Hazel.
"Say that again, please," he had to be lying Matilda Therdause, our in school councillor had a son yes but he was so much older than us. Well not too much he was in what we called the upper school, he was tall and had darker olive toned brown skin and green...
The eyes.
My eyes flashed to the gun, "Someone put that..." don't stumble now.
I took a deep breath, "No. Now someone put that Gun away now before I call-"
"Call who.." he paused a moment revealing his face and I saw it. I knew who he was. My sort of friend. He used to hang with me when times got tough. A real rough tough guy who didn't like people messing with him. The black material in his hands looked like his friends headscarf just wound a bit too tightly a bandana. I was lost for words, "Tristan....that's my name darling, Tristan Therdause," he paused to really look at me and then at Ethan, "Ask him, I used to hang around with the wrong sort and then I had this master plan that he wouldn't help me with,"
"AND THEN YOU STOLE-"
"Dude, I held her because Ally," he pointed to Allison not Aleksandra or younger Ali, "Let me I was just round your house and Ally had this brilliant idea um...to er,"
Allison who I assumed was older by the wedding ring and just the style. She has deep brown hair and was tanned in a way that was natural the sun-kissed look on her, "My friend her name is Amina has a bunch of headscarves and because she wears them a bunch, and I work in fashion so I Kind of made the outfits. They didn't tell me about the er..." she hesitantly pointed at the gun.
I wandered over to the silver piece, "It's real,"
Tristan who I now recognised quirked an eyebrow, "How did you know that?"
"I um I buried it at the forest that one day...em," why was I so shy now in front of him he was a ghost kid. He would wander in and out of my life so often that I didn't know but I knew of him.
He was there.
And he wasn't.
"Adrian, this is yours..."
For a moment Adrian looked up from his corner, at the silver engraving I was pointing at. It was his from his father ages ago in a failed spout to get him into hunting.
It was a licensed gun.
"I buried it as..."
I looked at the silver piece in my hands. I remember stealing it at age 15 when I snuck into a party. I looked to one of the guys I remembered, "Ryan...I stole this from you when you were showing everyone. I was a ghost like...Tristan. We planed this. You were showing it off and I took it and we buried it. In the Ghost Forest. Where I kept my stuff. "
I trailed off. I didn't bury it. I hid it in the tree with the food!
He knew, I just gave Tristan a look, "You stole this back from me!"
"Good ain't I. I wasn't trying to hurt this wus," he almost clapped Adrian on the shoulder but he was being awfully quiet.
"Do you know what you put us though..." quiet rage.
"Don't Adrian."
"I won't get angry I promise..." this time he winked and whispered, "She looks really cute in pink icing you should try it,"
I think he was talking to Allison," Pink Icing is that a blush,"
"No no..." he was going the jealousy route and I damn well knew it.
"Me and Hazel have done some bonding right?" he pointed to Ethan who was still codling his child.
"Hmm guys... she's asleep I swear down if you wake her and bring her back into this wherever this is I will. I will..." he looked desperately at Adrian for a threat.
To which Adrian as always delivered, "He will...lets see...he will get Hazel here to get Cupcakes and throw them at all of you because she has a good arm or she will get all of you to watch the stars with her or she will get you to watch the clouds and tell you..."
"Don't tell this story it was one time. I tried I tried to be his friend one time and....it almost worked."
"Tell them....what happened after that night on the roof."
"I we hugged...ONLY...hugged and we watched the sunset and there was this cloud-"
"You are TAKING TOO..." everyone stared at Adrian as a warning for him not to interrupt me
"We were watching the clouds and and.." I couldn't tell the story so Adrian did for me. Graciously steeping forward.
" She leaned over and pointed out this really cool cloud to me." he turned and winked this time.
"The cloud was in the shape of..."
"Go on hon, this is really interesting.." Allison joked in her charming way.
"We were just on the road and we stopped to sit on this brick wall and I leaned over and told him there a heart shaped cloud."
"And do you want to know what I said..." he almost pointed to Tristan. I wanted to describe it as joy but it was him trying to show. He was indeed a changed person. He was...this experience even though it was a couple of days ago. It was sweet what he said to me.
