Silence

Chapter Nine

Oakley

Jasper woke me up by knocking on my door and screaming my name.

"Oakley! Get up, we're going to Cole's for lunch," he yelled, much louder than necessary. Going to Cole's for lunch? No.

And how long had I slept for?

I got out of bed, ran to the door and pulled it open, frowning at Jasper for an explanation.

"We're booking the holiday today, remember, so we're all going over there for a barbecue lunch." Barbecue again? "Get dressed. We're leaving in half an hour."

My heart sank. I half-smiled at my brother and slammed the door shut behind him. Lunch at Cole's. That was going to be awkward.

There was no way I could get out of it though, not without letting my parents know something was wrong.

I didn't bother with a shower as I didn't have the energy to rush getting ready. Putting on shorts and a plain t-shirt, I brushed my hair and then I was done. I looked about as plain as I felt. Five minutes later, when I was ready, I sat on my bed and waited for someone to call me down.

After twenty minutes, the inevitable happened – Mum shouted my name.

My heart dropped a little more. I was so nervous to see Cole again. He was mad at me, probably still would be, and I wasn't sure how to fix it. Or if he even wanted to.

"You look nice, honey," Mum complimented with a smile. I really didn't.

Slipping on my yellow pumps I followed my family to Cole's.

Jasper knocked eagerly at their front door, and within seconds, Jenna greeted us with a hug and then ushered us through their perfectly kept house to the back garden. I took every step slowly, delaying the inevitable.

When I got out in the garden my eyes immediately seek Cole out. He was sat at the end of the wooden table, staring into his glass of Coke. He looked sad, really, really sad. As we approached the table, he looked up and said a quick hello.

Where do I sit now? Next to him, in my usual seat, seemed too awkward now. I sat next to Mia, forcing Jasper to sit near Cole. It felt wrong but I picked up the Italy travel brochure that was in front of me to make it look like I just sat here to look at that. I hated having to calculate things in order for everything to look as normal as possible.

Nothing was bloody normal here.

Mia looked over my shoulder at the hotel we were staying in. Wow, was all I could think. It looked amazing. The hotel was a beautiful white building, halfway up a mountain. It didn't look too busy but seemed to have enough to keep everyone entertained. According to the brochure, the harbour was a two-minute walk away and the beach a little further, approximately twenty minutes.

The nightlife was good too, apparently. There were a few bars and clubs nearby. Mia and Jasper would want to go out, no doubt. Perhaps I would be allowed to go too. I was almost sixteen and if I was with Cole they'd let me go. Maybe.

I felt Cole's eyes on me the entire time. I squirmed at the attention, glanced to the side and gave him an apologetic smile. He smiled back, eyes full of regret too. Was he forgiving me? Just as I thought he was about to talk to me, David placed a plate of charred chicken kebabs down on the table, which Cole immediately grabbed and started to eat.

Please, talk to me.

Throughout lunch, Cole and I exchanged glances but he never uttered one word. Of course it wasn't long before Mum noticed something was wrong between us. She looked at me, then Cole, and then back to me. I prayed that she wouldn't say anything. Faking sickness and going home sounded like a very good idea right now.