.Nine Days Later.
A lot of things happened during the mid term break. A lot of things, some of which I’m just learning about standing in the hallway beside my locker, listening to Nicki give me a full countdown of all the interesting stuff that happened because she’s more informed than I am.
A little break from the semi-hell that is school, a little freedom, and kids run loose.
I should know.
I’m going to be a little fair to everyone else who is currently feeding into the school gossip mill and start with my own share of midterm break… Waywardness.
It was Wednesday night, middle of the break. Sometime after eleven o’clock at night, and I was out like a light.
What woke me up was a series of raps on my window. At first, I thought I was dreaming, being half groggy from sleep. A louder rap had me shooting from my bed, my wide
The next day, on Thursday, that’s when I started falling into the trap Jude had set — intentionally or unintentionally — for me. Which is why right now I think I might be developing feelings for him.‘Think’ being the operative word.He came rapping on my window yet again, the time being similar to the night before, and I let him in through my window. I was surprised at his appearance, because I had thought Wednesday night’s visit would be a one time occurrence.Later on I sat against my headboard and regarded him through half open eyes.“You look fine today, why are you here?”He had left early that morning, while I’d still been fast asleep. As so was everyone else in the house, thankfully. I could only imagine the kind of storm my parents would kick up if our little arrangement came to light.
“You heard about Jon, right?” Nicki asks me now, casting a careful glance around as if watching for eavesdroppers.I nod. “Yeah, about his break up with Jane?”That is all around, it’s one of the topics keeping the rumour mill turning. I have to say, I was pretty impressed at my reaction to that piece of news. My heart didn’t stuttered with joy, though I was a little too glad he had decided to ditch the bitch. But that was just it. Insane possibilities of how I now had a chance with him didn’t crowd my mind, which just goes to prove me right. I’m over him.But I can’t be sure until I come face to face with him and see whether my heart goes flying off into the clouds.Nicki shakes her head. “Not about that. About the other thing.”I frown. “What other thing?”“I g
“No you didn’t!” I exclaim, looking wide eyed at Nicki. It’s lunch time and we are in the courtyard outside the dining hall. We didn’t get to talk after assembly, which ended way into the first lesson and we had to rush straight to class.The courtyard is barren of students given the July cold that’s already creeped into the end of June, giving proper privacy for whatever juicy stories she has for me.She giggles, throwing her head back. “I so did. It was all Simon’s idea, however, but I was glad to hop in.”I pout. “Of course.”While I had been lying all bored in my room on Saturday night, my two friends were sneaking out to attend a very illegal house party.“And let me guess, Cole was there too, right?” I prod, trying to sound annoyed at the fact that I’m just finding out about th
I'm almost convinced that this last half of the term is going to be weird when I'm treated to the joyful sight of Simon and Nicki walking through the school gates, coming up the walkway towards the front doors. Together.I stop looking through my bag and stare, a smile breaking across my face.I was thinking I would have to play some reconciliatory role, but it appears I was wrong. I stop looking for my Math exercise book that I suspect I've left at home and wait for my two friends to get to me.The crowd of students going past me is decked out in warm clothing consisting of jackets, jumpers, and beanies. The sun hasn't graced the day with its presence yet, dark gloomy clouds spanning the sky instead. It's as if the weather itself is predicting the sort of trouble I'm going to find myself in if I turn up with no homework in Math."Oh my God, I love this one, how come I've never seen it before?" Nicki gushes the moment she gets to me, pulling
"Cold weather makes me sleepy,” I mutter almost an hour later as Jude takes me through a problem that I was stuck on in my Math assignment. Because of the weather, he suggested we have our session at Ma Bea’s, and I readily agreed.He has a smug grin on his face as he shows me how to work the problem, extremely smug that for the first time, he’s the one showing me Math.He looks up and gives me a stern look. “You’d better be paying attention, Jo.”“I am,” I mutter, wrapping my fingers around my hot mug. It’s warmer in here, and I wouldn’t mind coming here every other time. I don’t mind the free chocolate either. “Honestly though, doesn’t it just make you want to bundle up into your blankets?”“Warmer if you got someone with you,” he mutters, not looking up from my workbook. “Warmer if t
“Wake up, Avery.” Jude says for possibly the tenth time, following it up with a poke to my side.I grumble, eyes still shut, and swat his hand away. “Stop,” I warn. I turn into my side, snuggling my face into my folded hands.“Jo is sooo lazy,” Cole sing songs from my right.I make a sound in my throat but otherwise ignore him. Can’t a girl get a little sleep around here?“Tickle her,” a voice, belonging to my traitorous friend Nicki, comes from the spot right beside me.I shoot up from my space against the wall immediately, and in time too because Jude is already reaching out. I glare at Nicki and flash her the middle finger.Jude chuckles, chewing on his bottom lip. “Oh, so that’s the trick.”“Don’t you ever dare, not even once,” I wa
It’s one a.m., Jude is in my room, and he is drunk.Panic shoots through me as sleep deserts me and the situation sinks in. I slept with my lights on so I can see exactly how much drunk he is.At first I can’t make sense of what he’s saying, but when I do, my blood runs cold.“Sorry, Jo…. Sssorrry… Your sister… Saw me…”The words come out disjointed, but I hear him fine alright.He drops on my bed, huffing as if the effort of making that sentence has taken all his energy.My heart is pounding so loud in my chest, I can’t hear my own thoughts.Maybe that’s because there’s none. I can’t think.I crawl onto my knee and shake him. “Jude? Are you sure?”He lets out a groan, turns his head to the
I can’t remember the last time I slept undisturbed all the way to morning. There’s always sleepless breaks in between, either due to waking up from dreams and nightmares, or as an effect of my irregular sleeping patterns.I wake up from the former, a dream that makes no sense at all. I don’t get to really think about it however, because my mind registers two things instantly.The lights are off and I’m on my bed.There’s warm breath hitting my face, breath that smells sweet.There are arms around me.Before I can despair, I hear Jude’s low voice. “Are you awake?”I try to move my hands that are trapped beneath his. He moves and I free them, but that’s all the movement he makes.“Sorry about the lights, couldn’t sleep with them on,” he explains, the same