Tristan begrudgingly, whilst sitting in the corner shoulders back leaning in his old signature way.
I called it the older brother stance but before he let Adrian continue he paused as all with a small gesture of his arm, "Don't dig your own grave..."
Then all in-tune his crew or his group of friends they were like brothers to him they had changed shifted into something more a group song.."Or.." Tristan continued.
"Trouble is coming," they all sang it like it was a song and laughed.
"Ethan what do you think of Adrian's story,"
Ethan looked up, "Well, he hasn't finished it yet...so um let's let him say his piece and we can all get along and you know look after," he whisper shouted, "MY LITERAL CHILD...god you guys are so irresponsible how could you bring poor Ali along,"
"WE named her Alecksandra but he has a think for Asian names so he calls her Ali, it was all my friends idea because her name is Amina and ugh its a long story you will hear about it more later.."
"AS I was saying..." Adrian swooped in at the last moment to hold on to me lightly, "I um we were sitting on the bank or somewhere a nice brick wall and this...umm sweetheart is a good word darling is cool too but sweetheart will be my thing ok,"
He looked at me with such intensity I wanted to just for that moment do something.
Not kiss him that would be outrageous.
No.
A hug.
I hugged him tightly.
And everyone stopped.
"Hazel, darling..." Tristan's cool voice dropped in.
"Do you still have a crush on me..."
That cut the silence into laughter.
"EXCUSE ME. I was umm....16 we all have feelings for the cool hot...I mean handsome guy that you know shows you so kindness. I left because...I yh I liked Tristan but I knew he liked...Ally."
"Whoa girl...slow down this this..." she waved at Tristan who was laughing..."He said to me that he didn't want to date you yet because you were too naive so me and Amina and Stacey and Ruby said that he and Noah should go up to you and tell you that you know you were a little too young not to say that they liked me because I was the only single one at the time. Amina was well she was single but there was this really cute boy you know he was so cute who helped her out...I think his name was.."
Ethan suddenly got angry..."JAMES we know he was an enigma he used to turn up out of no where then Tristan showed up and there was drama and yada yada... you were forgetting my.." he paused to look at a laughing.
"Ah James what a well off guy he was a teacher pet. No I mean his teacher was literally his brother or something. He also...in a much nicer way told me to leave you alone before you left."
I must have looked confused..."He left with you that day...yay high ," he gestured to his chest and I knew he was lying and, "he took you to the damn airport and you um you got on this really sick motorbike and you turned to me because I was there I don't know why we wanted to see you go pull something and you stopped and turned to me."
"Go on I know what happened but tell us all what out beautiful precious.." he paused again not looking jealous, Tristan this was no he looked so damn proud of me. So proud of what I had done.
Adrian stumbled and continued.." She got off her motorbike and told me to look at the sky and we saw this..."
"Don't stumble now Prince Charming, what was it that you used to call him..." Tristan smiled.
"Our Adrian what did you call him Hazel.."
I rolled my eyes.."Rich boy,"
"Yes she punched him on the shoulder and they sat together and she said,"
"Look at the sky rich boy..."
"And Adrian the smooth talker he is said.."
"Let me say this part please its my one good moment please.." he caught himself before he turned back into Rich Boy, "Ehem I mean...it was a sort of revenge quote I told her..."
Finally together we said...
"Maybe we are destined to be together.."
We stood and smiled together.
"And with that our story is complete."
Ethan said the last line with a smile and a hush. The baby was asleep.
Adrian and Ethan were smiling.
And me..
Tristan handed me something small.
Something so small it almost broke my heart.
"The letter...you kept it for me."
"Of course I did I would never let them rip something up so important to you us Foster Care kids have to stay together..."
"You were fostered."
"Yes but my bread and butter my love all from Matilda ...she gave me my last name too Therdause and yours is..."
"Hazel Harthron...always and forever."
"And there...our stories are complete."
"Do you agree." a look so passing so loving so Tristan. He had a story too and one day I would find it out.
One day
When life gets you down.
Tell this story.
Something Brutish
Something blue
Something Old
Something New
Something Beautiful.
Something whole.
And something. just something for me.
fin.