by G. Bailey
“My brother’s an idiot, you know that?” Landon says, trying to comfort me.
“Why? We don’t even know each other, so why do I care if he is dating Iris or not?” I reply, because it’s true. I don’t have any reason to be jealous or upset. Even if that is exactly how I am feeling.
“You care, so let’s not lie to each other, and they aren’t dating. Iris would be kissing him now if they were. They used to date, and trust me, I got used to the gross sight of them all over each other,” he says, and the jealously I feel seems to burn in my throat at the thought.
“How long did they date for?” I ask, making myself not look their way as we pass by them.
“Two months, a year ago,” he answers just as Iris shouts over.
“Maxx is staying at mine tonight, so you can take the newbie home in the car.” I glance over at them at her words and see that Maxx is watching us as Iris smirks at me. He doesn’t look happy at her statement, and I hate that some weird part of me is overwhelmingly jealous.
“Maxx already told me about your mum needing help setting up some Ikea furniture, and she asked him to sleep on the couch as it will take all night. Good luck, bro,” Landon says, and I unclench my fists as relief floods me. Landon turns me away, walking us out of the school and into the car park before he says anything.
“Don’t let Iris wind you up. She is just jealous that you get a reaction out of my brother when she has been trying to for the last year with no results,” Landon tells me.
“What happened a year ago?” I ask as Landon unlocks the car.
“Nothing,” he says far too quickly and basically runs to the door of his car and gets in. I shake my head at him and get in the passenger side, doing my seatbelt up as I slide my bag between my legs. I watch him as he puts his seatbelt on and starts the car, and I see how worried he looks. How upset he looks, and I know I did that to him. I sigh as I realize that I can’t expect Landon to tell me his brothers secrets. I want Landon as my friend, despite whatever weird things are going on in his family. I know they have secrets, but it’s not like I’ve told them about my year in and out of therapy because of the car crash. It’s not like I’m brave enough to tell them about the glowing blue marks on my body. I stare at my reflection in the window, as Landon drives us out of school, and see the very blue glowing mark on my forehead staring back at me. The blue reflects against my dark pink hair, and it reminds me how I wish I could go back to being normal. I don’t even remember myself as the blonde girl who enjoyed swimming, had friends and a relatively normal life.
“Fine, you don’t have to tell me. I will figure Maxx out on my own,” I whisper to Landon, who stops at the light and flashes me a relieved look.
“Thank you. I know we are weird, but I can tell you now that I will always be a good friend to you,” Landon replies.
“A good, weird friend. I would like that. I’m not exactly normal myself, I mean I have pink hair, a nose piercing and argue with your brother a lot,” I say.
“The pink suits you, so does the nose piercing,” he replies, winking at me. It’s not flirty, because that isn’t what is between Landon and me. I know he is only my friend, and even compliments seem tamer than if Maxx said them to me. Maxx makes my heart pound when he walks in the damn room, and it annoys me that I don’t know how to stop it from happening.
“Honestly? The nose piercing was a random, crazy decision I made when I walked past a piercing place that was having a sale,” I admit.
“Isn’t being a teenager all about being random and crazy?” Landon replies. “I never do anything like that though. I’m too boring.”
“I don’t think you’re boring at all,” I tell him, and he shakes his head at me.
“I need to go to the store to get some food, but I’ve had a craving for cupcakes since you brought over that one. Wanna come with me?” he asks and quickly adds, “Or I can drop you home first. It’s your choice.”
“I’d love to come with you. Those cupcakes were awesome,” I answer, and Landon turns right down a road that leads away from our houses.
“Awesome,” he replies.
“Can I ask you something?” I ask.
“Sure,” Landon says, shrugging.
“What is your favorite movie?” I ask and watch how he seems relieved. “I thought we could go back to mine after this and rent it.”
“My favorite movie changes regularly, but currently it is The Hunger Games and no need to rent it, I have it on DVD. We can watch it back at mine if you want,” he says.
“I’d love to,” I reply.
