The Best Thing He Ever Wrote

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

It's almost seven o'clock. The clouds are looking pretty heavy, filled with rain I suppose. In fact, I can smell that it's going to start raining soon, the scent of dirt takes over the air and that's always a sign. Everything I have to do is done: Olivia went to school along with Cindy, the shop was opened, customers were served and now it's closed. I only managed driving the Ute down to the end of the street before getting out. It won't take long for the weekend to arrive and part of me wishes that Percy didn't let me have weekends off. I guess I don't see a point in going home: Cindy and I aren't talking and my mother still hasn't uttered more than a few words since she told me that I'd done a good job. In fact, I think she's really making up for not talking to me because she did talk to me.

It was just school.

It's not the end of the world.

I kick up few stones before sitting down by the gutter near my Ute. My father, he floats around my mind for a few seconds, I think the not talking to me thing is really starting to catch on. I hope that the disease doesn't reach Olivia, because right now, she's the only person I have. Maybe I should do something nice for her, like buy her something or take her out. Isn't that what a boyfriend should do? We've been going out for a while now, shouldn't I be doing some kind of romantic gesture, other than the little things that I do? I don't understand why I can't just be Mr Charming. I suppose you either have to generally be charming, or a very good liar. I'm not too tough in either category.

I gaze up at the clouds for a moment; I can only see one star peep through a gap. A little yellow dot, a piece of dark fabric poked with a needle and held by the light. I think of everything at that moment, starting from me learning to throw a ball with my father when I was two years old- my youngest memory, the time my father brought the Ute home for bush bashing when I was fourteen, Johnny and Sydney breaking the toy machine by accident at the cinema. I take a steadying breath, playing cricket on the road even though I was never any good at it, Sydney dying, Olivia and I at the ice-cream parlour, my argument with Cindy and now. Maybe I will go and see Olivia, maybe knock on her window even though I don't know which window that is. Isn't that what the guy’s meant to do? I stand, dusting the back of my pants with my hands. Maybe I should go home first because I'm already an hour late. Although, I don't think anyone would really care if I'm just a couple minutes longer. I doubt that they’d even care if I never showed up at home again.

“Brandon?”

I look around, my eyes steadying on a dark figure in the middle of the road. A tall figure, broad shoulders and scruffy looking hair, it's a male. You didn't need to hear the voice to know that. I think about just driving off anyway, I don't really feel like talking to whoever it might be. The figure draws closer and as the dim light from the street lamp lights up a one too familiar face, I immediately stand back. I can feel every muscle in my body tense, the hairs on my neck rise and my hands ball up into fists. I can't deal with this right now, because I just don't know what I might do.

“I don't want to talk to you now.” I say to Johnny, “I don't know if I can any other time either. I'm not going to deal with this now.” I shake my head grabbing for my keys to the Ute.

“I need to talk to you.”

“Piss off, Johnny.”

His figure grows lighter as he reaches me, “I don't want to fight, ok? I've been looking for you. I want to explain-”

“There's nothing to explain.” I growl, the temperature of my blood begins to hit boiling point and I don't know if it's because he's acting so cool about this or that I'm just generally mad at him. Both, I think. I close my hand around my keys so tightly that I think I might just be cutting flesh with them.