Blue Striped Tie

Chapter 9: An explanation of sorts

Ross spent half term in tense uncertainty, with radio silence from both Alex and Chris. His days were wasted pacing around his room in worry, occasionally getting questioning glances from his sister. He was desperately nervous about the state of his friendship with Chris, praying that he hadn't completely ruined it.

Being the new kid, Ross hadn't expected to find friends so quickly. Especially not close friends like Trott and Smith, friends he could lounge around and joke with in a manner that suggested he had known them for years. He just felt so comfortable with them, and the thought of loosing that made him want to rip his hair out.

"Ross." Gemma demanded, slamming her newspaper against the kitchen table one morning in frustration. "What is the problem?"

"What?" Ross asked, feigning innocence as he looked up from his cornflakes.

"This." She said, gesturing to the boy in front of her.

"What do you mean?" He asked again, looking back down at his cereal. The little flakes had gone mushy in the milk. Ross frowned.

"This whole mopey teenager thing." She said, waving the newspaper at him. "Ever since the end of term you've been acting like this."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ross mumbled, standing up and taking his bowl over to the sink. He emptied the wasted food into the recycling bin and washed up the bowl and spoon.

"Fine." His sister said, going back to reading the paper with a passive aggressive frown. "Don't tell me, but sharing will only make you feel better."

"Nothing to share." Ross said, clenching his teeth as he did so. He was right, there was nothing to share. He didn't know anything about what was wrong with Chris, that was the problem. Trying not to groan in his own frustration, he put his bowl and spoon on the drying rack and headed upstairs.

With nothing to do, Ross ended up scrolling though his contact list, occasionally pausing on names to debate calling them to see if they could hang out. No one popped into mind, as he had only formed close connections with the two boys he currently wasn't speaking to.

With Alex, the conversation quickly turned stale, both dancing around the subject of Chris with terrified caution. The brunet himself was completely ignoring both of them, supposedly as punishment for invading his privacy. Ross could respect that, as he had been nosy and Smith had crossed a line. But the desire to comfort Chris still burned inside of him, desperately wanting to reach out to the boy.

In the end, Ross did nothing. Electing to respect their wishes Ross threw his phone to the side of his room, choosing to roll onto his back and sigh loudly instead. He groaned and rubbed his face in frustration. There was literally nothing he could do to help the situation, and that left him to wallow in a pit of worry alone.

"Ross!" Gemma shouted from downstairs. Ross sat up and sighed, not wanting another interrogation from his sister.

"What?" He yelled back, running a hand through his hair in an attempt to get it to do something. Looking into the long mirror propped up on the wall across from his bed, he frowned at his sticking up hair.

"There's someone here to see you." Gemma called, causing Ross to raise an eyebrow. Someone here to see him? There was no way it was Chris. Alex perhaps? It was unlikely, given the tense silence between the two.

"Coming!" Ross said, pulling himself off of his bed and down the stairs. His mind raced in confusion. Hovering at the front door, his sister smiled at his puzzled expression, and moved aside to reveal a small figure with bright ginger hair.

"Katie?" Ross asked, frowning at the girl standing in the doorway. She put both hands on each of her hips and glared at him.

"Come with me." She demanded, grabbing him by the wrist and yanking him out of the house. Ross gave a small yelp as she dragged him along the garden path to the front gate, glancing over his shoulder to see his sister smirking and closing the front door.