Chapter 31: : Chapter 31

‘That was sus,’ Orion says while Benji turns to me. I brace myself for whatever might come.

‘Why’d you ditch us for Joe? Unless you’re trying to seem uninterested, you’re failing miserably,’ he tells me.

‘Yeah, that was weird,’ Jamie adds. Way to pick sides.

‘Not as weird as Lorence’s disappearance,’ Orion mutters under his breath.

‘I just went over to tell Joe to stay the hell away from me,’ I clarify.

‘Wasn’t that a bit harsh?’ Jamie asks.

‘After I spent a whole evening talking about Florence to her? Nah. She knows I’m interested in someone else so kissing me was completely unnecessary and provocative.’

‘Fair. You still chose shitty timing though.’

‘Guys, what’s done is done. Honestly, when have we become so boring? I don’t know about you but I’m getting shitfaced so bye!’ Jamie announces before dragging Orion off. I look at Benji only for him to shrug and follow them. Great.

–

‘Where’s Florence?’ I ask when the guys and I have finished putting our luggage in the trunk of the bus. I’m surprisingly glad to finally go home. This trip was a mess.

‘Maybe she’s running late again,’ Marcus says. But really, how late can anyone possibly be when we’re five minutes away from the camping place?

‘Relax, Loverboy. She’s coming right there,’ Jamie tells us, motioning behind us.

‘Hey, guys. I just thought I’d let you know I’m sitting with Sarah. She asked me last night and I thought why not,’ Florence tells us cheerily. If I’m not wrong, I see her and Liam exchange a look. I’m imagining things, right?

‘Damn, Flower girl. You’re really ditching us? Why don’t you invite her to sit with us?’ Jamie protests.

‘Oh, I guess I could have done that. I’m sorry but we’re already settled on the other bus now. I had a lot of fun with you guys though,’ she says. This somehow feels a lot like goodbye, especially when the girl smiles apologetically.

‘Right. Well, have fun you two,’ I tell her. She nods and walks off towards another bus while the guys and I find ourselves somewhere to sit.

To say I’m disappointed would be an understatement. Last night before I went to sleep, I specifically looked up BuzzFeed quizzes I thought Florence might like. Most are Harry Potter related but I found one that should tell you what flower you are. Now I have that saved for no reason, fun.

–

When the buses had finally stop at the school parking lot, I got out quickly. I love my friends but their constant teasing, shouting and laughing had given me a massive headache. I just longed for some alone time.

Not that I’m really getting that at home, considering my whole family’s here. I just hoped it would be a quiet day but I was very wrong. After a quick welcome and a brief summary of the trip on my part, the twins quickly got into a fight. No idea what started it this time.

‘Eli, will you play with me? May is ignoring me,’ Daniel asks. I groan inwardly since I just finished unpacking and all I want to do right now is lie in my bed and maybe make a few beats.

‘Sorry, little guy. Not right now,’ I tell him. As soon as the boy’s ears turn pink, I know I’m in trouble.

‘You’re just as mean as May! None of you care about me! No one ever wants to play! All you ever do is make your stupid music!’ the little guy yells, throwing his hands around wildly. Meanwhile, I’m trying to breath through the pain in my head.

‘How about we play later? I’m tired and I think I’ll nap for an hour, okay?’ I try.

‘No! I want to play now! But you only play with your stupid friends and your stupid guitar!’ he goes on. Okay, ouch. My guitar is not stupid! It’s my most prized possession. I spent a full summer earning enough money to buy it, working at fucking McDonalds on weekends and stuff. But Daniel is too young to understand that so I pull myself together and try to be patient.

‘First, you love my friends. Second, my guitar is not stupid and third, I said I’ll play with you later.’

‘You’re so mean!’ my little brother yells. Then he turns to my guitar and before I can react, he rips it off the wall. Time seems to slow as it nears the ground. Then it lands with a crash and I see a few strings rip while two of the turning pegs fly elsewhere.

I curse under my breath as I rush towards my instrument. When I take in the damage all I see is red. It’s broken. My brother ruined my fucking guitar.

‘Get out,’ I tell my brother, my voice deadly quiet.

‘See, all you care about is music!’ he protests but I’ve had enough of his tantrum.

‘Out! Now!’ I yell, looking him dead in the eye. He has the audacity to cry out loudly, effectively making my mother appear in my doorway.

‘What’s going on here?’ she asks.

‘Elija doesn’t want to play with me!’ Daniel complains. I grit my teeth.

‘What happened is that this brat ruined my fucking guitar!’ I say as I get to my feet. Daniel buries his face in my mother’s side and cries out loudly but I don’t care. I could honestly cry myself since I know I don’t have enough money to get my baby fixed or replaced.

‘Elija,’ my mother scolds and my mouth nearly drops. Now I’m the bad guy?

‘You know what, I can’t deal with this right now,’ I snap, pushing past her.

‘Where are you going?’ my mom asks as I put on my shoes.

‘Somewhere to cool off! Somewhere where privacy exists!’ I yell before slamming our front door shut behind me.