Bound By Secrets

Nate (7)

The bell rings and the teacher reminds us of the group projects that she's been discussing for the past half an hour as everyone starts packing up their stuff. I put all my things back into my backpack before picking Callie's handbag up off the floor and putting her things back inside it too. I look up to find Brad staring at me with an amused and quizzical stare, I just shrug my shoulders and then follow the stampede of students out of the room and towards the cafeteria.

"Hey, can you text Kate, see if she knows where Callie is and tell her I have Callie's bag." He nods and pulls his phone out of his pocket, as he starts typing out a message his whole body falls into mine and we fall into the lockers at the side of us. "What the..." My angry glare is met with an even angrier and intimidating one. Callie's brother, the grumpy one I'm assuming because I glance over his shoulder and see the other one with a beaming smile on his face. Brad pushes off the lockers and practically growls at the guy.

"Watch where you're fucking going man." He spits out. The glare then sweeps its way over to Brad, I swear I can actually hear him gulp, yeah, dude's scary as shit. Callie's brothers' nostrils flare and his jaw clenches and unclenches as he stares Brad down for a moment with murder in his eyes. He then turns and stomps off.

"Sorry about Connor, he uh, has a hard time controlling himself sometimes." The smiling twin says before he practically skips off down the hall in the same direction his brother went.

"What the fuck was that for?" Brad asks, as if I have any idea. I shrug again, straighten myself properly and then carry on to the cafeteria with Brad in tow huffing and puffing about getting knocked into.

Walking into the cafeteria, I literally run into my sister, her forehead smacking into the top of my chest. I place my hands on her shoulders and create some space between us before and she grunts and rubs her forehead with her hand that's holding the phone that she was focused on. I tut at her and go to make a joke about her being glued to her phone but she quickly glances around the cafeteria before grabbing mine and Brad's hands and pulling us back out into the corridor and down the hall to a storage closet. She opens the door and attempts to push us both in there but we both stand stock still with confused expressions on our faces.

"Just get in there, I need to talk to you both quickly and in private right now!" Brad and I glance at each other and then allow her to push our bodies inside the small closet. She closes the door and then turns on the light peering up at us both with a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"I'm a little concerned that you know about this storage closet and that you know where the light is inside it without even looking Kitty Kat." Brad jokes, I chuckle at his joke until she levels us both with a glare. A glare that she's inherited from my mum, and she's got it down to a T because we both stop laughing immediately and wait for her to talk.

"Look, I can't say much because I made a promise and you know how serious I am about promises. But somethings up with Callie and her family. I don't know what but it's something. Just keep that in mind okay, oh and also, don't ever call her sweetheart, it's not good." She aims that last bit at Brad, causing the guy to gulp nervously and then nod in acknowledgement. I go to ask her what she's going on about but as soon as she sees my lips part the slightest bit, she slaps her hand over my mouth and shakes her head no. "No questions, please don't ask me any questions because I don't want to have to lie to you but I will if you ask about something that I can't answer. Now, this conversation didn't happen. Just keep an eye on her and be careful what you say. That's it." I nod as well and then she pulls open the door and walks back out.

"Okay, seriously, what the fuck is going on with people today?" Brad asks.

"I don't know man..." I look down and see that I'm still holding the handles of Callie's black handbag. "Let's go to the cafeteria, I need some food and I need to give this bag back." I walk out the tiny room but look back at Brad when he doesn't follow me.