PITD 3: Official

Finally, classes were over. It was time to go back to her somewhat normal life as a teenager. One who didn't have to pretend to be someone else to the whole damned school. Leigh hurriedly packed her bags and skipped out of the school grounds amidst the flood of students.

It was early November yet the sun still shone bright and hot like it had no intention of paving the way for winter. Then again, Leigh thought, raising a hand to wipe the droplets of sweat trailing down her forehead, the weather here was never predictable. She couldn’t wait to be out of the fiery heat and into her much cooler and quieter room. Students here at Muddy were loud. Scratch that, extra loud and lousy. 

As if to prove her point, a group of boys ran past her nearly knocking her down, shouting and laughing at the top of their voices. Yeah, Leigh affirmed to herself, she so couldn’t wait to be back home.

Most of all, she couldn't wait to get on the phone with Thea, her best friend and fill her in on all the details of breaking Willis' heart. Thea Golden often referred to as Golden Thea because of the peculiarity of her last name had been Leigh's best friend since first grade. They had both been two silent girls amidst the sea of lousy first graders, had found each other over spilled crackers and messy t-shirts and had bounded over a sauce war where they'd spilled their drinks on each other. Ever since then, the two quiet girls had been each other’s lousy. Following Leigh's transfer to Saints Academy, she rarely saw Thea unlike before when they had been practically glued together while attending the same school. Now, the only way she got to hang out with her best friend was through calls, texts, Facetime and sometimes during the weekend when either of them decides to visit the other or set a meet up. And even then, it didn’t always work out as Thea had to work at her mother’s grocery store.

Leigh was still thinking of ways to set a meet up with her best friend when she heard distinct pounding on the pavement like someone was running towards her.

"Oh not again." She groaned a second before Willis came up beside her.

"Hey," she greeted breezily and kept on walking.

"Hi, can I talk to you for a second?"

"You already are. And for more than a second." She stated stiffly and increased her pace.

"Leigh!" The urgency in his tone stopped her in her tracks.

"What is it Willis?" She asked sharply. She was so not in the mood for his games. She was hot, sweaty and desperately in need of a shower.

"Wow, so you know my name." He retorted, sarcasm dripping from his sultry voice.

"Yes, you made a point of introducing yourself to me remember?"

"Then what was the scene at lunch all about?"

"What scene?" She asked innocently though she knew exactly what he was talking about. Looks like Mr. high school player had his fur ruffled. She had to bite down on her lip to keep from smirking.

"Oh don't play dumb with me. The one where you pretend to be shy with me and then turn into a whole new person in front of my friends? You barely even say two words to me but become extremely chatty with the guys. Did I do something wrong to you?" He ranted, obviously annoyed.

The way Leigh saw it, things could end up going two ways. She could either tell him to his face that she didn't answer to him, giving him a clear sign to back off knowing that his ego and the bet wouldn't let him leave her be or she could go back to being the shy girl, making him feel like he had intimidated her and apologize. As much as she wanted to go along with the first, it would totally blow her 'shy girl cover' so, she bared down on her retort.

"I'm sorry." She said in a small voice, bowing her head as if in shame. "I'm j-just not c-comfort-table with y-you that w-way. I- I didn't mean to hurt you." She stuttered and rushed out the last part.

For the second time that day, Willis felt gut punched. He knew he shouldn't have shouted at her. He had no business doing so. He'd just been so annoyed and now he was left confused again. Just seconds ago, she had glared at him with fire in her eyes. Now, she wouldn't even meet his eyes. What kind of puzzle was Leigh Raeken? Willis had a feeling he was about to spend his November finding out.

"I'm sorry I shouted at you Leigh, really. I never thought you felt uncomfortable with me." He apologised sincerely. "What can I do to make it up to you Sweet, anything."

Pet names ugh! It was one of the things Leigh disliked in guys. Her name was Leigh freaking Raeken! Not Sweet for Heaven's sake. Yet, she simply shrugged and moved from foot to foot, giving him the impression that he was yet again, making her uncomfortable.

