Reed P.O.V
Eli was at it again. I’d forgotten that he liked to pick on me, that I was his little punch bag during class. I rolled my eyes and got up from my seat, I snatched the stack of papers from his hands and grumbled as I handed one out to everyone. I saw people smiling at me with sympathy and others with glee, they were glad not to be Eli’s little pet monkey today. Just as I was about to sit down he called on me again:
“Err Reed I think you’ve forgotten something son”
I shot him a dirty look “What?”
“The second page son”
I gritted my teeth “Why don’t you hand it out yourself?”
“Because I enjoy taunting you, and there’s nothing you can do about it, son” he said with a smug look on his face.
“I’m not your son,” I growled.
“You got that right, no son of mine would come with attitude like that, now hand those papers out”
I folded my arms across my chest “And what if I say no, what are you going to do about it… son” I said mimicking him.
“Does your mother have to ask you to do things twice, or do you listen. Don’t let me ask you twice boy”
Shock bloomed through me and my attitude faltered. “My mum’s dead” I whispered. I didn’t look at anyone as I walked back to my seat; I stared out the window trying not to think of her. Not that I could remember much, I just knew she had my eyes and hair. I didn’t even remember the smell of her anymore.
I felt a sympathetic hand on my arm but I shrugged it off, I refused to let Eli see me cry, I was stronger than that. I was used to people not knowing my mum was dead, since I’d left home no one new that I was basically an orphan. My father wanted nothing to me with me, and my mum was dead. I was so lucky to have Dom, without him Kat and me would have probably been separated and lost in the system.
I was grateful that he loved my mum that he loved us enough to stay. That was the good thing about Dom; once he committed to something he always saw it through. With me away at college and Kat finished and grown up, he had more time to focus on himself. When I went back home I could see how lonely he was. Jack’s mum had really hurt him, but I didn’t hate her for it.
Dom and my mum were soul mates; I couldn’t hate anyone who tried to make him happy after losing his other half. That’s all I wanted really for him to be happy, how me and Jack are… were… have been… used to be… still are. I don’t even know anymore. If I pretend, we can be happy but if I ask him about New York our relationship is suddenly back on the rocks. Recently I’ve not been saying anything.
I love Jack and I know he loves me; I just gotta remind him of everything we’ve survived and came out still together and pretty deep in love. Because I was in love with him, very much in love with him.
“Reed I’m so sorry” Eli whispered, but it carried to me, that’s how quiet the lecture hall had got. “Erm, that’s it for today guys we will catch up on Wednesday, off you all go, enjoy your freedom”
There was murmuring and the shuffling of chairs as everyone got up to leave, a few people patted my arm and the ginger girl who warned me about Eli leant over and gave me a hug. I smiled back at her, I was playing up how upset I was, hoping to make Eli feel extremely guilty. Eli didn’t move or say anything to me until the last person had shut the door behind them.
I looked up and glared at him defiantly, he sighed “Reed, why didn’t you tell me? All those times we’ve hung out and talked over coffee and you didn’t mention this?”
“So it’s my fault?”
“No that’s not what I’m saying and you know that… I just. I’m really sorry it was out of line and unprofessional of me to even bring your mother into our conversation and it was very uncouth to do it in front of my class, what was I thinking?”
I stayed silent just watching him; he paced in front of the projector screen before turning and giving me the most vulnerable expression I’d ever seen on his face. He looked like a wounded puppy. It made my heart warm to him a little bit, I stood up and he froze, he just watched me walk down the steps towards him.
“You were thinking about ways to embarrass me, ways to make me suffer because you like picking on me don’t you, I’m the little piggy in your class you use for laughs and jokes”
“Reed-“
“No don’t, I’m right Eli. Ever since our first lecture, when I made that poor joke about your name, you’ve been treating me differently from the others”
I rolled my eyes at him and walked out the lecture hall I didn’t want to hear anymore of what he had to say. I strolled down the corridor; the sky was darkening as dark grey clouds rolled in. I shivered, at the end of the corridor I spotted Hayden and Leah laughing and talking. I didn’t know they were friends. I was about to walk over to them when something stopped me dead in my tracks.
Leah looked up at Hayden batting her eyelashes and obviously flirting with him, he responded by tucking her hair behind her ear before leaning down to kiss her cheek. I turned round and walked down the corridor the opposite way I was originally walking. I kept going heading to the music block. I stepped outside hurried across the courtyard and into the music block.
I walked to Jack’s class and saw that the door was open, someone was singing, it sounded beautiful. I stood in the open doorway and watched as Theo and Jack sung in perfect harmony to the rest of their class. Jack looked different when he sung, he looked happy, immersed, and a completely different Jack to the one he showed me.
He didn’t look this happy when he sung to me just for fun. It made me smile as I watched him smile at Theo as they sung together, they finished and the class applauded and I couldn’t help but applaud with them. I watched as Jack put his arm around Theo’s neck they grinned at each other, the lecturer spotted me hovering in his doorway.
