Running With The Boys (Finished)

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Mia's POV

I remember the school as if from some twisted dream. I stare up at the building, feeling lost and more alone then ever despite the fact that Ollie has his arm around my waist. I lean into him. I've been gone for so long and I know realise the damage I've done.

But I can't dwell on it; can't think about it- because right now, I have a bigger thing to worry about. High school. While I was away, I'd joined a few High schools now and then, just too keep up my education. I figured that if I was going to have any chance of making it in the real world on my own one day, an education was essentile.

This morning, when I'd woken up, Patrick was no where to be seen, his room empty, his bags packed. He'd left three weeks early for Uni and I knew I was the reason. No one seemed to mind, but I knew it made them sad. I'd up set the balance in the family I'd abandoned years ago, and I doubted, while I was here, it would ever go back to normal.

Ollie locked his car behind me, stuffing the keys in his pocket. Our house was twenty minutes from the school, so right now, we were early. At least fifty students were milling about out the front of the school, eating, smoking, texting, talking...

I didn't see any familiar faces and according to Ollie, he doubted I would. After a private school had opened up in the town over, parents had jumped to the chance, shipping their kids off without a second thought. It made me wonder if, had I been home, my parents would have done the same.

It was start of a new year, only a week in apparently. So I wasn't too far behind.

"Ollie, bro!"

Ollie turned us and headed towards a tree just to the left of the school parking lot. Underneath it sat six boys, none of whom I could put a name too just yet. Although that voice did sound familiar.

"Reese, man. How were your holidays?" Ollie asked him as they bumped fists in greeting. On the way over, he'd taken his hand from around my waist, clearly expecting me to follow behind him.

"Great. Skiing in NZ. Perfect." the boy that had called out, Reese, said flourising his hands. He glanced at me from in front of Ollie. "Why hello there..." He said huskily.

Ollie's head snapped up and he punched Reese on the arm. "Jesus!" Reese cried, rubbing the spot as the boys around him looked up, laughing too, some of them eyeing me. "What the hell was that for?"

"For hitting on my sister." Ollie said smuggly, sitting down on the grass and greeting the other boys. I remained standing, unsure of what to do.

"Your sister... Man, are you tripping? I thought she up and left you when she was ten. Hell, we thought she was dead." A black haired boy, who sat smoking on the grass near my brother, said, rasing his eyebrows.

I felt sick then. Great, so they all thought I was dead.

"She came back yesterday, Marco, so shut your hole about her." Oliver snapped, grabbing my hand and hauling me onto his lap. The boys raised their eybrows.

"Incest, mate? Thats a little low, even for you..." Marco said, chuckling. This time I reached over and smacked him one, causing him to wince.

"Back off my brother, asshat." I snapped at him, leaning on Oliver's shoulder as he gave me a small high five, chuckling.

Marco rubbed his shoulder. "Damn that hurt."

I smirked at him, suddenly feeling like my old tom-boy, take-no-crap-from-anyone self. "Good."

I got up off Oliver's lap and sat down beside him. We all sat in companionable silence, Oliver and Marco talking away about cars. Some of the other boys talking about classes and their holidays. I felt comfortable, not judged or frightened. I felt like the old me. Someone I hadn't felt like in years.