A Safe Place To Fall

Chapter 3

 

Chapter 3

It was a Saturday morning and I was still half asleep when Tahnee had arrived back from her jog. I had only been at school for one week now, but already we had our routine down, Tahnee would wake-up and go for a jog, then when she arrived she had the hopeless job of waking me up.

"Morning sleepy head!" Tahnee happily exclaimed. "Get dressed in your worst, because it's probably amazingly good anyway, because we are going out!"

"Really? Where to?" I peaked my head over the couch to be able to see Tahnee scull down a glass of water.

"Just down to the local coffee shop. It's where we always catch up, usually it's on Sunday but Sam has some family thing on so we're doing it today. It's actually quite handy because we all love coffee in some formation and its right in the middle of all our houses."

"Sounds good! I'll go get changed right now." I said with genuine enthusiasm. __________________________________________________________________________________

We arrived at the small corner cafe a short while later. I stepped into the shop, feeling the refreshing blast of cool air streaming from the door and hitting my face.

We found the table that Elle and Sam were already sitting at and joined them.

"Hey, so how are you guys?" Tahnee asked, starting the conversation,

"Oh my god, you will never guess what," We all leaned in as Elle brought her voice to a whisper, "Sam and I were sitting here waiting for everyone else, when the waiter came and asked for our orders." I was guessing she was stopping for a dramatic pause because I don't see the big deal in that, "and guess who the waiter was? Mick!"

I looked up from the table just in time to see Elle glance over to me, letting me know he was risky business.

"Mick who? Mick Thomson?" Tahnee asked, shocked,

"Yep, Mick Thomson. The guy from our school who you should never be associated with in your life." Elle hinted. Ever since Monday morning when Elle had tried to convince me that Mick was bad news and I hadn't listened she had dropped hints, she hadn't brought the conversation up again which I was grateful for, but she hadn't let me forget it happened either.

Nearly 45 minutes had passed and I don't think I had said anything apart from a quick 'thank-you' to the waitress since Elle had mentioned Mick.

I looked down at my napkin, playing with the corners of it, before returning my gaze up to four faces staring intently at me.

"What?" My stubborn tone filled our silenced table,

"Are you ok? You haven't really said anything," Mindy's eyebrows pulled together as she spoke.

"Yea I'm fine, I think I might be, um, homesick, I think I'm just going to go to the, uh, toilet." I quickly stood up from our round table and headed towards the back of the coffee shop, following the signs.

I leaned on the marbled basin, holding my hands up to my temples. What if what Elle had said really was true? Was he just 'scum' that didn't deserve my affection, but even if he was, shouldn't I at least let him explain why he did what he did? If of course, it really was true at all.

Questions kept filling my mind as to what I should do. I turned around facing the mirror to fix my blonde hair that I had curled this morning.

I finally decided that I would avoid him. That was the best thought I had had so far, so I thought I should just go with it. I steadied myself against the wall before continuing out the door.