“Now, what is your favorite movie?” he asks.
“Hmm,” I say, thinking about it. “I really love an old movie called My Best Friend’s Girl.”
“I’ve never watched it, but Maxx loves all those old rom com movies. I bet he has it hidden in his secret stash of movies,” Landon says, and I smile.
“I wouldn’t have put Maxx down as a rom com fan,” I admit.
“You don’t know him well enough yet,” Landon tells me and winks as he pulls the car up in front of the superstore.
“That’s because I’ve only just met you guys,” I joke, and Landon bumps my shoulder as he pulls the keys out.
“And you love me so much already. By next week we will be watching movies in our pajamas and eating ice cream together with one spoon,” he jokes, and I laugh as I undo my seatbelt, before getting out of the car. I grab my bag and slide it over my shoulder before shutting the door, and Landon locks the car with his key fob.
“It’s weird that I haven’t actually been into the town yet,” I say as I walk to Landon’s side, and he grabs a trolley that someone left out, pushing it in front of us.
“There isn’t much to see, and the people are just nosy anyway,” Landon says.
“I heard some girls talking about someone going missing,” I reply, and Landon tenses up a little.
“Abby was dating a guy, and he didn’t go missing, he just left town when they broke up. The girls at school think Abby did something to make him disappear, but she didn’t. Abby was, and still is, heartbroken from it,” he tells me.
“I’m sorry for her. She seems strong and…well, as bitchy as Iris,” I mutter.
“A defense mechanism,” Landon says, shrugging his shoulders. “I’ve never had the chance to love someone, let alone lose them. So, I can’t understand how she feels.” I pick up a bag of popcorn that is on sale in the first aisle as I muse over his words. When I think about it more, I feel nothing but sorry for Abby.
“Get me one too, I have a feeling you won’t share that bag with me,” Landon says.
“You’re right,” I grin, pulling another bag off and putting it in the trolley. I link my arm with Landon's as we continue to shop, and I see a man standing at the end of the aisle. There are people walking around him, continuing shopping, but he is just stood with his legs parted, his hands in his hoodie that is pulled up so I can’t see his face. A cold shiver snakes up my body, and I just know it is coming from him. It’s like the cold feeling you get when you’re scared of something, but this is worse because no matter what I do, I can’t shake it.
“That guy is strange,” I whisper to Landon, and he follows my gaze. Landon’s whole body goes tense as he stops, and the man turns around, disappearing out of the aisle.
“Landon?” I ask, nudging his shoulder, and feeling a little scared about the fear on his face when he looks down at me.
“It’s nothing,” he says, faking a smile. “Come on, Ura. I forgot, the cupcakes are this way.” He turns us around, pulling me down the aisle away from where the guy was, pretending like nothing happened at all.
Chapter Eleven
“Are they having a party?” Dad asks, moving the curtain in the lounge to look across the street after he finishes his dinner in the kitchen.
“Yep,” I answer, even though I’m sure it was a rhetorical question as the loud music, dozens of cars and shouting teenagers says it all. I haven’t left the sofa m
uch today, and Landon has been weird with me since that shopping trip when we saw that random guy. School went pretty slow this week, mainly because I hardly saw Maxx, Landon or the others as they didn’t come in. Landon messaged to say they had family things to do and that he would see me at the party tonight. I just feel weird about going.
“Why are you here then?” he asks, picking the remote up and pausing the TV. “When I was your age—”
“You would be drinking and partying. I know. I just don’t feel like it,” I cut him off to say.
“I won’t push you into going, but I think it would be good for you. If you don’t like it there, you just leave and walk across the street to come home,” he says, making it sound easy.
“Aren’t parents meant to stop their teenagers from going to parties?” I ask as Dad walks to the stairs and pauses at the end to smile back at me. I almost ask what the flash of sadness that crosses his face is, but I know it’s about mum. He still loves her, he always did apparently. Our old house used to be full of photos of mum and dad at university together and then, later on, their wedding. Dad is lost without her here, and he never talks about mum to me. I will never be able to forget his heartbroken face when he told me mum had left us. She left him a note. A single note to say goodbye to her husband and daughter.
