The Give Away

Chapter 11

A week later all of our exams were over, no more classes, no more worry, no more pain. It felt like I had moved a mountain out of my life, a weight lifted off my shoulders. The whole drama with my Aunt, the hospital visits and the general school drama was all behind me. Sara, Lloyd, Lana and I were making our way back to a strong friendship and it felt so good. I didn't feel alone anymore, I don't even know why I had. Through absolutely everything Robert was there to hold my hand, hug me tight and stayed no matter what was happening. Everyone had just finished packing and was out in the courtyard, out of uniform, talking and laughing as we waited for the train to arrive just outside the gates. I leant against one of the columns and smiled as I put my hands in the pocket of Robert's jumper. Everything seemed a whole lot calmer. I had a new perspective of things, a new outlook on life. I appreciated the little things in each and every day which made special things like a hug, a smile, a kiss, seem just that bit more special and that little but more real. Robert, unexpectedly, wrapped his arms around my stomach from behind me and kissed my cheek. 'Hey' I said quietly as I put one hand on his cheek, and the other on his hands. 'Hey' he said. He spun me around to face him. 'Happy birthday' he said. My eyes opened wide in shock, my hands flew to my mouth. 'What?' He asked. Suddenly Jane and Kieran ran towards us. Jane jumped practically on me and smothered me in a hug. 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!' She said loudly as she laughed. I saw Kieran and Robert bump fists and smile. They had planned it. I was speachless. I had forgotten not only my birthday but Jane's as well. I saw Robert half disappear into the wall, he pulled out a baby blue box tied up in a white ribbon and sat it beside him, he pulled another one out and handed it to Kieran. I saw a tag on each one. One with Jane's and one with mine. 'No wonder he wanted me to wear this today' I thought with a smile as I looked down at the jumper he gave me. Robert handed me the box, 'happy birthday' he said. I smiled up at him before looking over at Jane. '3.....' I started '2.....' She replied. '1!' We said in unison as we gently tugged on the perfectly tied bows. They came undone and floated to the sides of the box, dangling in the air. We lifted the lid off and opened the cards. Mine read:

"Dear Hope,
even though we've had a tough few months, you know I am always here for you no matter what. I wish you the best birthday ever and hopefully I can be spend a few more with you. I know this is kinda cliché but Happy Birthday Hope! I hope you have a great day.
Love from Robert"

My face turned a bright red, and a smile spread across my face. 'I really hope you like it' Robert said. I lifted the card up to reveal a white teddy bear. It had a bracelet around its neck. I lifted it off, it was beautiful. It had silver and teal beads threaded onto the thick, silver, metal band. I looked closer at some of the beads, they had perfectly cut glass on them. My face went red hot, I was blushing and I was speechless. I put the bracelet back on the teddy and lifted it out of the box. It was extremely soft. I put it back in the box and sat the box on the ledge. I hugged Robert tight, buried my face in his neck. I kissed his cheek. He pulled away but kept one hand around my waist. He lifted the bracelet off the bear and held it up to me. 'Look closer' he said. I looked closely at each of the beads until something caught my eye. One of the beads had something engraved on it. It had 'To Hope, Happy 17th! Love Robert' in a love heart. My face felt like it was on fire I was blushing so much. I shook my head slowly and smiled. 'What?' He asked. He sounded worried. I looked up at him. I opened my mouth to say something but just ended up shaking my head again and smiling. He laughed. I looked up at him and kissed him. 'I love it, thank you' I said. 'You're welcome' he replied. I pulled away and looked to Jane. She turned to look at me. 'GROUP HUG!!!' She yelled and pulled me towards her. Robert and Kieran joined in. The train whistle echoed across the courtyard and everyone shuffled their way through the gates and onto the train. I said goodbye to my teachers and took a deep breath. I walked along the path trying to memorise every detail of the school so I could remember it over the holidays. Robert was waiting for me at the gates, we walked onto the train as we lugged out bags on board. We walked along the narrow corridor, Robert opened a door for me. 'Thank you' I said with a smile. I attempted to lift my bags up onto the shelf, I got them to the edge but I was too short to push it over the edge. Then my 'knight in shining armour' so to speak lifted the bag onto the shelf with ease. 'Thanks again, you are such a gentleman' I smiled. He held my hand, we were all alone in a train cabin. The curtains on the door was drawn, the train actually started moving, and the holidays had just begun. 'I have a surprise for you' he said. I turned to him surprised. 'What?' I asked confusedly. He smiled and pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. He handed it to me. 'Read it' he smiled. I took it in my hands, Robert put his arm around me as I read. I finished the first paragraph and looked up at him with tears in my eyes. He grinned. 'Oh my gosh' I said. 'I'm not moving!' He grinned. I hugged him. 'Keep reading' he smiled. 'Umm ok' I said. I kept reading. His parents were letting him invite me to spend a week with them, including New Year's Eve. I couldn't believe it. I turned to Robert and hugged him tight. I kissed him, he kissed me back. We pulled away as the train began to gain speed. He pulled my head to his shoulder and we sat together, my head was leaning on his shoulder and his head on mine. We held hands and fell asleep.