Before Me, Him

Chapter 51

- Four Years Ago -

     I wake up to the soft sound of rain pouring down on my window. I could hear it and it was such a pleasant sound to wake up to. I yawn as tears escape from my eyes due to my sleepiness. I get up slowly to see my light brown hair in a wild state mode, I laugh at how silly I looked. After grabbing my clothes from my closet I go to the bathroom as my body was wandering around. 

     My body takes some time to wake up while my mind is a lot faster. As I open the bathroom door I see William with a towel wrapped around his waist and his black hair dripping with excess water. His body was covered with several tattoos mostly in the chest and arms area.

     - Don't you know how to knock kiddo? – he questions with a smirk on his face. – Or are you a pervert with a big brother fetish?

     - Shut up Will. – I place my hand on his face and push him away while he laughs at me. –I wouldn't be saying I'm a pervert, I just have very poor taste in men.

     William looks at me and bites his lip while he tries to think of a comeback. I got him this time. I laugh as I start brushing my hair until it was almost fully straight on my shoulders. A couple of minutes later we both leave the bathroom and head to our rooms. I pick up a light orange top with some flowery patterns in it and combine it with a black ruffled skirt. After placing my brown shoes I go to my makeup table and start applying slight bits of makeup. Some mascara here, some shadow there. Some blush on the cheeks and some pink cherry blossom lip-gloss on the lips. Once I'm done I pick a hairband with small red roses in it and apply it to my head, leaving my full face exposed. I felt nice, pretty, and cute.

     - June! William! Hurry up! You're going to be late for school! – I hear my dad screaming from the stairs.

     I get out and see William with his typical black shirt and black denim jeans. Back then, I didn't understand the beauty of wearing black all the time but, sadly, nowadays, I do.

     - So, whose funeral are you going to today? – I say while teasing him.

     - I don't know June, what Ken are you pick up today? – he answers me back.

     - You little... - before my hands are able to grab his shirt he kidnaps them with his and starts making me rotate over and over. After a couple of times, he lets go and I lean on the wall due to the dizziness. He starts going down the starts laughing. – Hey! Don't leave me.

     He just ignores me and, after a couple of minutes, I manage to go down as well. My mom and my dad were both sitting at the kitchen table eating several slices of bread alongside some tea and coffee. William was sitting in front of my dad and they were all chatting happily about this being his last year at my school. Next year he would go to college, to take a medical degree. 

     From his looks, someone would think he is a rebel but, the truth is that he isn't. He never was. Yes, he does ride motorcycles and has his little "bike gang" but he has excellent grades and has completely different personalities for each situation. It's almost as if he always knows what to say in every moment that passes, to every single person he knows. I sit down as my dad smiles softly while passing me a slice of toast. I pick the pumpkin jelly and start putting it on the bread.

     Half an hour later we were all ready and packed in my father's car and, after another twenty minutes, we were at school. Well, everything looked the same as usual, except the rain, it had started pouring slightly heavier than what it was when I woke up. We run inside the school to avoid getting wet unnecessarily.

     - Alright, June I'll meet you in the cafeteria at one ok? – he says with a smile.

     I give him a nod and a smile as he pets my head softly. In a blink, he was already going to his group of friends, the seniors.

     - God June, your brother is so pretty! –says Jennifer while hugging me from behind. – Do you know if he has a girlfriend?

     - I don't know Jen, I never asked him. – I state as I remove her arms from me and look at her. – But don't think about it. He's too old for you either way.

     Jennifer was one of the girls in the group that I used to hang out with. I didn't consider them my friends, but whenever I was with them it wouldn't be lonely and boys wouldn't approach me as often. It was a win-win situation. She had extremely long dark brown and curly hair and her big dark brown eyes would stand out straight away. 

     She was a bit taller than me but still smaller than Anna, the other girl in our group. She was tall and had short curly ginger hair alongside a beautiful pair of green eyes. 

     The last member was Monnie, also a brunette with short and straight hair with an extremely straight set of bangs. Her eyes were a mixture between hazelnut and brown, somehow they would change depending on how much light they were being showered with. Her face was covered with some natural freckles and she was the smallest one in our group.

     I met them when we were kids, we all went to the same elementary school, and we started to get along straight away. I don't know what are their feelings towards me, I don't know if they even consider me their friend. 

     Back then, we didn't talk about personal emotions, we just had regular conversations until we reached middle school. Only there they started to open up more and, without any of them noticing, they started to show little bits of their hearts to each other. They would understand when one of them would be bad or sad, or even if something not that great had happened. It was as if it was some weird magic that could just make them know. They would always talk about several different feelings, however, I was the girl that only listened and whenever the conversation started to flow to my side I would quietly and kindly change the subject. I don't need them to know me since soon enough they will be gone.

    That was always my way of thinking. Everyone besides your family would be gone, and hurt you. I don't truly know since when I started thinking like this. I don't know if it is something that I was born with however I do know that it is something I can't change within me. The only people in my life that matter is me, my parents, my brother, Emily, and my other several family members. Everyone else is just props.

     In the first period, we had Chemistry that was followed by P.E. and, right before lunchtime, we had History. I was never the brightest ray of the sun but I would pass things smoothly. I guess that is why my parents prefer William, he is extremely bright and smart.

      As I reach the cafeteria I see him sitting at his usual table. He sees me and gives me a bright smile. I walk towards William and I sit beside him placing my food tray on the table. All his friends are here, laughing and chatting about everything. I'm in my own corner, eating as I hear them talk. I've always been like this, I've always been the listener.

     - Are you going to the gig today? –asks one of the guys in his group.

     - Hell yeah! – William replies super excited.

     Later on, I asked what was that all about to which he replied that one of his friends was having his first gig. They would be playing in a bar for a couple of hours since the original band had canceled. I remember his eyes, filled with happiness as he told me about this. He was happy, so happy. Not for him but for his friend. That's the person he is. I mean, was.

     Afternoon lessons were smooth, so smooth that they ended up extremely fast. Unfortunately, the rain got even heavier, it had been pouring down for the whole day and the sky looked dull. Back then I even thought it looked sad, so sad. Maybe he knew what was going to happen, maybe he was able to see the future and tell that from that night onwards, nothing would be the same in that school, in my house, in me.