The Difference in Mind

A few hours later, Martin was busy fixing his lights. The school party had ended, and Martin was waiting for his sister to say goodbye to her friends. His lights weren’t working, as always, so he did a pointless attempt to get them fixed. Jeremy caught up with him, his bike at his side.
‘That was another total waste of my precious time’ he grunted and swung his leg over his bicycle. ‘But the concert was good though’
Martin nodded, abandoning his lights again. They wouldn’t work, again.
‘Don’t tell me that’ he said ‘I don’t like music!’
‘Get a life’ Jeremy said, looking sheepishly over the school yards. ‘How long will that take?’ he added, nodding at Ally, who was talking to some of her classmates
‘Hours’ Martin replied and mounted his bike. At the same moment, two figures came out of the front door. A girl was shrieking loudly, and a boy was laughing. Both Martin and Jeremy recognized the two persons. Angelica was hanging all over Gary, who was carrying a large bag on his back, which contained his guitar.
‘Let’s get out of here’ Jeremy said, driving towards the school gates as Gary and Angelica started to kiss again.
‘Yes, let’s go’ Martin repeated, looking away from the two. He called his sister, who quickly said goodbye to her friends until she drove over to Martin. At the moment Martin had called for Ally, he saw Gary look at them for a moment. Martin ignored him, but saw how Angelica claimed Gary back by turning his head with both her hands.

~***~

Martin reached the top floor. Their father had already gone back. Martin could hear his snoring. Without saying anything to each other, they both went into their own bedrooms. Inside, Martin closed his curtains, took of his clothes and climbed in his bunk bed. He set his alarm clock and took of his glasses and laid down, on his side, staring at the wall next at him. He felt disgusted about Gary and Angelica. Why did people always have to snog in public? When Martin had a girlfriend, they had never snogged like that in the open.
It had been three months now since Martin had his last girlfriend. She had also been his first. They’d had a relation for almost half a year until they broke up. She had fallen in love with someone else, and had left Martin alone and heartbroken. Martin still wasn’t over it yet. Martin still thought about her every day, and although he was sure they would never be together, he still thought of the time they used to be happy. Martin felt a faint feeling of hate towards her. Why had she left him? Why hadn’t she be honest from the beginning? Why had she fallen in love with someone else? What was wrong with him? Hadn’t he been good to her?
These were all questions Martin would do a murder for to get the answers, but they never talked. They hadn’t spoken to each other since the day they had broke up.
Jealous. He was just being jealous! Gary can kiss everyone he wants. It just made Martin feel jealous! Martin sometimes which he had a special talent. He was only good in Warhammer, but that wasn’t something you could really do something with. Gary was a talented musician. He could get the entire school on their knees if he wanted to.
Martin wasn’t like that. He would never be.

~***~

The next week was the holiday, and Martin spend it studying, working, and painting Warhammer goblins together with Jeremy. The assignment was going pretty well. He had received Gary’s email, and believing Gary, he had already started to write a bit of the presentation. Martin himself, had set a plan on which they could to the tests. They would have to do them at school, because they didn’t had the equipment. They didn’t speak each other much, only through mail and at work.
‘The second law is the easiest’ Gary spoke, while he was filling bags with potatoes. Martin was sweeping the floor.
‘Resulting Force equals mass times acceleration’ Martin droned.
‘Uhu’ Gary said ‘And gravity Force equals mass times 9,81’
‘Yep’ Martin said, bending over to pick up a banana peel ‘They have been repeating that to us since our third year’
Gary nodded
‘We should work at someone’s home’ Gary suggested. ‘Or else it’ll never get done’
Now it was Martin who nodded. If they wanted this presentation to be over with soon, they would have to meet up together and work on it. Working on it individually simply didn’t go that well.
‘We should’ Martin said, imagining Jeremy’s face, he had to suppress a laugh.
Jeremy will disown me, Martin thought
Gary smiled brightly.

~***~

‘I’m sorry, Martin’ Gary said on the phone
‘No, it’s alright’ Martin said ‘You couldn’t have known that’
‘I’d rather not go. My stepfather is an arse. But his parents wants us to come as well’
Blackpool, Martin thought. Would Gary be from there as well? Gary had told him he had moved from there to London two years ago.
‘I will try to work on the presentation when I’m there’ Gary said, sounding a bit desperate
Martin smiled
‘Have fun’ he said
‘Believe me’ Gary said sounding sarcastically. ‘I won’t’


~***~

Martin stood in his team leaders office.
‘It will be a long day, today’ he sighed ‘Gary Taylor has just went of on vacation, and I didn’t had the time to schedule someone to cover for him’
‘When does he work normally?’ Martin asked
‘Today’ Robert started ‘Monday evening, Thursday after noon and Friday evening’
Martin thought for a moment
‘I’ll take them’ he said.
Roberts eyes widened. ‘You will? Really?’
Martin nodded ‘I’ve got nothing to do these days’
Robert looked like Christmas had came earlier
‘You are really helping me out here, Martin’ he said, and took a post it, writing Martin’s working hours down ‘You are saving my pale ass’
And Gary’s, Martin thought secretly.

~***~

So that holiday, Martin worked almost everyday. He didn’t explain to Jeremy why he didn’t had that much time to play Warhammer.
‘Even I don’t work that much this holiday’ he said, dipping his pencil in the red paint. ‘And I work a lot!’
Martin shrugged.
‘Maybe I should work more too’ Jeremy said ‘I want that new army’
‘I need my laptop’ Martin said numbly, trying to paint a minuscule dwarf. While he did, he thought of his apple notebook he would be able to buy within a month...


~***~

The holiday was over within a flash. A bit too soon to Martin’s opinion, but at least he had worked a lot, and he could see that on his next paycheck
During English, his first class after the holiday, Gary took the table next to him.
‘I heard you did my shifts at work’
Martin nodded, taking his bag of the chair next to him so Gary could take the seat. Gary sat down.
‘Thank you’ he said, and smiled thankfully at Martin. Martin smiled back
‘No problem’ he said. ‘Robert was playing was almost crying when he told me you couldn’t work’
Gary laughed. ‘I can imagine that’ he said, opening his book. ‘Thanks again’ and he smiled again. Martin smiled back again. ‘What happened, anyway?’ Martin asked curiously. ‘Why did you have to leave all of a sudden?’
‘My stepfather’s parents wanted us to come’ he said ‘At first, only he and my mum would go. But they wanted to see us as well. So my mum forced me! I had to go, or else I would be in big trouble’
‘Like?’ Martin asked
‘Confiscating my guitar, computer, and Play station’
Martin laughed.
‘Seriously!’ Gary said, eyebrows raised. ‘I can’t live without them!’
‘You’re pathetic’ Martin laughed. ‘Would you die?’
‘Yes!’ Gary said, sounding really serious. Martin laughed again.

~***~

Martin stepped inside the chemistry classroom. He sat down at a table next to the window. He always sat there. To his surprise, Gary took the other seat.
‘Shouldn’t you sit with your friends?’ he asked, and nodded at Angelica, and two other boys Gary always sat with.
‘I don’t have my exam presentation with them, have I?’
‘No... but this is chemistry’ Martin said, eyebrows raised
Gary shrugged. ‘Does that matter? If you don’t want me to sit next to you, I could always-...’ He pointed with his thumb to his friends
‘No, it’s alright’ Martin said, shaking his head.
The class started, and as usual, Martin stared outside. He had always been quit good in chemistry, and if he didn’t understand something, he could always ask his dad.
The sky looked grey and gloomy. It would definitely rain later today.
And they would have P.E at the end of the day...