“At Michael’s place. You know Michael, right?” Knox asked.
“Um, the baseball player?”
“Bingo.”
“Great, I’ve heard his parties are awesome.”
“Tali, you’re not going, are you?” Kieran let out a deeper growl this time. I just gave him a look that said it all.
“Are you going?” I asked Luca, ignoring the furious Kieran behind us.
“Yeah,” Luca said, blushing. “With Lila.”
“Oh, that’s awesome!” I leaned in to whisper in his ear. I looked as he bit his lip. I’ve noticed that he does that a lot when he’s nervous about admitting something. “Do you like her?”
“A lot,” he replied. I smiled. That was so cute. Plus, they’d make a great couple.
“I don’t want to be rude, but you’re not going to bail on me, are you?” Knox said, blushing.
“Not at all.”
“Oh, come on, you don’t want to go out with a girl like her,” Kieran said. I turned around and shot him a dirty look.
“Kieran, the only one acting like a fool here is you,” Knox said in a low voice.
Kieran laughed bitterly, a playful expression spreading across his face. “Oh, you think I’m pathetic?” You’ve really got to hear her story. I’m telling you, it’s a riot. Hey Tali, why don’t you let him know your story? Why don’t you tell everyone your story?” He raised his voice so everyone in the cafeteria could hear. Everyone was silent and looked at us. Even the lunch ladies and their assistants were watching us. I looked at him, curious. What on earth was he talking about? “Oh, come on, Tali. Don’t act like you don’t know. Stop hiding your past. How are your dad and your boyfriend? Oh, and don’t forget your lovely, trustworthy best friend! How’s she getting on?”
I was paralysed with fear. It felt like the whole world stopped for a second. Then, it was put on rewind. All the painful memories made my heart ache and burn. To be honest, I did miss my dad. I still loved Brandon, and even if it hurts me to admit it, I missed him terribly. And let’s not forget my best friend. Even if Jenna hurt me, I always remembered how much I loved our fun times together and all the traditions we had.
I didn’t realise I’d dropped the apple I was eating until Luca picked it up. My breathing got heavy and I felt like crying any second.
Kieran, don’t go messing around with her. Luca started to say.
“Oh, shut up, Luca. You might want to hear this about your best friend, too,” Kieran snapped, emphasizing the word ‘best’. Then he started laughing. It was sarcastic and insincere. It wasn’t long before Jenifer’s girly laugh joined in with his. I felt like crawling into a hole and never coming out. I wanted to rot and die. “Look at her. She’s not even able to stand up for herself. All she could do was sit and cry. She’s a bit pathetic, isn’t she? Maybe that’s why your dad chose his sexy wife over you, Tali,” he spat. “Maybe that’s also why your loving boyfriend and amazing best friend decided to sleep around behind your back. Just to let you all know, I’ve heard that. Isn’t she pathetic?”
Everyone was silent. Shocks suppressed all their faces. I just sat there looking at the wall at the far end of the cafeteria. For a second, I felt embarrassed, ashamed of my own life, and most of all, I felt pathetic. Kieran’s words sank in, but it was quickly washed away when I heard my brother’s voice in my head. “You’re strong,” Elias reminded me.
Luca stood up and went over to Kieran. Luca shot him a dirty look and kept coming closer until he was standing right in front of Kieran. “I told you to leave her be.” I saw Luca’s eyes change from normal to yellow and back again.
“I heard you loud and clear, Carson. And what are you going to do about it?” Kieran challenged.
That’s when I stood up. I felt the anger surge through my body. I looked at Luca. “Luca, try to calm down,” I said, but he just gave me a quick look and carried on glaring at Kieran.
“No, Tali. I don’t like how he treated you,” he said.
I grabbed Luca’s arm and looked him in the eye, serious. I felt a surge of strength inside of me. “Luca, please calm down.” He closed his eyes, and I could see his body relax. He opened his eyes again and it was back to normal. He just gave a quick nod and sat down.
I turned around and faced Kieran. He looked amused, but he quickly looked away when he looked into my eyes. I looked at him, not adoringly but hatefully. I glared at him until I couldn’t take it anymore.
