by Akaku Red
As we reached the rooftop, I saw two other girls sitting on a bench placed in the middle of the roof.
“Look, look. The princess eventually showed up,” one of them said.
“Uh! And I thought she had forgotten about us.”
The other girl pointed at me.
“The high mighty princes didn't come alone!”
Linette started laughing.
“How could I forget you guys! And yes, I brought someone with me. This is Jenny, she is my new classmate.”
“So, you are the girl from Florida?”
Wow… the information had spread fast.
I nodded.
“Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Charlotte Walsh, and this is my stupid friend Amy O’Kelly.”
Both had a similar look, and both had blond hair. Well, Charlotte’s colour was more white and Amy’s more golden, though.
Charlotte got up and as she stood, I could see how tall she was.
Way taller than me! Her other friend was the same hight as me.
“Yeah, I know. My name sounds stupid, but hey, I didn’t choose it. I was born with these names,” Amy greeted me funnily.
“Well, your dad had a stupid name, but he still looks fine AF!” Charlotte teased.
“Yuck! You are such a nasty bitch.”
Both started to fight, soon Linette wanted to smoothen the situation, but as she tried, she got caught up in the fight, too.
At first, I was confused but suddenly, I started to laugh.
This was the first time in my life that I saw something like this.
Even though I should help them … I needed to control my laughing first.
Eventually, the girls stopped fighting and started to chime in my laugh, until we ran out of breath.
“You guys are funny.”
“Thank you, thank you! But really, Charlotte is a horny bitch. She already has a boyfriend but still looks at other guys with a hunter’s eye,” Amy explained.
“Shut your ass! I just want to have fun in my life. Unlike you! Still crushing over a guy who doesn't even exist.” Charlotte rolled her eyes.
“Let’s stop arguing! Jenny, how about telling us something about yourself?” Linette suggested.
Oh…
“Well …”
Amy jumped and showed me her phone.
On her display was a picture of me and Tyler.
And also a picture of that stupid guy with me sitting next to him.
“When did they take those pictures?” I asked.
I noticed that people had taken pictures of Tyler, but why… this other guy?
“It is pretty normal that everyone takes picture of everything. And since you are new, of course they will be taking pics. But anyway … You better tell us about that hot guy who escorted you and … why did you leave Florida?” Charlotte said.
I swallowed hard while these three girls were looking at me intensely.
“Well, … my father passed away earlier this year. So, I guess, my mum wanted to have a new start …” I didn’t want to cry, which was why I tried my best to control my voice.
Their eyes started to widen.
“My deepest condolences!” all of them said.
I just nodded as a thanks.
“It must be hard.”
Again, I nodded.
“How did he …?” Amy carefully asked.
“Are you stupid? Don't ask something like that! Sorry, but she is always too curious about things that clearly aren't meant for her stupid ears.” Charlotte slapped Amy on her back.
“We should change the topic. Who is this HOT MESS?” She quickly grabbed Amy’s phone and showed Tyler again.
Because of this girl, a smile crept onto my face.
“This is Tyler, he is a friend … I know him because he is acquainted with my mother,” I explained.
“This hot mess, just a friend? HAHA, stop lying! This guy looks so hot, he could even turn my blind grandmother on! I am damn sure he is good in bed, too. Oh man, I wish I could be on top of him.” She literarily drooled.
“Tell me the truth, is he married? Does he have a girlfriend? Girl, you are clearly missing out on something good in your life if he is just a friend.”
Amy was now the one slapping her.
“See, I told you she is nasty.”
“I don't know, I didn't ask if he was taken. And I don't really care. I don't have time to think about these kind of things,” I said.
“But …” Charlotte tried to say.
“Let us not talk about it,” Linette chimed in.
“Boys aren't everything! We should focus on other things, too.”
“Okay, nuns! I just have one question, what did Dean say to you?” Charlotte asked.
I was confused.
“Who is Dean?”
Charlotte was shocked.
“YOU REALLY ASK ME WHO DEAN IS?!” She yelled, as she stretched out her arms to show her pure disbelief.
“Oh my god! I think I am going to have a heart attack.”
“You seem to have forgotten that this girl is having her first day,” Amy reminded her.
“Oh! Yeah, that’s right! Well, then let me tell you who Dean is.” Charlotte recovered fast from her heart attack and sat back down on the bench.
Amy and Linette sighed.
“Dean Evans is the number one hottie in this school! And you are sitting right next to him!”
Oh … that stupid boy?
Well, his character definitely made him unattractive.
“He is really rich and one of the rulers in this school. He decides whom to bully or not. He decides what we will get as a meal in the canteen, he makes the rules. Dean is an arrogant, yet handsome boy.”
Definitely not!
“Well, not for me. He is childish and is getting on my nerves already,” I muttered.
