You Were Just For The Summer.

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

We both sat in the back row.

Most of the way was silent. Averagely awkward. Not too much, though.

I cleared my throat. ‘So, Lex, are you meeting up with Jane tomorrow?’ Jane was his girlfriend.

‘Yeah, she’s coming round for Christmas lunch, so are your family’ he turned around and looked at Ben.

WHAT. ‘You what?’ I shot Lex a deathly look

‘Mum invited them earlier, they don’t know anyone in the town, so, you know.’

We arrived at Ben’s house. I didn’t get out off the car, neither did Lex.

‘I guess, I’ll se you tomorrow’ I mumbled

‘Yeah, cheers for the lift Lex’ and that was that. I was now spending Christmas with a boy who thinks I’m an amazing singer; athlete and I’ve countless boyfriends. This was going to be different.

When we arrived home, I went straight to bed. I didn’t want to talk to anyone.

I was woken up by my mother the next day. 6.30.

‘GO AWAY’ I screamed.

‘It’s Christmas, come on!’ she ripped the duvet off of me. I felt naked. I did have pyjamas on, don’t worry.

‘Just… one more hour…please.’

‘No, no everyone else is up, we are going to open presents, did I tell you the Hurres are coming later on?’ I’m guessing that’s Ben’s second name.

‘Lex did. Now, leave me alone, mum!’ she grabbed my arm and was literally pulling me off the bed. I gave up and let her drag me downstairs.

‘You’re up now, good, lets open stuff!’ why was she up-beat and 6.30?!

I looked under the tree and pulled out a rectangle present with my name on it, signed from Santa.

A book, nice.

Nearly all the presents were open by 3pm, the Hurres were coming at 4, I was still in my pyjamas, and so I trudged up the stairs to have a shower.

I decided to go for a smart casual look, grey vest, green and grey chequered shirt, only half way done up, skinny slate grey jeans and Uggs.

I tried a smoky eye make up thing I found in a Look Magazine, it kind of worked, would of looked better if I was as pretty as the model in the magazine. Ah well.

I tried a new perfume mum had bought me, it smelt lush, so I covered myself in it, not too much though, or I would be like a walking ‘Superdrug’.

When I had finally finished it was nearly 4, so I set the table, I knew Ben had one brother.

The doorbell rang ‘Mum, I’m busy, can you get it?’ I called upstairs to her

‘Sure’ it wasn’t Bens voice at the door, it was Emma’s. I rushed to the door.

Emma was my best friend, she never told me she was coming round, it wasn’t just her, it was her whole family.

‘Mum?’ I looked at her

‘Did I not tell you the Goodman’s were coming? Silly me!’ Thank God they were coming! It will be so much less awkward now! I grabbed Em’s hand and dragged her upstairs.

‘There’s this boy coming round and I met him on holiday and none of my family know I did, but Lex walked on yesterday and I was on top of Ben because he was tickling me and I fell on him and now Lex hates Ben and I kind of bigged myself up to Ben when I first met him, so I sound like this really interesting person and I’m not, and Ben thinks a lot of me, and I wanted our relationship just to be for the holiday, but now I think he wants us to be an item over here too!’ her mouth feel open.

‘Firstly, you never told me Ben lived here!’

‘I found out yesterday!’ she shrugged

‘Secondly, why was he with you yesterday?’ I was about to answer, but she carried on ‘Thirdly, you are interesting! So shut up! And fourthly, what’s wrong with being an item over here, you told me he was hot!’ I opened my mouth to speak again, but this time the doorbell rang and Emma was off like a shot. Great.

Mum was greeting the Hurres, and invited them into the lounge. I walked out of my bedroom and spotted Emma hiding behind the banisters. I laughed to myself.

‘Emma…’

‘Shh! Ben’s still down there, I think he is looking for you!’ she whispered.

‘Oh, I’ll go down then?’

‘No! You must play hard to get, I have decided.’

‘Hard to get? Doesn’t that mean I want to go out with him?’ she nodded

‘You obviously do, I mean, come on! Look at him!’ I sighed. I wasn’t sure if she was right or not ‘Anyway, you’re staying up here, un till he decided to come up and find you.

We sat in my room for ages.

Footsteps. I looked at Emma; she put her finger to her lips.

Mum came in. Oh.

‘You’re being so rude! Get your arse down there! There are lovely people, hun!’

‘Ok, it was Emma’s idea anyway.’ Emma did her what, it wasn’t me?! face.

‘Down stairs, now!’ mum ordered, we both nodded and rushed out.

The Hurres’ and Goodman’s were all sat in the lounge; Lex was there too, with Emma’s brother, Jake. I tried to creep in, slowly opening the door, but my cat ran up to me, and some how tripped me up. Smooth, Nieve, smooth.

‘Are you OK?’ a voice I hadn’t heard before asked, a man’s voice, quite deep, and with a strong Liverpool accent, must have been Ben’s dad.

‘Yeah, I’ll survive, thanks’ Emma helped me up, they were all looking at me, and I ran out the room.

Does running out of a room full of people make a situation worse?

I think so.

I heard Emma walk out behind me and we both went to sit in the second lounge.

‘You shouldn’t have ran out.’

‘You think?’ I sarcastically remarked. ‘I don’t want to spend Christmas day with them Hurres! Its just embarrassing!’

‘And it’s gunna be even worse the longer you stay in here!’ she put her arm around me ‘Lets go back in there, like nothing happened, al right?’

‘I suppose.’ We both stood up and linked arms.

After a very very very slow walk we ended up back in the first lounge. There just two spaces left on the big sofa. One next to the arm of it, and one next to Ben. Emma was walking in front of me.

She sat in the space by the arm.

I hate her.

I eventually sat next to Ben. To be quite hones, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, everyone carried on talking about what ever they were talking about before.

‘Why did you run out?’ Ben whispered in m year, I turned to look at him.

‘You’re here! It’s weird, and I don’t know…’

‘I’m not that weird am I?’

‘No, you’re not! Your smoking!!’ Emma but in to our conversation, I whacked her in the stomach, she didn’t even flinch.

‘Cheers? And you are?...’ I laughed at Ben’s nifty remark.

‘Emma! Nice to meet you, I’ve heard a lot about you’ WHAT ON EARTH.

‘Have you?’ she nodded and went back to talking to my mum who was sat opposite her

‘That’s a lie, don’t listen to her.’ And I walked out to get a drink.