Forbidden Love

Chapter 22

On Monday morning we were back in school.

"Where have you been the last few days?" Aaron asked me when Ethan and I sat down.

"Did Ethan not tell you?"

"He said he didn't care." Aaron grinned like this was funny.

"Nice!" I gave my brother a shove, "I was with Joe."

"He's been grounded." Aaron looked confused.

"I know." I said as Joe sat down opposite me.

"You've been sneaking out everyday and you didn't come say hi once?" Aaron asked Joe, "can the two of you not spend enough time together?" I don't think he was really annoyed, just teasing.

I smiled and shared a look with Joe, "course not." I felt Joe's foot next to mine and hooked my foot around his.

"I've not been going anywhere. Some crazy girl just keep breaking into my house! I don't know what I'm suppose to do!" Joe held his hands up as if in surrender.

I laughed, "be nice! Or I won't come back!" It was an empty threat.

"You've been going into his house? How on earth have you managed that?" Aaron looked more confused now.

"We used to do it for fun when we were kids," Joe said to him, "climb the tree outside my window."

Aaron shook his head, "you're crazy, both of you!"

"And what's the plan for when your parents find her in there?" Ethan asked, he hadn't been pleased with my sneaking off to Joe's.

"They can't open my door. They just think I'm mad at them. As long as they don't hear her or see her climbing down the tree it's fine." Joe said with confidence. 

Ethan shook his head. I could tell he thought it was stupid. I could also tell he wasn't going to say anything else.

When we got to physics Michelle ran straight up to us. Ignoring me as she was so amazing at doing she took Joe's hand in both of hers and put on a dramatic voice, "oh Joe! I was so worried for you! Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." He gently pulled his hand away.

"I'm so sorry all those terrible things happened. Are we ok?"

"Ummm sure." He looked uncomfortable.

She launched herself at him pulling him into a tight hug, "I'm so glad!" 

When she didn't let him go I cleared my throat.

"Can I talk to you, actually?" She asked pulling away, she shot a look at me, "over there?" She gestured to the other side of the hall.

"Ummm sure," Joe looked more uncomfortable, then looked over at me and said, "I'll be right back." Giving my hand a squeeze.

I tried to suppress my feelings as he walked away with her. I reminded myself he had done nothing wrong. When he returned I had a sour look on my face.

"What did she want?" I said bitterly. I scolded myself for sounding bitter and jealous.

"She wants me to help her."

"Help her?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing, what could Michelle possibly need help with, "what does she need help with?"

"She's struggling and she says I'm the only person who understands."

I looked at Joe in disbelief, did he actually believe that?

"She just wants to talk and be closer friends. And it would work out in our favour because she said she wouldn't tell her mum or my mum about us."

"You didn't agree did you?"

"I could hardly say no." We were going into class now.

"That's exactly what you could say. I could think of a couple other things you could say to go along with no."

"Olivia, she's struggling, she just needs someone."

"There are loads of people. She has a million friends! Why would she need to speak to you?"

"You know why!"

Because the bomb that killed her father killed his uncle. It went unsaid between us.

"Well I don't see that as a reason."

He just looked at me. He didn't say anything. I didn't say anything more.

After a few minutes he said, "you know Michelle said it can benefit us too. She said our mothers said I can leave if I'm hanging out with her, because they think she's a good influence on me or whatever but if I go chat with her for a bit I can spend time with you and everyone else."

I looked at him in horror, "you want to fake go out with Michelle, are you serious?"

The teacher interrupted us and told us to be quiet. 

After a few minutes Joe spoke again, quieter, "not fake go out! Don't be stupid."

"Then what?" I asked, too loudly clearly because the teacher gave me a warning look, "what?" I repeated quieter. This wasn't the best setting for our fight, but I wasn't willing to wait.

"I don't know Olivia!" Joe said frustrated now, "I don't know, ok? I want to see you! I want to spend time with you! I want to leave my bedroom sometime before the end of the century! I'm just trying to make all of that possible."

"So I'm not enough?" I asked lowly. I knew I wasn't being fair. I said it anyway.

"That's not what I said and you know it."

"I know." I sighed, I was still mad at him, "I don't like Michelle."

"But you hide it so well, no one would ever know." He tried to joke with me.

I just glared at him.

"It's just an idea." He said to me squeezing my hand beneath the table.

It wasn't brought up for the rest of the week. Life carried on as normal. In the evenings after dinner I told my mum I was going to the youth centre with Ethan but really I climbed into Joe's window.

That was until the following Tuesday I had left Ethan at the top of Joe's street and walked the now familiar path to Joe's house when I saw Michelle at his front door.

I didn't sneak round the back as I normally would have but paused just out of sight from the house and just in ear shot.

"He'll just be down in a minute, sweetie," Mrs Boyd said in an overly polite tone, she must be talking about Joe, "you know how teenagers are, never out of their bedrooms! Why don't you come in and have a cup of tea with me? I was just settling Andy down for bed."

"Oh Thankyou!" Michelle gushed in a voice that was unfamiliar to me, was she also trying to be polite, "that would be lovely!"

She went inside and the front door shut behind her. I felt a stab of jealousy, that it should be me going inside. I thought that Andy doesn't even like Michelle. I stared at the house bitterly for a long moment then wondered what I should do.

I could hardly sneak into Joe's room now, not with Michelle downstairs. It was made very clear that Joe was expected to see her. Did he know she was coming and not say anything to me or was this a surprise to him too?

I decided there would be no use watching the outside of a house and in a huff brought myself to the youth centre.

"What are you doing here?" Aaron asked seeing me first.

"Fancied something different tonight." I lied. I didn't want to tell anyone the truth.

Aaron shrugged. They were playing a card game I was very familiar with by now and he dealt me in.

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