"Ready?"
"Hell yeah."
I smile up at Miles as he shrugs into his jacket. He clenches his jaw and screws up his face in pain. I rush to his side and help his arm into the sleeve. Even though he is being discharged, he is still in quite a bit of pain.
Wrapping an arm around his waist, I help him walk down the corridor. Once inside the elevator, he leans onto the railing with a weak smile on his face.
"What are you smiling about?" I question.
"I'm looking forward to the next week," he tells me.
"Me too," I agree.
Due to the bad storm, a lot of places around town have been damaged, including the school. School is shut for the remaining week, to fix the damages. The school dance has been postponed for a few weeks, which works out perfectly for me. Miles wasn't able to attend, but now he will be.
Considering we won't have school and Miles is in recovery, mum has offered him our spare room. Which is also&nbs
I hold my arm out for my brother. He hoists himself onto his feet and wobbles for a moment, before steadying."You okay?" I ask him."Better than ever," he grins.It's been a couple of weeks since the storm. The school has re-opened and Finn is now able to withstand weight on his leg. The muscles have decreased so he still limps and struggles to maintain his usual pace, but he's able to walk without crutches now. We still have them at home, but he seems to be handling walking pretty well without them.As we walk into school, girls are magnetically drawn to us, like they have been, despite Finn being off the market. He barely glances at them as he searches for Becca. I smile down at my feet as I walk.I make a beeline to my locker, to get out the textbooks I need for the first two classes. I jump in fright as I shut the door and Samara is leaning beside me, her vibrant hair loosely curled."You'll never guess who was caught swap
I press my lips together and rub slowly, before making apopsound.I meet my gaze in the mirror reflection. My dark hair is curled beside my face, my dark eyes framed with long lashes, my lips painted red."Almost ready for photos?" Kiarra asks, stepping out of the bathroom, her brilliant-blue dress flaring around her legs as she walks. Her heels click against the tiles, before changing to a soft thud as she walks across my carpeted floor, flicking out her long hair."Sure am," I reply, getting to my feet and wobbling. I hastily reach for my desk. Iknewthese heels were too high for me. Or maybe it was the three glasses of champagne..."Do I look alright?" Becca asks us, her voice unusually timid.She stands and runs her fingers down the light pink dress that is securely wrapped around her body."Hell to the yeah," Kiarra nods."Really?" she whispers."My brother will probably drop dead a
"Thanks, man," Miles's voice sounds close but far away at the same time."You kids have fun," the taxi driver grins, offering us both a sly wink when he thinks the other isn't looking.I take Miles' hand and he tugs me out of the car. I tilt my head back and stare at the cabin with an awed expression. It's a beautiful, dainty cabin with fairy lights hanging from the windows and the roof in a raining portrayal. My lips are parted and my breath was taken away as I stare at its beauty.A wooden arch borders the path leading to the front door. Beautiful white and pink flowers are embedded in the silver chains, twisting their way around the frame."Oh," I whisper, my eyes unable to tear away from the sight before me. "It's gorgeous.""Wait until you see the inside!" Miles says excitedly, his fingers tangling with mine.He pulls me after him. I feel breathless, my head full and light, my eyes searching, my heart thumping loudly. He ope
A few months later"How have you been?" Ashley questions as she takes a sip of her coffee. She leans back into her chair, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. She gives me a warm smile."Really good," I tell her honestly. "Miles' and I moved into our place last weekend.""That's fantastic!" she beams at me. "You two have come so far.""Yeah," I agree with a shy smile. "I never would have imagined us to be living together. Especially after everything.""True love conquers all," she teases.I let out a quiet laugh. "And you? How have you been?""I've been well. I'm taking next semester off and am travelling to Europe. I'm also thinking of taking a position across town. It's an office job.""Oh that sounds great!""I haven't made a decision yet. And I've been dating a guy for a few months now, so that might change things." Her cheeks blossom red when she speaks about him and her lips curve upwards.