"We've got a party at my friend’s place Friday Night. Wanna come?" He was really hoping she would say yes. "Come on Leigh, give me a chance to make it up to you here." He pleaded, his blue green eyes twinkling in the sunlight.

"I don't know..." She shrugged although her answer was on the tip of her tongue.

"Please Leigh?"

"Okay." She consented.

"Cool! I'll pick you up at your place on Friday night. Thank you for accepting." He took her hands in his and placed a kiss on them.

"You're welcome." She said simply. "I've got to catch the bus." She mumbled under her breath. Making him think that she was actually blushing.

"What?"

"The bus." She spoke louder, drawing her hands gently away from him.

"Okay. Friday night it is. Take care of yourself." He said and was gone as fast as he came.

Leigh walked to the bus stop with a skip in her step. He had fallen for her move. Oh! She couldn't wait to get home and tell Thea all of it.

******

"Holla pretty people!!" Leigh shouted into the little honey coloured house that sat quietly on one of the many rapidly occupied plains of Wild Oaks.

The little town had earned its name from the ring of widespread Oak trees that sprouted out of the ground wherever they pleased. Leigh in fact, had one of the trees growing in her backyard right where a swing had been built. It provided shade on hot summer days and held most of the snow on the fiercest winters only to release them as water droplets later on.

Leigh especially loved autumn evenings when she could sit below the trees and listen to the birds belt out their melodies. The tree was one particular reason why Leigh liked their little house on Seventh Street. Another reason, was the way the sky seemed to change colours almost every hour of the day. Outside, the sun had slowly started its descent into the East side casting rays of purple, pink, gold, orange, blue, and just about every shade in between. Its burning sting now warmed the bodies of Wild Oaks inhabitants as they either came back from work or went about their various activities just like it had glowed on her skin just seconds before.

Leigh sucked in a breath to holla again when a pretty woman in her late thirties came out of another room, a bouncing toddler on her hip.

"There you are! My cute little family. Where's Leon?"

"Watch out Tommy, whenever your sister greets us cheerily it’s because she has something up her sleeve." The older woman told the toddler who cooed at her.

"Oh, good afternoon to you too beautiful woman." Leigh mock greeted and proceeded to pluck her brother from her mother’s arms while the room filled with her laughter.

Samantha Raeken was indeed a beautiful woman with chestnut hair curled around her smooth oval face, big round eyes the colour of stormy clouds and a full, pink pouty mouth, she was indeed a sight to behold. This, and Samantha's bubbly character had her married barely after she hit her twenties and divorced right before she left them. Though her falling out of marriage as she liked to put it, was totally her scumbag of a ex-husband’s doing.

Being a single mother however, did not stop Samantha from raising her kids right or being her usual cheerful self which was why her co-workers at Global. Tagged her 'Sunny Sam'.

"So, how was school today?" Samantha asked her daughter while she got them both a juice box from the fridge.

"School was... fun? I guess." Leigh said, trying to dislodge Tommy's limbs from her hair. The eighteen-month old toddler was now comfortably fisting chunks of hair into his little mouth.

"Tommy! Don't eat my hair," she whined at the baby who simply replied with a sloppy grin and continued chewing. "Mom," Leigh turned to her mother with pleading eyes.

"That's okay Tommy, we don't want your sister to go bald now do we?" Samantha carefully removed layers of thick brown hair from the baby's chubby hands while cooing him. "There now," she said when his limbs were free of hair.

"Uhhhnnn" Tommy whined at having his favourite toy taken away from him and made an attempt to grab at his mother’s hair. "No, no, no, young man. You gotta wait to grow your own." She dodged his attempts and dropped him on his play mat where he immediately got interested in a plastic fish.

"So... fun huh?" Samantha extended one juice box to her daughter and dropped into the chair beside her.

