Chapter 24

I wake up later than usual but only by 15 minutes. I quickly get in the shower after my amazing sleep I had and quickly wash my hair and body.

I get out and blow dry and straighten my hair while thinking about Conor. Is everything ok between us? I should check my phone. I haven’t been on it since he left and he told me to text him.

I finish straightening my hair and put it up in a pony tail. I put my uniform on and before I know it, it’s already 8 o’clock. I grab my phone and bag and run downstairs.

“I’m off, bye!” I shout to my Mum and before I hear a response, I run out of the front door and speed walk to the shop. I check my phone on the way.

From - Conor: hey x

He never just sends ‘hey’... I decide not to reply because I’ll see him in 2 minutes anyway.

From - Jack: are you coming in today? We’ll set off without you;)

To - Jack: i’m 2 minutes away, it takes time to look this perfect;)

From - Jack: shut up and get here before we leave;)

Conor’s POV

I watch as Jack texts her. Why does she text him and ignore me? I thought we sorted everything out yesterday. She wonders why we always argue, she always makes things harder for me when I’m trying and it confuses the fuck out of me.

After 10 minutes of waiting, she finally turns up and she looks out of breath from what looks like she’s ran the whole way here.

“Sorry, I’m late” she breathes. I just stare at her as Jack and Lois laugh at her. She moans about them laughing but then she looks at me. I stare at her for a while until she speaks. “Hey” she breathes.

“Hi” I awkwardly say and turn away from her. Why am I being awkward with her? I don’t feel normal around her for some reason and I hate this feeling. She gives me a confused look but then we finally start walking to school.

I’m practically glued to Alex all day because I have no independence without Lucy. I haven’t spoke to her all day but every now and then, we’ll look at each other and give each other a quick smile but then immediately look away. I hate it being this way but I feel like I need to give her space to think about everything.

At lunch, I see Lucy walking over to Ben and saying something to him. She looks embarrassed about something but she’s laughing it off. Jack’s just smiling like a dick at her. He’s probably embarrassed her for fuck sake. Why is she talking to Ben? After everything... It’s driving me fucking insane.

I walk over to Jack. “What’s going on?” I ask.

“Nothing” he mumbles and goes from laughing to 100% serious.

“Tell me for fuck sake” I snap.

“She’s just asking him about this weekend”

“What!?” I raise my voice. What the fuck are they planning on doing this weekend?

“Shit no, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m going too. Just ask Lucy about it” he says, making no sense what so fucking ever.

“I can’t because she’s fucking talking to him”

“She’s having a get together sort of thing at her house”

“Right...”

“That’s it” he says and walks over to her. I walk back to Alex who’s talking to Mike and Charlotte. I don’t join in, instead, I just stare at Lucy, Ben and Jack. They’re all just talking but I continue to stare.

At the end of the day, I walk back home with Jack but don’t say a word. I’m still fuming at him for not telling me about Lucy and Ben and about what they were talking about. I try my hardest not to think about the two of them but I can’t. It’s all I’ve thought about all day. Every time I see his face I just feel like beating the shit out of him there and then.

“Why did the egg go to the doctors?” he smirks after minutes of silence. He’s telling one of his bad jokes.... “Because he had a cracking headache” he bursts out laughing and I just smirk and look away.

“What's at the bottom of the ocean and shivers?” he laughs. “A nervous wreck!” he shouts and starts holding his sides. I start laughing really bad and he seems happy with his achievement. After minutes of laughing we go silent but I let out a little laugh every now again when I think back to the awful joke.

It wasn't even funny. I think I was just laughing because of how funny Jack finds these things.

“This doesn’t mean we’re friends” I say.

“Mhm” he rolls his eyes.

I get inside and dump my stuff at the bottom of the stairs before getting something to eat in the kitchen. I haven’t eaten all day and it’s only just hit me how hungry I am so I make some soup.

“Do you want anything?” I shout to Jack upstairs. I need to try and make effort with him. I can’t stand it when we’re not talking.

“What you making?”

“Soup”

“Go on then” he shouts. I take the soup out of the microwave and walk upstairs to give one of the bowls to him. He pauses his Xbox game and takes a mouthful of soup. “Thanks” he smiles and hands me a remote.

We play for about half an hour until I hear the front door slam.

“Only me” Anna shouts.

“We’re in Jack’s” I shout and seconds later, she walks into Jack’s room and sits on his bed on her phone while watching us.

“Mum just texted me saying she won’t be back for tea so we can order something with the money in the draw” Anna says.

“Chinese!”

“Pizza”

“Indian!” we all shout in sync. Jack wants Chinese, I want pizza and Anna wants Indian.

“I’m the oldest so I get to decide” I smile.

“That’s not fair! Rock, paper, scissors” Jack suggests and Anna agrees. I roll my eyes. We do best out of 3 and Jack wins.

“I win!” Jack shouts.

“Whatever. Go get the menu” I say. He goes downstairs to get the menu and we all make our orders. “Jack, you’re calling them”

“Ok” he says while dialling the number into his phone. He takes our orders and gives our address. “An hour? What the fuck? We only want a bit of rice and chicken. Jesus Christ” he frowns making Anna burst out laughing. I stare at him in amusement.

