Chapter 2
‘God Bran!’ I scolded, leaning against the bonnet of his midnight blue his car, I would have gotten in but he had put the roof up so it couldn’t be stolen. ‘How long does it fricking take to get out of school?’ I demanded, he was with a girl-as always- and Joshua.
‘Nice to see you too, sweetheart, I love you!’ he joked with a wink, his girlfriend didn’t find it funny.
‘Shut up, I’m in a bad mood, and it’s all your fault!’ I crossed my arms over my chest and I climbed into the car when he unlocked it. The boys rolled their eyes, the girl looked at me
‘Aaawww!' The girl spoke to me as if I was a four year old as she twirled her hair around her finger 'what did he do?’ she asked, still looking at me like I was a baby, I was only a year younger, she glared at Brandon
‘I finally pick up the courage to ask out this guy I am totally in love with and he said no because he thought Bran and I-’ I couldn’t finish the repulsive sentence without gagging, I was pretty sure I saw Brandon smile. The girl gasped
‘Oh my goodness, why?’ shesat up straighter and stopped playing with her hair, she seemed so engrossed in the story, I sighed and flipped my hair from my face, it felt hot and I knew I was really red.
‘I don’t know’ I put my face in my hands ‘I’ve liked that guy for like two years!-on and off, but still!- He said that he didn’t want to be the cause of someone cheating on someone else! God it’s not like a bloody affair!’ My distressed voice was muffled by my hands. The girl pat my back, her short blonde hair was blowing in her face from the wind when I looked up
‘Aw, don’t worry there’s loads of guys out there for you! You're so pretty! Girls like us have our pick!’ I thought she was joking. She wasn't. The guys looked awkward, Brandon was watching us in the rear-view mirror. I glared at him in his reflection.
‘What? Stop staring at me!’ I demanded, the girl smiled at me
‘Oh!' She exclaimed as if she had been kicked in the shin 'I’m Allison by the way’ she smiled, I gave her an insincere smile
‘I’m Amelie’
‘Who’s this guy you like, anyway?’ she asked
‘Jared O’Rourke’ I sighed,
‘Oh yeah, I’ve heard of him’ she nodded, Brandon rolled his eyes.
‘Everyone has heard of him’ He said, Joshua sighed.
‘He speaks the truth’ Joshua said
‘I don’t get why he’s so great’ Brandon said
‘Um… Where do I begin; he’s gorgeous, smart, I thought he was nice, laid back, sporty, basically perfect’ I breathed
‘He’s not perfect!’ Brandon grumbled
‘What’s your problem with him?’ asked Allison. Joshua mouthed something and Brandon hit him, the car swerved
‘Jeez! Watch it!’ I yelled 'Eyes on the road! Not me the road!'
‘I just don’t like him, okay?’ he rolled his eyes
‘Another point to me!’ I said, clapping, remembering our game that morning, Allison looked confused, I explained ‘We had, kind of a bet to see who was more lady-like-slash- gentleman...ly... I won!’ I laughed
‘I’m not surprised’ she smiled, we all teased Brandon until we dropped Allison home
‘Aww! She’s really nice!’ I said as she closed her frint door behind her and we drove away. That seemed to annoy Brandon, it annoyed me even more that I knew him so well.
‘Yeah, she’s nice’ he said, Joshua smiled and shook his head
‘I thought she was your date or something’ I admitted, embarrassed
‘She is!’ Joshua laughed and sputtered
‘Then what’s your problem with her?’ I asked, confused
‘Why would I have a problem with her, she’s pretty, isn’t she?’ he said coldly
‘Jeez, that's not all that matters! Anyway, what the hell did I do?’ I yelled ‘Stop the car, I’ll walk, if you’re going to be like that’ I looked at him expectantly but the car didn’t slow
‘Don’t be stupid, I’ll get in trouble if I let you walk’
‘Scared of your Mom, wow you’re badass, Brandon.’ I didn’t speak after that, we pulled up to the house, I grabbed my bag and got out of the car as quickly as I could. My parents were in the living room, I heard my name mentioned. I slipped off my shoes so they wouldn’t squeak on the white, tile floor. I stopped beside the large double doors of the sitting room and listened.
‘I’m sure, yes, he carried her bag for her!’ my mother said, I froze, my breath caught up in my throat. She was talking about Brandon and I! How was she taking that? She was spying!
‘I thought they hated each other!’ said my dad’s disbelieving voice ‘maybe it was a cover up…’ I was furious ‘Thank God! Finally... you know, they said so.’ I was confused what did Brandon and I have to do with anything? There was mumbling from the T.V. and they kept quiet for a moment. 'It's sweet, a bit cliche!'
‘Even so, an arranged marriage is horrible! Especially in these times!’ said my mother, her voice was guilty, I sank to my knees. An arranged marriage. What?
