"Wakie wakie sleepy head."

Val's face is uncomfortably close to mine as he leans over my bed, a big toothy grin spread across his face. I put my hand over it and push his head back. "It's too early for that."

"What? For my beautiful face?"

I grunt in response, pulling my pillow over my face.

"Seriously, get up. You gotta take me to Mon's place remember."

"How about you get your own fuckin' car?"

"Why would I if I can't drive?" He rummages around his drawers, pulling stuff out and throwing them on the floor.

"Learn."

"Nah. Effort."

The door opens so I pull the pillow off my face. Yasmin comes in and closes the door.

"Excuse me, but there are people getting naked in here," Val says, putting a t-shirt over his chest as if he gives a fuck who sees him in underwear.

"Alex isn't here. Did he tell you where we went?" She looks at me and I sit up.

"No." I think back to last night when I heard something smash. What the hell happened? "Ask Amelia."

"Ya'll are so dramatic," Val comments, pulling a shirt over his head.

"Just 'cause you don't have a care in the world about anything, doesn't mean other people don't." Yasmin's pauses. "And you need a haircut."

"You need a life cut."

"That doesn't make sense."

"It does to smart people."

"So that counts you out."

This will go on forever. I tune them out and text Alex, asking where he is. Five minutes later Yasmin and Val are still going at it and Alex hasn't texted back, so I call him. It goes straight to voicemail.

Amelia walks outside, fixing something in her bag while i'm standing there smoking, waiting on Val and Yasmin, even though Val is the one who wanted to leave early. When he tries to be early he ends up being later than usual.

"Everything okay?" She gets a fright, having not seen me and puts her hand over her heart.

"You scared the hell out of me."

"Sorry," I laugh.

"And yeah, i'm uh, fine. Thanks."

"Were you and Alex arguing last night?"

She hesitates before telling me. "Yes. We- we broke up."

What? "Why?"

She shrugs. "Something happened to him I guess and once again he took it out on me. He told me he's done with everything. Whatever that means."

Done with everything... That doesn't mean he's going to...

No. He wouldn't. I nod and she smiles with sad eyes before going to her car. I immediately take out my phone and call Alex. The fourth time I try calling he finally answers.

"What?" His voice is a low moan, sounding as if he just woke up.

"Where the fuck are you? And why haven't you been replying to Yasmin and I? And why were you a dick to Amelia last night?"

"Holy fuck, stop jumping down my throat. I'm at Enrico's place."

"Why?"

"'Cause."

"Why?"

"Fucking 'cause."

"Amelia?" He goes silent. "Alex? Why'd you break up?"

"'Cause."

"If you say that one more time-" The line goes dead and I take my phone from my ear, sighing. Just when i'm putting my cigarette to my mouth, Val takes it from my hand.

"Muchas gracias." He smiles before taking a draw of it.

"I can't deal with Max and his dumbass friends anymore," Ray says, coming out the front door with Yasmin.

"Shame," Val blows smoke in his face and Ray cringes, pushing him back.

"On second thought; Max is better than him."

"You guys need to grow up," Yasmin scoffs. "Why are you letting a girl get between you two?"

"Oh, i'm over the situation with that girl. I just felt like being annoying for no reason."

Ray rolls his eyes. "I'll hit you where it hurts one day, Valentino."

I'd like to see the day Val gives a shit about something enough to get hurt by it.

"It don't hurt nowhere, babe."

As soon as we're all in my car, Yasmin sits in the front seat and starts drinking from a clear water bottle that from the smell, obviously doesn't contain water. "Little early for that. Don't you think?"

"Why are you being judgy?" She screws up her face, putting the cap on the bottle.

"I'm not. Just wondering if there's any particular reason you're drinking at 7:40am."

She looks the other way and I don't expect an answer, but already know the reason is a boy who's name starts with J and ends in ace.

"We're picking up Montana!" Val screams from the backseat. "Since you people made me late I can't go to her place." I roll my eyes and head off in the direction to Montana's house. Her and Val have been friends since they started high school. She's kinda into drugs and all that like Val – it's no surprise they get along so well.