“Ura, you are a smart kid, and I trust you. The fact you didn’t even ask to go to the party, which most teenagers would have done or snuck out, tells me I can trust you to make the right decisions,” he tells me.
“I did eat all the leftover cheesecake you left in the fridge, so I’m not that well-behaved,” I mutter, and he only laughs as he runs up the stairs. I unpause the TV, watching the boring show and hearing the music in the background as I try to forget about the party. I find myself turning to stare at the window every few seconds rather than the TV as I keep going over my dad’s advice. Landon would love it if I went over, and if Maxx is a dickhead, I can just leave. I go over and over the decision for ten minutes before I finally turn the TV off and run up the stairs to my room.
I pull my wardrobe open, searching for something decent to wear. I pick up my short denim shorts and a black, glittery crop top that shows off my flat stomach. All that swimming should be shown off, or at least that’s what I told myself when I bought this outfit over a year ago. I pull the clothes on and let my hair down, shaking out the waves from the tight plait it was in. I put a little makeup on before standing in front of the mirror and looking myself over. The tight black top bunches on my shoulders and gets tighter around my ribs. The denim shorts come up quite high but show off my long legs that need a tan. I run my fingers over the blue glowing swirls on my stomach; in the middle of them is a flower that resembles a rose. Part of me wants to see if Iris can see the marks after that glowing incident, but the other part of me doesn’t want to see her at all. I run my fingers through my hair, wanting to make sure it isn’t too frizzy before telling myself that I need to get moving. I walk out the door as my dad comes out the bathroom and he nods.
“Not a fan of the clothes, but have a good night,” he grumbles and goes to mess my hair up with his giant hand, but I step out the way.
“Too slow, old man,” I tease.
“Too cheeky for your own good, Ura. Remember this old man feeds you and picks up your dirty clothes off the bathroom floor,” he grumbles.
“Love you too, dad,” I grin at him and turn, running down the stairs. I slide on my black, flat shoes before leaving the house and walking across the street. I squeeze between two closely parked cars to come out the other side and see the mass of students outside the house. Most are drinking, illegally I bet, and others are smoking as they chat with their friends. I scan the crowd and don’t see anyone I recognize. I walk up the steps to the front door, which is wide open, and I walk into the busy hallway.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” Abby says, walking over to me and stopping at my side. “If you’re going to stay around and cause trouble, we might as well get you a drink.”
“Who said I was going to cause trouble?” I reply.
“Dressed like that…trust me, when Maxx sees you, and Iris sees his reaction, it will cause trouble,” Abby says and hooks her arm in mine, leading me into the kitchen.
“Not being funny, but I was under the impression you don’t like me,” I tell her as she pushes a guy out the way to get to a counter and picks up a bottle of vodka.
“Iris doesn’t like you because she is jealous. I’ve told her it’s a hopeless cause with Maxx and her, but she won’t listen to me. I don’t know you, but seeing as you’re going to be around, I want to change that,” she says.
“I’m not sure if I trust you,” I tell her.
“I wouldn’t trust me, if I were you. I get it,” Abby grins and hands me a cup. I sniff the strong vodka and orange juice as Abby downs her drink. “But you are going to break my sister’s heart, and then she will finally move on. In the long run, you are good for her. Also, Landon needs a friend who doesn’t fancy him,” she tells me, somewhat making sense even if she is wrong about me, Maxx and Iris.
“When you aren’t being a mean bitch, you’re kinda alright,” I say, and we both laugh. I sip my drink as I look around the room full of teenagers, most drunk and dancing, others just chatting with their friends. They all look relaxed, and slightly older than me. I don’t recognize any of them from around school.
