I wake up in Luke’s car feeling much better. He must have woken before me and let me sleep while he drove the rest of the way to Alex’s farm, which was really sweet, especially since I’m not sure how much, if any, sleep he must have gotten between him stopping texting me last night and picking me up this morning.
Alex and a few other people are already setting up the games when we arrive and immediately a pretty blonde girl runs over and wraps her arms around Luke. A worrying twinge of jealousy pulses through me and I try to suppress it when she turns around and smiles at me.
“Cleo right? Rory told me about you. I’m Kia.” She says, but her arm is still around Luke’s waist and I can’t focus on anything but that. It’s only when Luke laughs and nudges me that I realise I’m still staring at her.
“Sorry, yes, I’m Cleo
"Thank you for driving, Emily." Aurora's mum climbs into the passenger seat of Shane's mum's car. Shane getting out to let Aurora sit between us in the back. "Oh your welcome Alison, I'm so excited, Snuggles and Snoopy are going off to university. Well, at least looking." Shane's mum beams back at us, then starts the car and pulls away, the two mums chatting about how to orchestrate the uni visit today. "Snoopy?" Aurora giggles beside me, but I kind of love that Shane's mum cares enough to give me a nickname, so I just smile at her and nod. "That's so cute." "As am I." I wink at her and she laughs again, rolling her eyes at me and changing the subject to talk about the university we're about to see. In true Aurora style, she's got a map and brochures detailing
My alarm blares from my phone at five am, my eyes shoot open and I try to sit up, but I'm being kept on my back by someone. Blonde hair is on my chest and although I don't remember falling asleep with Luke on top of me, he's definitely there now and I'm fairly sure I've lost the feeling in my right arm."What time is it?" He mumbles sleepily against my chest."About five." I twist to try to reach my phone, but my hand is numb, so I end up slapping at it and it continues its high pitched screaming."Why the hell is your alarm going off at five?" He grumbles, reaching over and swiping the screen to end the noise."It's when I get up for swimming normally." He groans, laying back onto my chest and closing his eyes."Too ea
I woke up wrapped around Cleo this morning, I didn't want to get up, but it's my required visit to mum's and she knows it, so she's already showered and getting ready to go home."I could tell her I'm sick." I say, the third excuse I've come up with to try to avoid going. "We could do something fun instead. Bowling, cinema, ice skating?""Ice skating?" She pauses, I see the indecision cross her face and think I've got her, but then she shakes her head and pulls her socks on. "You need to go, she's your mum. We can go ice skating another time.""I don't want to go." I whine, sticking my head under the pillow. I feel the bed move as she climbs on beside me, lifting the pillow and placing it over her head as well."Why not?""Yo
My dad comes down and sits on the edge of the pool, waiting until I've finished and climbed out before speaking to me. "You're making good times." He comments but I know this isn't why he's really down here. He's got that look, that one that means he's going to talk to me about something that he's been thinking about for a little while. "Thank you, hopefully it's good enough." I say, wrapping a towel around myself while I wait for him to ask me what he really wants. "You were up late last night, who were you on the phone to?" There we go! "Luke from school, we were watching the new Jumanji." I say, looking directly at him so he'll know I'm telling the truth.
Billy's been here all week in a bad way, I took the alcohol away from him on Wednesday night and he tried to pick a fight with me over it until I threatened to send him back to his dad's. I know he's angry and he's hurting, but he can't let it ruin his life and by Thursday night I think he's thinking more clearly. He went home after school today, although he's not sure he's in the mood to come out with everyone. I did offer to sit this one out with him, even though I'm dying to see Cleo, but he wanted to go home, so I've changed my bedsheets, cleaned the house and got food in for breakfast tomorrow and I'm going to use everything I've got to persuade her to come home with me tonight. The girls are getting ready together, so Shane gets dropped off at mine around eight and we have a drink before sett
"Rise and shine sleepy head." I giggle, poking Luke in the shoulder. He'd insisted he wanted to come training with me before school, but I wasn't convinced he'd be as keen when I started nudging him at 5.30am and it looks like I was right. I lean down and kiss his cheek. "Ok, I'll see you at school." "I really hate you, you know that right?" He grabs my wrist, holding me next to the bed as he rolls over, groaning and yawning. "Luke, stay in bed you idiot, I wasn't seriously expecting you to come." I giggle again when he squints around the room, staring at the wardrobe for a few seconds before grunting with the effort of getting up. "I said I'd come, so I'll come. There's something very wrong with someone who willingly gets up at this time every day." He tugs a t-shirt over his head, pulling on his jeans and
This week's gone too quickly and before I know it, Cleo's dropping me off at Billy's house and we're in his room, his dad telling us both how proud he is that we're doing this, when we both know he's just hoping Billy will go into the forces and learn some respect. He's told us enough times that a little time the the army would straighten him out, I'm surprised Billy is actually going on this thing actually, he lives to piss off his dad. The little blonde step sister thinks she's being subtle edging outside, but her eyes are glued to Billy and if his dad wasn't oblivious to how hot she is because she actually covers the majority of her body, he'd notice that the two of them are all sneaky looks and sexual tension. "Bye Elsie, bye Mr Watkins." I call over to her with a cheeky wink, just to see what her reaction is
I could have headed straight home after I dropped Luke off at Billy's, but since I was already out and planning to meet the girls at the cinema later, I thought I might as well go to the local pool and get some laps in."Cleo." I hear the familiar voice call my name as I leave the building and my body tenses, guilt and fear mixing in vomit inducing waves deep in my stomach. "Cleo, please, I just want to talk.""About what Colin? You've made it very clear to me how you feel." I pause beside my car."I'm really sorry." I'd not expected to hear that and find myself nodding and stepping away from my car when he says. "Can we get a coffee and just talk, please?"I follow him back inside the pool, turning right and heading to the little cafe part instead. He tells me to