“Erm excuse me young man, who are you and why are you in my doorway?” he said in a voice so nasally it sounded as if he was literally talking through his nose.
“Oh I’m just waiting for Jack, and I heard the singing I was impressed”
“Oh… well seeing as you’re doing so great Jack you can go early”
Jack looked at the floor before looking up at me “Err actually Reed I had plans to practice my drums with some of the others in the class afterwards so…”
A blush rushed up on my face and I suddenly felt silly for some reason “Oh, okay err… later” I rushed out before rushing off. I ran down the corridor my bag swinging I hurdled round the corner and down a flight of stairs. I walked out into the parking lot trying to catch my breath.
I felt embarrassed I didn’t know why but I felt really embarrassed I walked towards my building block and realised I now had nothing to do. I finished early, Jack had plans even my flatmates would all be at lectures or at the beach. I looked at my tan arms; living out here in California my skin had caught some colour.
I didn’t look plain anymore my skin had colour, life. Even my hair was thicker and darker, the brown had moved from chocolate brown to dark brown, it made my blue eyes stand out even more. I took my key out and let myself into the apartment, the A/C was on and the place was nice and cool. Even with the looming grey clouds it was still really warm outside.
It was going to be horribly humid tonight when it rained. I flopped down on my bed and stared up at the ceiling. My phone buzzed letting me know I’d got a text message. It was from Gemma.
Gemma: So José has published his story on us, err I think you’ll want to see this…
Reed: Email me the link please
Gemma: Already done it should be in your inbox
Something about Gemma’s text made me feel uneasy, she didn’t sound happy or excited to be in the newspaper, which could only mean one thing. The story was bad. I was just hoping Jack wasn’t going to flip out when he read it. I logged into my email and saw Gemma’s message at the top of my inbox, I opened it and followed the link. It took me to a blog, I frowned I thought José was writing the story for his school paper?
A Series Of Unfortunate Friends
By José Garcia
A twisted love story. A triangle of feelings, emotions and actions. Petty. Jealous. Disgust. Love. Lust, and of course secrets. How can a group of people call themselves friends when all they do is tear each other down? How can a couple say their relationship is perfect, when they are at two different places in their lives? And how can the return of an old friend course so much distress?
A year and a half ago Liam Townsend, and friends (who can not be named for legal reasons) brutally attacked Gemma Nickels, Reed Sparrow, Leah Johnson and Zeke Davis in a kidnapping ordeal that lasted 4 hours. The attack was carried out over Liam’s obsession with best friend Jack Nickels, who at the time, and is still currently, dating Reed Sparrow. Townsend was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was charged with community service. He faced the jury as a minor, and was given, as some believe, a soft sentence.
Townsend has recently moved back home after finishing his last hours of community service 3 months ago. Upon hearing the news, his group of old ‘friends’ returned home and I was lucky enough to be given exclusive access and permission to report exactly what happened that weekend. None other than the heart of the story, Jack Nickels, gave me room and board.
In this series of blogs I shall be addressing the problems in society today using this experience and my new group of friends as examples to help me prove my point. Next blog will be up soon, stay tuned.
Next: Thirst For The Throne
I sat back. What was this crap! This isn’t what we allowed José to write, what was he doing? How could he expose us all like this? So much happened that weekend he can’t do profiles on each of us, he will ruin us. I scrambled for my phone and dialled José’s number. He answered on the fourth ring.
“Hello Reed how are you?” he said I could hear the smug smile on his lips.
“José, this isn’t what I agreed to, what is this blog?”
“Oh, I’m still writing a news article on you guys don’t worry. But at the same time, I’m doing extra credit on my course. Psychology topic, you guys are prefect for my final essay I have so much to go with”
I sighed “José, don’t do this! I mean no one gave you permission, like you’re not allowed to use our legal names are you? And you do Sports Science like Gemma how is this relevant?”
“Actually I am, you gave me permission to report on you did you not? You didn’t specifically say how I could report; just what and when you agreed you gave away your legal rights. I am well within my permissions to do this. Jack is an athlete is he not? And Hayden, I wonder how all this affects their performances”
“You prick,” I said hanging up the phone.
I forwarded Jack the email, I knew that he needed to see it no matter how angry he gets. I got changed into my crappy clothes that I didn’t matter if they got messy. I needed to paint something. I packed up all my paints and equipment and went to the studio. I got a canvas from the supply closet and set it on an easel.
I spent the next two hours intensely painting my feelings, I stepped back to take a break and analyse my work. I hated it; it just looked full of pain and anger. I picked up a pot of black paint; I was about to chuck the black paint all over my canvas when someone grabbed my arm mid swing. I missed most of my canvas and the paint splattered over the wall and the floor. Some of my canvas got splatters on it, but it help emphasise the picture.