I punched him in the face. His head whipped to the left from the impact. He looked at me in shock, then touched his bloody lip. I smiled to myself when I realised I’d just punched him in the kisser. All those boxing lessons at the gym really paid off.
I clapped loudly and laughed bitterly. “Wow, Kieran. You’ve really put me through my paces these last three weeks! Everything you did was a laugh, but this,” I said sarcastically. I waved my hand around to emphasise this point. “This one’s definitely the best! Well done!”
“And now for your prize! Oh, the prizes! What would you like? I’m thinking it’s probably to egg my car again or starve me to death like a real man does.” I carried on and laughed bitterly again. “Oh, wait, I forgot. You’re not a real man. Real men don’t do that stuff.”
Kieran jumped when he saw the tears start to drip from my eyes. His own deep blue eyes were darkened, and he looked pained. I gave him a look that said it all. “You want to know something, Kieran? You all want to know something? Maybe it would make me more pathetic. But does it really matter? After all, you all seem to be so interested in my life,” I said, gesturing at all the people who had laughed at me when Kieran used to tease me. “I know it sounds weird, but I miss them. I guess you’re right, Kieran! I’m a bit of a mess! You’re a psychic, aren’t you?”
“Tali, I didn’t mean to say that.” Kieran started to say. It just made me angrier.
“Shut up, Kieran! You meant everything!” I shouted at him and he flinched again. “Just stop talking and don’t talk to me. Honestly, just leave me the f**k alone! I hate you,” I said, my voice cracking at the end.
I started to walk towards the exit of the cafeteria. Everyone was looking at me, but I ignored them all. Then someone grabbed my arm and I could feel tingling from the contact. I shot Kieran another dirty look, feeling pretty disgusted. “I told you to leave me alone, didn’t I?! What more do you want from me?! Aren’t you satisfied?” I laughed again, but it was a bitter laugh. “Oh, wait, Mr. Redford always, always has to win a fight. So go for it, smack me, hit me, kick me, do whatever you want. Make my life much more pathetic.”
He grabbed my arm even more tightly. “I wouldn’t do that to you, Tali. You don’t really hate me, do you?” He sounded so vulnerable, and his eyes were like, “Please say no.” But I was strong. Talia Ainsley might be pathetic, but I wasn’t going to let her get away with it.
I gave him a look that said it all. “F**k you, Kieran. I hate you,” I said. He jumped back and let go of my arm. He looked shattered and his eyes were glazed over with unshed tears. I started walking away again, shaking my head. I couldn’t stand his ignorance, ego, and personality. I couldn’t stand his teasing, practical jokes, and all the stuff he’s pulled on me. I couldn’t stand his smirk, his cockiness, and everything irritating about him. But you want to know the funny thing? I don’t hate him at all, not one bit. I just had this connection with him. I really felt down after thinking that.
“Tali, sorry,” Kieran called out to me. He sounded pretty apologetic, too.
But I just kept walking. The tears dripped down my face and onto my shirt. I laughed. “I’m fed up with hearing the same two words,” I said.
Just to let you know, I’ve gone ahead and marked this as *****.
Love. It’s a four-letter word, with two vowels and two consonants, and it’s one syllable.
I hate it. It’s a four-letter word, with two vowels and two consonants, and it’s got one syllable.
But they’re both super strong words. I was sat on the window sill in my room, looking out at the dark, spooky forest again. It felt reassuring somehow. It was two hours after the lunch incident, and I decided to take the day off school. My eyes were all red and puffy and I was still crying. You’re probably wondering why.
Well, after a bit of a debate with myself. I couldn’t keep pretending. I couldn’t stand Kieran. But I feel like it was meant to be when I fell for a bit of a jerk. I had mixed feelings about him – on the one hand, I hated him, but on the other, I loved him. Does that make sense? I really am pathetic.
I cried again, quickly wiping the tears from my face. “I thought I told you that you were strong, little sis?” I heard a voice behind me, and it was definitely familiar.
I turned around. The person who was so close to me, but yet so far away was now standing in my room. He’s exactly the same as always. His hazel eyes twinkled in the dark room. His brown hair was swept to the side. His smile made a dimple appear on his face. Wow, he really looked like my mum. He was still gorgeous and well-built. I looked at him, totally gobsmacked.
“Elias?” I said quietly.