Amy nodded and clapped her hands.
“That’s what I am saying. Preach, girl.”
Linette laughed as Charlottes face showed pure disgust.
“You all are crazy. He is hot, has a school band, is quite the singer, and he is perfect,” Charlotte counted on her fingers.
I shrugged, clearly not interested at all.
“I just hope that this guy will let me live in peace,” I said.
“As long you don't do anything that annoys him, everything will be fine.”
“We just need to be careful,” Amy added.
We talked a lot until the school bell stopped us.
Those three girls were so lively and funny, they did brighten up my day.
And since Linette was my classmate, I could spend more time with her.
It was really nice, I didn't want to look for friends, and thankfully this beautiful girl had approached me.
Maybe … school can be fun?
Chapter 2
School ended with peace.
Not only did I have great breaks with Charlotte, Linette, and Amy – also this mean guy Dean didn't show up at class anymore.
So, I had the desk for myself and a peaceful environment!
The first day wasn't bad at all, and Tyler was punctual too.
As I got out of the school building, he already was waiting for me.
He held an umbrella because it started raining. And like the gentleman he was, he held the umbrella over me to protect me from the rain, also opening the car door for me too.
“How was your first day?”
He asked as he sat down on the driver's seat and started driving.
“It was… surprisingly nice.“
Tyler smiled.
“I told you, it’s going to be good. You worried too much!”
Playfully, he pushed my arm with his elbow.
“Yeah, that’s true! It really went well. Also… I think that, maybe… I will find friends.”
I never had many friends.
I didn't want a lot, but a few would be nice.
It made me smile even more.
I felt Tyler’s gaze o
n me.
“I am glad. I’m happy to see you smile.”
His words sounded caring and soft. I felt hugged by his tone, which was warm and gentle.
It was amazing how this man could make me feel things that I never felt before.
“H-How was your day?” I stuttered.
He looked surprised and tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
“Why are you stuttering? Are you afraid? Did I say something wrong?”
My heart raced fast; I felt ashamed. My stuttering made him misunderstand me.
Oh god!
He always got into his protection modus, every time I stuttered.
“No-No! I just… felt shy.”
He loosened up.
“Oh, sorry! I didn't want to embarrass you.”
“No! It’s okay, it’s… you said something that made me feel … warm? Oh, man, I can’t describe it. Sorry, I really want to vanish right now.”
Tyler laughed, but then he looked at me sternly.
“Don’t you dare say something like this again! I don't want you to vanish. And I am glad, that you are feeling… warm.”
At the end of his sentence, he winked at me, which made me sigh aloud.
Why do I always get into embarrassing situations with him?
“And to answer your question, I had a terrible day. So you need to help me lighten up my mood.”
“What happened?”
“Just some stupid cases, I’ve gotten.”
He was now the one sighing.
I could imagine how stupid his job was since he was helping the criminals. Of course, I knew that there were people who got falsely accused of something and they definitely needed someone like him, to help them out…
But because of my past experience in court, facing Thomas, who clearly did a lot of bad things to me, which he needed to get punished for… it was his lawyer who saved him and helped him to get a light sentence.
You need to imagine a nine-year-old girl in court, who got beaten all day, violated, raped, muted, physically abused and a lot more, alone… facing her abuser and her own mother.
And then there was this lawyer, who talked down on her and made the things, her abuser did, sound lighter.
He tried to make excuses for Thomas's behaviour, even though he destroyed her life!
This lawyer was her enemy.
My enemy!
That is why I could never understand… never understand the person who could do this job.
“What are you thinking about?” Tyler asked.
His voice brought me out of my deep thoughts.
“I was thinking about my past.” I answered truthfully.
He tightened his lips into a thin line.
The atmosphere tensed.
We didn't talk anymore, till he parked his car and helped me out.
I was the one who broke the silence.
“Where are we heading to?”
Tyler smiled slightly but still tensed.
“It’s a surprise!”
The rain stopped, but for any unexpected incident, he took the umbrella with him.
His hand searched for mine, and as he found it, he tightly held on to it.
The touch was calming.
His hand was big and strong, but it matched perfectly with mine.
It was the first time that I concentrated on these feelings.
His touch made shivers run through my body.
Amazing yet scary! It definitely was a crazy feeling.
I didn't care about the environment anymore, and I only looked at our intertwined hands.
Till Tyler stopped going, but even then, I was still staring down.
He started to tap on the back of my hand.
Slowly, I looked up to him, and a thought came into my mind.
Was he also feeling these things?
“Here we are.”
Again, I didn't look around. The moment his eyes met mine… there was nothing else anymore.
His eye colour somehow got lighter.
Was it normal that it changed?
Did my eye colour change too?
“Mister Williams! Please this way.”
Now it was Tyler, who looked away first.
