False Attraction (ON HOLD)

Chapter 1 - Starting Over

Chapter 1 - Starting Over

"No! How can you even think of sending me there?" I said in disbelief.

"Honey, public school isn't that bad, your dad and I-" My mum started.

"Why does it always have to come down to you and dad? Its always, 'your dad and I don't think it's a good idea', 'your dad and I think you should do this'. Why can't I make my own decisions myself? I've been doing well in homeschool, haven't I? I'm eighteen mum, please, just let me do my last year homeschooled." I pleaded with her, giving her my best puppy dog eyes. Mum sighed.

"I'm sorry, but my decision is final. You are going to high school this year." She said and went back to cooking. She was cooking my favourite carbonara but I just wasn't hungry after what she told me. Feeling defeated and angry, I went up the stairs to my bedroom and flopped down on my bed.

Looking up, I came face to face with the black bejeweled photo frame of me and him. I stared at our smiling, happy faces and pushed it to the floor. It landed on the carpet with a dull thud before I kicked it under my drawers. Sighing, I took a warm shower and felt slightly more relaxed and at ease.

When I got out of the shower wrapped in my fluffy white bath robe, I picked up a pink plastic box and started throwing in random things in such as silly glasses, photobooth strips and receipts from cafes and Starbucks.

You might be wondering what all these had in common and why I was just tossing them into a pink box. It's obvious, they all reminded me of him. Aiden Rivers. The hate I felt towards him never felt more intense than it was last time. Maybe being sent to public school was part of the reason why I was so negative, but I knew that it was because of him too. The silly glasses were from when we went into the photobooth and snuck them out because I liked them. More like, Aiden snuck them out for me and surprised me with them when we were in the car. And the photobooth strips, from another photobooth from when we first got together. We seemed to make it point to go to at least five photobooths each year, I realised, as I picked up another bunch of photos that were dated the same year but from different places. I also recall insisting with him to keep every single receipt we got from the places we went to eat or where he bought me things. He would keep the ones where I'd paid and I'd keep the ones that he'd paid, my stack of receipts were always way taller than his, being the gentleman that he is. I mean, was. There were other knick knacks as well, like a small little cactus that I kept on my bedside table that used to have a pretty pink flower on the top. That one went into the box as well.

I got tired of the constant bending and picking up of things that used to mean so much to me. Deciding that I would continue tomorrow, I left the box next to my bed and I fell asleep once my head hit the pillow.

"Hi! This is Aiden, leave a message and I'll make sure to get back to you as soon as possible." I let out a puff of cold air and watched as it condensed and formed little white clouds in front of my lips.

I stuffed my phone back into my pocket and pulled my beanie over my ears. Aiden was nearly two hours late and honestly I was becoming a little impatient. Not caring that I probably seemed like a clingy, needy girlfriend, I took my phone back out and dialed Aiden's number once again.

"Andrea-"

"Where are you? I've been calling you non-stop but they all led to voicemail, what is going on?" I asked, unable to contain my impatience.

"Look, you're not going to like this and I know you will never, ever, forgive me for what I'm doing. But, I'm leaving, Andrea, I need to go. I am so sorry but I think you could tell that things weren't working between us, and I found someone whom I think will make things better for me. She-"