They Said My Life Was Perfect - Book 1

Chapter 35 - Rayna

The house comes into view and though I say that, it really means I only see the illuminated windows. The dark sky outside is cold and unwelcoming, the harsh breeze nipping at my skin. It probably doesn't help that I've forgotten about a jacket so it makes the wind feel even worse but still, I'm thankful I've finally arrived back.

I walk up the pathway and knock on the door, drying my eyes. My earlier predictions had been correct and I deeply regret attending tonight, it would've been better to stay in my room and out of the way.

As much as I hate admitting it, what Hayden did wasn't fair. To Mia or to me, it had been cruel to the both of us. I'm not stupid, I know he doesn't like me in the same way I do for him and he acted upon my crush, providing me with false hope whilst betraying his girlfriend.

'You're back early!' Finn grins and pulls me inside, blocking out the cold air as he shuts the door behind us. His obliviousness to the situation means I can pretend it never happened but I forget that Finn is one to notice obvious changes in behaviour.

'Hiya,' I say in greeting and his smile drops just a little.

'Did everything go well?' He says slowly and hesitate with what to do next. There's a limit to what I'm willing to say and this has surpassed that. It was clearly a mistake and I think the best thing will be to forget about it. So I grin and nod my head.

'It was lovely,' I laugh and relief crosses his expression.

'Are you sure?'

'Yep, completely,'

I peek round the living room door to see Finn's mother settled and staring at the television watching re-runs of what seems to be The Great British Bake Off.

She doesn't seem to notice the two of us talking in hushed whispers in the hall, completely engrossed with the screen. I call a quick hello to her and she does the same back. I smile at Finn, pointing my finger upwards indicating I'm going to my room and he nods in confirmation.

Once I evacuate the room, I feel my smile drop and suddenly, my happy demeanour expires. I know it's wrong to lie to someone as close to me as Finn but I don't want to worry him, he's shown concern for me enough recently and for once, I'd rather keep this to myself and not make it other people's problems. In addition to this, I don't want to cause issues within their friendship. If I tell Finn about this, I have no doubt he'll go straight to Hayden and speak to him about it. I already know they're on rough ground at the moment and I don't want to make it any worse.

I'll just appreciate the silence for the moment, he'll find out soon enough anyway.

I lie back on my bed, the bare ceiling staring back at me. I don't want to cry, I'm done with that. Instead I want to speak to my little brother. I want to hear his voice reassure me that everything will be okay.

So I take out my phone and dial the familiar house number. I gather a strange feeling as this happens but carry on anyway. I silently beg it'll be him who picks up but as usual, my hope fades away as I hear the recognisable  female voice.

'Hello?' She questions with her usual forced 'phone voice'. It's the one she uses to answer important calls, accentuating her accent to make it sound posh and formal.

'Hi,' I say back, the word catching in my throat as I struggle to respond. It doesn't even sound like me and yet her silence suggests she knows exactly who's on the other side.

Despite this, she brushes it off and coughs lightly to disguise her hesitation.

'May I know who's speaking?'

'Mum, I think you know,' I pick at the bed cover and stare at it as if truly analysing the material. Once again she's quiet, before a sigh is audible.