Obsessed

Chapter 46

We go down to Spring City for the next couple of days. Again, we stayed at a beautiful hotel and had amazing buffets and lots of swimming and sunbathing. I look so tan I'm almost unrecognizable. Our group gets along really well surprisingly. I almost expect Harmony and Sierra to not get along because they are so similar. Both loud, bossy (in a good way) and love getting revenge on people. Especially enemies and ex-boyfriends.

By Monday night when we get home, we're all exhausted. I go straight to bed and don't wake up on Tuesday until midday. It was a great break. Now we have two months to relax before uni starts. I'm excited for Uni already. Hopefully I'll make friends quickly.

I've decided to get a dorm at Lingard. I can't be bothered to take a train or anything else. I can't drive either so that's another problem.

I wasn't expecting anyone to call me today. If anyone did, I wasn't planning on answering them. But I had to when Kyle called. "Hey."

"Hey kiddo."

The doorbell ringing convinces me to get out of bed. For the first time today. Kyle hangs up before he says anything more. Which makes it less surprising when he's the one ringing the doorbell. "Hey."

"Hey." He smiles briefly, "I think it's time for you to meet my mum."

I don't say anything. I just rush to get ready and then meet him outside. I hop on his motorbike and he starts it as soon as I'm on.

It only takes a few moments for me to recognize where we are going. I assume there is a housing estate near the place that's only so familiar to me.

Kyle takes a right. Not a left, like I expected. A depressing feeling starts looming over me. Kyle seems tense so I hold onto him tightly, in an attempt to be comforting.

He pulls over at the cemetery. We take off our helmets and then Kyle takes my hand as we start walking through the graves.

We stop in front of a grave that says 'Alice Harper' and a beautiful poem. She only died a few years ago. "That's her."

"How-"

"Car accident." His expression is grim as he glances around the graveyard. "She was fed up with my dad. Let's just say I'm not the only one he didn't... treat well. She stormed out of the house saying that she'd rather be dead than spend another minute with him. She left me with him." I don't know how to respond. I just watch his face change from grief to anger to grief to anger. "There were no witnesses. There's no proof whether she did it on purpose or whether it was an accident." He grits his teeth. "Remember when I told you I was visiting my great grandma? I lied."

I hug him. I wrap my arms around him tenderly and hope that I'm comforting him. His breathing gets a bit ragged. But thank God he's breathing. I get a sudden and horrible thought. His mother's death was abrupt, he wasn't expecting it so soon. If anything happened to Kyle... I wouldn't survive. I know I must sound like a little naïve kid. But I don't know how to explain how much I need him.

I didn't realise he had flowers until he dropped them on her stone. "I love her. But, sometimes I hate her."

***

The rest of the night I can't stop thinking about Kyle and his family, how abandoned he must of felt when his mum left. How alone he must've felt when he believed she had taken her own life. How ill-treated he was when he was isolated and trapped with his father. I don't sleep well.

The next day Kyle and I catch up again. Half-way through our coffee date I remember that I applied for a job at the ice-cream parlour near Carbon House and have an interview. We rush over there as quickly as we can.

"Can I help you with anything?" A short and stubby man behind the counter asks me.

"Uh, I applied for the casual job?" I say.

"Ah, yes. You seem like a trustworthy young woman. And you seem like a helpful partner. When can the two of you start working?"

"Didn't you want to interview-"

"I work on my gut instinct. And my instinct is telling me that you two will be a great asset to me. How about tonight? Can I get you working here every Wednesday seven to ten? I'll email you all the forms to sign and then you can get paid a.s.a.p! How does that sound?"

"Great." Kyle and I say in unison. It's a bit strange, but a great offer.

"I'm assuming you know how to scoop ice-cream? If you need any more help, I'll be out back. Just give me a shout. I'm Bert, by the way."

And that's how I got my first paid job.

***

I was in the shower in the morning and scrubbing shampoo and then conditioner through my hair. When I got out, I saw thirty-seven missed messages and sixteen missed phone calls from Kyle. I was only in the shower for an hour, how much could I have missed?

I check the messages as quickly as I can. At the same time, I clip on my bra and start getting dressed. Oh my gosh. Sonya's gone into labour.

Someone honks there car horn at the front of my house. I peek out the window and see Toby's car. I walk outside and indeed it's Toby.

"Need a ride to the hospital?"

"Sure." I sit in the passenger seat and Toby starts the car and drives off.

"How have you been?"

"Good. How about you?"

"Alright. How much do you want to bet on the gender?"

"Fifty bucks it's a girl."

"Deal." The traffic light turns red and Toby puts out his hand so we can shake on it. "I've never lost a bet."

"Neither have I."

***

Kyle is there once we reach the waiting room. "How is she?" I ask him.

"Good. Randy is in there but it's a bit uncomfortable for him." We both laugh. "So far everything looks good. Should be a matter of hours."

"That's so great. Has Sonya come up with any names yet?"

"No. But she says it will come to her when the moment comes. Just like it did for Randy and Emma."

"Practice makes perfect."

Hours pass. I think it's been officially eight hours now. It's officially dark outside. I'm officially sick of hospital food. Officially is a funny word. I'm tired officially. You can put 'officially' anywhere in a sentence. I'm officially sick of this. I'm sick, officially, of this. I'm sick of this officially.

Another four hours pass and everyone is getting restless. Kyle has gone into the room with Sonya to relieve Randy so it's been boring. I decide that I'm going to take a nap. Which is difficult. I've slept on a chair before, but these ones are disgusting in comparison.

Toby comes and sits next to me with a donut in hand. Sugary food is his forte. I tell him I'm going to sleep and he doesn't make things difficult. I find myself drifting off into sleep.

When I wake up, I'm resting on Toby's shoulder. He's asleep though. I rub my eyes and check the time. Two in the morning. I text mum and gran just so they know I haven't been kidnapped or anything. Not that they really notice when I'm gone. I don't think it's because they neglect me or anything, it's more that they trust me. I think.

The door to Sonya's private birth giving room, because I forgot the official name, bursts open and Kyle comes out smiling. "She's here!" Randy and Emma snap up and go into the room after him. I nudge Toby awake.

"You owe me fifty bucks."

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Just wait for it. Because it's coming.

Special thanks to @smokeydaisy1 @tori3lla @zanoh6 and @senzekile16 for all the votes!!
xxx

Aurora