Mending

Part 4

27th December

I'm back. Thank God.

As usual, spending any length of time with my parents at home was horrible. I don't even want to go into the details but I was glad for the practitioners and that a few of my friends, some from my childhood and those at school, rang. Shockingly, I was even able to get away for a few hours to see Jasmine, Justin, Kieran and Hannah at Jasmine's house. They wouldn't be back until after the New Year. I'd probably spend it at school, as sad as that thought was. I'd done it before so why not now? They threw a party for all the students and teachers left in school and since we were in school – and apparently in the hands of professionals – they allowed us alcohol. Not much, so some other students got vaguely drunk in their rooms before coming to the party.

It was funny because when they were drunk, very few of my 'peers' hated me. Despite the way I knew they were going to feel about me in the morning, I always had a fun time with them on New Year's Eve.

Finally feeling better after a week to recover from the tests, I went for a run the second I was unpacked. Running for about an hour, I headed back and jumped in the shower.

The minute I was dressed, I thought, it's so good to be back! I can finally do – this! and blasted music from my docking station.

The first song to come on was You Me At Six, Contagious Chemistry. I sung at the very top of my lungs. I loved this. If there was one way I preferred to unwind it would be to sing as loud as I can and dance around my room.

The song ended and before the next could start I heard a low whistle behind me. Quickly, I paused the music so nothing came on that could possibly embarrass me, or deafen us, then turned to face the intruder.

"The hell are you doing in my room?!"

He shrugged, "I knocked but gathered you couldn't hear me over the loud music." I really wanted to slap that look right off his face.

"Didn't answer my question..." Defensively, I crossed my arms over my chest.

He rolled his eyes and pushed off the doorframe, walking even more inside my room. Who said he could do that? He needed to BACK OFF!

"Since we're both here for the rest of Christmas break I gathered I'd make a proposition." I raised an eyebrow when he didn't carry on. "How about since you're the female lead role and I'm the male lead role we get together and practice some scenes?"

God I really wanted to say no. There was nothing more I wanted to do in my whole entire life other than say no to the ass hat. Unfortunately my mouth didn't comply.

"Fine. But only because Kieran isn't here and so can't go through my lines with me." Ah, my favourite characteristic of mine was my stubbornness. It was a skill.

He now leaned against my bedpost instead, "What's with you and Dodds anyway? I hardly ever see you without eachother – you've got to be dating."

I glared at him, fighting an internal battle on what to say. My stupid side won once again. "You really want to know what's with me and Kieran?"

He looked as though he was pondering the question but I knew a seed had been planted in his brain – the burning curiosity and something else in his eyes gave it away. Didn't know what the something else was then but I didn't care. His lazy nod only made the urge to hit him grow.

"He is one of the very few people in this school that doesn't judge me or try to change me into someone I'm not." I hated how exasperated and hurt I sounded when I said very. "After things between you and me blew up..." I shook my head. "I guess he took your place in a way. He's the only person in this world that understands me and sticks by me even when I argue with him because he knows I don't mean it." Couldn't I just keep my mouth shut?! UGH! Why didn't I just stick an 'unlike you' on the end there? It was already pretty darn obvious what I was going on about now.