The Line That Holds The Kite

by J E McDonald

  I walk into my dorm-room a little while later, through shock I drop my books on the floor.

  Sienna is lying on her bed in the most unflattering and what seems to be uncomfortable position. An ‘Abercrombie model’ boy tangled up with her.

  “I… I’m so sorry.” I stutter as I turn to dart from the room.

  “Hey, it’s okay sugar, we will get a scrunchie system going on the door handle.” Sienna practically sings at me as I slam the door closed behind me. I am mortified. Okay maybe, I’m a tad homesick.

  I decide to head to the library, obviously without my books, to study. I am not going back to that room for at-least another hour, Urgh!

  When I reach the library, I find a table near the back unoccupied. I empty the contents of my bag onto the table and start jotting down everything I learned in class. I need to keep notes of everything, I don’t know what information I will need to remember. There is a muffled laughter behind me by one of the floor to ceiling shelves. I turn around and a boy about nineteen is walking out from behind it, pulling the zipper up on his jeans. He is tall with broad shoulders; his blonde hair is pulled up into a top-knot and there is a faint smudge of red lipstick on his neck and mouth. He is very attractive in a rugged, will ruin your life, bad boy way. As I tear my eyes away from him, a slim brunette girl, with large breasts barely concealed by a tank top and a tiny skirt strides out from behind the bookshelf, looking very pleased with herself. Is there anyone besides me not having sex in this college?

  Chapter Seven - Nathan

  It’s been all over the news and papers for nearly two weeks. I can’t escape it.

  “TEENAGER SLAIN IN GANGLAND WAR!”

  “LONDON TEEN STABBED TO DEATH!”

  My mother has been stuck to me like a rash, fussing. If she was anyone else, I would have kicked their teeth down their throat by now for being a fucking pest. I love her, she’s my mum, but fuck me if I don’t want to strangle her on occasion. I can’t breathe, I feel like I’m suffocating in this house.

  After the funeral my mum sent my uncle Arthur to Ryan’s flat with the police, he packed up my stuff, with permission, and brought it back to my mum’s. I’ve been cooped up in this house ever since. All I want to do is get to the boys and plan our revenge for Ryan but considering my “gang connections” detective Smith decided it would be best I have around the clock surveillance. I can’t deny I am half grateful for this, if it wasn’t for the car constantly outside the house, I’m sure the front door would have been kicked in by now, especially since the café incident.

  I am literally a prisoner in my own (Mother’s) house. Ironic considering my name was cleared two weeks ago. I don’t even have my phone to organise shit from my bedroom, because the police took it to help with their investigation. Funny really, considering they can’t actually access it by law unless I give them, my permission.

  I caved and gave them the passcode yesterday, if only to stop my mother’s incessant bitching.

  “Nathan, you can’t deny them, it will look like you’re hiding something, do you want them to find his killer?”

  No mother I don’t want them to find him, because I am going to find him. I am going to pull his teeth out, one my one, with a pair of pliers.

  I am lying on my bed in my room when I hear a knock on my door, here we go again.

  “Fuck off!” I bark.

  “Nay, it’s me, can I come in?” Jack opens my door slightly and looks at me. The only person I can tolerate in this whole shitty world is him.

  “Yeah bro, come in, what’s up?”

  “How are you coping? It’s shit what happened, I don’t even know what to say.” Jack sits on the edge of my bed and stares at his hands. He’s never been one for words really. Shockingly out of the two of us, I am the clever one. I left school with 11 GCSE’s and 3 A levels, all grade C to A. I had a few offers for universities, even a scholarship to Cambridge, but the fuck up I am, I chose the streets instead.

  “I’m alright little bro, just pissed off being stuck in this house! I don’t know how you live with her mate; she’s driving me insane” I sigh and roll onto my side to look at my kid brother. My blood has been increasingly humming for weeks, the anger I feel gradually building beneath the surface. If I wasn’t bad enough before, I am even worse now, how dare they try anything when Jack is with me.

  Somehow lying here with Jack, he is pacifying me, calming me with his presence. Jack has a very chill, calming aura about him, he makes you feel comfortable, relaxed.

  Again, complete opposite of me, with just one glare from me I send people running for the hills.

  I am one evil, vindictive little bastard.

  “Listen, I know you’re angry about Ryan, you have every right to be, I loved him too. But you need to come to New York with me Nay” Jack finally looks at me, tears are welling in his eyes, just before one falls down his face, he brushes it away with the sleeve of his jumper.

  “This shit you’re involved in, the vermin you hang around with, it’s going to get you killed bro, I can’t lose another brother.” Something inside my chest hurts, I would say it was my heart, but I don’t have one. The dull ache is there though, crushing with every word that leaves Jack’s lips. Ryan wasn’t our brother by blood, but he never really had a family of his own, from the age of six we were inseparable, so he basically grew up in this house with us, like a brother would.

  When he got his own flat and moved out, both my mum and Jack were devastated, even more so when I left too, four weeks later.

