Tick Tock - Time's Running Out

Tick Tock (1)

“Chester?” she asked, even though she knew the answer was yes, “he just doesn’t get the message, does he?”  She sighed and tossed her hair – Tiff was renowned for her hair tossing. I had to agree with her, Chester didn’t understand the word ‘no’.  Every week was the same!  I was beginning to doubt his massive IQ.  How obvious did I have to make it that I was never going to go to Maths Club, and that I just wasn’t interested?

“He’s a total idiot – he’s book smart, but a social retard,” I told Tiff harshly.  I just wanted to forget about Chester Kingsly.  “We are going up town next week then?  There’s this new film out; it’s supposed to be a real ‘cry-your-eyes-out’ type of film and I want to get a new pair of shoes…” Changing the subject was the only way to guarantee that I wouldn’t be asked why I didn’t just tell Chester I would never be interested in him or going to Maths Club.  Ever.  The truth was – no, not I secretly loved him.  The truth was I was too nice a person.

“Umm, I dunno…  I was going to see if your brother wanted to go to the Playhouse,” said Tiff, looking guilty.

“Why?” I asked her politely.  I knew the truth, but she didn’t seem to want to admit it to me.

“Cause Peter Pan is on, and I wanted to see if he wanted to come.  Cause he’s Peter in the play.  It’s just to like, have a look at how these folk act the parts, so we can take bits and use it in our play,” she blurted, going red.

I couldn’t see why Tiff wouldn’t just accept it!  She clearly loved Robbie, so why not admit it?  She insisted on lying, whether she was also lying to herself, I didn’t know.

“That’s fine.  Is that on Saturday then?”

“Yeah,” Tiff said, breathing out a sigh of relief that I didn’t push her to tell me the information I really wanted to know.

“Then we can go up town on Sunday?” I suggested, knowing she would prefer this than I came up to watch Peter Pan with them – that would just make it awkward seeing as I wasn’t in the play, and they’d talk about it constantly.  Hopefully they’d both realise they were madly in love with each other if I let them have time by themselves.

“Yeah,” Tiff repeated, already in a daze about her upcoming so-not-a-date with my brother.

“Hey, ladies,” said a male voice from behind us, just in my ear.  I spun around, that voice was really familiar, and really sexy.

“Bonjour!” said Tiff smiling at the sex god that was looking at us.

“Jamie,” he said, grinning at me.

“Hello,” I breathed quietly.  His blonde hair was flat today, just the way I liked it.  He was looking down on me, his perfect mouth opening and closing.  There must have been noise coming out of it, because Tiff was laughing and smiling, but I couldn’t hear a thing, I was too mesmerised by his eyes; a chocolate brown that seemed to sparkle in the light.

“Jamie!” Tiff practically screamed at me.

“Yes, huh?  What?” I said, returning to the conversation.

“Falling asleep, are we?” Darren laughed.

“Why are you in school?” I asked instead of answering. Well!  What was I meant to say?  ‘No, not sleeping, just staring into your amazingly amazing eyes and wishing you loved me.  Don’t be freaked out though, I mean, I’ve only loved you since forever!’  I don’t think so.

Darren had just finished his sixth year at Balerno High, and was just finished his exams.  I was utterly bamboozled as to why he’d be back at school when he was so close to escaping!