The History of Us

A Blast from the Past

           

A Blast from the Past

I'm running up the stairs so quickly it feels like my lungs are on fire.

The stairs disappear beneath my feet, and my chest is burning, but I keep running. I misjudge the last step and my foot catches on it, and I go tumbling onto the landing.

I land on all fours, but quickly pull myself back off the ground, ignoring the groan from my knees at the impact. From downstairs, I hear my Mum shout my name, but I don't respond.

I dive through my bedroom door, and slam it shut behind me. Grabbing the chair from my dressing table, I wedge it under the door handle, hoping it will be enough to keep my Mum out.

Dropping onto my knees in front of my bed, I rummage through the ten years of mess hidden beneath the bed frame. Finally, I grasp the box I've been looking for.

I pull it out from under the bed, and brush the layer of dust from the lid. I cringe when I see my old handwriting scrawled on the front of the shoebox.

Madison Fox's Diaries

If I'm cringing now, I dread to think what I'll be like in a minute. I slide the lid off the box, and rummage for the oldest diary. I know which one it is.

It's pink velvet, for a start, with a little plastic bear hanging from the spiral binding. I groan, and open the diary regardless.

I know which page I need.

I know exactly where to find him.

I thumb through the pages until I see his name crop up. My finger stabs the page, and I can feel my teeth gritting together.

Nathan Dean.

The boy who ruined my life.

***

Earlier that day...

"So, where do you think Mrs Parker has gone?" Paige asks me about our absentee history teacher, a curious smile on her face. She leans across the desk to steal a pen from my pencil case, like she always does.

"Maybe she eloped with her drug-lord toy-boy finance?" I guess, and Paige breaks into sniggers.

"No, she's currently swimming the English Channel in a stylish two-piece as part of an undercover mission for MI5" Paige corrects me, and I nod.

"Of course, why didn't I think of that before?" I joke, causing Paige to roll her eyes. My phone beeps, and I reach into my pocket for it, reading the message.

"Is that from Jake?" Paige asks me, and I nod, sending a quick reply before putting my phone back in my bag under the table. "How is lover-boy?"

"He's alright, I'm seeing him after school" I inform her, and Paige starts making childish kissing noises. I laugh "He's been my boyfriend for over a year, can you stop that please?"

"I can try, but it goes against every fibre of my being" Paige reminds me. From across the desk, she notices Marcus Lowndes staring at her. "What?!" She barks at him, and he looks away sharply.

"You know you scare boys, right?" I point out, and she gives me a shark-like grin. I check my watch. "The lesson should have started by now"

"It's hard to replace Mrs Parker, clearly" Paige points out. "Oh wait, there's a teacher here now"

"He must have snuck in when we weren't looking" I comment, currently staring at the back of his head. He's got sandy blonde hair, cut short but still slightly unkept.