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Spider and I descended down the path which took me home. He was tall, so I'd noticed that my normal pace may have seemed a little slow for him. "How do you know where I live?" I asked, curiously looking up at him.
"I've had to meet Cash behind the bottle-o opposite your house to pick up a few times." Spider said with a casual shrug, facing forward as he spoke. I nodded in response, though he obviously didn't see. The silence was deafening. Every situation Spider and I was in each others presence was a negative one, we had yet to find common ground. Though I was beginning to think it would never happen, especially after our explosive bicker in SLTs last week.
"Thanks for the, um, Ant situation." I bit my lip, discomfort washing over me. It made me cringe just thinking about it, let alone speaking about it with Spider, though I felt it necessary to thank him for his efforts to stop Ant from doing something I didn't want. Spider glanced down at me, his expression told me that he was unprepared for the gratitude after how we'd treated eachother since the start of term, or, how he'd first treated me.
"I would've done it for anyone, he obviously didn't realise how messed up you were." He said unadorned with a shrug. "You have to be careful with the drugs. You never know what kind of trouble you could find yourself in. I won't always be there to help you." His words were stern, though sincere. I was taken aback by his frank advice and protective demeanour, a smile to creeping onto my lips.
"Are you sure you won't?" I folded my arms as we began to walk past Maroubra beach, The air was warm and I could hear gentle waves cascading up and down the sand. It was a short walk to the ocean from the pavement and across the sand, so the sea could be seen briefly by streetlight. "Excuse me?" Spider asked, his face twisting in confusing by my words.
"I remember what happened the day of the festival." Spider stopped in his tracks, as did I. His eyes were soft, his stare gentle. "You remember that?" His voice was barley above a mutter, a crack in his words. I had never seen him so vulnerable as I had in this moment, I almost wanted to clasp my arms around him and feel him close to me.
"Of course." I spoke tenderly as we turned our bodies to face each other. Spider didn't speak, nor did I for a moment. The silence was comfortable, we breathed one another in. A charming smile made its way onto Spider's face and I returned the sweet gesture. "Chook is awful, I'm lucky you helped me that day."
"What?" Spider's smile faded, his face deflated quickly into defeat. "Chook? You helped with Chook? He was going to take me awa-"
"Right. Of course." Spider shook his head, turning away from me to face the sea and taking a few steps toward the beach. "Like I said, I would've done it for anyone." I cocked my head, confused by his sudden change of heart. He knew what I was talking about, though he seemed surprised and almost... sad? when I had mentioned the exact situation I referred to.
"Spencer." I breathed gently, stepping closer to him. He kept his back to me, his head hung low until I'd said his name. He slowly turned to face me as I stood behind him. "Is there something else I should remember about that night?" I asked, he parted his lips to say something but quickly retreated from this, instead staying quiet for a moment. His eyes flickered between my eyes and my lips as I spoke, I couldn't make out his thoughts.
"Of course not Daisie." He chuckled softly. "Come on, let's go." He began to walk once again and I followed him closely.
We had spent a majority of the walk in comfortable silence, exchanging small talk every once in a while until we had finally made it to my street. We strolled leisurely, Spiders hands pushed into his pockets. "I didn't know you was the one who wrote the songs for the band. You're not bad at it ay" I said with a laugh, hoping he'd see the funny side to my words. I wasn't sure if that song was still a sore spot.
"You must be joking. Dusty couldn't write a song if it fell out of Harpers arse and Ant's just illiterate." I laughed loudly as did Spider, though I didn't doubt his words. "Well, that song... it was amazing." I said with reluctancy in my tone, peering up at him as we drew closer to my house. He responded with a stiff smile, unsure how to take the compliment.
"What inspired you to write it?" I asked curiously, stopping in front of my door. Spider leant against the brick wall next to me, sucking in a sharp breath. "Nothing in particular." I dug through my small bag and pulled out my keys, looking up at him. "Nothing? Every song is inspired by something. You're not going to dedicate it to Harper McLean on stage at your next gig, right?" I laughed. Spider scoffed, laughing with an amused smile.
"You're joking, I don't know where she's been." I rolled my eyes at his response, popping my key into the lock. "Well, thank you for taking me home. I'll see you on Monday." Spider stood up straight and I stood still for a moment, before quickly wrapping my arms around his torso. I was unsure if it was the right thing to do, but I felt like I owed it to him. Maybe if I had known all the details of the festival before like I did now, we could've been friends since the beginning. He stood still for a moment, taken aback by my actions, though he soon cocooned me in his long arms.
I rested my head into his chest, listening to the sound of his calm heartbeat. His chin relaxed onto the top of my head, his hands grasping my bare arms. I wasn't sure how long we stayed in our embrace for, but I didn't want it to end so suddenly. I was comfortable like this, with him. It was the touch i had longed for since the day in the gym when I had helped him practice, and I knew when it would end I would long for it all over again.
"Does this mean we're friends now?" I muttered against his chest. Spider eased away from me slowly, his face inches away from mine. I stood there, waiting. I wanted it to happen and I was sure he wanted it to, even if it was just because we was caught up within our cliche moment. "I told you... I don't want to be your friend." He said, emphasis on the 'friend.' I hitched my breath, considering the possibilities of the emphasis. "Bye, Daisie." Spider mumbled, pulling away from me entirely and taking a few steps backwards, before turning his back and making his way down the path.
I watched him intently, mourning his contact. Several thoughts were rushing through my mind, I was struggling to focus. Why did he react that way when I'd mentioned Chook? It seems like I'm missing something, like there's more to that night and more to what happened between Spider and I. He seemed hurt that it was the only thing I mentioned about that night. He doesn't want to be my friend? I wasn't stupid, I knew what he was doing. I wasn't prepared for a slow burn climax to find out what was going on in Spencer White's brain, I just didn't know what to think.
