How I See You

Chapter 3 - Will again.

This chapter was edited and updated on 5 Feb 2014. Enjoy!

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Chapter 3 - Will again.

By the end of the week I am drained of all energy. Everyday is the same - getting shouted at by psychiatric teachers, having boring conversations with the thirsty orange girls on the road after school, being on the bus, being nagged at by my parents, having to face mountains of homework every evening.

Every time I allow myself to think about it I feel angry because I complain so much internally and I shouldn't - it's compulsory and part of life and there's nothing I can do and things could be so much worse. And I know that complaining is futile. But I still hate it all.

So I sleep in late on Saturday morning. As soon as I wake up the unmistakeable smell of burning toast hits my nose, and that's how I know that Leila is in the kitchen. She always is burning her toast.

For a while I stare up at the white ceiling before jerking awake violently when there comes a shout from outside.

"ALYSSA! ALYSSA! COME OUT HERE AND HELP ME!"

It's some kid. I can't even tell if it's a boy or a girl. I remember Alyssa has a brother and realise it must be him; no other kid would know her unless she's made friends with these two little twin girls who live right at the end of the cul-de-sac.

I grunt and get up, then go over to the curtain and pull it back to stare outside. Once my eyes have adjusted to the dazzling April light, I can see him; Alyssa's brother has the same hair colour as her and it's curly like hers too, but obviously shorter. He's standing in their front garden trying to pull his little bike out of a bush that its front tire has gotten caught in.

I stand there and wait for her to come out, just to catch a glimpse of her and don't know why. But she doesn't appear. So I walk away, downstairs, and greet my parents and sister.

"I wish that kid'd stop screaming." My dad barely looks up as he turns the page of the newspaper.

I sigh and sleepily walk over to the fridge then get out milk and orange juice. "Do you remember Alyssa?" I ask them all groggily.

"Alyssa Marlbough? Of course!" My mum calls over from the table as she folds laundry. "Your friend from primary school."

I nod, then move over to the counter, shoving Leila out of the way who is just stood there eating her burnt toast. "Yeah, well that's her brother."

Leila scowls at me and stands back as I load the toaster with a few pieces of bread. "What?"

As she walks over to the window to look, I sigh and realise I'll have to tell them the whole story of how I saw her on the bus. I get out a bowl and pour some cereal in, then milk, for while I wait for my toast.

My mum stares at me confusedly as I carry the cereal to the table and begin to eat after sitting down beside me. "She got on my bus on Monday and said she's moved in to that house."

"I thought you didn't talk to her anymore," Leila calls over. "You never talk about her, anyway."

Slowly, I shrug. "I know. I don't talk to her."

"I thought it was very sad, Will, when you two lost touch," mum says in dismay to me. "You two were such great friends in primary school. And you still go to the same school. What's she like now?"

A million words fly through my brain at that moment, but I choose a few which won't cause an awkward reaction. So instead of saying 'Hot and coy and beautiful and sexy and potentially-boner-inducing', I say casually, "Shy."