Basorexia - J.MAGUIRE

[2.43] leaving

"You didn't fight that wain, did you Clare?" Erin asked, mouth agape as she looked between the wain who cuddled up to her Ma and Clare with the cut on her lip. Chip and Clare had been the first to get to where the president would be making his speech and had managed to secure the very front row, the optimum viewing. 

Clare nodded, "I did fight that wain, Erin and I'll fight that wain again if I have to!"

"Aye it was class. Would pay money to see it again," Chip laughed softly, leaning up against the barrier despite the fact that it was quite a weak fence that would probably fall if she put any more weight on it.

Clare grinned proudly then went on an extensive rant about how vultures - other people - had been circling them repeatedly forever then yelled, "We must be as one!"

"Are you on glue?" Michelle responded in such a way that no one knew if she was joking or not.

"Come on link up," Clare instructed and reluctantly they all did so. The girls formed a line at the front, their arms interwoven. There was an empty space next to Chip, intended for James, who did not move to fill it. "Come on James."

He remained still, unmoving and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I need to talk to you, to all of you."

"Later, James."

"It can't wait... I'm leaving. I'm going back to London with Mum," he announced slowly, giving them all a chance to come to terms with his confession.

"What?" Chip blurted softly, feeling her heart fall through her feet. Her face sank, all emotion falling from her eyes as a feeling of suffocation took over every thought within her mind.

"The taxi's booked. I have to go, now. Sorry, it was all decided so quickly."

"I don't understand," Orla lamented, eyes full of pure confusion.

"You can't leave James," Clare responded softly, her grip on Chip's arm faltering.

"This was always going to happen. This was never my real life, it was just something that got in the way of it," James countered, doing everything in his power not to look towards Chip and her tear filled eyes. Once he had caught a singular glance of them and her, he found the urge to stay growing significantly. And he just couldn't do that.

Ouch. Wait... Was that supposed to hurt as much as it did? Did I just take it the wrong way?

"What are you talking about? You love it here," Erin chuckled, not believing a word.

"I'm not sure I do. I think I just developed Stockholm syndrome. I'll never forget this place... I have to go home now. It's time... Goodbye girls." Before he turned, their gazes met. He saw the tears in her eyes and how the darker blue parts of her iris had seemed to swallow the rest of her eyes, making her just look so devastated that all he wanted to do was hug her and tell her it would be okay. When he couldn't, because it wouldn't. He knew that walking away, going back to England, meant not coming back to Derry. Ever. His feet felt fixed to the ground, the inability to walk away glued him there. Then she looked away, unable to look into his eyes any longer and he no longer felt the pull. It was as if it had never actually existed. So James walked away, quickly as to not have enough time to regret his decision.

Michelle, after snapping out of her haze, unlinked her arms."Oh, I don't fucking think so somehow, dick face," she grumbled before going after James. She stopped mere metres in front of the girls and turned, looking to Chip alone in such a way with desperation, that she knew what she had to do. Michelle needed her support, so she pushed away any and all feelings of heartbreak that overtook her mind and just blindly followed.