Chapter Text
5am. That was the time flashing red on his bedside as he threw the duvet off of himself, not wanting to get out of the house into the freezing English air. Nor did he want to get on that loud, stuffy, overcrowded bus. At least he was always the first one on, but it always got too busy by the end of his journey. All he wanted to do was curl back up, not put the dreaded mask on and go back to sleep. However, he couldn’t. Year 10 is one of the most important years of Secondary school, you simply can’t miss a day, as it is one of two GCSE years. “If you miss a day over the next year, we simply don’t have time to cover the last lesson.” Is what he’d been told back in September by his bitchy Head of Year, Miss Peterson. Miss. No wonder she couldn’t find a partner. She’s just too much of an asshole, the devil incarnate, if you will.
He eventually gets up and goes to brush his teeth and style his hair. Caleb’s hair didn’t need much styling, just some messing up, all it ever needed honestly. After that, he slumps back to his room to get dressed in his school uniform, which was a pair of smart, black trousers, a white collared shirt, which was always overlain with the school jumper, and, of course, the dreaded school blazer and tie. They were so uncomfortable, it physically pains him. He puts on a pair of plain white socks, followed by plain black trainers. He was probably going to get in trouble with his form teacher for that, but never-fucking-mind. He swallows his antidepressant with water but never the ADHD med. He just puts it in his pocket and would probably mash it into the ground with his foot later. The ADHD meds made him feel dead inside, no energy, no nothing.
It was 5.30 when he finally heard the other members of his family wake up. Caleb’s step-dad, Malcolm, had already left at 5am. Never said goodbye. Always in too much of a rush to go up to London to work. Malcolm never worked. He thinks he’s slick about it, too. He constantly comes home drunk and smelling like a perfume that wasn’t his wife’s. Kate didn't deserve him. She was a lovely woman. Everyone in the family but Caleb's younger half-sister, Arabella, knew about the whole scandal. He loved Arabella like his actual full blood sister. She’s 5 years younger than him, being 10. He watches her come down the stairs, already dressed in her school uniform. “'Bit eager to go school, are we, Bells?” Caleb quips from the scruffy sofa, as if he wasn’t dressed as well.
“It’s the Christmas event today!” She exclaims, padding over to Caleb. “Can you do my hair, please?”
He says nothing as he reaches out to do one of the only styles he knew. A pair of braids. Her hair was long, blonde, and insanely pretty.
Caleb finished the braids as he saw his bus pull up to the bus stop. He doesn’t wait for her to say anything, not even a ‘thank you’ or a ‘bye’, before putting on his coat and slinging his bag on one shoulder and bolting out of the house to get on the bus of pure nightmares.