“Would you like to answer that question for us, Julia?”
Mr. Blandford’s booming voice could be heard above all else and feeling my face turn a flaming red, I looked at the teacher, my blank expression clearly displaying the fact that I had no idea what he was talking about.
Frowning with disapproval, he scanned the class in the hope that another student may have the answer he was looking for. He then asked a girl by the name of Grace who was sitting directly behind me. She always seemed to know the answers to just about everything and I grimaced at her quick response. It was full of detail and included all the correct technical terms as well. No wonder she was top in the class. For our last exam, she submitted an essay of such a high standard that Mr. Blandford was still raving about it. Her academic ability was incredible and I envied the ease in which she was able to achieve such high results; although, Lisa, Beth and the others always said that she spent every waking minute studying or doing homework.
But I was grateful that the teacher’s attention and that of all the other students had been directed away from me. Everyone had turned to Grace to listen to another of her flawless anecdotes which were often beyond the comprehension of most of the class. Sometimes I wondered if she may even be smarter than our teacher.
As I sat listening and trying to understand what she was talking about, I felt a burning desire to glance in Ky’s direction. Unable to fight the impulse, I attempted to once again discreetly turn my head, all the while pretending I was focusing on Grace, who was in the midst of reciting the detailed answer that our teacher had been looking for.
Immediately I found his eyes on me, as if he had been staring my way the whole time. Pausing for just a second, I noticed his mouth form a slight grin, the smallest smile of recognition. His dark eyes were intense and they stared directly into mine.
Gulping, I turned back to the front of the room and attempted to control the wild sensation of butterflies dancing crazily in the depths of my stomach, until finally the lesson ended and we were given permission to leave the room.
Unsure of what to do, I gathered my books and joined the throng heading for the door, not daring to glance back. When I reached the hallway, Lisa happened to be exiting her class which was just opposite ours, but to my dismay she grabbed my arm and led me towards our Math class.
Apparently, she’d been invited on a date by some hot guy from another school and was desperate to share her news. Although I wasn’t particularly interested, I was yet to hear his name; all that mattered to me at that moment was to catch sight of Ky somewhere amongst the milling students in the hallway. Just before entering the classroom, I glanced into the crowd, but there was no sight of him anywhere.
Overcome with disappointment, I made my way to a seat next to Lisa and sat down for the lesson, which I then attempted to concentrate on. But instead, found myself engrossed in thoughts of Ky and the intensity of the dark features that adorned his handsome face.
When the bell sounded for morning recess, I couldn’t leave the room quickly enough. Then once again, I scanned the crowd in the hallway, but there was no sign of the one person I had hoped to see.
As soon as she had reached my side and we were making our way to the lunch area, Lisa immediately resumed the conversation she had started before our Math class. It was clear that she was extremely keen to fill me in on all the details of her date for the weekend. However, I had certainly not anticipated the words that abruptly tumbled from her mouth.
“Julia, I need to tell you something,” she sounded slightly apprehensive and it was the odd tone in her voice that caught my attention.
Along with that, I noticed that rather than looking at me while she spoke, her eyes were darting nervously in all directions. It was apparent that she was not at all comfortable with what she had to say.
“You know how I went to a party on the weekend? Well, I ended up hanging out with some really cool people. Actually, one of them was a guy you’ve met before.”
Instantly, I heard alarm bells ringing and as I tuned in carefully to what she was telling me, I started to become slightly anxious. Who could she have met up with and why was she behaving in such a strange manner?
“You know Joe, who drove you home from that party we went to last month? Well, he was there on Saturday night; he turned up with a few of his friends.”
I stared at her then, unable to fully comprehend what she was saying.
“Anyway, I know you said that you weren’t keen on him, but I actually think he’s really hot. And we kind of hooked up at the party and now he’s asked me out on a date. We’re going to the movies this weekend.”
The words tumbled from her mouth and I continued to stare at her, the disbelief showing on my face.
“What!!” she demanded, the defensive tone she was using clearly displaying the discomfort she felt in sharing her latest news.
“Why are you looking at me like that? You said you didn’t like him, so what’s the problem?”
“Lisa, he’s a creep! You can do so much better than him!” I stared at her, the shock of her revelation, freezing me to the spot.
“I knew you’d be like this, Julia, I just knew it! You’re jealous because he wants to take me out and he’s not interested in you!”
I shook my head in alarm, desperately wanting her to understand but not sure how I could explain.
“That’s not true, Lisa. He’s the biggest creep I’ve ever met; you really should not go out with him!”
“He told me you’d say that!” she snapped, her voice filled with annoyance.
“He told me you were all over him that night, but he just wasn’t interested! All he offered to do was take you home, but you wanted more!”
My jaw dropped and I stood there speechless. I had no idea what to say. I wanted to warn her but it was obvious she was not going to listen. He had her convinced and she would never believe me, I was sure of it.
“Yeah, whatever!” Her sharp retort was followed by a look of disgust as she headed away from me, down the hallway.
