“Wow, that’s big,” he said, the gears spinning in his head as he processed all this information. It was big, it was huge, life changing but I didn’t want it.
“Yeah, I just don’t want it if it means Gran won’t be here,” I told him sadly.
“I understand.” He nodded and squeezed my hand comfortingly, “Don’t worry babe, she’s still got a lot of life left in her, she’s not going anywhere anytime soon.”
When we arrived home, James kissed me on the cheek, “Thanks for bringing me this weekend, I had a great time with you and Gran,” he said and carried my bag to the door for me. Gert was standing on the other side, her face as red as her hair with a huge scowl splayed across her face. I didn’t think much of it, until James started acting weird.
“I have to go,” he said, taking his hand out of mine, “See you later,” he finished and turned on his heel in a rush to his house.
“What’s up, Gert?” I asked, annoyed with the death glare she was shooting me.
“You’ll see soon enough!” she hissed and stormed off, up the stairs and to her evil lair. That was weird, I thought to myself, not too concerned with Gert and her threats, I’d grown used to them over the years. James called me later that night and everything seemed normal and he was acting like himself again, making me forget about that awkward moment with Gert.
The weeks passed by in a blur and already it was Friday. Our last day of classes before we were off for Christmas break. Dad would be coming back from his business trip on Monday and until then we decided to celebrate by going camping for the weekend.
“So, what time should we leave?” I asked James over lunch. He didn’t answer; this was the third time I’d asked him something in the past twenty minutes only to have no response from him. He stared at his phone and read a message and then quickly put it away, his foot tapping angrily at the floor. “Hey,” I said waving a hand in front of his face, getting his attention. He sat up in surprise and finally really looked at me. “You okay, babe?” I asked, taking his clenched fist and opening his hand so that I could hold it in mine.
“Yeah, sorry.” He grimaced.
“What’s going on up there?” I asked, stroking the side of his face.
“Nothing. Just thinking about some stuff,” he answered, leaning into my hand. “So, what were you saying?”
“What time should we leave for camping?” I repeated. Right at that moment Cody and his goons all came up to us, Gert standing in the front grinning excitedly.
“I think it’s time, bro.” Cody chuckled, everyone else was smirking and waiting. Whatever was going on, I knew it wasn’t good. I clenched my jaw, preparing myself for what was to come, this all felt too familiar.
“Shut up, Cody,” James barked out.
“James, this has gone on for long enough,” Gert declared, hand on her hips, smirking at me menacingly. “Tell her now or I’ll have to,” she threatened, her eyes narrowing on me as she spoke. I felt my lunch do flips in my stomach, it was just like that day two years ago. The flashbacks made me break into a sweat. I looked at James in fear, my bottom lip shaking so hard I had to bite it to stop it from trembling. James stared at me and I could see the sense of hopelessness on his face.
“There’s nothing to tell,” James told them, now taking my clenched fist and holding it.
“I guess I’ll have to tell her then.” Gert grinned, looking like she’d been hoping for this outcome. “Michaela, James has been using you and it has gone on for too long,” she stated, trying to look sad but failing, she couldn’t hide the smile in her eyes.
“It’s not true.” James told me, squeezing my hand tightly.
“It started as part of this list,” Gert continued, handing a piece of paper to me. I glanced at it but couldn’t read it, my mind was elsewhere, lost in the memories of that day two years ago. “He got close to you just so he could break your heart, again,” she added. My heart was racing as my lunch threatened to come up. I stood, knowing it wouldn’t stay down for long. James held my hand, not letting me go but I jerked free from him. I left the table and all the on-lookers, not able to meet anyone’s eyes.
“It’s not true, none of it!” James shouted. “I love you,” he said quieter. I fled to the bathroom as I heard all of the goons erupt in laughter.
“You finished the list bro!” Cody said slapping James on the back. The last thing I saw was James shoving Cody before I ran into the bathroom and emptied my stomach contents. I still felt nausea, even after my stomach was emptied. I couldn’t sit through the rest of class like this and hear the horrible things Gert and her friends would say. So instead, I went to the office and got a sick note and walked home. I was on auto-pilot the whole walk home, I’d been at school and the next thing I knew I was lying in my bed, curled up under the covers. I don’t know how long I lay there comatose until my door opened, breaking me out of my stupor.
“Go away,” I said uninterested, from under the covers, making no attempt to move. The door closed again, leading me to believe they’d left me alone, until I heard foot steps approach and felt my bed sink from someone else’s weight. “Please, I just want to be left alone.”
“Babe, I’m sorry. I am so, so sorry.” James said surprising me, I wasn’t expecting
