Can You Keep a Secret?

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Lewis awoke early the next day, full of energy and eager to try meditating with Jenny’s book. He cleared the floor in his room (he had allowed the room to become a mess since he’d arrived) vowing to clean it the coming week. Then he pulled a pillow down from his bed, sitting cross legged on it, book open at his feet. He took several deep breaths, as the book instructed, and also closing his eyes and picturing a blank room, as Jenny’s annotation suggested.

As it began to clear, Lewis counted backwards from ten, picturing his mind to be a blank canvas, a sheet of paper waiting for a drawing. He scrubbed away thoughts of Jenny, of the vision of them both, concentrating on his heartbeat. He felt everything wash away, his heartbeat and breathing the constant backbeat and melody to his mind. Jenny had also suggested thinking of his bodily functions as music and it relaxed him.

When he felt as relaxed as possible, he tried to conjure a vision of the future, picturing the college lunch room and himself. It didn’t work for a moment but then it started to click on, like a movie reel onto a screen. He watched as he and Jenny sat, alone, talking about their weekends. Jenny was vague, not really telling him about what she had done but saying that it was tedious.

Then the mood shifted, Lewis asking about her parents, her life outside of school. Jenny was vague again, and Lewis began to lose the vision before he could get a straight answer from her. He was back in the blank room, a painting on the wall, of the canteen, Jenny and him sitting close together in a sea of blurs. He breathed out again, counting up to ten this time, picturing his room, listening to the sounds from the street outside his door.

When he opened his eyes, he felt invigorated. He bounced up, jumping into the shower and scrubbing away at his skin. When he was drying in his room, a text sounded and he snatched his phone up. His spirits fell a little when he saw that it was Jake texting to say that he was up and ready for them to come over but he was still, overall, happy and relaxed. He left a note for his mother saying that he would be back much later. He was whistling by the time he reached Jake’s house, feeling like he could do anything.

Aleisha answered the door, her tiny body covered in even less material. She had opted for skinny jeans and a bandeau. On someone older, it would have looked sexy but Lewis couldn’t help thinking that it just looked awkward on Aleisha. She smiled at him from underneath her eyelashes, her high voice trying to be low and seductive. Lewis stood uncomfortably at the door, waiting for Jake to appear and save him. But help came from another direction.

“Hey Lewis, Aleisha,” Alex said, sidling up next to Lewis. “Jake in, Al? He’s expecting us.”

Aleisha nodded reluctantly, stepping back to let them in. She hung close to Lewis, making him feel even more awkward. Alex stuck by him though, apparently trying to make it less embarrassing. When Jake finally appeared, he shooed Aleisha away, saying that it was guy time and she had to scram. She protested, pouting in what Lewis was sure she thought was a pretty way but it just made her look like a kid to him. She looked pleadingly at him but he just shrugged, following Jake into the living room.

“Jesus, she is not giving up, is she?” Alex said wonderingly. “Jenny told me you were having trouble with Jake’s little sister but she is laying it on thick. She wasn’t this pushy when she had that crush on me,” he admitted, making Lewis feel pretty miserable. “But then again, she was only ten. Give her time, she’ll probably grow out of it,” he said sympathetically.

They dropped it after that, turning on the television and a games console for a good old-fashioned zombie killing tournament. A couple of hours later, Aleisha came into the room, refusing to be left out. She insisted on playing teams with Lewis as her partner, squealing with excitement and screaming every time a zombie leapt onto the screen. When Jake had had enough, he dragged her into the kitchen to make lunch – and have a go at her, Lewis assumed.