Secrets, Deals and Lies

A Secret is Open But Another One Closes

A little while later we start moving ready to go back to Jack’s house, I suggested we go the long way so we could walk and talk some more, and we did.

When we turn a corner we were laughing then Jack stops laughing and moves a bit further from me than usual I look at him worried for a moment then I see he was looking at a group of people in front of us.

Billy and some other people - I'm guessing his “friends”.

We try to walk back the way we came hoping he didn’t/wouldn’t see us.

‘Hey, Remy!’ he yells out as soon as we turn around. I spin around pretending I was all happy to see him, I smile and say hello as his figure gets closer and closer.

He gives me a hug as soon as he was close enough. ‘So, you seen most ‘f the town?’ he asks directly to me with that smile of his, it was as if Jack wasn’t even there as Billy’s gaze was only focused on me.

I force smile, ‘almost.’

Finally he looks at Jack and they have another cold stare off, I start to feel all scared seeing anger and regrets floating around in their eyes looking like they’re ready at any time to punch each other out; both of their hands clenching and unclenching but both trying their best to stay calm for my sake.

We stand there in awkward silence then I finally have the guts to talk. ‘Um, Jack, I think we better get going; I’m feeling a bit hungry,’ I lie. They both look at me and I feel all weird wondering what they were thinking of each other, what they were thinking of me. The guys behind Billy watch every little thing we are saying and doing and it just made me feel even more uncomfortable.

‘We have some drinks and food if you like?’ Billy asks kindly. I look at the guys behind him once more, No way, too much guys for my comfort thanks. But instead Jack answers for me, ‘No. She’s fine,’ Jack says calmly as usual but with a hint of warning, staring with contempt.

The guys behind Billy get up and start to walk over but Billy just shrugs and they all stop, just like that. The thought of them all coming toward us like that – all ten of them – made me partly cower away behind Jack which didn’t seem anywhere near scared, his face still ever so impassive.

‘Don’t worry Remy, they won’t hurt you.’ Billy says softly taking a step toward me and holding out his hand. For a moment I was stuck in his little charm, forgetting everything that Jack had told me and almost put my hand out to hold his. Suddenly I stop, my hand in mid-air and pulled my arm behind my back, face flushed from embarrassment, ‘we should go,’ I say quietly turning to Jack and looking at his still-impassive face. 

Billy sticks out his bottom lip pretending to be sad as he looks at me now, ‘aaw, okay then.’ He gives me lingering a peck on the cheek before saying goodbye, then Jack and I disappear around the corner.

I look at Jack and his jaw was still tensed, fists still clenched. ‘Man was that some tension back there.’ I joke nervously now looking at Jack. He doesn’t reply but just keeps walking at a normal pace. I stop smiling and try to act serious, like him.

‘Promise me when I’m not around, you are not to talk to him or even try to go near him, okay?’ he asks trying his best to keep his voice even.

‘Okay, I promise! P.R.O.M.I.S.E,’ I smile once again spelling it out at the end. He looks at me serious but I can see the corner off his mouth curving up for a smile, though he won’t show it.

We walk in silence until we get to his house. Taylor and Leena come and greet me as Jack walks off to his bedroom alone.

‘What’s wrong with Jack?’ Taylor asks immediately sensing his change of mood. ‘We just ran into some people.’ I say trying to make it sound as casual as I could.

‘Really? Who? He doesn’t usually act like this,’ she says looking at the corridor to where he disappeared to.

She leans on the couch and waits for me patiently, reminding me so much of Jack. ‘Do you know Billy? Billy Herold?’

‘Ugh, not him,’ she says a second later, then she falls back and slouches her­self into the couch.

‘Why, what’s wrong?’ I ask even though Jack already told me about him.

Jack never told me how he felt or what he thought about Billy, he told me the facts – and just the facts.

Taylor told me about what she knew about their old relationship; about how they used to be good friends then Jack went his way and Billy got really upset they had a fight over something; cursed each other and had a punch on, police found them in the middle of it and broke them up. Or so the story goes. Ever since then they’ve been avoiding each other, until of course I had to come.

When we finished talking Taylor and Leena said they were going to the park, I told them to be careful and not to talk to strangers; they laughed and ran out the door screaming their goodbyes.

I walked into the spare room which Jack now sleeps in since I have his room, and found him lying on his bed on top of the covers, eyes closed, but not asleep; just calmly listening, thinking about everything. He sensed someone was in the room before I even got near him and opened his eyes to see who it was.

‘Hey,’ I smile making my way toward him. He looks up and smiles too but apart from that he doesn’t budge. ‘Hey,’ he mumbles as I sit beside him on the bed watching him as he happens to find the roof all of a sudden interesting.

‘So, Taylor told me everything, I think…’ my voice trailed off remembering these things were only from what she heard off others.

‘What do you mean?’ He looks back at me and sits up to hold my gaze; it was as if he was trying to read my mind or something. ‘I mean – you never told me anything about you and Billy fighting, you never talked to me about it, or mentioned anything. It would’ve helped me understand to why I shouldn’t talk to him and why you hated him so much.’

‘Well I guess I thought you never needed or wanted to know.’

‘Needed? Wanted? Of course I did, it’s just that you never said anything.’ I say brow furrowed and wondering why.

‘I didn't want you to know,’ he says finally.

We sit there in silence for a while just staring in each other’s eyes saying nothing. I could practically sense his muscles relaxing, his shoulder turning more slump and comfortable in our intimate silence. I could hear his even breathing but also the fast heart-beat of mine which seemed to quicken the longer I stared at Jack.  

‘Leena and Taylor went to the park, I feel like going again want to come?’

It takes him a while to respond; he shakes his head and said his going to rest for a while, I nod and say bye just as I walk out of the bed­room door.

When I arrive at the park I see Taylor and Leena playing with their friends screaming, laughing, running and scampering about.

I stand there observing the whole park then I see Luke and walk to him.

He turns around smiling. ‘Remy!’ he laughs and gives me one of them theatrical bows, a giant grin spread across his cheeky face. I shake my in embarrassment and roll my eyes but crack up laughing along with him soon after.

‘I now know the story of Jack and Billy.’

‘Oh, yeah? Who told you?’ he smiles running his eyes across the playground in which Leena was in now.

‘Taylor and Leena told me maybe about… half an hour ago.’ I walk over to the playground with Luke following like a tail.

‘Remy!’ Leena yells out my name and everyone looks at me. She introduces me to her little friends that stare in wonder walking in circles around me making me feel all em­barrassed.

Luke, Taylor, Leena, their friends and I play games around the playground, we played hide ‘n seek about 20 times and ran around chasing each other until we got a stitch on the sides of our stomach.

We sit down after a while talking, saying jokes and telling stories, until I start to feel hungry, really hungry.

‘I’m go­ing back to the house, my stomach still kinda hurts and I’m pretty hungry,’ none of them come but they all give me hugs and say good bye.