With a sickening feeling in my gut, I slowed to a halt, all the while, watching Lisa as she flicked her long, blonde hair out of her eyes and increased her pace in order to catch up to the other girls making their way to the lunch area. Instinctively, I knew that our relationship would never be the same, not while she was dating that creep anyway. My mind racing wildly as I processed her words. Apparently he had sweet talked her into believing he was some type of nice guy. As well as that, he’d told her lies about me. He had completely fabricated a story so that he could cover his steps and avoid any repercussions.
Apart from the rumors he was spreading, I felt genuinely concerned for Lisa’s safety. I could not believe that of all people, it had to be Joe who would ask her out. I knew what he was capable of and the mere thought of him caused the nausea to rise in my throat.
Racing to the bathroom, I splashed cold water over my face. Feeling weak at the knees, I thought regretfully again about my stupid decision to accept a lift home with him that night. The scene that I desperately wanted to erase from my mind haunted me once more and I fearfully considered Lisa’s intention to date him. She had no idea what she was in for and I wondered if I could persuade her otherwise. If anything happened, I would never forgive myself.
I knew that behind all of Lisa’s constant flirting, all she wanted was a boyfriend, a real boyfriend; and that meant a relationship with a boy who she could depend on and who cared about her. But Joe was not the one. At the very least, he would use her and hurt her, of that I was sure.
Silently, I made my way to my next class, avoiding the spare seat next to Lisa, who made it quite clear that I was not welcome to sit there. Finding a spot by myself next to a window, the drone of the teacher’s voice became a background hum as I sat there thinking of Millie.
Three more weeks until she returned; that is what she had said, and right then, those three weeks could not go by quickly enough.
A Favorite Pastime�
��
After stopping at the grocery store on the way home from school to buy some groceries, I dumped them on the kitchen bench and put the cold food in the refrigerator. As I packed the items away, I reflected on the fact that Lisa had most likely discarded me as a friend. She had turned a cold shoulder each time I ventured near her during the afternoon, until eventually I’d given up trying to communicate my concerns. If she preferred to take his side over mine, then she would have to learn the hard way. I had decided that if she would not listen, there was nothing I could do.
Hopefully though, the other girls would not be influenced by her sudden change in attitude towards me. If that became the case, I’d have to find some other people to hang out with, at least until Millie returned. Once again, I counted the days until her arrival.
Sighing, I continued to pack away the food items that were still lying untidily on the benchtop. At the same time, I reflected on the fact that Matt and I lived in the house on our own most of the time. Although it had become a normal situation for us, my friends could not accept the idea. I had tried to explain several times that my Dad came home as often as he could and besides that, Matt was eighteen years of age; so he was considered an adult and a legal guardian.
“He may not act like an adult,” I had laughed at one time, “But officially, he’s supposed to be looking out for me.”
That small detail was a bit of a joke though, as I had kind of become the mum of the household. In the course of events, it was just something that had occurred naturally and through no planning on my part.
Often, I heard myself nagging him to clean up his mess and hang up his wet towels after using the shower. And I constantly badgered him to get his laundry done.
“Seriously, Matt, how hard can it be? All you have to do is open the lid of the washing machine, pour in some laundry detergent and push a few buttons.”
I was sick of harassing him to get this job done, but I could not bring myself to do it for him. The thought of handling his smelly sports socks and sweaty basketball jerseys, made me nauseous. So I insisted that he take care of that job himself.
That evening though, when I barged into his room looking for my iPod, the stench almost caused me to throw up.
“How can you sleep in here?” I screeched loudly before racing to open the window.
I was sure that the odor was caused by the pile of dirty washing that had been dumped by the side of his bed, along with the assortment of dirty dishes and empty take away food containers strewn across his desk.
“You’re a disgrace!” I yelled as I grabbed my iPod and slammed the door shut behind me.
He was so involved in his computer game, as usual, that he completely ignored me, obviously not at all bothered by the state of his room. Gratefully, I remembered that the cleaning lady was due the following day so the house would become livable again, and in particular, Matt’s bedroom. If left much longer, his room would probably take on a life of its own.
Shaking my head in disgust, I trudged back towards my own room, stopping on the way to rummage through the hallway closet for my winter quilt. I had recently replaced it with a lighter one as the nights had begun to turn quite warm. But after a week of unusually warm weather, it had abruptly turned cool again.
Just as I was about to close the door, a whole pile of blankets and pillows tumbled out of the cupboard and onto the floor. Sighing with frustration, I gathered them together and attempted to shove them back onto the shelves they had fallen from. The cupboard was a mess, with towels and sheets and an assortment of bits and pieces haphazardly folded and stashed away. I then made a mental note to tidy it up sometime.
“Unbelievable!” I muttered to myself, “What has my life come to, if I am seriously taking the time to worry about tidying the hallway closet?”
