Lost Hope

Chapter Seven

The field is dry, but the grass is a dull shade of green due to the winter clouds blocking the rays of sun. It goes on for miles, boarded off with stone walls and trees in the distance. Tire marks tread across the grass beneath me, showing that people often drive across these grounds. Whether it's for fun or for work, I'm not sure.

"Race you," Brains says before sprinting off ahead of me.

"What?"

"Come on, Issa-bear. Live a little."

"You call this living?"

"Of course. Who wouldn't want to run in a field? Have you never watched movies? It's like the best scenes of the entire thing."

My shoulders slump and eyes roll before I let out a groan and race towards the gate at the end. The wind brushes against my short hair, prickling against my cold and rosy ears. Something about it manages to pull an effortless smile onto my cheeks; something that hasn't been easy to do in a long time.

Brains is running backwards, facing me while he laughs hysterically. His smile is so wide, showing off almost all of his teeth. His smile lines deepen, his freckles on show beneath the sun that has been hiding for months.

Even though his nickname is Brains, I never thought he'd actually be right about something, but what he said was true. This does feel amazing. I feel more free and alive than I ever have before, even though it's just running through a dull field in the late winter.

"Shit," Brains says breathlessly after I tap the gate before him. "You're actually pretty fast."

I chuckle and point in his face, almost jumping on the spot because of the adrenaline that pulses through my body. "Too right I am. I was the national championship winner when I was fourteen."

"For real?" he asks, surprised. "How come you don't run anymore?"

"Reasons," I reply bluntly after realising I was too caught up in the moment and allowed my wall to be let down.

Brains continues to stare at me with soft eyes and a weird smile that's barely even noticeable. His hands are leaning on his bent knees as he tries to catch his breath and breathe back enough air into his lungs again.

"What?" I question. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because," he takes a breath, "I don't think I've ever seen or heard you laugh before—not properly anyway. It's incredible."

"Incredible? How is that incredible?"

"Because it means you're happy. You're never happy."

I frown in his direction. "Thanks."

"No offence, but it's true. I hardly ever see you smile. You're laid back, but you're also quite strict."

"Strict?"

"Mhmm. I like it though." He winks and begins to climb a random tree by the wall that separates us from the next field. "I used to always climb this tree when I was younger. Me and Beck would race to the top."

"You knew Beck before secondary?"

Brains looks at me, astonished that I wasn't already aware of this fact. "My mum and his auntie were best friends, and then through them my dad and his auntie's husband grew close. We've known each other since we were babies."

"Oh, right. I never knew."

"We met Will and Ryan on the first day of secondary because we were all put in the same tutor group."

"Did they already know each other as well?"

"Yep. I believe it was the first day of year two. Will was new to the school, got in a fight on his first day, Ryan was the one who stepped in to help and then cleaned him up afterwards. Been best mates ever since."