{"id":766,"date":"2021-07-23T16:54:13","date_gmt":"2021-07-23T16:54:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fishbonescomic.com\/novel\/?p=766"},"modified":"2021-08-02T16:44:24","modified_gmt":"2021-08-02T16:44:24","slug":"fishbones-book-i-chapter-6-personal-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.fishbonescomic.com\/novel\/2021\/07\/fishbones-book-i-chapter-6-personal-space\/","title":{"rendered":"Fishbones Book I \u2013 Chapter 6: Personal Space"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"\"Illustration by Eyugho<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The boy\u2019s bathroom on the second floor of St. Basil\u2019s Private Academy was empty but for one person. Ferris had excused himself from class on account of a terrible headache. He stood in front of the sink, leaning on it with one hand. The other hand clutched his temple. The tight, grinding feeling didn\u2019t seem to be going away.<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lights in the bathroom were too bright. Two sinks down, he could hear a drip\u2014tiny droplets hitting ceramic, three seconds between each beat. It was unbearable. He was used to headaches, but lately they\u2019d been worse. The aspirin wasn\u2019t working, not this time. This was a terrible day.<\/p>\n

It was about to get worse.<\/p>\n

Every noise in the tiled room was magnified tenfold: the opening door, the newcomer\u2019s footsteps, and the clang of metal as Ferris was pushed up against a bathroom stall.<\/p>\n

Ferris\u2019 shoulder blades dug into painted steel. His uniform collar had been snagged with two fists, their grip nearly lifting him from the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou look like a smart one,\u201d said his assailant. He had a British accent.<\/p>\n

Ferris took a moment to survey the stranger. This was a student he\u2019d never seen before\u2014tall, trim, with bleached blond hair and dark sideburns. He looked like a runner, but something told Ferris this boy wasn\u2019t on the track team.<\/p>\n

\u201cUh, thanks?\u201d Ferris said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHappen to be any good at maths?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, if you want my lunch money or something, all I have is leftover kugel,\u201d Ferris said. \u201cWhich is really not worth this kind of effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

The English boy shoved him harder against the stall. \u201cI didn\u2019t ask for money, I\u2019m asking for answers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s very deep, but I should be getting back to\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

The stranger\u2019s fist found its way into his abdomen. Ferris wheezed, groaned in pain, and subsequently shut up. At least his headache was no longer the biggest of his problems.<\/p>\n

His attacker leaned in closer. \u201cTest answers. I don\u2019t know who Dean<\/i> is or why he has a list in the school paper, but your<\/i> name was at the top of it,\u201d he said. \u201cSo I was hoping you could do me a little favor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Test answers\u2014of course. How was it that every student in this private school refused to do any actual studying? Attacking strangers in bathrooms was exponentially more work than reading a simple book. Ridiculous. \u201cNo. Take your fucking hands off of me,\u201d Ferris said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I\u2019m going to have to rough you up, then,\u201d the boy said. \u201cI apologize in advance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ferris was thrown to the opposite bathroom wall, his face hitting the tile with a crack. This again. He had just finished healing from the last one.<\/p>\n

As the boy rushed in, Ferris turned. He was only able to get one punch in before they were grappling. A single hit\u2014it was something. More than Ferris expected to pull off against this nearly six foot, maybe-a-runner, definitely-an-asshole bully. They had only been scuffling for a moment before the boy gained the upper hand.<\/p>\n

Ferris was forced up against a sink, arm twisted behind his back as his antagonist muttered into his ear from behind, \u201cYou\u2019re just making this harder than it needs to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you going to do with test answers, anyway\u2014sell them?\u201d Ferris made a poor attempt at wrenching free. \u201cDemos already has that market covered.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJokes on you, mate. I\u2019m working with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ferris narrowed his eyes. His nose was dripping red circles onto the white porcelain sink. \u201cNo, you\u2019re not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow would you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s my friend,\u201d Ferris said. \u201cAnd he wouldn\u2019t deal with a stupid neanderthal like you.\u201d<\/p>\n

His attacker stopped in place. Seconds passed, and then, he let go. Ferris exhaled as he was released. When he turned to look, the boy was scratching the side of his ear, looking very much like a child who\u2019d been caught drawing on a wall.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou really do know him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Ferris said. \u201cI know<\/i> him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The boy laced his fingers behind his head, offering a helpless grin. \u201cWell, sorry about all that.\u201d He laughed. \u201cThink he\u2019ll be angry when he finds out?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ferris could only gawk, bruised and still bleeding from his nose. Of all the nerve.<\/p>\n

The boy\u2019s wide smile didn\u2019t falter. \u201cAnyway, I\u2019m Seamus.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t that an Irish name?\u201d Ferris said. \u201cYou don\u2019t sound Irish.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, Dad liked some poet\u2014never read his work.\u201d Seamus wet a paper towel in the sink, leaning in to wipe the blood off of Ferris\u2019 upper lip. \u201cNot big on poems, myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ferris waved the gesture off with a pointed glare. \u201cNo kidding.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, come on. I apologized, didn\u2019t I? Twice!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d Ferris snatched the paper towel to wipe the blood off himself. \u201cI don\u2019t think \u2018sorry<\/i>\u2019 cuts it, you probably broke one of my ribs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seamus was watching his reflection through the mirror, still uncomfortably close. Was personal space not a thing in England? \u201cWell, let me make it up to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ferris faked a smile, which looked worse than his frown. \u201cDo you have a car? You can drive me to the police station so I can file a restraining order on you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seamus laughed again. Unbelievable. \u201cHow about a little drink?\u201d Seamus pulled a flask from the inside of his blazer and gave it a little shake. By the echoing slosh, it was already half empty. \u201cYou look like you could use it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, thanks.\u201d Ferris leaned in to the mirror, wiping off the last bit of blood from his chin. \u201cHow do you know Demos, anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHelped him out of a little tough spot. He\u2019s clever but bloody useless in a fight.\u201d Seamus unscrewed his flask, taking a swig of the liquor inside.<\/p>\n

