The outlier

Chapter 4 - Jaspar

Chapter 4- Jaspar

I sometimes wonder if my brother slept with his driving test examiner to get his licence. He had been on the road for six minutes and he had hit two bins, ran a red light and had almost hit an old lady walking her dog.

That part was funny though. When Zac got out the car to apologise to her she quickly picked up her dog, flipped him off, muttered something about "idiot boys" and walked away faster than I have seen any old lady walk.

I stifled my laugh as Zac climbed back into the car groaning. He started the car again and we continued the drive to my friend Skye's house.

The rest of the drive was in silence. Zac parked the car across from Skye's. As I reached over to grasp the door handles he leant over and nudged his shoulder against mine.

"You okay Jaspar?"

I was very much ok. I was just nervous. I was the newest member to this group, having started attending Whitmore Collage at the beginning of this year. Being the new friend has its challenges. You are not as close with everyone as they are with each other. I liked Dylan, Maisie, Lulu, Skye and Lucas. I want to become closer with them, and I guess the way to bond with someone is to spend time with them. So instead of spending this afternoon at my piano, exhausting my fingertips by playing the difficult piece I had been practising over and over again in preparation for my upcoming recital, I decided to attend the party at Skye's.

I was excited of course. Lucas had been the one to organise this spontaneous get to together and he was considered the "king of parties" so I knew tonight would be fun. Then again I knew being the introvert that I am tonight may not go so well. I am a naturally awkward person so social gatherings weren't really my thing. I liked to think I was becoming more confident, that I was slowly making cracks in the shell that I have had surrounding me my whole life. I hoped. Being the shy guy was pretty difficult sometimes.

My clammy hands opened the car door. I looked back at my brother, "Yeah I'm fine Zac. Remember to actually pick me up this time!" I give him a stern look when saying the latter part.

Zac puts his hands up in surrender, "Gosh I forget to pick you up once and you end up holding it against me forever. Didn't Hannah Montana teach you that nobody's perfect?"

I give him a quick punch in the arm and all he does is laugh. I quickly jump out of the car and run across the street. I did not need Zac to make another joke regarding a crush that I used to have on Miley Cyrus.

I hesitate at Skye's gate before sighing and pushing it open. The smell of freshly mowed grass wafts around me as I walk up the pathway leading to the front door. The doormat in front of me is littered with shoes. There is a pair of pink cross trainers which I assume belong to Skye's mum, Amanda.

Amanda considers herself a fitness guru. She is the type of woman who likes to spend her free time standing on a yoga mat twisting her body in ways that don't seem naturally possible. Amanda likes to call herself a kale enthusiast. She discusses the benefits of kale and then opens the fridge and pops a piece of that curly crinkly alien looking lettuce thing into her mouth with lots of "Ooh" and "so healthy". Skye does a great impression of her mum in pigeon pose. Pigeon and kale. I hope to never see those on a dinner plate.

I knock on the door three times before taking a step back and planting my hands in my pockets. I turn my head and I notice a cat laying in the garden bed to my left.

The cat as far as I'm aware does not belong to Skye's family. It has grey fur with the exception of black coloured fur coating its paws. It lays on its side, with its eyes almost completely closed. Every few seconds its chest rises as it takes a breath. I can hear the cat quietly purring, completely unbothered by the fact that its whole body was covered with dirt and leaves. I aspired to reach this level of comfort.

The door has finally swung open and I am greeted by hugs and exclamations of phrases such as "Nice to see you" and "I'm glad you made it". The house smells amazing as always. Amanda may be a kale enthusiast but her husband Jeff is a candle enthusiast. He is always saying things like "Good people are like candles; they provide light and comfort" or "When a house smells good it automatically becomes inviting."

In between a complex description of the composition of the burning sandalwood, neroli and vanilla candles and a double slap on my back from Jeff, I was pulled upstairs. As I ascended the stairs I could hear Lulu saying "Get up here. Lucas is in the middle of a Nicki Minaj song and I think he has pulled a muscle". Introvert or not, this I had to see. Plus embarrassing as it is to say this, I was mad about Just Dance. Bring it on Nicki Minaj. I looked back and watched Jeff and Amanda leaving to go to their weekly dinner and movie date night which I knew meant that we had the house to ourselves until very very late.