*Geek Boy*
Ellie hated me.
She had to.
What kind of guy kissed a girl and didn't talk to her for days afterwards? Me apparently.
The last week, I'd only caught small glimpses of Ellie. My mother had pumped the school full of information about my extracurricular learning, and so it became their priority to excuse me so I could attend sessions outside of school. At first, I'd resisted, but when I realised Catherine wasn't showing up to her classes because of my presence, I finally gave in.
My mother was doing this on purpose. Trying to keep me away from Ellie.
Not like I was fighting much. I had no idea what to say to Ellie. She didn't feel the same way as I did and every moment I built up the courage to talk to her, I'd see her flip her hair, or laugh with her friends and realise all over again that I was crazy to like someone so amazing.
And yet, I couldn't help it.
It was 6:00 pm when I finally entered the house. I noticed my mother's car parked in the garage as I made my way into the main building.
A sense of foreboding poured over me.
I strode through the house, mind working over what could have possibly gone wrong.
I froze as I entered the kitchen.
My mother sat at one side of the island. Opposite her was Catherine.
Oh.
Catherine's gaze jumped to me before quickly flickering away. She looked incredibly uncomfortable. And angry. Really angry.
Despite knowing my mother had probably already noticed my presence, I cleared my throat anyway.
"Come in Will," she replied without turning.
I walked in hesitantly.
My mother stood, her thin frame straightening as she landed on the ground.
"You have a guest." My mother's gaze finally met mine and I saw the warning in her eyes.
She wanted me to fix this.
"I'll give you two some privacy." She turned on her heel and left the room.
The silence was awkward and stifling. Unable to sit down, I leaned forward against the island.
The Wilsons were behind this. And my mother, of course. Catherine would never voluntarily walk into the house of someone she'd recently argued with. And my mother, my mother would never willingly get involved in my private life. Not unless the Wilsons asked.
I smothered a sigh.
"Your mother invited me over," she finally blurted out, confirming my suspicions. "I wouldn't have come." Her gaze flickered to me. "But your mother insisted."
I nodded. "I see."
Silence.
I bit my lip as I mulled over what to say.
Finally, I spoke. "I'm sorry for not driving you home on Friday. I should have insisted you didn't walk."
Catherine's gaze jumped away from the cabinet she'd been staring at for the last few minutes. She narrowed her eyes at me. "That's what you're sorry about."
My eyebrows furrowed. "Yeah."
Why did I get the feeling that I'd said something totally wrong?
Catherine snorted. "Are you joking?" she laughed. "Wow, Will, wow, this is a new level of ignorant."
I frowned. "What's wrong with what I said?"
"What isn't?!" Catherine screeched. "Your best friend confesses that she's in love with you and you apologise for not driving her home?"
Wait a sec, love?
I shook my head. "Cath, you can't be in love with me, that's just...We haven't...."
Catherine snorted again, glaring at me. "Now, you want to tell me how I feel? Is that it Will? You just want to play with girls' feelings?"
I raised my hands, completely lost. "Ok, Cath, I don't understand. Where did I go wrong?"
"How many times have I been to your house Will?"
I frowned, even more lost now. "I'm not sure."
Catherine held out her hand. "Hardly ever. And I've known you over eleven years. Let me guess, Ellie Kent's been in here hasn't she?"
I remained silent.
"Exactly," she said, her voice cold and harsh. "You know," she said. "I've known you forever and you have never once explained to me, fully, what happened seven years ago. All I know is what I can see. That you live here and your dad lives in Spain. That your older brother just vanished and your younger brother no longer lives with you. You've never once considered telling me what happened that day seven years ago."
I gulped. "I don't like to talk about it Catherine."
Catherine slowly rounded the table. "It's not even about that is it Will? It's funny, I've known this for a while, but it just hit me now. You make girls feel like crud because you don't notice them, but it's not like anything's wrong with me. I'm perfectly fine."