So this was the guy that Demos had conned into beating up his competitor. Ferris tossed the paper towel into the trash can and straightened his tie. He\u2019d been gone for much too long. \u201cI\u2019m going back to class,\u201d he said. \u201cYou should too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a bit,\u201d Seamus said. \u201cI\u2019ll see you \u2018round lunch?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot if I can help it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGreat, catch you then!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ferris didn\u2019t see Seamus wave\u2014he was already in the hallway. He touched his sore jaw. His headache was returning with a grudge, the dull burn thumping under his skull. Seamus was\u2014he was something, all right. At least Ferris didn\u2019t have a fourth bully to worry about.<\/p>\n

Still, he was going to have a long talk with Demos about his choice of accomplices.<\/p>\n

#<\/p>\n

In the two weeks that followed, Ferris saw much more of Seamus than he\u2019d have liked. School had been out for an hour, but three sophomores remained on the front stoop. Demos and Ferris had found seats on the stairs. Seamus was lounging along the concrete banister, flipping a cigarette between his fingers. He had apparently been using the \u201cI\u2019m from another country<\/i>\u201d excuse anytime he was caught breaking rules, but Ferris knew that wouldn\u2019t work forever. One could only pretend to be an exchange student for so long.<\/p>\n

Seamus snapped a lighter open, lighting the cigarette with a puff of smoke. \u201cSure I can\u2019t tempt you, Fer?\u201d Seamus had taken to calling Ferris a nickname. Ferris hated it, which Seamus responded to by using it as often as possible.<\/p>\n

Ferris turned a page in his notebook, trying to ignore the smell. \u201cI told you\u2014I don\u2019t smoke.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour loss.\u201d Seamus shrugged. \u201cYou finished that midterm, yet?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m almost done,\u201d Ferris said. Somehow, Demos had conned him into joining their little scheme.\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI haven\u2019t taken Calculus II yet, give me a break.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dishwashing didn\u2019t pay a lot.<\/p>\n

Seamus had a talent for determining exactly when teachers left their classrooms unattended. All he\u2019d had to do was find the test master copy, take a high-resolution photograph, then return the paper to its original spot. The teacher would be none the wiser\u2014or at least, that was the plan.<\/p>\n

This time, Seamus had forgotten the answer key.<\/p>\n

Which is why Ferris was blatantly scribbling on an illicit print-out on the front stoop. They were breaking at least four academy rules\u2014and they were doing it directly in front of the school. Now he had two<\/i> friends without a shred of morality.<\/p>\n

Maybe \u201cfriend\u201d was a strong word for what Seamus was. He was the type to ruffle hair and partake in public spectacle\u2014all of which Ferris had zero patience for. Seamus flirted without shame, considered schoolwork optional, and had barely a care in the world.<\/p>\n

In other words, he was Ferris\u2019 complete opposite. If Seamus was summer, Ferris was winter. And if Seamus was smoking and drinking in front of school, Ferris was doing math problems.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere, it\u2019s finished.\u201d He tossed the notebook at Seamus before he could properly catch it.<\/p>\n

Seamus fumbled with it for a moment before getting a proper hold. \u201cWell, great. This means bugger all to me, so I hope it\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll type these up,\u201d Demos said, stealing the notebook from Seamus. \u201cI already have a waiting list for this one\u2014I heard the teacher is a real hard ass.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy the look of those questions, he is,\u201d Ferris said. \u201cWhat was his name again?\u201d<\/p>\n

Before Seamus could answer, the school doors opened. He quickly tossed the cigarette to a step, crushing it with his foot. A teacher walked out. There was a twist in her expression\u2014she could clearly smell the smoke. She tossed the boys a look before making her way to the parking lot.<\/p>\n

Ferris had done his best to shield his face from her glare. It was no use. Everyone knew he spent time with Demos and Seamus. There was no turning back now.<\/p>\n

When the teacher was out of earshot, Seamus spoke up again. \u201cWasted half a fag. Shame.\u201d He picked up his foot, looking at the crushed tobacco with a frown.<\/p>\n

Ferris pulled the pencil from behind his ear and started his own homework. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s a sign.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat I\u2019m half a fag? You got me\u2014in fact, I think I\u2019ve got a thing for you. It\u2019s the real reason I tease you so often.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGo jump in traffic, Seamus.\u201d<\/p>\n

Demos and Seamus both laughed. Ferris rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to his actual homework. If they were a trio now, he was going to have to get used to Seamus.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Illustration by Eyugho The boy\u2019s bathroom on the second floor of St. Basil\u2019s Private Academy was empty but for one person. Ferris had excused himself from class on account of a terrible headache. He stood in front of the sink, leaning on it with one hand. The other hand clutched his temple. The tight, grinding […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fishbones-book-01"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4oWx8-cm","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.fishbonescomic.com\/novel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.fishbonescomic.com\/novel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.fishbonescomic.com\/novel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.fishbonescomic.com\/novel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.fishbonescomic.com\/novel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=766"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.fishbonescomic.com\/novel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/766\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":776,"href":"http:\/\/www.fishbonescomic.com\/novel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/766\/revisions\/776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.fishbonescomic.com\/novel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.fishbonescomic.com\/novel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.fishbonescomic.com\/novel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}