I was eventually able to stand on my shaky knees, I ran quietly up stairs. I closed the white door and leaned against it. Maybe they were watching T.V at the same time? I peered out the window, thinking. Brandon and Joshua were still talking. I turned away, feeling distressed. It was over-whelming. I crept downstairs. Relief flooded me. They were watching on of the many, many Soapoperas my mother was adicyed to on T.V! A book lay, open beside my Mom too. So the start was about me but not the last bit. I breathed a sigh of relief and climbed back upstairs, I suddenly realised that I’d forgotten my coat. I rolled my eyes and sighed. I was not going back out there where he (or it... which ever you prefer) was! I climbed back up the stairs, I sighed and opened the wide window, I called out to Joshua to bring it for me, I was positive, Brandon was staring at me, but I must have been paranoid.Stomach-grinding, heart-clenching head-bursting paranoia.
***
Damn that then! So she wasn’t the jealous type! I bring a beautiful, confident, smart blonde and now they’re best friends forever! Great! And that bloody jerk, whatever his stupid name was, I know I should be happy he turned her down but she was obviously upset about it. Joshua was sitting beside me, I wasn’t listening, just nodded and smiled when he paused. I heard a window open, I looked up and Amelie called down
‘Hey, Josh! Joshua! When you come in bring my coat, okay?’ She called, usually she took the time to glare at me, but she avoided my gaze, obviously concentrating on not looking at me. Joshua nodded. He climbed out of the car without opening the door as she shut the window
‘Bye, Brandon, see you tomorrow morning, oh and um, don’t get too mad that that blonde didn’t drive Amelie insane with jealousy and right into your open arms, okay?’ he smirked and walked into the house, I rolled my eyes and drove home. I pulled up at the light yellow, large, three story house. My German Shepherd dog ran up the drive way and ran beside the car.
‘Hey, Tiger!’ I cooed, I got out of the car and pat his head. His tail was wagging. I walked through the front door, it felt empty, it always did, even when my parents were having one of their extravagant parties. I remember, years ago, at one of their parties it was so loud and full, people were even crowding the gardens. And I still felt alone. I sat alone in my room, gazing at the ceiling, Joshua was with the parents, talking, he got on with everyone, especially with adults, where as I just felt uncomfortable. Amelie walked into the hall, looking for her friend, my cousin Maria. At the age of eleven she was playing touch the can, She looked into my room and seemed to notice me, she did a double take, she knelt in front of me at the sode of the bed. I looked up at her, her dark, mysterious blue eyes searching mine.
‘Brandon?’ she took my hand and smiled, shyly 'Are you okay?'
‘Nothin’’ I stood and brushed myself off. She stood too, She stepped towards me, we were inches away, I was twelve but she was only eleven so didn’t think anything of it.
‘Brandon…’ she was really serious, I sighed
‘Just bored’ I lied.
‘We’re playing tip the can, wanna join in?’ she asked with a cute smile ‘Come on!’ she said and grabbed my hand again, really light and gentle, we hung out all day then, that’s the day I started to like her, she was poor at the time, close to living on the streets, her mom and mine were childhood friends. My dad gave her’s a job in producing films,(but Joshua and Amelie don‘t know that, so they don‘t feel they owe us or something... I think Amelie should know, maybe she'd be grateful... so grateful that she'd love me!) now they were wealthy, not as much as me but very well off, I think she kind of forgets what it was like being poor and I think she forgets that day too. But it means so much to me…
I logged on to facebook and looked up this Jared O’Rourke I messaged him and just suggested in no uncertain terms that he should cop on
*Hey, this is Brandon Mitchel, I just wanted to say:
What the hell is wrong with you? What gave you the idea she was going out with me? We’re friends, okay? There is nothing between us! Now don’t be an idiot and ask her out again and if anyone asks; we never had this conversation, okay?*
He took a while to reply when he did he said:
*Really? There just seems to be chemistry there!*
he was such a weirdo, who talks like that?
*Yes I’m sure* I wanted to call him a very rude, colourful and offensive name that amelie's mother certainly would not approve of, but decided against it.
The next morning I pulled up at Joshua and Amelie’s house and beeped the horn Joshua ran out of the house, panting.
‘Dude! You’re late!’ he jumped over the door and into the car, Amelie ran out of the house with her gym bag, school bag and lip gloss in her hang, she flung open the door, quickly, aggresively and oblivious to the fact she had gotten her lipgloss all over my freshly washed door, and got in.
‘Drive!’ she demanded and applied the lip gloss
‘What is she doing?’ I asked Joshua
‘Making herself look Beautiful to show that Jared dude what he’s missing!’ he scoffed, I already knew what he was missing: Exactly what I wanted.