A little too late

Chapter 27

I went home in total confusion and shock. How dare he treat me like that? I mean, yes we are technically just being with each other for sex, but he could at least have a little respect for me. I thought we’d at least established that between us. If he was just going to treat me like this all the time, then things were just going to have to end. That means no more random sex, no more flirting in the hallways, nothing.

I grab out my phone and shoot a quick text to Jack.

‘We’re over. Don’t contact me again’.

I quickly turn off my phone, hoping that he gets the message that I’m not interested in anything he has to say. I go upstairs to my room and change into my pyjamas. It’s still the afternoon but I really don’t care. As I walk back downstairs, my mother looks me up and down.

“What are you wearing Stella?” She asks me. I give her a little shrug showing that I don’t care.

She frowns and continues, “What if Jack comes over and sees you like this? Surely, he won’t be so interested in you anymore!”

“I don’t care about Jack” I reply quickly, eager to get away from her.

“What do you mean you don’t care? He’s such a lovely young boy!” She tells me.

I snort and say, “Lovely isn’t a word I’d use to describe Jack”.

She looks at me in confusion, “What do you mean Stella?”

I look at my mum with sad eyes, “He just... nothing.” I start to walk away from her before I start to cry. My mum grabs my hand and pulls me backwards. I look at her for one moment before I quickly latch on to her and start to cry on her shoulder. She gives me a comforting hug, but it’s no way as good as Jacks.

“What happened baby?” She asks me. The word baby brings a little sting to my ears as I remember the way Jack used to say it.

I don’t reply but I just cry in her arms. She comforts me continually, but I simply don’t feel any better no matter what she says or does. In many ways, I feel worse now than I did after my break up with Sam. At least when I broke up with Sam I had something to distract me, or more like someone to distract me. And now he’s gone and I have no one.

“I want to move back to Australia” I tell her. She nods her head, listening to what I say.

“Are you sure?” She asks me. I nod my head.

“I’ll speak to your father” She says. I slowly let go of her and walk back up to my room alone, hoping that she means it and that she’ll actually convince my dad to move us back home. I go on my bed and snuggle up to my covers, hoping that sleep will come and take over this depressing state.

I lie in bed for hours doing nothing but stare at the wall. I hear my parents walk past my room to go to theirs at about ten o’clock. This is repeated by both my brothers at about 1 am. I lie alone for a couple more hours in the darkness until I hear a strange knock.

I quickly sit up, afraid that we are being robbed. The knock starts again and I realise that it’s coming from outside my window. I scurry away from my window in fear. I quickly search for my phone, getting ready to call the police. I snatch my phone up from off the ground and try to call them when I realise my phone’s off. Fuck. By this time, the knockings getting louder and I’m starting to panic even more.

I wait for my phone to turn on. The moment it’s on, it flashes up that I have 16 missed calls and 23 text messages. What the fuck?

There’s another knock on my window and I can hear a piece of my glass breaking. I ignore the missed calls and go to call the police. I quickly dial triple zero but then realise that that’s an Australian number. Fuck. I try to think of the British emergency number and my mind goes blank.

In a haste, I try dialling 911 in the hope that it will work in Britain as well. Someone picks up immediately.

“You’ve called emergency services, how can I help you?” The woman says.

“Someone’s breaking into my house!” I tell her quickly. She asks for my home address and tells me to hide. I do exactly what she says and hide in my walk in wardrobe.