  “I can’t Jack, I need to stay here and fix this. I can’t just let them get away with it.”

  “You know who did it, don’t you? You know who the lads were last week, in the Range Rover.” I expected him to be a little shocked by this realisation, but he just looks right through me. It’s like he’s got a direct connection to my brain. He just knows.

  “No, of course not, if I did, they wouldn’t be breathing.” he knows I’m lying.

  “You’re a lousy fucking liar Nathan, you always have been. He called you Boo! Look I get it, you can’t let it go, one day you will get revenge, fuck, I’ll even help you! But for now, until the dust settles, we need to get away from here, if anything, to keep mum safe. She will go and live with Thomas, away from all this shit. You know if you stay here, they are coming for you next, and that puts us all in danger.” Jack stares at me, green eyes blazing at me. He is right. I know he is right, but I am a grade A dickhead, and my hatred for our dad runs deep.

  “I can’t live with them Jack, you know what dad did to this family, I can’t be in the same country as that prick, never mind under the same roof!” My last words come out a little harsher than I intended. The mere mention of our dad makes my blood sing.

  “You think I want to live with them? I want to leave mum here?. I’m in the middle of my exams at school, unlike you I have actual friends and a girlfriend, my life is here. But you got us into this shit, now you need to grow a pair of balls and fix it, and by that, I mean put an end to it, not participate in a war.”

  Okay so maybe Jack is the clever one. He is talking more sense in this moment than I have heard from anyone else in years. I choke down the bile that rises to the back of my throat when I say.

  “okay, I’ll go, for you, I’ll go.”

  Chapter Eight - Ellie

  It’s late when I get back to the dorm room, I knock on my door loudly, when I don’t hear any movements inside, I enter, with caution. Nobody needs a repeat of today’s antics. Sienna isn’t here, just her messy sheets, half hanging off her bed. They look slightly wet. urgh gross!

  I change quickly into my pyjamas and get into bed; I am physically and mentally exhausted. Jet lag is a bitch. The alarm clock next to my bed says 12:02am, I think that’s about 5am back home. I finally drift off to sleep.

  My alarms go off at 7am, Sienna moans her annoyance from the other side of the room as I get out of bed and switch off the alarm. I gather my clothes and head for the shower, Sienna groans
again, but it’s more of a deeper sound, quite masculine.

  Wait, is she alone?!

  I sneak a peek at her bed, sure enough there is a male foot hanging out of the bottom of the bed.

  It is 7 o’clock in the morning, what the actual fuck?

  I dart from the room.

  *

  Thirty minutes later I walk back to our room, Sienna is fully clothed for a change, grinning like a Cheshire Cat, and I get Deja vu.

  The guy I saw last night in the library, is again pulling up the zipper of his jeans, he strolls towards me, looks me up and down, smirks “laters” and saunters out of our room.

  “So, is that your boyfriend, or the boy from yesterday? I’m confused” I can’t hide the judgment from my voice. Slut.

  “Oh, sugar I don’t have a boyfriend, just boys that are friends.” Sienna throws her head back laughing and actually air quotes the word friends. Great, my roommate is worse than the girls back home and I am clearly expected to have a revolving door where boys come and go to please slut-face.

  “Sienna, I would appreciate it if you didn’t bring different lads back to our room on a daily basis, can you not just go to their rooms? It makes me uncomfortable.” I ask her as nicely as I can.

  “Lads? Ellie you’re so English. Stop worrying, we’re in college, loosen up a little.” Sienna giggles.

  “What does that even mean, I’m so English?” I glare at her.

  “Oh, you know, classy but, up tight, get the rod out of your ass and chill” with that Sienna turns on her heel and walks out of our room.

  I am mildly offended, because I’m English, she assumes that makes me up tight and I’ve got a stick up my arse.

  Bitch.

  Chapter Nine - Nathan

  Once we collect our bags at JFK, we walk out to the front entrance and see a black limousine pulled up on the pavement. The driver is standing next to it holding a sign saying “CRANE”.

  “Lovely, the prick hasn’t seen his sons for two years, and he can’t even be arsed to pick us up himself from the airport,” I am fuming, I fucking despise that man.

  “Did you honestly expect anything else?” Jack shrugs his shoulders and walks toward the driver. No Jack, I didn’t. Once a twat, always a twat. I know that better than anyone.

  We are sitting in the back of the limousine for about 45 minutes when the car finally comes to a stop, I reach for the door handle, but it is already opened from the outside. When we step out, we are standing on the pathway of a massive house. A massive fucking house.

  It looks like them houses you see in movies, like the Hamptons, or somewhere fancy like that.

  Wait, is this the Hampton’s? How much money has this prick got?!

  The front door opens and out she steps. The little slut who ruined my family. She has a mega-watt smile and looks like she would weigh about six stone soaking wet. She also looks the same age as me. I know she’s twenty-five, but she definitely doesn’t look it. My dad is forty-seven. So, in my opinion, which is the only one that matters, she is a home-wrecking, gold-digging whore.