She laughed as she stopped in front of me. "Because it's you Will. You don't trust people, or rather, you can't trust people. You're screwed up so bad that you couldn't open yourself up to anyone even if you tried." She cocked her head. "It's funny, because you picked the one girl you hoped would reject you. You picked a girl you thought you wouldn't have to open up to. Ellie Kent is going to break your heart Will, and everyone's going to be there to watch."
She turned to walk out.
"Wait, Catherine."
She paused and she turned slowly, facing me.
"I'm sorry if I hurt you. I know you're angry and I know I didn't handle anything the way I should have." I peered into her eyes, trying to sound as sincere as I could. "But you shouldn't be skipping classes. You shouldn't be avoiding hanging out with your friends because of me. You shouldn't compromise your education or your happiness because you're angry at me. I'm sorry Cath, I don't want to lose you as a friend."
Catherine stepped closer to me and her hand came up to brush my face. "Kiss me," she said, "and all is forgiven."
I flinched back from her fingers. "Cath, I can't do that."
Catherine snorted. Her eyes hardened when she spoke. "Don't come crying to me when she breaks your heart."
Then she walked out.
I slumped in my chair.
How was I supposed to handle this? It seemed as I'd done everything wrong.
And now I'd lost one of my closest friends.
But she was right.
Ellie Kent was going to break my heart.
My mother, still clad in her suit and heels, strode in a few minutes later. She watched me with the same icy gaze that had featured on her face for years now.
I sighed. "What is it?"
She'd listened to all of that. I knew she had.
She spoke after several minutes of silence. "I hope you make responsible decisions William. In all areas of your life."
I stood. "Yeah."
"I'm heading back to work," she stated, barely glancing at me. "I'll see you in a few days."
I left the room.
As I walked up the stairs, Catherine's words echoed in my mind.
She was right. I didn't trust and I didn't want to. What was the point of giving someone the opportunity to hurt you?
But Ellie was different.
Maybe it was because she'd been the first bright spot I'd seen since I moved to this town. Maybe because she'd helped me when I was at the lowest point of my life, but my feelings for Ellie were genuine. They weren't just something I concocted to stop myself from trusting people.
I cared about Ellie.
But she was going to break my heart. I knew that.
The words jumbled in my mind as I pulled open my laptop and clicked open Skype.
But was it worth it? Was having her for a moment worth the eternal torment of heart break?
I didn't know.
I'd planned to wait for a few more hours before making the call, till it was at least morning there, but the icon on the screen showed that he was already waiting for me.
I glanced over at the door, ensuring it was locked.
I never called him when my mother was home. I dreaded her reaction.
We never talked about the other side of the family.
I held my breath as the call connected.
My younger brother's face appeared on the screen. His eyes were a mirror image of my father's. Unlike mine, they were a soft chocolate brown. His hair was lighter than mine, similar to the ash brown colouring of my father's hair. He smiled as my face appeared.
"Hey bro," he grinned, his lips stretching into a grin.
I hid a frown as my eyes ran over his thin ashen face. Purple black eye bags hung beneath his eyes, contrasting against his pale skin. My gaze ran over the background. It was dark and I could see the silhouette of clothing behind him...a wardrobe maybe?
"Hey," I said, forcing a smile. "Aren't you supposed to be asleep?" I glanced at the time. It would be about 3:00 AM in Spain.
He shrugged. "I'm not a kid anymore," he whined.
I smothered a bemused grin. You're ten kiddo.
"How was school?" I asked.
He shrugged again and this time his gaze flickered away from mine. "I didn't go," he said simply.
I frowned. "Why?"
He shrugged. "I was sick," he said.
My frown deepened but I didn't question further.
I tried to change the subject. "How's that girl you were talking about? The pretty one you said you were talking to at that school club."
Any light remaining in his eyes seemed to vanish.
I blinked in surprise.
"I don't like her anymore," he muttered. "Anyway!" he said suddenly. His face lit up as he spoke. "How's Ellie? Did you go see her cheerleading?"
I smiled. "Yeah, I did."
"How was it?" he grinned, his expression enthusiastic.
