Ecstasy

Chapter 45

Calla:

I was breathing so heavily I was sure he was going to start to think I was an asthmatic. But as we made it to the back door of Sam Tapp's house, I managed to get a few deep breaths in – although my heart beat didn't slow. I gripped Tyson's hand tightly as we weaved our way into the living room.

Sam was standing at the end of the table tennis table, a huge slab of cake alight in front of him. Mitchie stood smiling beside him and I was sure I could pick out his parents flashing photos. We made it in time for him to blow out the candles and make a wish. I was almost jealous; wanting a reason to make a wish right now.

At that thought I looked up at Tyson and met his eye for the first time since up in that tree house. His hair was all mussed up and he had a smudge of dark red at the corner of his mouth. I reached up and wiped the lipstick away with my thumb and he shot me one of his real award winning smiles before wrapping his arm lazily around my shoulders. I could have swooned.

***

I was pacing, my feet ploughing through Mitchie's shaggy cream carpet as I bit down on my thumb nail.

"So it wasn't like a little kiss, it was a real full on..." Mitchie trailed off.

I nodded and Mitchie squealed while I collapsed back onto her bed. I covered my face with my hands, hiding my smile.

"What am I doing?" My mother's words swirled in my head. He's a junkie – a drug abuser. What am I doing?

"Tyson, obviously." She laughed.

I looked up at Mitchie's face between my fingers and revealed my smile in response.

"Girl, don't over think it, seriously. Just try and enjoy it."

I sat up on my elbows and looked over at her sitting at her desk. Her hair was frizzy and had referred back to its original state of curly tangles, I was pretty sure mine looked the same. We got in very late last night; Mitchie and I were more interested in scrubbing off the make up and climbing into bed than gossiping. We were asleep before we hit the pillow. She sat there scratching her shin, clad in her knee length striped pyjamas. We both looked like death warmed up, it was too early to be awake in my books, but Mitchie's mum called us down for breakfast at eight o'clock and we hadn't made an effort to go back to bed. I felt dizzy; I wasn't sure if it was because of the events of last night with Tyson or the fact I'd been drinking. But I seriously doubted that two drinks could have given me a hangover. I was having a Tyson hangover. Dear lord.

I looked back at Mitchie, she seemed to be off in her own world; daydreaming. The tone of her last statement and her dreamy smile made me curious, "What about you and Sam?"

"What about me and Sam?" She replied innocently. There was something about the way she said it.

My mouth dropped open as she smiled stupidly. "You didn't?" My voice was high and my smile big.

She just shook her head and pressed her lips together. I gasped, "You did!"

She covered her face with her palms, but I could see her smiling beneath her hands. "Oh my god! Why didn't you tell me?" I slapped a pillow into the side of her head.

"Hey!" she looked up at me her hands going for the other pillow. "You were too busy swooning over player boy!" She threw the pillow back at me.

By this time we were both laughing and lazily trying to aim pillows at each other from the other side of the room.

"Oh my god," I groaned, suddenly realising I had to go home soon.

"What? What?" Mitchie's voice was muffled under the pillow I was squashing her face into the bed with.