I looked at Eli, with the after splatter of the paint on his face and suit. He was laughing at me, I could feel the paint dripping down my face too. I laughed back. We looked so silly, I turned back to my painting, and it was just shapes and colours and now a splatter. It looked very abstract.
“So much raw pain” Eli said coming to stand next to me.
“What are we going to do about the paint on the wall?” I asked.
“Leave it, you needed to express your release, let it be you letting go. Besides they repaint the walls every year, the art block tends to get messy”
I smiled turning to him “Do you want it?”
“Want what?”
“The painting” I said nodding my head at it “I’m just going to burn it otherwise”
He studied my face then pulled a permanent marker out his pocket “Sign the back of it, then come back to me when all this is resolved and get it”
I took the pen and walked around the back of the easel and signed it, I hadn’t signed a picture in months. Since my show finished and my agent died I hadn’t thought about my career. I enjoyed my life in San Francisco, working, feeling grown up. And there was Jack… I wrote to Eli above my signature, I wasn’t coming back for this picture ever. It was all his.
I stepped around the painting and he was watching me. I was suddenly aware of how dark it was, a rumble went threw the clouds and not long after it started to rain, I walked to the window and looked out. It rained heavily, the sky flashing a deep grey with the far away lightning. Eli wrapped his fingers around my wrist. I turned to him slowly, the thick humid air from outside suddenly felt like it was here in this room between us.
He pulled me towards him and I couldn’t stop my feet moving slowly. My eyes locked with his as his arms encircled my waist. I raised my arms and wrapped them around his neck closing my eyes and falling into the embrace. He just held me as I looked out the window watching the sky change colour and the cloud changing shape.
The tension in my body relaxed, I pulled away from him and smiled at him. He grinned back. I surprised him by grabbing his hand and pulled him with me as I ran out the room, we raced down the corridor, bursting threw the fire door into the rain.
“Wooooo!” I yelled running out into the car park my face raised to the sky, I danced around in the rain, and Eli laughed with me. The fire alarm going off in the distant.
I allowed the rain to wash the paint off my face, shaking my head in Eli’s direction flicking water on him. He made to grab me but I was too quick for him. We chased each other around cars, running in and out of them, until we heard the shouting.
“Oi, you two get back here,” some old lady shouted from the fire door. They turned the alarm off and then the lights were on, spilling into the car park.
“Run” Eli yelled and he legged it I followed after him, running out of the bright light of the car park towards campus. We skidded round the corner, thunder still rumbling in the sky, seconds later the sky flashed lilac I stared in amazement. It was beautiful.
“Come on” I said running towards my block. Eli followed me as we burst into the block and raced up the stair well. I let us into my apartment slamming the door closed. I put my finger to my lips to signal him to be quiet as we tip toed to my room. I shut and locked the door behind us giggling.
“I haven’t run like that since I was a teenager, Jesus I feel unfit” he moaned sliding down the door to sit on the floor. I looked down at him smiling he looked tired.
“Your not that old, your just out of practice?”
“Do you do this often?”
“What run from people? Or bring teachers back to my room?” I said teasing him.
He blushed and seemed to come to his senses. “I shouldn’t be here, I can get fired for this”
“Fired? For helping out a student? That’s nonsense Eli, and you know it” I said walking towards the bathroom, I had to get these wet clothes off me. I stripped off in the bathroom, putting all my clothes in the shower, since the dorm rooms didn’t come with baths. They would hang and dry overnight.
I wrapped my towel around myself wandering into my room; I grabbed my boxers’ and a t-shirt before changing in the bathroom. I came back out and Eli was still slumped on the floor. His eyes closed, I kicked him with my foot and he opened his eyes slowly. I held out dry clothes to him.
“You can get changed in the bathroom,” I said. He nodded taking the clothes from me and went to get changed.
I went into the kitchen and made us hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows. Part of my brain was wondering why I was cosying up with Eli, but the majority of me thought why not? I could use a friend who wasn’t involved in the drama from back home and who wouldn’t hold back and keep secrets from me.
Who cares if we weren’t allowed, there’s nothing more fun than a secret relationship.
-x-------------x-
SOOOOO WHAT ARE YOU GUYS THINKING, THIS CHAPTER WAS SOME REED AND ELI TIME, DO YOU GUYS LIKE IT SHALL THERE BE MORE? AND WHAT ABOUT THE BLOG, ANY IDEA WHO THE NEXT POST IS GOING TO BE ABOUT. JOSÉ IS ON SOME BACK STABBING ISH, MY BABIES BETTER WATCH OUT. AND I’M THINKING ABOUT SCRIPTING IN A LEAH/KELLY FACE OFF… WHO WANTS IT???
PLUS IN THE NEXT CHAPTER IM GOING TO REVEAL A SECRET WOO!!!