"Hey guys," Montana says in her bubbly voice, getting into the window seat beside Val, her purple and silver hair pulled back as it usually is.

"You're gonna get dress coded again, yah slut," Val tuts, joking.

"Fuck the pope."

Yasmin and I laugh while Val gasps. "Offended!"

"Soz."

"You're going to hell, cariño."

"I'm already there."

"That got deep really fast."

"That's what I said last night."

Val finally bursts out laughing and I shut out the rest of their conversation before they give me a headache, my mind travelling back to Alex and how fucked up things are gonna be if him and Amelia are seriously over.

+++

Amelia stands frozen at her locker, staring inside it at nothing, deep in thought. It's when I stand beside her that she snaps out of it and smiles.

"Hey, 'Tiago. What's up?" Her voice almost hurts to hear. It's so different from how it usually is.

"You don't have to do that, you know."

"Do what?"

"Act like nothing's wrong and that you're all happy."

She turns into her locker again, covering her eyes with her hand. "It's fine. Just another stupid break up."

"I'll talk to him-"

"You don't get it, Santiago." She looks at me again, her eyes glazed over. "I'm not some pathetic girl who's gonna let him come back to me when he decides to. He's kind of a dickhead. I'm sick of letting myself get treated like shit."

"I know he says things when he's mad but he doesn't mean it, trust me. We've all had our fair share of moody Alex."

"You're his family, though. I'm someone he was using for sex. I'm sorry, but I don't need that." She closes her locker and starts to walk away and I chase after her.

"Alex said that? That's not true."

"Maybe it is."

"You can't seriously think that."

"I didn't at first, but i've been thinking about it, and I probably was just being used. It's happened before so why shouldn't it happen again?"

"Because it's Alex. He's crazy about you-"

"Obviously not." She stops, her voice gone quiet. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Fine," I sigh, gripping the cigarette box in my pocket. "Screw Alex. I won't mention him again."

+++

"Alex!"

He stops on his way to the stairs. "Whaaat?"

"Are you that pathetic that you had to skip school because of a breakup that you caused?" I throw my bag down, Yasmin, Val and Ray walking in behind me.

"You and Amelia broke up?" Yasmin asks and Alex rolls his eyes, walking upstairs.

"Lol," Val adds, heading for the couch.

"What?" I snap, scowling.

"It's just fuckin' hilarious how he'll go back to bein' a dick as if all of his problems are our fault. El-oh-fuckin'-el."

"They'll work it out." Yasmin messes his hair and sits down beside him. I go upstairs and into Alex's room where he's laying in bed with a pillow over his head.

"It wasn't 'cause of that." He mumbles. "I was just hungover."

"What kind of loser skips school 'cause of a hangover? You need to get a grip, bro." All he does is sigh so I sit down on his bed. "What happened last night?"

"It's just... me. I don't know. I'm all messed up. I don't even want to talk about it." He takes the pillow away from his face and I see how tired he looks, his eyes puffy underneath.

"So you're just done with all this? When she moves out you're not gonna talk to her again?"

"Yes," he says, hesitantly. There are footsteps in the hall before Amelia walks past Alex's open bedroom door. "Close that on the way out."

Two minutes later Amelia walks past the door again, fixing her hair into a ponytail as she walks wearing yoga pants and a t-shirt. Alex puts the pillow back over his face and I don't say another word before leaving and closing the door behind me, going to my room. I take two pain killers to help my headache and fall down on my bed. It's great without Val in here. I can't wait to move out and have my own space with no loud problematic siblings. Sometimes it feels like i'm the oldest who has to look out for Alex and everyone else. Sure, Alex is helpful when he's in a good mood, but when he's not he's useless.

I hear him leave later as I have another sleepless night, taking a pain killer every hour. Val sleeps peacefully in his bed and I wonder how he does it. I wonder if the thoughts that keep me up at night will ever go away.

+++

This was short and shitty but i just wanted to show you guys a day in the life of santiago.

teaser: Amelia looks for distractions..

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