Finding the Family

Chapter Four

Kiera

I didn’t see Jax that whole week even when I went round to see Autumn. I didn’t know what I did to make him want to avoid me but it was obviously something big because Autumn seemed a bit angry at me at times.

  Mike didn’t bother me after what happened between him and Jax but he did occasionally glance at me and give me a small smile. Suzanne and Mike got closer and she stopped making fun of me as much but that’s because I stopped seeing her that much.

  “Are you alright? You seem a bit distracted,” Leon, my lab partner, asked.

  I shrugged. “I’m just having a bad day.” More like a bad life I thought. “So, how are you?” He laughed, not in a rude way but it made me feel kind of silly anyway. “What are you laughing at?”

  “You have never cared about me before because you’re this closed of bad girl and I’m too nerdy for you,” He replied, still laughing.

  “Yeah, well maybe I was just acting and I’m not really a bad girl,” I whispered and he stared at me with his mouth wide open. I was surprised that I had said that too, I had always thought that maybe that wasn’t who I was but I had never admitted it.

  “Are you kidding?” Leon asked, running his fingers through his silky strawberry blonde hair and thinking about what I had just said.

  “No, I have a book collection at home and enjoy writing poems and songs or drawing in my spare time,” I said and laughed at how stupid this sounded, I had never even thought about telling anyone any of that before but when I did say it I felt so relieved.

  “Now, I really don’t believe that.”

  “I could show you some of my drawings if you want,” I said and opened up my bag, he touched my hand lightly.

  “You don’t have to.” I thought about it and then shook my head slightly.

  “I want to.” I took my notebook out of my bag and opened it to a page where it had a drawing of a girl trapped in a box, he inspected it’s every detail and took a deep breath in like he was going to say something that he was going to regret.

  “Is this some sort of symbolism for how you feel?” I looked down so that my hair covers my face and thought about how to answer that, I mean I hadn’t thought about it when I had been drawing it but I couldn’t really remember that much about it because it had been so long ago.

  I had drawn it after Olivia committed suicide and Juan left, I suppose I had felt bad about it and drawing let out a lot of stress about it rather than punching someone of something.

  “No, maybe, yes, sort of. Don’t you think that everyone feels like this sometimes?”

  “I know that I certainly do,” He said and then his voice dropped to a whisper. “Can I tell you something? Are you judgemental? Answer the first question first.” I gasped at what he said but hid it with a cough.

  “Sure and no.”

  “I’m not a big fan of girls, if you get what I mean,” He said and blushed, making him as red as a tomato.

  “You’re gay?” I whispered and he hushed me.

  “Not gay, bi-sexual and proud but in this school no one gets accepted, remember what happened to Olivia?” I shivered thinking about that poor soul and whoever found her lifeless body hanging from the ceiling.

  “Yeah, I remember,” I whispered and it knowing that he cared about her as well made me feel better that I was supported by someone who wasn’t scared shitless of me.

I waited outside Autumn’s house for Jax because after the talk with Leon I just wanted to let Jax know how I feel about him. I waited there for ages and eventually Autumn came and her eyes widened when she saw me.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?!” She hissed, grabbing my arm up aggressively. I shook her off me and rubbed my arm with a shocked and confused expression on my face.

  “I’m here to see Jax,” I said as more of a question.

  “No you’re not, you’ve done enough to break his heart,” She said and opened the door, I grabbed her arm.

  “What do you mean I broke his heart?” I was so confused by what she was saying and she gave me the most fed up look I’ve ever been given.

  “You can’t go out with Mike and flirt with Jax all the time it’s not fair on him especially since he loves you!” She exclaimed and I felt my heart do a flip and I let go of her arm slowly.

  “I didn’t know he loved me, I’m not going out with Mike and all I’ve ever done is love Jax back,” I said and gulped scared that I was going to cry in front of her. “Just tell him that I’m sorry.” I turned away and was about to walk away when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

  “She doesn’t have to.” I jumped at Jax’s voice and pulled at my jumper’s sleeve nervously and shook uncontrollably.

  “I-I…I’m s-sorry,” I said and felt tears rolling down my cheeks. “I’m so sorry for everything I didn’t mean to hurt you.” He hugged me and stroked my hair in a comforting way.

  “It’s okay,” He whispered and I tried to stop crying. “I want you to meet someone.”

  “Who?” He let go of me and held my hands, I looked up at him. “Who is it, Jax?”

  “My sister, Taryn.”