Song of Sirens

Chapter 12

The blizzard warning ended up being true. Emerging from our meeting, Kat and I pulled our coats tight against us and trudged back to the house in the blinding dark. We came through the front door and trudged upstairs with Vicki and Ally behind us as quietly as possible. We'd left our wet coats by the front door, as the boys had walked into their own rooms.

I peeled my slush-covered boots off and left them outside the door, then walking onto the soft carpet.

"Wow, it's a little cold out there," Kat's laughing as she walks in.

"Gosh, I hardly noticed!" I laugh at her. "I'm going to get changed really quick, and then we can watch a movie or something?"

"On a school night! Olive you are corrupting me," we're both bent over in laughter. "But I don't think school will be on with this weather in the morning. So alright."

I'm still laughing as I trudge into the bathroom with an old, faded purple tracksuit. I quickly change and tie my hair up in a messy knot, the shorter parts falling out at the bottom. I walk out as Kat passes me on the way in.

I throw my dirty clothes in the laundry basket by the door and begin to grab all the pillows off Kat's bed. I pile them all on my bed and turn the TV on, putting the movie folder on my bed.

"Kat, I'm running downstairs to grab some snacks, can you pick a movie?" I call out towards the closed bathroom door.

"Yeah, okay. Can you make me a hot chocolate please?" I can still hear her clearly, even though the door muffles her voice.

"Sure, I'll be back in a second," I shut the bedroom door behind me and trudge down stairs.

I walk into the kitchen, and I can hear the boy's TV down the hall, I put the kettle on to boil and open the cupboard. Sour worms. I grab a packet and pull them down and wait for the kettle to finish, leaning against the bench and looking through my phone.

The kettle makes a dinging sound and I turn my phone screen off, then shove it in my pocket and look up to find Nathan staring at me from the doorway. I smile at him, then turn to make a hot chocolate for Kat and then one for me as well. "It's rude to stare, you know." I can hardly contain my butterflies. Not butterflies.

"Sorry, my bad," I smile at him when he comes and leans on the bench next to where I'm making the drinks. "I was just admiring your lovely sweats."

"Thanks," I roll my eyes and finish the drinks, shoving the sour worms in my pocket. "I have to get back up to Kat, we're watching a movie."

"I see," he takes a step closer to me and my breath catches. "A girls night?"

"Yes, a girls night," my voice is only quiet.

"As long as I can see you tomorrow," his warm breath tickles my nose.

"Of course," I smile back up, fighting against the blush trying to make its way onto my face.

"Good," he leans down and kisses me lightly, just for a moment. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yeah, I'll see you then," I stare at his back, but he turns around and smiles for a moment before turning down the hall.

I turn back around and grab the travel mugs containing our drinks, before making my way into the living area to head back upstairs when I see Ally sitting there smiling at me.

"So you are together then?" Her voice is coated in cheekiness.

"Yes, we are, but only since yesterday." I raise my eyebrows.

"Oh, you're so cute!" She's almost squealing in delight.

"Uh, thanks?" I smile back at her. "Anyway, I better head upstairs. Kat's probably set up the movie already."

"I just came down to grab Vicki's and my iced mochas." She stands and heads into the kitchen. "Enjoy your movie."

"Thanks Ally, I guess I'll probably see you tomorrow. Have a good night," I give her a final smile before heading upstairs and back into our room.

I kick the door shut behind me and set the travel mugs on the coffee table, then throw the worms onto my bed and quickly stick my phone on charge while Kat is still setting up the movie.

"A romance sound good?" She turns and looks at me as she asks.

"Sure, I don't really mind," I smile at her and climb onto my bed, leaning back in the pillows.

Kat sets herself up next to me after the movie starts and we drink our drinks and eat the gummy worms. I've seen this movie before so I'm getting a little bored, but oh well. It'll be over soon.

I completely zone out and my eyes start to shut. The last scene I see is the woman staring into the distance, crying out at her lover.

My desk is open and a letter sits inside. I pick up the white envelope to see the black pen written across the front. What now? I peel the envelope open and catch my breath.

It takes me a moment to process what the letter says, but once I do, it falls to the ground where Andrew picks it up and looks at it. He puts his arms around me as I crumble. Again. I cant do this anymore. How could he do this to me?

I feel the tears streaming down my face and I don't think I'll stop this time.

"Liv?" Kat shakes my shoulder and I wake up with wet cheeks.

I spilled my guts out to her, everything I'd been holding in. And I could feel it physically lifting off me, setting me free. The falling in the love. The fall out. The anger. The love. The death.

I told her how hard it had been to move on, how I had been so, incredibly unstable for a few weeks that stretched into months.

I confessed the pain. How I felt broken, how the shards dug into me whenever I moved. How I could feel myself bleeding out from the inside.

And I could feel myself physically being set free from all of this, from the hurt, haunting and pain. The freedom seeped through me.