"You know Mom. Boring classes, even more boring people. I miss Brewers." She said, referring to her old school which was totally not true. Apart from Thea, she missed absolutely nothing about Brewers High which was on the other side of the city.

"I know baby, but your principal said you gotta move you know, and I tried begging him to stay. You still haven't told me why you did it though or what the tattoo on your shoulder means." True to her mother’s words, she hadn't told anyone except Thea about that horrible day a few months ago which was also the day the tattoo of the falling bird on her shoulder had been revealed.

"You know you can tell me anything baby. I'm here for you and I won't judge," Sam assured her daughter, touching her cheeks gently.

"I know Mom, and I love you for it but I'm just not ready yet." Truth was, she didn't want to break her mother’s heart with the news of what happened that day. Her mother had been through a lot already and didn't need her daughter’s dilemma added to it.

"Okay baby, I'm here whenever you are. Come here," she stretched her arms and her daughter fell into them. "Love you baby."

As if sensing the solemn atmosphere and jealous of not being included, Tommy let out a single siren like wail.

"Jealous much?" Leigh said at the same time her mom said

"Hungry?"

"I'll take him. I don't think he'll eat my hair again." Leigh joked and scooped the crying baby into her arms. "Let's get you lunch gentleman." She told him and then whispered more silently into his pink ears. "Wait till you grow up and have your own problems. Then she can hug you and reassure you that everything is all right."

Again, as if he understood, Tommy smiled widely at his sister, bobbing his head up and down and making her sister laugh.

Samantha was left to enjoy her juice in the living room and wonder why one of her children was cheering happily and the other laughing merrily.

******

"Hey girl what's up? You've been MIA since forever," Thea's voice greeted over the phone.

"Sorry dipshit. I've been attending this place called 'school' remember? And why don't you call?" Leigh retorted playfully.

"I did. Last week and you didn't pick up." Thea reminded her.

"I already told you I was out on the Oak and you didn't call back,"

"Ugh. Forget that. One can never lose an argument to your thick head. How's Saints?"

"Oh you know, living happily in heaven?" Leigh replied sarcastically.

"Come on Leigh," Leigh could almost hear her best friend rolling her eyes over the phone. "You know what I mean."

"If you mean Saints Academy, the hell I'm currently sentenced to, that place is boring as whatever starts with holy F without you." Leigh plopped down on her bed and rolled over onto her stomach.

It was hours after she'd fed Tommy and had lunch herself. She'd made sure to take her bath and finish her homework before calling Thea knowing the talk with her best friend could take hours.

"Aww, Brewers isn't the same without you too. We need someone to walk over all the guy’s hearts again." Thea told her in a solemn voice.

"Amen sister!"

After giggles from both girls, Thea suddenly spoke, her voice sad. "Leigh...," she trailed off and Leigh waited bracing herself for whatever her best friend was going to say.

"I know you don't want to talk about it but I thought I should let you know. Raymond transferred earlier this week."

For seconds, Leigh felt like she couldn't breathe. Her entire body went rigid as images from that day played across her mind. The screams, the shouts then the blood, the lights, more screams and then wailing.

"Leigh?" Thea's panicked voice brought Leigh out of the dregs of painful memory. "I'm sorry I shouldn’t have--"

"I-it's okay Thea, good for him. Anyway, I've got gist for you."

"Oh yeah? Hit me up girl! You know I always got ears for a good gist."

"There's this boy at school..." Leigh began and proceeded to tell Thea everything about Willis and how she planned to break him.

"....and that's how he invited me to a party Saturday night. You gonna come?"

"Of course I'm gonna come! But do you think it's a good idea?" Thea asked, hints of hesitation in her voice. 

"What is?"

"Willis. I mean, you just got transferred. You might want to lay low for a while you know, get used to the flow first?"

"I was planning to before he put a freaking bet on me! Now you know I can't stop Thea. It's official. He's in for this."