Running for Tara

Chapter 5

"I'm so sorry" was all Peter was capable of saying in this embarrassing moment of shock, heartbreak and unhappiness. His mind was a blur, his emotions only slightly breaking the cocoon of his face, showing his blushing cheeks and clear discomfort of the moment.

"How long?" He asked and she replied;

"Two months about". Her face was blank giving away nothing as his, two robots expressing emotion but not really expressing at all. Peter lowered his gaze and almost in a whisper spat,

"He is my best friend...why?". A rhetorical question in anyone's eyes.

Broken, Peter began to run, faster than any-time he had before, quickly his hair was brushed back, exposing his forehead to the whirling wind. His converse trainers began to chafe and the world slowed down, Peter was almost walking through the concrete ground, pebbles chipping up with every step until eventually he arrived at his favourite place in the whole world, the forrest that Peter had locked in his memory from when he was a child, running with his little sister, climbing trees and splashing through the icy water. Peter remembered throwing snowballs and even spending one whole night locked in the small treehouse that he had managed to create out of wood that some noisy people had 'misplaced'.

Peter found the tiny foothold that he had carved into the old oak and began to climb the wide trunk, following his heaving body upwards and eventually hitting a hard platform, seating himself on the cold floor. Peter looked out upon the city skyline. It was evening so Peter could see the drop-dead sun dancing in the sky. He looked out and found his house, a small suburban bungalow sandwiched in-between the corner shop and an elderly couple. It was gorgeous and Peter especially loved his basement that his undying genius had converted into a games lounge with some equipment that many large company's had generously 'donated' to the Maximof household.

Beatrice had been cheating on Peter for two months, two months where Peter hadn't suspected a thing, where his girlfriend and his best friend had been holding hands behind Peter's back and Peter had continued his life as normal... Peter felt cheated. There were so many other girls, pretty ones but Peter had stayed loyal, to Bea and to himself. Peter reached under a small flap in the wooden boards and found a bottle of ancient whiskey, unwrapping the top. Peter tipped his head up and allowed the bitter liquid to slosh down his burning throat.