I gazed up at him, suddenly wondering what his lips tasted like.
Shaking it off, I grabbed my phone from his hands and checked the time.
"Time's up; I'm getting out,"
When I emerged from the cupboard, everyone looked at me expectantly.
Zoey pouted. "No action for our virginal queen?"
I ignored her, sitting back down on the sofa next to Caleb, who wouldn't stop staring at me. I glanced over to him and rose an eyebrow at him; he said nothing but looked up as Noah finally joined us.
"Didn't feel like popping a cherry, Noah?" Zoey asked and I flushed, frantically trying to recover with a long swig of my drink.
Noah joined me on the sofa. "Shut up, Zoey,"
Zoey obviously wasn't spoken to like that often and clamped her mouth shut in shock.
"I dare all of you to tell us about your most embarrassing dream," Hailey said from behind me and I froze. Dream. What dreams? I don't dream.
The room broke out into laughter. "That's all you've got?" Chantel laughed.
"I think it's a great idea," Alex said, looking up to through Hailey a smile.
Suddenly the room spun, and I couldn't tell if it was the alcohol in my system or the fear of finally telling my biggest secret. Lights blurred into one as Zoey began to speak.
"Well, I'll go first; I have no shame. My past life belonged to a boy who died very young. He was wetting the bed up to the age of 14," I laughed along with everyone else, trying to pretend like the whole room wasn't melting before my eyes.
Alex looked up at me. "Obviously she and her past life have something in common," she murmured. Thanks to the growing pit in my stomach, I barely even cracked a smile.
"What was that, Alexandra?" Alex gritted her teeth as Zoey used her full first name. "Care to share your most embarrassing dream?"
"Well, thankfully," Alex said sweetly, "I have no shame either,"
I tuned out after that, my vision blurring as sweat sprung to my forehead and hands. My heart pounded and I was desperately trying to grasp onto a tangible lie, a wall to hang onto before I pummelled to the ground.
I jumped back into my body as Noah began to speak beside me. I could feel Caleb staring at over at me but knew that he was glancing at me with concern this time, and not with judgement. I couldn't look at him; he'd find out.
Instead, I focused on Noah. "Well, my man Johnny had this overwhelming crush on this ridiculously hot girl, Lola," although what he was saying was absolute trash, the sound of his voice soothed me. It was always so velvet, so controlled. "When trying to show his eternal love for her, his trousers fell down and the entire school saw his wong,"
"Wong?" Alex asked, making me break out into laughter.
Noah laughed, eyes trained on me. Looking away, he continued, "The poor guy was so embarrassed that he died ten years later," I stopped laughing abruptly, which only made Noah begin to laugh. He had one of those contagious laughs, not one of those obnoxious, ridiculously loud ones.
"Don't worry, Is, without him dying, I'd never exist," I rolled my eyes at his ego as he smirked over at me.
"Well, Issy, you're up," Zoey said, leaning back in her chair and raising an eyebrow at me. I was confused for a moment, and then I remembered.
I suddenly began to heat up at great speed, my voice escaping me as my heart broke all speed limits.
Zoey's cackles made it so much worse. "Wow, must be hell of a story," I remained silent, making her roll her eyes. "Come on, can't be much worse than your life,"
The laughter rose and I began to breathe quicker than probably ever recorded in all of human time.
"Shut up, Zoey," Alex growled, before turning around to look at me. Noah placed a hand on my arm and Caleb was looking down at me again.
I thought about what they would do if they knew. I thought about dying in front of their eyes on national television. I thought about them reporting me and never regretting it. I thought about telling them my biggest secret.
I shot up from the sofa, running down the hallway and back to the bathroom I had appeared from. I should have never left it, I should have never went into that room. That room, with those people, and those ambient lights. I should have never come here.
I slammed the door behind me and fell to the ground in front of the toilet. And then I puked up into it. Someone joined me and I waved around behind me, trying to swat something away.
"Shh," the person said, pulling me to them. If not from the soothing sound of her voice, then by her perfume, I instantly knew that it was Alex who was holding me. She and I had been friends since nursery, but even she wouldn't protect a sinner like me.
It was so easy back then. I didn't know any different. Reality and dreams always blurred together, the colours running into one. Stories were real and life was full of vibrant colours and bright lights. There was no distance between day and night, what was a mirage and what was real life.
It was all a dream.
Until I realised that I don't dream.
