phone's receiver.
He had to call Mike now.
He had to apologize.
What right did he have to bark at his friend like that?
He coughed slightly.
His whole body felt so heavy and numb, he had trouble dialing Mike's number.
Would Mike even be at home?
While Billie was still thinking about the possibility of that,
the phone stopped ringing.
"Hello?"
"....Hi, Mike...." Billie said, his voice sounding subdued.
He could hear Mike breathe in noisily.
"What do you want?"
Billie swallowed something that dared to come up his throat.
"I wanted to apologize... I shouldn't have said that. It's bad for you, too."
And altough he couldn't see Mike, he could feel him smiling at the end of the line.
"I'm sorry, too. It's worse for you, I know, if you.."
"Ah, no. It's okay."
Billie cut in.
All the muscles in his belly tightened
and the substance in his stomach made a squishy sound.
He surpressed at cough.
"Mike, I´m..sorry....I've gotta go...I...bye."
He hung up on Mike without another word,
leaning forward, face towards the floor.
A heavy cough shook his body.
It came from deep down his throat,
sending a kind of yellowish slime with it.
It was so heavy and forcing
Billie's arms gave up and he had to lay himself down.
So forcing he thought he was about to vomit.
He bit his lip, breathing shakily.
His emerald eyes were about to fill with tears, when he squeezed them shut.
No crying about the pain this caused.
It was all his fault.
So he had to deal with it.
Billie Joe's eyes snapped open at once.
He gasped for breath sharply.
He got up as fast as he could, his vision getting blurry at his action.
One of his hands grabbed for the wall as support as not to fall over, while the other reached for his forehead.
He could feel cold sweat, when he touched it.
Nervous as hell he tried to collect himself, to calm himself down.
Had he really just heard something?
Had someone just been calling his name?
He waited for a minute, holding his breath to be completely silent.
If this was his mother, she would kill him.
She had threatened him the whole week with insisting on being paid back the
boost costs if he failed the exam.
And how miserably had he failed?
He staggered.
"Mum?" he asked, his voice all throaty.
No answer.
Had he just immagined that?
"Mum?" he asked a second time, a little louder now.
He waited.
Still no answer.
He let himself sink to the floor again, grabbing for the phone's receiver.
He had to call Mike now.
He had to apologize.
What right did he have to bark at his friend like that?
He coughed slightly.
His whole body felt so heavy and numb, he had trouble dialing Mike's number.
Would Mike even be at home?
While Billie was still thinking about the possibility of that,
the phone stopped ringing.
"Hello?"
"....Hi, Mike...." Billie said, his voice sounding subdued.
He could hear Mike breathe in noisily.
"What do you want?"
Billie swallowed something that dared to come up his throat.
"I wanted to apologize... I shouldn't have said that. It's bad for you, too."
And altough he couldn't see Mike, he could feel him smiling at the end of the line.
"I'm sorry, too. It's worse for you, I know, if you.."
"Ah, no. It's okay."
Billie cut in.
All the muscles in his belly tightened
and the substance in his stomach made a squishy sound.
He surpressed at cough.
"Mike, I´m..sorry....I've gotta go...I...bye."
He hung up on Mike without another word,
leaning forward, face towards the floor.
A heavy cough shook his body.
It came from deep down his throat,
sending a kind of yellowish slime with it.
It was so heavy and forcing
Billie's arms gave up and he had to lay himself down.
So forcing he thought he was about to vomit.
He bit his lip, breathing shakily.
His emerald eyes were about to fill with tears, when he squeezed them shut.
No crying about the pain this caused.
It was all his fault.
So he had to deal with it.