On a cold morning like this, I am thankful for the heat penetrating from the two coffees I'm holding in each of my hands.It is a brisk, winter morning as I walk to school, an hour earlier than everyone else. I guess I'mreally lucky that my assigned counselling sessions are 7:50-8:50 am every Tuesday, giving me ten minutes' spare before classes begin.Our school uniform is very boring - a plain white polo shirt and navy bottoms. At least in winter, you can style it a little. Today, I chose to wear a skirt, with dark stockings underneath. I have a navy coat draped around my body and a black scarf, which hugs my neck, keeping me toasty warm.The only sounds around me are my vans hitting the concrete floor as I briskly walk towards the counsellor's office.Due to a new suicide prevention regime, it is compulsory for each student to see one of the counsellors that the government employed at the school, at least once a week. I alre
Slowly, I turn.Miles Carter stands there.I have imagined,manytimes, what he would look like now, but my own fantasies can't even live up to the real deal. His ashy, blond hair is messy as usual. He always has the look that he has just rolled out of bed. His strong, angular jaw had widened since he was 16 and he now has stubble. I hate that he has somehow gotten more attractive since leaving. He still possesses the power to turn my insides into liquid, with just one look.I realise now that I have been standing here, gaping at him, wordlessly."It's been a long time," he eventually says, leaning back onto his locker.My eyes dip over what he is wearing. He has a pair of dark-washed jeans on and a black, leather jacket over the white, polo shirt. I almost faint when it clicks that white polo shirt was our school uniform.He has grown taller and his shoulders broader now. He looks older than most his age, hi
I feel both mentally and physically drained when I drag my feet up our porch steps.Even though all I want to do was collapse onto my bed and binge-watch Netflix, I find myself swapping my uniform for a pair of tights, a sports bra, my Nike crop top, and my runners.As I begin to jog down my street, I try relentlessly to get my mind off of today's events.I can't believe he's back, after all this time. It took so long for me to get over him and what he did to me.That nightchanged my entire life. Now, he's back and all those strong, overwhelming feelings I had before, are resurfacing.Gritting my teeth, I focus on the cold wind hitting my face as I ran. I instantly regret not wearing a jacket over my crop top. I can see my breath in front of me as my body temperature is much higher than the chilly air around me.I push myself to run harder. Soon, sweat was running down the back of my neck. My cheeks felt hot from e
"You have your own bathroom.""But I like to harass you," Finn replies with a grin, tooth paste running down his chin."Of course you do," I sigh, running the straightener over my hair one last time.I have decided to wear it down today. Subconsciously, I know it's because Miles used to always say he loved my dark hair. He often ran his fingers through it when we were lying in bed. He would say that I was beautiful..."I don't think that piece of hair is going to get any straighter," he tells me, his voice muffled as he continues to brush his teeth.Scowling at him, I switch off the straightener. I walk into my room, shrugging my jacket over my shoulder and then flicking my hair out so that it doesn't get stuck underneath and end up a fuzzball before I leave the house. I spray some perfume on my wrists and neck, before swinging my bag onto my shoulder."Okay, I'm ready now.""Finally," Finn groans, even though he only go
A few months later"How have you been?" Ashley questions as she takes a sip of her coffee. She leans back into her chair, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. She gives me a warm smile."Really good," I tell her honestly. "Miles' and I moved into our place last weekend.""That's fantastic!" she beams at me. "You two have come so far.""Yeah," I agree with a shy smile. "I never would have imagined us to be living together. Especially after everything.""True love conquers all," she teases.I let out a quiet laugh. "And you? How have you been?""I've been well. I'm taking next semester off and am travelling to Europe. I'm also thinking of taking a position across town. It's an office job.""Oh that sounds great!""I haven't made a decision yet. And I've been dating a guy for a few months now, so that might change things." Her cheeks blossom red when she speaks about him and her lips curve upwards.
"Thanks, man," Miles's voice sounds close but far away at the same time."You kids have fun," the taxi driver grins, offering us both a sly wink when he thinks the other isn't looking.I take Miles' hand and he tugs me out of the car. I tilt my head back and stare at the cabin with an awed expression. It's a beautiful, dainty cabin with fairy lights hanging from the windows and the roof in a raining portrayal. My lips are parted and my breath was taken away as I stare at its beauty.A wooden arch borders the path leading to the front door. Beautiful white and pink flowers are embedded in the silver chains, twisting their way around the frame."Oh," I whisper, my eyes unable to tear away from the sight before me. "It's gorgeous.""Wait until you see the inside!" Miles says excitedly, his fingers tangling with mine.He pulls me after him. I feel breathless, my head full and light, my eyes searching, my heart thumping loudly. He ope
