Keeping The Pieces

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

(Music in external link!)

I woke up in the morning with a terrible ache in my stomach and knew that I wouldn’t be able to eat anything today without upchucking it. But I went through the usual routine of every other morning and now here I am thirty minutes before the bell chatting with Claire.

Claire looks around as if to check no ones listening and turns back to me.

“So what do you think of Alex?” She asks with an obvious point to her tone.

I purposely ignore how obvious she is being an say “Well I think you both totally suit and he isn’t gay so yeah that’s great.” For you I want to say.

She shakes her head with a hint of a smile on her face and opens her mouth to say something just as Alex walks down the hall towards us with his eyes intently focused on me which makes me blush so I look at the ground trying to hide it. I wipe my cool hands over my face trying to cool the blood down in my cheeks unsuccessfully but look up as Alex gets nearer.

If possible his smile gets wider when I send a genuine smile his way. I internally scold myself for inviting him over not that he wasn’t coming over anyway. But as much as I want to let everyone in I can’t it would expose my life and ruin everything I worked for.

I force a frown and as easy as it sounds it’s not, for no reason I can think of Alex makes me insanely happy and that’s one of the things I would kill for if I had the choice. Alex’s smile faltered when he sees my mood change which makes me want to cuddle him and make him happy again. I ignore that last thought and carry on frowning.

“Hi Claire, Luz” his gaze drifts across to me to give me a lingering look which I totally don’t want, okay maybe I do want it but I don’t want to want it so that has to count for something right? Maybe not but ignorance is bliss right? Whatever.

“Hi yourself Alex, didn’t you know hay is the new hi?” Claire says with her usual enthusiasm. He laughs at this, its deep, husky and like he’s actually happy. It makes me wonder what true happiness feels like again.

I still haven’t said anything which Alex notices when he looks back at me after barley five seconds. “By the way Luz, thanks for helping me out yesterday, I had fun… We should do it again sometime!” He says seriously and I can see Claire’s eyes popping out of her sockets next to me.

“Yeah we should defiantly hang out at my work and let you push me of shelves, because that’s what I like to spend the day doing, attempting to paralyse myself!” I say secretly wanting to make it a joke but making my voice sound harsh and cold, which is what I’m aiming for.

I see hurt flash in his eyes for a moment which makes me regret what I say even if it is for my own good. As quickly as the hurt is there it‘s gone and replaced a cocky smile that almost looks real. Almost. “Yeah, well that’s fine I’m sure there’s plenty of other girls that would like to be caught in my arms!” He says half amused but by the look on his face before it’s probably to cover his blown ego.

…Whoa, what did he say? Girls? What girls? Blazing, hot anger swims through me as I think of him being near a girl. What the hell? All I want to do is run after these girls and rip their hair out! I am going to hunt those girls down and… Shut up Luz he was joking get over it!

“Yeah I’m sure, because there’s girls hanging on your every word right now!” I say with over loaded sarcasm. But then Lacy the clinger, who is always stuck to some poor guy’s side decides at that exact moment to wrap herself around Alex’s side. Now that has to be a coincidence.

Her face is pasted orange from foundation, her fake eye lashes are almost touching her eyebrows, her black hair is bleached blonde, her eyebrows are over exaggerated to point upwards in the shape of triangles and her clothes make her look on the border line of being nude.