Then in my second attempt to quickly close the door, another large item toppled out and I reached out to grab it before it hit the floor. It was my guitar case, which had been leaning precariously against a pile of old blankets in the rear corner. It was something I had taken no notice of whatsoever since arriving back in Carindale. In fact, since middle school, I had barely touched it at all. Moving to a country property and becoming the owner of my own pony had filled every spare moment and there had certainly been no time for playing guitar.
On impulse, I pulled the case out of the cupboard, closed the door firmly shut before anything else could fall out and headed for my room. Sitting down on my bed, I carefully removed the guitar from its case, the feel of it in my hands creating a familiar thrill, and as I strummed a few chords, I thought back to the band that Blake, Millie, a couple of others and I had once put together. We’d even won a school talent show; at that point in time, my guitar and music were so important to me.
With the guitar in my possession, I had an irresistible urge to continue playing. After spending a few minutes tuning it, I turned on my laptop and went straight to YouTube, to search for a song that I could strum along to. Playing guitar was such a cool thing to do and instantly, I reveled in the feeling of a guitar in my hands and the sounds I was able to create. I could sense my worries and concerns melting away and quite magically, I was soon overcome with a serene feeling of peace, one that I had not experienced for a long time.
Then, ignoring my previous plans to do school work, I searched for the music to some of the latest hit songs and decided to focus on mastering the chords. Before long, two hours had passed and my fingertips, unaccustomed to the constant pressure of the strings, were red raw from playing. But I’d been so captivated that I had persevered regardless.
Smiling to myself, I carefully placed my guitar back in its case and made a mental note of the songs that I’d like to learn. Then, glancing back towards my computer, I realized that since I’d started playing a couple of hours earlier, I hadn’t thought about Facebook at all.
But right then, the desire to check my messages was overwhelming. With thoughts of Ky foremost in my mind, I urgently scanned my page in the hope that he might have sent me something. To my disappointment however, there were no messages in sight.
Instantly, my mood dropped, my happy and relaxed frame of mind abruptly fading away. Thinking back to Science class that morning, I wondered if I had imagined his interest in me. Perhaps as I’d previously wondered, it was a figment of my mind, something that I desperately wanted to happen; a replacement for Blake and the closeness we had once shared.
I was relieved that I hadn’t mentioned my thoughts to any of the girls at school. That would have been embarrassing, especially if Ky actually wasn’t interested. Looking dejectedly through my newsfeed, I continued to scan the posts with little interest. But then I noticed that a new notification had popped up. It was an invitation to Like another page and when I clicked on it, curious as to what it was about, I realized the page was dedicated entirely to our new English teacher.
It was titled “Miss Boooomley.” I guessed the name was in recognition of her booming, screeching voice and already it had several Likes. Amongst the comments were some hysterical posts that caused me to laugh out loud and I was glad to have the sudden distraction. One boy in our class, who was constantly joking around had said the funniest things, mainly mimicking the way she talked as well as her mannerisms. It all seemed innocent humor and without thinking too much of it, I clicked Like before shutting down the computer and finally going to bed.
Just before turning off my bedside lamp, I thought once more of my unfinished English homework and promised myself to get as much done as possible the following night. It was due by the end of the week and I did not want to add Miss Bromley’s detention class to my list of problems.
Repercussions…
The week seemed to drag by. Lisa continued to be very cool towards me, barely acknowledging me at all and making only occasional brief conversation. I decided to ignore her and hope that she would soon get over it; I also hoped that she would come to her senses about Joe and realize what type of person he really was. In the mea
ntime, I silently wished her well for her date on the weekend, feeling relieved that at least it was only a daytime movie that they had planned to go to. I sincerely hoped that was all it would amount to.
There had been no sign of Ky at school at all. He was absent from our Science class and when I scanned the car park for his car each day, it was nowhere in sight. I had also not received any further messages from him and had begun to believe I’d been making a fool of myself over what I’d honestly thought was a connection between us.
I tried to overcome my dismal mood and the feeling that I had nothing to look forward to. Reminding myself that Millie would soon be back from her overseas trip helped to cheer me up; her return simply could not come quickly enough.
Then at roll call on Friday morning, I was handed a notice to report to the conference room in the administration block. Curiously, I made my way there, at the same time appreciating the fact that I’d been given the opportunity to miss my English class. I definitely considered it a lucky break to avoid Miss Bromley’s painful voice and boring lesson.
When I arrived at the conference room, I looked tentatively inside and discovered that a number of students were already seated around the long conference table. Amongst them were Lisa, Suzy and several others from our grade, each person quite perplexed as to why they’d been given the privilege to be there. It was obviously something rather important that had been intended for us, as that room was primarily reserved for meetings of the student council members and school leaders. We all waited patiently, while at the same time feeling quite special to have been selected; the atmosphere one of curious anticipation.
However, that abruptly changed when Mr. Fitzgerald, our Deputy Principal entered the room.
His presence was commanding at the best of times and probably every student in the school was wary of him. He was the type of person who could silence a room with a single word but to our abject horror, right then his whole demeanor was one of irate anger and utter disgust.
Julia Jones - The Teenage Years: Boxed Set - Books 2, 3 and 4 Page 6