I press my lips together and rub slowly, before making apopsound.I meet my gaze in the mirror reflection. My dark hair is curled beside my face, my dark eyes framed with long lashes, my lips painted red."Almost ready for photos?" Kiarra asks, stepping out of the bathroom, her brilliant-blue dress flaring around her legs as she walks. Her heels click against the tiles, before changing to a soft thud as she walks across my carpeted floor, flicking out her long hair."Sure am," I reply, getting to my feet and wobbling. I hastily reach for my desk. Iknewthese heels were too high for me. Or maybe it was the three glasses of champagne..."Do I look alright?" Becca asks us, her voice unusually timid.She stands and runs her fingers down the light pink dress that is securely wrapped around her body."Hell to the yeah," Kiarra nods."Really?" she whispers."My brother will probably drop dead a
I hold my arm out for my brother. He hoists himself onto his feet and wobbles for a moment, before steadying."You okay?" I ask him."Better than ever," he grins.It's been a couple of weeks since the storm. The school has re-opened and Finn is now able to withstand weight on his leg. The muscles have decreased so he still limps and struggles to maintain his usual pace, but he's able to walk without crutches now. We still have them at home, but he seems to be handling walking pretty well without them.As we walk into school, girls are magnetically drawn to us, like they have been, despite Finn being off the market. He barely glances at them as he searches for Becca. I smile down at my feet as I walk.I make a beeline to my locker, to get out the textbooks I need for the first two classes. I jump in fright as I shut the door and Samara is leaning beside me, her vibrant hair loosely curled."You'll never guess who was caught swap
"Ready?""Hell yeah."I smile up at Miles as he shrugs into his jacket. He clenches his jaw and screws up his face in pain. I rush to his side and help his arm into the sleeve. Even though he is being discharged, he is still in quite a bit of pain.Wrapping an arm around his waist, I help him walk down the corridor. Once inside the elevator, he leans onto the railing with a weak smile on his face."What are you smiling about?" I question."I'm looking forward to the next week," he tells me."Me too," I agree.Due to the bad storm, a lot of places around town have been damaged, including the school. School is shut for the remaining week, to fix the damages. The school dance has been postponed for a few weeks, which works out perfectly for me. Miles wasn't able to attend, but now he will be.Considering we won't have school and Miles is in recovery, mum has offered him our spare room. Which isalso&nbs
When I wake the next morning, I rub my eyes, feeling like I haven't slept at all.I roll my head to the side, to see Kiarra open-mouthed and snoring beside me. I stretch, feeling a few bones in my back crack. The brightness of my phone screen makes me grimace. I hastily turn it down as I squint, seeing that it is 7:30 am.I pull myself from bed, making a beeline for the shower.The house is silent as I walk through ten minutes later, dressed in a denim skirt and a long-sleeve shirt. My hair is still wet, hanging limply down my shoulders. I wait until I'm out the front door, before sliding my vans onto my feet.The wind is unforgiving and harsh as I walk towards my car. I tug the sleeves down my hands and grimace, wishing I'd chosen to wear jeans instead.I stop into Brumby's Bakery on my way to the hospital, ordering two coffees and two cream pastry puffs. My stomach rumbles as the smell fill my car.By the time I
"Where are you going?""Out!" I say in a rush as I sprint past mum and out the door.I feel shaky as I fall behind the wheel. Every second that passes, feels like I'm slowly letting Miles down more and more.When I pull into the car park, my tires crunch against the loose gravel. My headlights pour across the vacant lot until they land on his motorbike. My stomach lurches. He's still here, which confirms my suspicions.Something bad has happened.I step out of my car and hesitantly walk towards the bike. It looks the exact same as it always does.I keep quiet as I begin to search the grounds, once again, returning to the locker room. I begin to feel nauseous when I can't find anything. I scour the oval and the perimeter of the field. By the time I get to the bus shelter at the end of the oval, my shoulders sag and my feet dragging. I feel helpless until I see it.Blood.There is spots of blood covering the grass a
"I thought you had plans tonight?"Me too, I think sourly as I stomp past mum."Plans changed." The bitterness is embedded in my voice as I reach for the juice and drink straight from the carton."You do realise we all drink that?" Mum asks me, quirking her eyebrow."Yes," I reply sharply, before marching out of the kitchen, feeling like a moody brat.While I mount the stairs, I ring Miles again, only for it to go straight to his voicemail.I'm beginning to feel sick.I don't know what I want more - to scream, to cry, or to have a drink. Possibly all three.A part of me wants to rush over to the party, to see if he's there. To see if history isreallyrepeating itself, while the other half of me has given up. I want to sit in the corner of my room and rock back and forth.Deciding to go with neither, I collapse onto the mattress and stare at the ceiling, feeling exh
When I scramble to my feet, my tear-stained cheeks cold from the wind, I feel incredibly stupid.Has this been his plan all along? Surely, someone could not fake those words, those feelings... He couldn't be that good of an actor.Something... Something has happened. That is the only thing I can believe. That thought is the very string keeping my sanity together. My fingers feel numb when I dial his number again."Hello, you've reached the voice mail of ---"I let out a groan of anger as I am tempted to throw my phone at the ground.I numbly walk to the locker room. It's dark. The only sounds I can hear is my quickened breathing and one of the taps drizzling water into the basin beneath it."Miles?" I whisper, before clearing my throat. "Miles?"No answer.Beginning to feel creeped out, I take a deep breath and turn my phone light on. I roam through the darkroom, hoping that nothing will jump out to scare m