  “Hi, where is our dad?” Jack smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He’s playing nice. He fucking hates this bitch too.

  “Oh, I am so happy to have you stay with us at our home, welcome, welcome.” the slut ushers us into the house and informs us that Elizabeth will take our bags to our rooms.

  Who the fuck is Elizabeth? Is she another slag dad of the year is banging?

  The thought briefly enters my mind and then leaves as I finally see who Elizabeth is. She is a woman in her late thirties, she has bright blonde hair snatched back in a ponytail, can’t be taller than 5’3 and has the warmest smile I’ve ever seen. I instantly feel guilty for calling her a slag in my head. Well, a slight twinge of guilt, as much as the swinging brick in my chest will allow. She is wearing a grey velour tracksuit and grey sketchers to match. Odd attire for a maid.

  “Come on boys, I will show you to your rooms.”

  Elizabeth has an English accent, I feel slightly relieved by this, at least something will feel like home.

  *

  Five minutes later, I am standing in a large bedroom, the walls are a light shade of grey, with a grey carpet to match, there is a wooden four poster bed with navy blue quilt covers and scatter cushions. A wooden desk that matches the bed frame, A Mac desktop computer on top. Over in the far corner is what I assume a walk-in wardrobe and chest of drawers.

  There is an en suit bathroom through a door on the right of the room. The room is nice, fancy.

  Doesn’t feel remotely like home though.

  Chapter Ten - Ellie

  My first week of lessons is over, I finally feel like I am settling in here, especially now the jet lag has passed. I am yet to make friends but that could change tonight, Sienna has informed me that there will be a dorm party.

  “So, where will this party take place then?” I ask Sienna.

  “Oh, our dorm silly, basically we all keep our doors open and just have one big party, go into whatever room we like and just mix it up.” Sienna is bouncing a little on her bed as she tells me this.

  She’s going to need new springs in that mattress the amount of bouncing it gets. Stop being a bitch Ellie.

  “Oh right, I guess that sounds cool, what time does it start? Will we not get in trouble?” I try to sound as excited as she seems to be, I don’t get how this will work though, isn’t this technically just different parties in each room? They are not coming in here that’s for sure, I don’t want anyone messing with my stuff.

  “Are you going to stop being a party-pooper and actually have fun tonight? No offence but you’ve been kind of lame since you got here.” Sienna sniggers at me from her dressing table.

  I fight the urge to throw something at her head. Like a lamp or a hard-back book. I wouldn’t want to damage my stuff though.

  “Maybe I just don’t want to hang out with you? You’re kind of rude, in more ways than one, no offence.” I snarl back at her. Slutty little slut.

  Sienna just stares at me through her dressing table mirror and then barks out a high pitch laugh, like a hyena.

  “Hey, you’re pretty funny, about time you showed some personality.”

  “I have a great personality, thank you very much. Just because I’m not banging everything in a three-mile radius, doesn’t mean I’m boring.” I can’t help my temper; I am getting so wound up by this girl. I have never met a person so down right rude in my life!

  Sienna’s response to my little outburst is again to throw her head back dramatically and laugh like she’s just discovered how to do it.

  “What’s so funny?” I am borderline pissed off now, who does she think she’s laughing at!

  “Sugar, you are hilarious, oh my god I think I am going to pee my panties.” Sienna takes large breaths in between her words like she’s struggling to get them out. I let out a little giggle myself at my toddler tantrum.

  Chapter Eleven - Ellie

  The dorm party is exactly what Sienna said it would be. Every door to every room is wide open and there must be at least 100 people in said rooms and spilling into the corridor stumbling around drunk. I lost Sienna about an hour ago, well I say lost but seeing as we barely tolerate each other, she more or less left me the second she saw someone she knew.

  Another pretty boy. Surprise, surprise.

  I decided to wear a yellow, floral summer dress that stretches across my shoulders, I paired this with gold plaited sandals and curled my hair, I am still a little tanned from the summer. I feel self-conscious and over-dressed. Every girl here is wearing either jeans and t-shirts or short, strapless, cotton dresses with denim jackets. This must be the style here. Everyone looking the same. Blended into one.

  I consider going back to my room and locking my door but that seems to be what I always do. Either here or back home, I have always preferred my own company. I can’t keep shutting myself off from the world, so I force myself to stay.

  Chapter Twelve -
Nathan

  When my dad finally decided to come home and greet his sons, he sat us down in his living room and lectured us for thirty minutes about how things will be run in this house and how he expects us to behave.

  “I won’t have you pulling the same shit here that you did in London. You will both go to school and come home, do I make myself clear?”.

  Prick, prick, prick.

  “I know you haven’t bothered your arse to barely pick a phone up in two years, but I’ve finished school.” My tone is cold, clipped.

  “You can lose that fucking attitude right now, you ungrateful little shit! You start Columbia on Monday.” My dad’s voice is as clipped as mine. There is no love loss here.

  “Get too fuck, you daft twat! I’m not going to no fucking college.” This dickhead thinks he’s telling me what to do after two years of silence. Pfft!