The Duns

My Life In A Chapter

Chapter One

Peter

6 months later

I watch her through the shadows, my knees scraping against the ground, as I had been doing for a year now. She enters the school building with her best friend, her smile not dropping once, chatting about something I couldn't be less concerned about. Her loose white top flutters slightly in the wind, revealing some of her plain skin underneath. I smile. I'm wearing something funnily similar.

Max had laughed at me, saying I am a shrimp, being the 'perfect' teen that I was- with my lean body, giving away hints of muscles, my mother's fair skin and perfect dark-brown hair, my eyes the colour of Paris Brun, a soothing shade of brown- if I confessed my feelings to her, she should be delighted. But I had simply ignored him. She's different. I thought. It's different.

Even though I am aware of Catherine's feelings towards me, and they are the same as mine, it seemed like I still couldn't get out of this habit of watching her from the shadows. It's comedic even: sometimes you don't take the next step because you're worried the stairway is ending.

"Hi!" She says, waving uncertainly. Her light brown eyes are-as always- shining, but her nervous posture gives the game away.

How in the world did she know I was here?

"Oh. Um... How'd you...um..." I point absentmindedly behind me.

"Oh uh," she started, her cheeks turning a bright shade of red. I grin. Guess I'll listen to Max for once. She spoke up, "Well, the thing is I've been watching you- I mean, not like watching watching you- just like umm..." Her voice trails away, her fingers fidgeting. It's not like I was listening anyways- my eyes are fixed on her face. There is nothing else present.

"Peter?" Once more, her angelic voice pulls me away from my thoughts.

"Sorry about that." I grinned sheepishly. Pull yourself together, Peter!

Catherine replied to my grin with one of her own.

The shrilling sound of the bell rings in the distance. Right now! Just when I get a chance to talk to her!

"So," I start getting off my position on the ground, dusting my palms off on my backside and ignoring the thought running in my mind, "Would you like to go for a walk, or would Miss Perfect here prefer heading back to school so that she isn't late for her first class?"

I know instantly I have something wrong. So much for listening to Max. The tips of her mouth drop a little, but she retains her smile as if I have said nothing. I draw in a breath. "Sorry."

"That's okay."

She continues, "And answering your question, yes, I would like to get back to class now."

She waits, looking me in the eye. Finally, it hits me. "And I'd love to walk you there."

If only she knew what I did, if only she knew why...

_

The little smidge of happiness I had when I left school vanished instantaneously as I turned the key and pushed open the door to my house. A weird smell floats throughout. I furrow my eyebrows, disappointed in myself for hoping for anything else. Throwing my bag onto the floor, I start opening the windows to let some pure air try and allow some ventilation in this suffocated house. The walls of the kitchen are a faded shade of cream. The kitchen itself is in ruins, the dishes from his lunch still left absentmindedly in the sink. The windows creak silently as I open them.

Just some more time and then I can leave. I promise myself.

"Boy!" He screams from another room somewhere in the apartment. "Are you home? The Ceremony is at 6:30- less than an hour from now. You know that right?"

I don't bother replying. Some people are worth melting for- others aren't even worth a reply.

"Boy!" He screeches.

I grunt and throw myself into some ridiculous algebra sums- any distraction would be welcome right now.

"Nerd." He says to me, having walked into the kitchen. He puts his hand uneasily onto my throat.

Just some more time, Peter. Hold on.