UNSEEN

TEN

I watch him as he pulls out a cigarette from his left jacket pocket and lights it, standing next to the fountain. It's funny, how I've known this guy my whole life and all he is to me is a stranger.

I never trusted him with Liv, so back then, one could say there was a certain amount of hostility between us. But she left him, then she left all of us and now, here we are, still strangers.

I wonder if he knows something I don't, because in the past few days, I've realised that people have secrets. They all do. And you'll never really know what they can do to keep them.

"A little early to be smoking, isn't it?" I say.

He doesn't turn around but I know he's rolling his eyes. He pulls out another one and hands it to me. I put it between my lips and he lights it. As the smoke fills my lungs, I feel it coursing through my veins. I feel like smoke. All I am, however, is ash.

"How have you been?" He asks me, sounding like he wants to jump straight to 'Did you fucking kill her?"

"Nothing's changed." I say.

He always seems to have this mad look on his face. It looks more noticeable nowadays.

"It never does for you, does it?"

I raise one brow. "What does that mean?" I honestly don't understand.

He bites his lips, does a couple of weird hand gestures and speaks.

"Why are you talking to me, Reece?"

I almost laugh. "And they say I'm rude."
"No." He's yelling now. "You're talking to me because when you saw me in there, you were surprised. You didn't expect to feel so odd, so curious, like something in your head was tingling, like you expected something from me."

I opened my mouth to argue, instantly realising that I had no argument to put up. That was actually exactly how I felt when I saw him. Only he found better words to express it. The perfect words, in fact.

There it is again, the wildness in his eyes. He grabs me by the shoulders.

"You're the only one that can bring her justice."

My head hurts. He's pissing me off. I don't think he knows that I don't know. I push him away.

"What are you talking about?"

"Reece!" It's Evan's voice. I don't look away from Calum. He looks at Evan, and suddenly, hugs me.

"All I can tell you", he whispers in my ear. "Is that everything you know is a lie."

"Reece!" He yells louder this time. I look at him. His face looks the same as it did yesterday from the kitchen window. I'm pretty much ashamed of myself for never seeing it before. "Your mother wants you inside. Now. "

"You need to think fast. Think hard." Says Calum, as he walks away from me to a girl with honey blonde hair and a great rack. I assume she's his girlfriend, although I never imagined him getting over Liv.

I walk back to Evan.

"I suggest you stop talking to that boy." he says. This is not his usual behaviour. He was never like this.

"Why?" I ask. "Has he done something you didn't like?"

He sighs. "It's a suggestion." And walks inside.

As I follow him inside, I say, under my breath, "Sounded a lot like a threat."