What The People Don't See

Meeting Place

"Let's do something...something bad!" I said, ignoring Adam entirely. My body was itching for excitement and I knew I probably needed my meds; I hadn't taken the proper dosage in days. I gripped Adam's leg and the look of disappointment that had been etched on his face melted into playfulness. But just as I had gotten my hopes up, I was let down once again.

"I...uh...I should really be getting home; it's late. You can do something with Cal when he wakes up, yeah?"

Adam awkwardly pushed himself from the chair and out the living room, shouting bye to El before slamming the front door. A feeling of deflation pressed against me and I hugged my knees to my chest. Adam had always had a problem with hanging out with me. We used to mess around a lot a few years back but then I met Calum. It didn't help that Adam had never liked Cal either. I never understood why he always had to make such a big deal of it though. I sighed. What was taking the hash so long to kick in? I needed a rush and fast.

Eloise was still in the kitchen, dishing up her fajitas. A couple of Cal and Adam's friends hovered around her, devouring the goodies with their wide eyes.

"Anyone wanna go into town?" I called. They swatted me away with a wave of their hands and I sighed trudging back to the living room.

I grabbed the last brownie before heading out the back door and clambering over the fence. My fishnets got caught in a splinter of wood and a huge hole formed around my knee and up the length of my thigh. The path ahead was pitch black but I knew which way I was going. It was a path I had taken every day for the past year since Calum and I had started seeing each other. It was a longer route back to my house but the park was in between. And who didn't love a stroll through the park at one am?

In all my ventures through the park in the ungodly hours of the morning, I had never crossed paths with anyone. Not even a stray cat. So when I reached my favourite bench and someone was already sitting there, I felt more than a little uneasy. Calum was always lecturing me about walking around the city at night, how I'd be mugged or attacked or who knows what. But I'd never seen anyone on this route home before so I figured that by this stage, I'd never have to deal with it.

Leaves crunched beneath my feet as I headed towards the lone figure, and I cursed as the wind picked up, biting at my bare arms. I had always loved October, but for some reason this year, it was fucking freezing. I routed through the waistband of my underwear, eventually pulling out Cal's lighter and a pack of cigarettes. The lighter had a picture of a naked blonde on it, bent over, showing off her perfectly photoshopped chest. When you pressed a little button on the side, a red glow emerged from the girl's...well you know where. I didn't understand the whole concept of needing a torch on your lighter but Calum thought it was fucking hilarious. I lit up, my hands shaking, the cigarette dangling dangerously between my teeth. A soothing relief surged through me the minute I inhaled. I should've given them up ages ago, even Calum thought I was overly dependant on them. Ironic, considering he was the reason I started.

The figure suddenly coughed, jolting me back to the present moment. I was only feet away from the bench now and I realised that it was a boy. He was bent over some kind of notebook that was spread across his lap and his long coat was buttoned up to his neck. Along with his mop of dark hair, he could've been just a floating head.

By the time I'd reached the bench, he still hadn't noticed me, so I cleared my throat loudly. He jumped in fright, his book flying from his hands and landing at my feet. I smirked, not bothering to pick it up. It was then that I noticed the sunglasses perched on his nose and I scoffed in disbelief. Was this guy completely dim or did he not realise that it was one in the morning? Maybe he was just one of those wankers who thought they were boss wearing leather jackets and sunglasses indoors.