Silence

Chapter Eight

Oakley

At least if Cole stayed away, he wouldn't get any more comments about him babysitting the 'mute freak'. He had never cared what people thought of him, at least that's what he told me, but it must have gotten to him occasionally.

He was done.

I shouldn't have ever let myself like him as anything more than a friend. We were never going to be anything more. How could we? I couldn't even talk to him! There were times when he would give me a lingering look that I thought he might like me a little bit. I was sure I wasn't imagining it but it was hard for me to believe he'd want me.

For the rest of the day, I did nothing but sit inside the shack at the park and stare into space. After a while, I didn't even think about anything, I just existed. As I saw and heard students walk past the park on their way home from school though, I knew I needed to pull myself together and get home.

Walking slowly, I headed home, looking down at the ground to protect my eyes from the sun. Would Mum and Dad still be there? They were attending a charity dinner and had to travel just over a hundred miles, so they were leaving sometime in the afternoon. I prayed that they would have already left.

Sighing in relief as I noticed Dad's car wasn't in the driveway, I walked to the front door feeling a little lighter. At least I wouldn't have their freak out to deal with.

When I pushed the door open, I saw my lazy brother sitting on the sofa playing the PlayStation. His University had finished for summer earlier than my high school, so his summer holiday started weeks ago. One day he would have to grow up and get a house and job, but it was hard to imagine it after seeing him slob around here all the time.

"Hey," he grunted with a little nod of his head, not even looking up from the screen. I flopped down on the sofa beside him. School was over for six weeks, but I couldn't even feel that happy about it. All I could think of was the fight with Cole and that look on his face.

Jasper took a double take of my face and paused his game.

"What happened?"

I smiled and shook my head.

"Where's Cole?" Jasper's face hardened, his jaw clenched and eyes narrowed. "What did he do?" He demanded. Again, I shook my head and tried to make out he was reacting over nothing.

"So, if Cole's not the reason you're upset, who is?" Jasper asked, frowning doubtfully. Cole was the reason, but it wasn't his fault. "That idiot at school? The one I beat up last year?" He growled, referring to Julian. Jasper was usually as soft as a pussycat but not when it came to me. He was overprotective and quick to lash out at anyone he thought was giving me a hard time.

I remembered the incident Jasper was referring to. How could I not? Jasper was still in Sixth Form. He had caught Julian saying some stuff about me. I still didn't know what, but it made Jasper punch him a few times. He was suspended from Sixth Form for a week, and then given a week of lunchtime detentions for refusing to apologise to Julian.

It would seem Cole had fully taken over his role... as a brother? Did Cole see me as a little sister? I ached with disappointment.

I shook my head in answer to Jasper's question, and he got up and walked into the kitchen. There was no way he had dropped it just like that. I followed him, waiting at the door as he got his phone and started dialling. Oh, no! I knew what he was doing. As he raised the phone to his ear, I leapt forward and grabbed it out of his hand. He'd started ringing Cole, but the call hadn't started going through, thankfully.