She took a deep breath, looked at me with sad patronizing eyes and then her mouth opened and a million questions flew out.
I just knew that the second I left, she would be on the phone and then the whole of the suburb, city, country, galaxy would know the story. It would keep the gossip mongers busy for a while. But the thought was also painful. I didn't particularly want the news splashed around town like a headline from People magazine. The last thing I wanted was for people to start looking at me like I was some kind of basket case, and then have the school decide to send me to the guidance counselor or some crap like that.
I eventually escaped her mother's million and one questions and was just about to leave when I turned to Maria quickly.
"Hey. Remember tomorrow night," I said as I pushed the front door open and started walking out. She looked at me for a moment or two as if she was genuinely confused, or she'd forgotten. How could she forget?
"My house. You, me, Brett, Brenna and her friends. You have some snooping to do. Remember?"
Her face fell. At least I think that's what happens. Suddenly she looked distant and strange. So I flashed her a big smile.
"You have to come. My parents are getting divorced you see."
She shook her head at me sarcastically. "Pulling the sad, pathetic, my parents are getting divorced card already?"
I nodded before exiting. I was dreading going home, but I knew I had to. On the way there I pulled my phone out and send her a quick message.
Chapter 13 - Maria
I KNOW, I KNOW, I KNOW AND I AM SO SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been so busy with a whole bunch of stuff I wish I could tell you all about. I just got and agent and a whole bunch of exciting stuff will hopefully happen soon. But I have had to do a hell of a lot of work and have not been able to do anything else. SORRY! SORRY! You have my word that I will finish this now. I rewrote some stuff in these last two chapters, added a little surprise for you all. Hope you enjoy. and again.... S O R R Y
X?
Stupid fucking X!
If only he knew what that X did to me, he wouldn't be so inclined to use it! To throw it around so 'willy-nilly', or whatever the hell that phrase was.
He'd twirled me around and I'd fallen into his chest and in that moment something had happened. I'd felt it. But of course, he hadn't. The usual. So now I was just left feeling like a big, fat idiot - one more.
Having a secret relationship with him. Hoping and wishing secret things that would never come true. Pining for someone I could never really have. God I needed to get a life. Maybe I needed to date someone. Find someone else and fall head over heels in love and stay up all night on the phone, giggling, texting, sending each other pics.
Maybe if I could fall in love with someone else, I would get over him. I scoffed loudly, wishful thinking.
I started getting ready for bed and instinctively looked out my window. His house was also a double story, and our rooms were basically at eyelevel. We're only separated by a patch of lawn, a small fence and hedge. That's it. There's a tree that has started to obscure the view of the window slightly. When he'd first moved in, the tree was still small. But now it had grown with each passing year.
His lights were still on and I was just about to turn away when I saw a shadow slide across the wall as he walked into his bedroom. He walked straight up to the window and smiled. He gave me a small wave and then closed the curtains. I too that as a cue to close mine too and climbed into bed, but as I did my phone lit up.
Mike:
Now I know you're stalking me.
A smile broke out across my face. God, he made this so hard for me. Why does he have to make loving him so damn easy? Why does he have to be so damn-crap!
I started typing back. These late night message sessions were a regular thing, and sometimes they left me feeling giddy. I often woke up in the morning and realized with a mortifying thud that everything I'd said had been loaded with something else. I was always trying to steer the conversation towards a place it never seemed to go. How dumb is that? It's easier to hide behind something I guess, than to risk it face- to- face. But it never worked. Every time I tried to say something flirty or loaded, he just replied to me as if I was still the dude that lived next door.
Maria:
Haha! You wish.
Mike:
I do
What? My heart slammed into my ribcage. It ricocheted off it and then hit my diaphragm before shooting back into my chest where it finally settled into a gallop.
WTF did that mean?
That sounded distinctly flirty. Or was I reading too much into it? And as I was almost about to stop breathing, another message comes through.
Mike:
Accidentally pressed send... I don't think I'd be very interesting to stalk.
And now my heart just fucking exploded like a th of July effing firecracker and shattered into a million little pieces that burnt out and fell to the ground where they were incinerated and died. Dramatic! I took a deep breath and replied.
Maria:
Yeah. Ur totally boring.
Mike:
Nite.
Maria:
Nite.
I pulled my duvet over my head and closed my eyes. He was always the last thing I thought
