the bad couple

chapter 4

After I finally get my nose to stop bleeding, i listen in on the conversation outside because lets be honest, leia is a very secretive person.
"do you still take your tea with two sugars?" leia asks.
"yes please" the woman answers, after a few moments i hear the kettle click signalling it's boiled and after a while an exchange of thank you and your welcome.
"now, leia, how'd school going?"
"erm... Well, i have two months to get a completely clean record and become kinda friends with callum james, the one who ruined the car, or else..."
"if you get expelled again, you will have to come back leia, that's the deal, this is the fourth school"
"I know, but it's just hard because he's such a dick, he doesn't know about them, but he keeps bringing up my parents, i tell him there always away on work or something, so he takes it as they don't care about me" she explains sadly, making me feel like an ass.
"just avoid him"
"I can't he's in all my classes and he has his reasons to hate me too"
"what did you do?"
"a few things, the point is we've done a fuck-load of shit to eachother and can't just forgive and forget, he said he wants to but we just can't not fight"
"why did it all start?"
"I honestly can't remember, i just remember hating him and him hating me"
"who did something first?"
"I can't remember, we argued all the time and fought abit and then it just escalated to this"
"leia, do you think it has something to do with your parents?"
"no, I don't think so, he uses them against me... Alot, but doesn't have anything to do with them"
"maybe we should get him here to talk to you?"
"no, he can't know any of this, not even my closest friends know" suddenly my phone starts ringing scaring the shit out of me, it's max.
"is that your phone?"
"oh, yeah, new ringtone" leia lies and soon she in her room again.
"what the fuck, put it on silent or get out callum!" she whispers harshly.
"there it's off, what the hell is going on out there?"
"nothing, can you hear us?"
"erm... No"
"are you lying?"
"leia, are you ok?" the woman calls getting closer to the room.
"under the bed" leia shoves me down, the woman walks in, she's wearing a navy pencil skirt, white close and a blazer, she's really professional looking.
"are you ok, dear?" she asks leia.
"yeah, fine, i turned my phone off, it wasn't anyone important, let's go back out there" leia says casually, good liar.
"okay" they walk out and i once again begin listening.
"okay, well how are you feeling about your parents?" the woman asks
"I still hate them"leia says with hatred.
"do you feel safer living here?"
"I guess, it's not just that, everyone knew back there, i needed a new fresh start, i know mark knows, but he's really good, helpful and stuff, he helped me really recover"
"and the nightmares?"
"sometimes" she mutters.
"maybe you should consider seeing a counsellor again?"
"no, that did not help in any way" leia says stubbornly.
"okay, how are you feeling about it all though, i know you needed a new start and stuff, but how do you feel that you've got one?"
"I feel relieved, as if i can actually start to move on" the next hour, they spend talking about random people leia says are 'back there' while I try to figure out what the fuck they meant by everything, why does leia hated her parents? Why did she need a new start? What happened? What does mark know? Why does she need to feel safer? But my thoughts are interrupted when I hear them saying goodbye, a few moments later leia comes back into the room, to find me lying on the bed with my hands behind my head, casually.
"you can go now" she says exhausted.
"whats wrong with you?"
"nothing, I'm just tired"
"what were you and that woman talking about?"
"nothing important" if i didn't hear them talking about alot of important stuff I would have believed her.
"who was she?"
"a friend?"
"yes"
"the one that owns this apartment, that just left it?"
"what are you getting at?"
"I heard you talking"
"about?"
"your parents and shit, what did they do?"
"none of your business"
"leia"
"callum, don't talk about it again, just go home"
"yeah, I can ways ask mark tomorrow"
"he won't tell you anything"
"he would know I heard the conversation though"
"listen it's personal, real personal, so if you really want to be my friend, respect my privacy and fuck off"
"I want to try to help"
"well stay out of it"
"come on just tell me"
"no, and unless you get out right now, you'll have another bloody nose"she threatens.
"if i become your real friend, will you tell me?"
"no, you just want to become my friend to find out, which you won't"
"I think I will"
"I know you won't, now fuck off"
"so, is this like your apartment then?"
"yes, now please go home"
"why?"
"because your family will think I murdered you because you've been gone for so long, your already going back with a bloody nose"
"fine, but I will find out"
"sure whatever"
"and remember lunch tomorrow"
"fine" she grunts and pushes me out the door, she locks it and i make my way out, while I'm driving home, my thoughts are still racing with all my unanswered questions, so I turn on my phone, sixteen missed calls from mum, max and dad, and twenty two messages, maxes ones asking if she killed me and if so can he have my room and my mum saying she's getting worried and to phone her, i sigh when I pull up, my dad's car is in the drive way, I've only been gone for about three hours, no biggie.
The second I walk in im bombed with millions of questions.
"callum, where the hell were you, we were worried sick, what happened your nose? Did you get into a fight? What happened with leia, did she do that? Why didn't you call, we've been going mad!" my mum shouts angrily, while my dad stands behind her, and Amy and max beside her.
"i found her and we're having lunch tomorrow to try to work this all out, we were talking so I turned off my phone, I'm sorry I know I should have phoned but I'm fine" I assure her.
"your fine are you? What happened your nose?"
"I walked into a door while running after her"
"violent door" my dad finally says something.
"very, but I'm fine"
"you should have phoned, this is not okay, this just shows you will end up in the discipline school" my mum scolds me.
"discipline school?" my dad questions.
"how long have you been here?" I ask.
"an hour and a half"
"and you didn't tell him?" I ask my mum.
"tell me what!?" my dad demands.
"unless callum gets his act together, which means a completely clean record for two months and not wanting to kill leia, he will serve the rest of the school ye at at a discipline school" max answers for me.
"thanks for the sugar coat bro" I say sarcastically, he just shrugs.
"callum! This isn't a time for fun and games, this is serious, it will affect your chances of a good job, do you know how discipline school looks on a resume?" my dad demands going red with anger.
"i know, I'm sorting it though"
"how!"
"me and leia are seoending time together to try to be friends and i will stay out of trouble"
"leia doesn't want to though does she?"max asks.
"she does after we talked, she agreed to try to be friends"
"callum, we can't afford discipline school, you better not screw this up"my dad demands
"the school would pay for it and i won't"
"fine, instead of you driving to mine tomorrow just come on now" he says clearly exhausted.
"fine" we go outside and enjoy the awkward silence that fills the car the whole journey.
We finally arrive at his tiny apartment and go to sleep immediately as its already one and it's been a pretty eventful day if you ask me.