“Maxx is in the garden, filling the pool up last time I checked,” Abby finally says to me, flashing me a wink before walking off through the crowd. That girl is confusing. I keep sipping my drink for a little bit before deciding that I want to go outside and find Landon. He will be near Maxx. It’s not that I want to see Maxx. I slide through the people in the kitchen, making my way to the backdoor and leaving my drink on the side. The burn of the few sips I had is still tingling in my throat as I open the door and step outside. The back of the house has a deck with steps leading down to a lawn where someone has a massive pool set up and fairy lights hung all around the trees, lighting up the garden. I feel nervous as I look around the garden and lock eyes with Maxx, who is holding a hose pipe and filling the pool up. He isn’t wearing a shirt and has water dripping down his chest, stopping at his dark blue shorts that hang dangerously low on his hips. His eyes drift up and down my body, before locking on mine again. Before I can get to the bottom of his expression, a cold hand clamps onto my arm, and I turn to see Landon smiling down at me just before he pulls me into a hug.
“Ura! You came!” Landon shouts, letting me out of the hug and glancing down at my outfit. I watch Landon’s reaction, and notice how it is so much different from Maxx’s. He just looks impressed. I glance at Landon’s blue tank top, black shorts and then around at most of the people out here, seeing they are all in swimming wear.
“Maybe I should go back in the house, as I can’t swim like this,” I say.
“Nope, you can’t, but you look amazing, and you’re staying out here,” Landon says, putting his arm around my shoulder and walking us across the decking towards the garden.
“Alright,” I chuckle, knowing I don’t really have a choice. “You seem a lot happier now,” I state and Landon nods.
“Maxx sorted out the issue, or he is about to anyway,” he explains as we get to the bottom of the steps, and I briefly glance at Maxx who is openly glaring at me for some reason. “I’m sorry I’ve been quiet this week with the family stuff, but I would love it if we could plan that movie night we talked about?”
“I’d love that too, but I’m choosing the movie,” I say and grin up at him just as a guy comes over to us.
“Aura, right? I’ve seen you around school but never got a chance to say hello to the new, beautiful girl,” the guy says, holding out a hand for me to shake. I go to slide my hand into his when freezing cold water sprays all over my stomach, my chest and my hair before stopping. There is dead silence as I blink the water out of my eyes and look over at Maxx, who is holding the hose and not looking one bit sorry. I
knock Landon’s arm away from my shoulders, ignoring the guy, and storm over to Maxx, standing right in front of him as he holds the hose in the water.
“You looked like you needed cooling down,” he says with a big smile, his eyes drifting over me and then to something just behind me. The fact he doesn’t even claim it was an accident or that he is sorry just makes me more mad.
"Try that again...I dare you," I growl at Maxx, holding my hands on my hips, glaring up at him even as water drips down my face into my eyes. I must look like a crazy person with my makeup running, my hair wet and my clothes sticking to me.
"What? This?" he smirks before turning the hose towards me and spraying me with freezing cold water. Again. That's it. I'm going to kill my freakin' neighbor. I don’t even think as I grab the hose out of his hand, and he doesn’t let go as I turn it towards him. He only laughs as the water soaks him too and then pulls it away from me, throwing it on the ground. I look down at his hand on my shoulder and gasp as a strange tugging feeling makes me want to move closer to him. Maxx stares down at me in shock, and then pain etches across his features and his eyes seem like they glow blue. When the feeling gets stronger, he quickly stumbles away from me.
“What was that?” I ask, feeling breathless.
“Nothing,” he snaps.
“Liar,” I reply, and he sighs.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. I thought…” he drifts off as Iris runs over to his side and wraps her arms around his chest.
“What happened, baby?” she asks, resting her head on his chest, but he keeps his eyes locked on me, and I don’t look away even as Landon wraps a towel around my shoulders.
“Why don’t we go back to yours?” Landon asks.
“That would be a good idea. Leave,” Maxx says, his voice cold and back to the asshole I have grown to know. As I turn to walk away, I thank Maxx in a way, that the tears escaping my eyes are hidden in the water. If I don’t stay away from Maxx, he is going to destroy me.