I should apologise.
I've been telling that to myself since I left the supermarket, all through preparing dinner, through dinner, and now that I'm in my room about to sleep, it's the same song.
He was right, I was being too nosy. If he had been rude, then I had been rudely nosy. Who was I anyway, to say the two hadn't deserved his rudeness? It might have seemed odd to me for someone to behave that way towards a parent, but then again Mr. Walker hadn't been exactly warm towards his son. Maybe that's how they dealt with each other, no love lost, and there I was, being the nosy know-it-all.
Me, 11.32pm: Hey.
That's how long it takes me to gather courage to type out that single word. Two long hours. Knowing Jude, he is still awake.
And still mad?
My phone buzzes a minute later, and I check the text, heart in mouth.
Jude, 11.34pm: Hey. Jo? It's Cole.
Oh. I feel myself deflate. Why is Cole texting back on Jude's phone? D
In the evening I lag behind Isaac, Simon, and Nicki towards Isaac’s car in the school parking lot. For once in very many weeks I’m going to spend time somewhere that’s not school or home. It’s encouraging, and I’m excited about it, even though I’m busy trying to downplay the excitement.It’s not like my parents have restricted me from going anywhere else. It’s entirely my fault that I never go anywhere.I had a little issue about hanging out at Isaac’s because of Mrs. Rutherford, but Isaac assured us she won’t be around, and even if she would have been, that she wasn’t scary at all. I just felt a little odd hanging out at a teacher’s house. Maybe if she wasn’t my teacher I wouldn’t mind.“I really love your hair,” Nicki is telling Isaac up ahead, running her fingers through his dark soft curls. She’s in a m
.Nine Days Later.A lot of things happened during the mid term break. A lot of things, some of which I’m just learning about standing in the hallway beside my locker, listening to Nicki give me a full countdown of all the interesting stuff that happened because she’s more informed than I am.A little break from the semi-hell that is school, a little freedom, and kids run loose.I should know.I’m going to be a little fair to everyone else who is currently feeding into the school gossip mill and start with my own share of midterm break… Waywardness.It was Wednesday night, middle of the break. Sometime after eleven o’clock at night, and I was out like a light.What woke me up was a series of raps on my window. At first, I thought I was dreaming, being half groggy from sleep. A louder rap had me shooting from my bed, my wide
The next day, on Thursday, that’s when I started falling into the trap Jude had set — intentionally or unintentionally — for me. Which is why right now I think I might be developing feelings for him.‘Think’ being the operative word.He came rapping on my window yet again, the time being similar to the night before, and I let him in through my window. I was surprised at his appearance, because I had thought Wednesday night’s visit would be a one time occurrence.Later on I sat against my headboard and regarded him through half open eyes.“You look fine today, why are you here?”He had left early that morning, while I’d still been fast asleep. As so was everyone else in the house, thankfully. I could only imagine the kind of storm my parents would kick up if our little arrangement came to light.
“You heard about Jon, right?” Nicki asks me now, casting a careful glance around as if watching for eavesdroppers.I nod. “Yeah, about his break up with Jane?”That is all around, it’s one of the topics keeping the rumour mill turning. I have to say, I was pretty impressed at my reaction to that piece of news. My heart didn’t stuttered with joy, though I was a little too glad he had decided to ditch the bitch. But that was just it. Insane possibilities of how I now had a chance with him didn’t crowd my mind, which just goes to prove me right. I’m over him.But I can’t be sure until I come face to face with him and see whether my heart goes flying off into the clouds.Nicki shakes her head. “Not about that. About the other thing.”I frown. “What other thing?”“I g
“No you didn’t!” I exclaim, looking wide eyed at Nicki. It’s lunch time and we are in the courtyard outside the dining hall. We didn’t get to talk after assembly, which ended way into the first lesson and we had to rush straight to class.The courtyard is barren of students given the July cold that’s already creeped into the end of June, giving proper privacy for whatever juicy stories she has for me.She giggles, throwing her head back. “I so did. It was all Simon’s idea, however, but I was glad to hop in.”I pout. “Of course.”While I had been lying all bored in my room on Saturday night, my two friends were sneaking out to attend a very illegal house party.“And let me guess, Cole was there too, right?” I prod, trying to sound annoyed at the fact that I’m just finding out about th
I'm almost convinced that this last half of the term is going to be weird when I'm treated to the joyful sight of Simon and Nicki walking through the school gates, coming up the walkway towards the front doors. Together.I stop looking through my bag and stare, a smile breaking across my face.I was thinking I would have to play some reconciliatory role, but it appears I was wrong. I stop looking for my Math exercise book that I suspect I've left at home and wait for my two friends to get to me.The crowd of students going past me is decked out in warm clothing consisting of jackets, jumpers, and beanies. The sun hasn't graced the day with its presence yet, dark gloomy clouds spanning the sky instead. It's as if the weather itself is predicting the sort of trouble I'm going to find myself in if I turn up with no homework in Math."Oh my God, I love this one, how come I've never seen it before?" Nicki gushes the moment she gets to me, pulling
"Cold weather makes me sleepy,” I mutter almost an hour later as Jude takes me through a problem that I was stuck on in my Math assignment. Because of the weather, he suggested we have our session at Ma Bea’s, and I readily agreed.He has a smug grin on his face as he shows me how to work the problem, extremely smug that for the first time, he’s the one showing me Math.He looks up and gives me a stern look. “You’d better be paying attention, Jo.”“I am,” I mutter, wrapping my fingers around my hot mug. It’s warmer in here, and I wouldn’t mind coming here every other time. I don’t mind the free chocolate either. “Honestly though, doesn’t it just make you want to bundle up into your blankets?”“Warmer if you got someone with you,” he mutters, not looking up from my workbook. “Warmer if t
“Wake up, Avery.” Jude says for possibly the tenth time, following it up with a poke to my side.I grumble, eyes still shut, and swat his hand away. “Stop,” I warn. I turn into my side, snuggling my face into my folded hands.“Jo is sooo lazy,” Cole sing songs from my right.I make a sound in my throat but otherwise ignore him. Can’t a girl get a little sleep around here?“Tickle her,” a voice, belonging to my traitorous friend Nicki, comes from the spot right beside me.I shoot up from my space against the wall immediately, and in time too because Jude is already reaching out. I glare at Nicki and flash her the middle finger.Jude chuckles, chewing on his bottom lip. “Oh, so that’s the trick.”“Don’t you ever dare, not even once,” I wa