I sobbed and sobbed. Even when I was off the floor and my mouth clean, I didn't stop crying.
"It's okay, Issy, it's okay," Alex said, smoothing out my hair, "they won't talk about it for long. They'll forget it. Trust me,"
I laughed through my tears. I wish my problems were as simple as gossip.
"I want to go home, Alex, I want to go home," her face crumpled as I broke into her arms.
She held me tightly. "Okay, Is, that's fine,"
She called my dad immediately after and helped me downstairs without anyone seeing me crying. Well, anyone but Noah.
"Alex, just let me talk to her–"
"She just wants to go home, Noah, go away," Alex said, holding her hand up as I hid behind a fake tree. Rich people.
"I just want to check that she's okay," My heart fluttered.
"She's fine, can you leave now?" With a loud huff, Noah turned around and stalked away. I watched as he walked right into Caleb, who was hurrying over to where Alex was standing. The two exchanged a few words before Noah steered Alex away from Alex and I.
Alex sighed, joining me between the tree. "Any updates from your dad?"
I checked my phone quickly and shook my head. "Thanks, Alex," I murmured.
She grinned. "What are friends for?" I smiled, watching as she scrunched up her face when she caught sight of the fake tree beside her. "Is this fake?"
I nodded, laughing.
"God, rich people make my brain hurt,"
My dad didn't take too long to turn up, and Alex and I filled the time by trying to spot more fake things. We didn't spot much, but we did create a conspiracy theory in which Ricky's family owned a whole illegal sweetcorn trading business. She's a Gemini and I'm a Pisces.
Alex hugged me goodbye before waving at me frantically until the very moment I got into the car.
"So, what happened?" My dad asked, which wiped the smile off my face.
"It was boring," I told him, making him laugh, the expression on his face telling me that he didn't believe me.
At home, I ran up to my room, breathing in deeply when I opened the door. The smell of home, the smell of comfort.
I changed quickly into my pyjamas, throwing everything I was wearing into the wash before doing a quick clean of my room. Then I did the only thing that would soothe my soul. Painting.
I wasn't very good at it, but it helped me to express my nights. I don't dream, so that's not what I paint. Instead, I paint the empty void, often filled with ribbons that desperately try to tie themselves together to form some kind of something. Instead, they run straight past each other. Almost there, every time.
A text broke me out of my trance and I picked up my phone to see a text from Alex that asked if I was okay. I smiled, holding my paintbrush in one hand and my phone in the other as typed a response.
I set my phone back down and lost myself to the canvas in front of me once more. Just as I finished, I heard a knock at my bedroom door. I frowned, setting my painting to one side to dry, placing my pot of paintbrushes on a high-shelf so I don't knock it over. That's happened before.
I opened my door slowly.
I stared at the person behind it, my eyes-widening. "Alex?"
She grinned. "Hey Issy, we're sleeping over!"
I let her come in, not that I had much chance. "..Who?" I asked her, watching as she set down all her bags at the end of my bed.
"Who do you think?" She asked, still grinning widely.
"Hey, Is," If not by the voice, then by the smell of his aftershave, I recognised him. Noah.
Watching Caleb and Hailey join us, I think I almost lost consciousness.
A sleepover with my best friends. That sounds totally normal and almost fun.
Except, I don't dream. And they don't know that.
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woweeeeee
I updated teehee
so sorry for late updates I'm just silly and lockdown is making all the days blur into one I swear I didn't know it had been so long 😳
hope I'm not causing probs :(((
-it's dark bc there's no sun and I'm tired and in pain so #imnotaclowntoday
FABULOUS SONGS
Songs that played when I was writing this chapter (in order):
Thumbs - Sabrina Carpenter
Don't Need Nobody - Ellie Goulding
Hourglass - Alice Chater
Almost Love - Sabrina Carpenter
Simon Says - Allie X
Heartbreak Hotel - Alice Chater
Diamonds Are Forever - Sabrina Carpenter
Dreams - Gabrielle Aplin ;))
Radioactive - Imagine Dragons
Once Upon a Dream - Lana Del Rey
Broken Strings - James Morrison
Fire Blue - Loreen
END OF FABULOUS SONGS
Date written:
21/05/19
22/05/19
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Next update: let me know :)
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CHAPTER NINE:
With Isobel in close proximity to three people, will her secret stay hidden?
Isobel gets closer to to a certain two boys...
🌙