The words rolled on my tongue. "We kissed."
He gasped before screaming, "What the heck bro, you guys kissed?!"
"Twice," I grinned.
He laughed. "Oh my gosh, so are you guys gonna like date now?!"
I laughed, shrugging. "I'm not so sure about that."
"Woah, bro! Who knew you'd get a girlfriend before me? Whatever, so you told her you liked her?"
I nodded and James leaned back, his face still expressing wonder.
"Woah, bro," he repeated. "You might finally get a girlfriend." His smile widened. "Can I meet her if you guys start dating? Are any of her sisters my age? This is so cool!"
I grinned at his happy face. "Sorry kiddo, her youngest sister's fourteen. She's too old for you."
He pouted. "Don't call me kiddo. I like older girls now anyway."
I laughed. "Older girls?"
He raised his chin. "Yeah? And?"
"Nothing," I grinned. "I respect your choice in women."
"Better do," he muttered. For a few moments, he tried to keep on a serious face but then he dissolved into laughter. "I still can't believe it. Good job on snagging a beauty bro."
I smiled. "I'm lucky."
We laughed for a few minutes but as his laughter faded, I watched as a sombre expression settled on his face.
"Will," he said softly.
"What is it?" I encouraged.
"Is it true Jed is coming out of rehab?" he asked.
My breath whooshed out of me. "Who told you that?"
James shrugged, avoiding my gaze.
"James," I said.
"I saw the letters in dad's office," he finally mumbled. "And I overheard dad talking about it on the phone."
I sighed. "You shouldn't do stuff like that kiddo."
"What am I supposed to do? No one tells me anything."
I leaned back. "It's adult stuff."
"And I'm not a kid anymore!" he retorted. After a few moments, he spoke again, his voice quieter. "Do you think...do you think if Jed came back we could...we could all be a family again?" He glanced up at me, his expression pleading.
I dragged a hand through my hair. "James..."
"Mom would talk to me again then, wouldn't she? She'd come back and we can all live together here or you know in America if you guys really want to. Everyone would be happy. Dad would be happy. It would all be perfect."
"James," I said softly.
"I mean, it's not fair is it? That we're not all together. Once mom sees Jed's all fixed up, she'll want to live together again, won't she? Right Will?" He stared at me intently, his eyes pleading for me to agree.
Pleading for me to give him false hope.
"I don't know James," I whispered.
His face dropped and I felt my heart ache.
"She hates me doesn't she?" He whispered. "That's why she never talks to me. That's why she doesn't care about me."
"No, James. She doesn't hate you." What could I say to fix this? "Mom's just having a tough time dealing with the accident."
"It's been seven years."
It has.
"You know she's stressed. She loves you. She does." I hope.
James was silent for a moment. "Will, you're a horrible liar."
A muffled voice came through the speaker. I roughly identified the vocabulary as Spanish. James glanced off camera for a moment.
"Sorry, Will, that's Mariah"--their maid--"I thinks she's realised I'm awake. I've gotta go." He shot me a smile that did nothing to the sorrow in his eyes. "Good job getting Beauty to kiss you. I'm proud of you bro." He winked. "See you later."
Before I could protest, he'd switched off the connection and the screen went black.
I slumped against the chair.
Oh, James, how do I help?
For the past few years I'd been emailing and skyping with James without telling my mother. And each time it always felt as if his eye bags increased and his skin paled. It bothered me to see how sick he always looked.
What did I have to complain about?
James had it worse than I ever did. At least my mother spoke to me on the odd occasion. Since The Incident, she'd completely ignored him.
He deserved better.
Sighing, I rubbed the wrinkles from my forehead. Finally, I got up and got ready to leave for the orphanage.
Ellie and James stayed on my mind.
***
Thank you guys for reading :D I hope you enjoyed it :) So, do you like Will's little brother? He's adorable isn't he?
This chapter is dedicated to Zalwaa for voting, commenting and simply being a nice person :) (Fellow Arrow and The Flash watcher!!!)
God bless
xxx
Yemi Everest