The promise. [Short Chapters]

Chapter One.

"Remind me again why we didn't take that shitting physics class, and why we aren't at Thorpe Park with the rest of those idiots?" Josh was pacing around his and Max's room, bored to the point of frustration. I was laying on Max's bunk, idly listening to him rant and chirping a response every so often.

"You hate science and maths, idiot." I muttered. "No way a combination of the two would be good for you."

"Max is shit at science and maths, yet he took the class, and guess where he is right now? Probably riding the Nemesis Inferno and not pacing around, wondering what to do while you pull that bloody sarcasm out," Josh snapped. He collapsed backward on the foot of the bed.

"How are you not bored off your tits?" he said staring at my chest.

"One: don't talk about my tits." Josh rolled his eyes after I stated this. "Two: I am rather bored, hence why I'm laying here waiting for you to come up with a plan, which you are not doing in the slightest."

"You absolute worthless fuck."

I realize Josh and I sounded like we were in a fight, but honest, we weren't. Josh and I had a bizarre relationship. We were mean as hell to each other, but we knew the other never meant what they said. Ella jokingly told me on several occasions that it was sexual tension or whatever, but he's Josh and that's just weird. And also against The Promise, which I really should get around to explaining.

The Promise started after we met Ryan. We were thirteen years old, just getting into puberty and changing feelings about the opposite gender. Ryan was developing a whopping crush on Ella, and as if we all didn't find our new ability to feel romantic feelings bizarre enough, it was even weirder that one of us had a crush on someone in our "group" (I hate that word; makes us sound like a cult). Max took it upon himself to fix the matter, so he suggested it to us one night at dinner.

"We need a promie. Just one promise. The Promise," he had told us. "None of us can date each other, because relationships can kill a friendships, which can kill all of our friendships. Deal?"

We all agreed to it, even Ryan, though he was a bit reluctant to do so. I had no problems with it; I figured I'd have to be out of my damn mind to have a crush on Max, Ryan, or Josh anyway. Not in a mean way, it's just that I knew them way too well to even think about dating them. It would be like dating a brother or a cousin or something.

"I appreciate the compliment, Josh, but I'm serious about me waiting for you to come up with something to do. Chop-chop, we're killin' time here," I informed Josh.

He stopped in his tracks for a moment, probably to search his brain for anything for us to do to waste the day. It was a Saturday, so we had no classes, and everyone in our year was either at Thorpe Park with the physics class or visiting home if they lived close enough. Josh and I were among the few Year Thirteens left for the weekend, and this fact pushed him to the point of hysterics.

Josh thrusted a triumphant fist in the air. "My sister's got a gig in the city!"

I groaned, not because I was opposed to seeing Elissa's gig, but because I was opposed to cutesy-ing myself up for the night. "Josh. You know I love Lissy, but I am far too lazy to make myself presentable enough to go to a gig."

Josh focused his blue eyes on me and shrugged. "I think you look cute," he said in a nonchalant tone, and for some stupid reason, I was flattered.

I muttered a small "Ummm, thanks", but otherwise ignored his statement and walked out of the room, calling after me that I would be busy getting ready and that I was going to cut his balls off for taking me somewhere I had to look pretty at.

Once in my room, I eyeballed my reflection in Ella's full-length mirror. I was pale, and my platinum hair wasn't aiding my cause. I had giant brown eyes that made me look like the lovechild of a deer and a cartoon character, and my nose was a little too big for my liking. Josh was probably just being Josh, the natural ladies' man, when he said I looked cute. What a loser.

I slid my pyjama bottoms off of my hips and lifted my t-shirt over my head, replacing the ensemble with a black vest top, floral skirt, and a pair of black sandals. I was far too lazy to properly fix my messy hair so I threw it in a sloppy bun, then turned my attention to my makeup. Once again, laziness was keeping me from doing anything extravagant, so a swipe of eyeliner, two coats of mascara, and a dab of blush to attempt to make me look less like mayonnaise on white bread and I was done.

"New record time?" Josh was sitting in the common room when I left my room. He was wearing the same flannel shirt and jeans he had on when I left the room, signifying that he was even lazier than I was. He stood up quickly and smiled at me. "See, you look lovely, now let's go."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion at his second compliment of the day as he grabbed me by the arm and dragged me downstairs with him. Luckily the evil headmistress wasn't holding down the fort that afternoon, so we instead were met with the questioning eyes of her student aid, Jenny Kline.

Jenny was what you'd call an absolute fucking mental case, to put it the nicest way possible. She was the embodiment of every weird, nerdy girl in every television show and movie you'd ever seen. She wore bright pink cat-eye glasses, and her kinky brown hair was always in pigtails secured by thick, fluorescent scrunchies. She pulled the lollipop out of her mouth when Josh and I approached the front door.

"Wh-where are you two going? Headmistress Price told me th-that you and your friends are on probation," Jenny informed us in her shaky, nasally voice, as if we didn't already know. We were always on school probation; it never stopped us from going anywhere before.

I sent Josh a look that told him to put the charm on and he let out an irritated breath at the thought, but still turned around and made the eyes at Jenny.

I could have sworn she was going to faint then and there by the expression on her face. Jenny always had a crush on Josh -- hell, half of the girls at Hamilton had a crush on Josh -- but Jenny's was particularly amusing.

"Jenny," Josh breathed in his phoniest flirty voice. "You're looking rather, uh, astonishing today. Whad'ya say to lettin' Lo and I out and not telling ol' Price, aye? It'll be our little secret."

I had to hold my breath to keep from bursting into a fit of laughter. Jenny's eyes all but popped out of her obnoxious glasses and her torso was practically sprawled out across her desk.

"Th-thanks, Josh, of course, Josh, y-yeah, Josh, go right ahead, Josh. N-no one will know."

Josh sent her a wink and ushered me out of the front doors before erupting into a fit of hysterical laughter.

"'Thanks, Josh, of course, Josh, yeah, Josh, go right ahead, Josh, I love you, Josh, I get off with your photo every night, Josh'," I mimicked, laughing right along with him.

"Ugh, gross, get that horrendous mental picture out of my head!" Josh whined. He grabbed my arm and once more began to drag me behind him, but this time to hail a cab.

"I swear, Josh, this night had better make up for us not being at Thorpe Park, or I swear I'll--"

Josh let out a sarcastic chuckle. "You'll what?"

"I'll kiss y-- I mean kick you! Kick you, I'll... kick... you..."

To this day, I am rather unsure if that was a slip up or not.