And this was good because I was caged… again, by the deep ocean, and I barely made it out the last time.
I started to look around and noticed that we were in a noble restaurant.
A lot of people were there, and they all wore fine clothes.
I guess I was the only one who was dressed casually.
Even the waiter, who was showing us our seats, eyed me with a look of detest.
Well, I wasn't prepared for this kind of dinner.
And Tyler really overdid it. He booked a table in the V.I.P section.
As we were heading to the second floor, I noticed that there weren't many people like downstairs.
We also did have a beautiful view.
Our table was placed near the window, and we could see the Thames.
“Wow.”
It looked amazing… and I really needed to see it up close.
I unclasped Tyler’s hand and got near the window.
A moment passed as I watched some birds flying and boats passing through the river.
Even though the sky was clouded, it still seamed peaceful and beautiful.
Normally, when the sky was grey, it gave me a feeling of sadness, and it had something depressive on it. But now… it just looked lonely yet mesmerising.
“Isn’t it beautiful?”
I got startled and jumped.
Tyler was leaning his face on my shoulder and whispered the question into my ear.
This was too sudden.
My ear started to get a tingling sensation, and I felt my stomach tugging.
I took two steps to the side and tried to control my racing heartbeat.
Wow, these feelings are going to kill me!
“I-It’s beautiful!”
Damn, my stutter.
“You got shy again?” He noticed.
Why did I give him this information anyway?
Now he could read me like a book!
“N-No! Let us sit down.” I tried to get the attention away from me, but this made Tyler grin even more.
“We should do that.”
He helped me with the chair. Then he took the seat in front of me.
“Couldn’t we just eat somewhere… not so fancy?”
Tyler looked at me with a straight face.
“No!”
“But I don't feel comfortable here. I can imagine how expensive it is and I don't want you to spend much money.” I tried again.
“Well, I’m going to pay for it. So, you shouldn't mind.”
He smiled.
“Even so, I don’t want you to spend so much money. We could have gone groceries shopping and cook something together. This would be cheaper and… I won’t say better in taste, because I can’t cook. But argh, you know what I mean.”
Tyler’s smile got softer.
It let my heart skip a beat.
He reached out to my hand, which was placed on the table, and circled gently with his finger on the back of it.
The light electroshocks he was giving me, did go through my veins.
And it felt good – really nice…
“Of course, we can also do this… the next time. It would be nice to spend more time with you and seeing your cooking skills, could be fun too.”
I felt this crazy feeling again; my stomach started to tingle, and I felt warm.
“As you were daydreaming and watching the river, I already ordered our meal.”
I formed an `O` with my mouth.
Today, I did space out a lot.
“So … do you want to ask the questions now, or after the meal?” He asked.
Wow, he surprised me again.
I thought he forgot that I had some things to ask.
“Afterwards!” I answered.
“As you wish. But… I would like to
ask you some questions now.”
He had questions?
“What do you want to know?”
Tyler took a deep breath as he let his question out with the air he took.
“Could you tell me about your life? Your mother told me just a little bit, and I really would like to hear it from yourself.”
I was taken aback by that.
“If this question is too much, you don't need to answer it.”
He added.
“I can’t talk about everything in detail, because… it’s hard for me. I want to forget it, even though I will never forget. Sometimes I remember things very clearly; on some days, I even dream about them. Somehow everyday… I get flashbacks.”
I sighed as I saw his sincere look.
“But I can try… err… I can’t remember my birth father, I lost him when I was really young. Honestly, I can’t remember him at all, nor do I have any picture of him. From the beginning, it was just my mother and me. Until… I turned three years old, my mother got a new … partner.”
I started to get goosebumps.
Suddenly I felt cold.
“This… man… this monster, his best friend and my real mother… they were bad. Really, bad!” I stopped, as pictures of them came into my mind.
Tyler tightened his grip, which let the cold fade a little.
“Five years… five long years, I stayed alive. And then a girl saved me. She was my hero. And I really would give everything to see her again. She was my best friend, but we lost contact. We did spend good years together before I got adopted again and started my life in Florida. Well, and now I am back here…” I smiled and looked at him.
He had a hard expression on his face.
His eyes showed a little sadness and regret.
“I am sorry.” He muttered; I barely could hear it.
“You didn't do anything. So, you don't need to feel sorry. In fact,… I should thank you because you are so nice to me.” I was now the one tightening the grip of our hands.
Tyler smiled bitterly.
“No, I should apologise.”
I pouted.
Why would he need to apologise?
But before I could ask him, I’ve got interrupted.
“The meal is ready.”
The waiter from before announced, two others were next to him.
They served the meal, and again I was surprised.
Tyler knew what I liked and had ordered me lasagne with a salad and a soda.
“Wow, thank you! How did you know?”