He gets off the phone and sighs. “One hour” he repeats.

“Alright Jack, I get it” I say.

“I’m fuming” he sighs and continues playing his game. Anna rolls her eyes and starts typing on her phone.

I debate whether to text Lucy but I honestly don’t know what to say. Oh hey Lucy, why the fuck was you talking to Ben today and was completely ignoring me? No, I’d sound like such a dick. I’d ask Jack but he’s mad about this fucking Chinese and Anna’s in the room so that’ll be a bit awkward. I need to start thinking for myself.

How about I ask her what she’s doing on Saturday and make out like I’m making plans with her but it’ll just be a way for me to get her to tell me about this get together? Yeah... I’ll do that.

To - Lucy: do you want to do something on Saturday?

From - Lucy: I can’t, sorry

To - Lucy: how come?

From - Lucy: I’m busy

What the fuck? Why is she fucking lying to me?

Lucy’s POV

To - Conor: I’m busy

I can’t tell him about the get together. He’ll think it’s stupid and won’t bother coming. I’d feel like such an idiot. I continue to sit on my bed reading a book, just like I’ve been doing since I got back from school. Not like I can concentrate on it. All I think about is him. Why was he being so awkward with me today? I hate how distanced we are. I just want him to come over. I just wish we were back to how we used to be.

-

Conor’s POV

“Fina-fucking-ly” Jack says, opening the door to the guy with the Chinese. I’d probably laugh at him if I wasn’t in such a bad mood about Lucy. “Anna!” he shouts. I get my meal and start to head back upstairs.

“Thanks” I mumble and go upstairs.

“What’s happened now?” he moans.

“She won’t fucking tell me what’s happening on Saturday”

“You do realise how embarrassed she is about that?” he laughs so I just roll my eyes and go upstairs. I eat in my room in silence, thinking about different ways I could get her to tell me. I feel like just going round to her house now and getting a fucking answer out of her then.

Wait. That’s not a bad idea.

Actually, she’ll probably freak out and argue with me again and then we’ll never be on the right track of things. I’ll just leave it. I hate how fucking obsessed I am with her.

I wish Jack would just tell me what the fuck’s going on on Saturday. Life would be so much easier but no matter how many times I ask him, all I get is “ask her yourself” or "it's just a get together". She must be pretty fucking embarrassed about it if she doesn’t want Jack to tell me...

The next day, I hear Jack come into my room to try and wake me up.

“I’m not going in today” I moan.

“Fuck sake” he mumbles and walks out my room. I close my eyes and try to go back to sleep but I can’t. I hear Jack and Anna getting ready for school and then I finally hear them leave the house.

I eventually go back to sleep and wake up at 4pm by Jack storming through the door. That was a good sleep.

“You slept all fucking day?” he shouts and jumps on my bed.

“Get out” I mumble and he just laughs.

“Lazy shit. You coming out tonight?” he asks.

“Who’s going?”

“I think the girls are staying at Leila’s tonight so it’ll just be Alex, Mike and Ben” he says. Ben? Fuck no.

“Nah”

“Why?”

“Ben” I mumble.

“Come on. It’ll be just how it used to be. I think he’s trying with you Conor. It was kind of Lucy’s fault for leading him on” he lies, just so I can come out.

“She had nothing to do with it. It was all him”

“Well he’s trying with you so please just come. You don’t have to stay all night”

“Fine, whatever” I mumble and get out of bed. It’ll stop me from thinking about Lucy for a while so why not?

Lucy’s POV

I get ready to go to stay at Leila’s tonight. I put on some skinny jeans and a tank top and put my favourite black, leather jacket on with my pumps. I pack my bag with some pyjamas and things I’ll need for the night and text my Mum telling her I’m staying at Leila’s. She thinks I’m staying at Conor’s at first but she eventually gives in and believes me.

I hear a knock at the door.

“Hey Lois” I answer it with a smile.

“Are we going then?” she asks.

“Yep” I say before leaving the house. She said she’d pick me up from my house to take me to Leila’s seeing as I don’t know the way.

When I get there, Olivia and Charlotte are sat in the living room eating sweets. I sit down with them and we start talking about loads of rubbish for hours, while staying on the laptop and watching films.

“We should go to the club” Leila blurts out.

“Yeah! Except we don’t have anything to wear” Olivia says.

“Borrow my stuff! Come on guys, I’m bored” she moans making everyone think.

“You aren’t seriously thinking this through?” I ask the group and they stay silent. “No way!”

“Well what else are we going to do? This is why we should’ve gone to Liv’s house, it’s never boring there”

“I told you why we can’t. Mum's going to her friends house” Olivia complains.

“Like we haven’t heard that excuse before” Leila argues.

“Shut the fuck up you two” Lois sighs.

“Well are we going out or what?” Leila asks me. I give her an ‘I really don’t want to’ look but she starts pouting. “Come on, we’ll just be sat here all night watching the same movie over and over again when we could be out clubbing. It’s be fun I promise”

“Fine, whatever. But I’m not drinking” I promise. They all scream and start high-fiving. “How will we even get in?”

“Well we know the people who work there” Leila shrugs. I roll my eyes and follow them all upstairs to get ready.