Hello, Goodbye

09: Saxon

{ unedited }

“So,” he says. He doesn’t look at her; he looks straight ahead. She scoots closer to him. “Grace, you have to tell me. Come on. Your family, your dilemma, it’s been nagging me all weekend.” He looks over at her and is immediately met by her big brown eyes and a gentle, kind smile. “So, what happened?”

“Anthony’s staying but my father left the night they came.” Her smile almost drops entirely. “Just a note, no proper goodbye.” He nods.

“But…you’re okay with that, right? You didn’t want him to come in the first place?” He replays his dream in his head. She shrugs, so he decides to let it go. He bites his bottom lip momentarily. “So, will I be able to meet your brother? Your mother?” He smiles. She shrugs again but he refuses to let it go this time. “Grace,” he whines.

“My family shouldn’t be any of your business. My friends don’t usually come over to my place, most of them haven’t meant any of my family members.” He sees her entire face fill with sadness.

“Grace?”

“You don’t want to meet my family, Saxon. You don’t want to walk into my house. You don’t want to be friends with someone like me. Okay?” He stares at her for a moment. She sighs. “Saxon. Okay?”

“Okay. Yeah. Fine.” Then he looks away and doesn’t know what to do. He looks over and she is reading a book. A blue cover. Her nimble fingers turn the page. “Good book?” he asks. She looks up and raises an eyebrow. “Oh, gosh. I’m an idiot, I know. I just – I think you’re the only real friend I’ve ever had.” She stares at him expressionless for a moment. Then she smiles, teeth and all.

“Really?”

“I mean, Andrew…he’s just too caught up in popularity and whatever else. I don’t know. And then there are my previous friends from my past and they’re not my friends now, are they? So they left, so they’re not my real friend.” She lessens the extent of her smile, cocking her head to the side. He lets a soft breath pass between his thin, pink lips. She looks so beautiful, he says to himself. “I’m sorry for interrupting your read. Keep on it.”

“It’s really amazing,” she says quietly, levelling her eyes with him. The bus stops and she pushes her book into the open pocket in her bag, slinging the straps onto her shoulders. He pulls his backpack onto his shoulders also.

“Pardon?” She laughs and he knows full well that she was honestly replying to a question no vivid reader ever wants to answer during a really amazing book. But she meant it. They walk into school together, coincidentally pressed together due to the mass of teenagers surrounding them. “Ah, high school,” he breathes. She looks up at him and they smile in unison.

“Hi.” Andrew looks over and Saxon attempts a smile. “How are you, Andy?” he asks, trying to keep everything casual and like they were before. Andrew throws him a sarcastic grin.

“Life’s good, man,” he spits, turning his head to the side and revealing a big, purple bruise. Saxon purses his lips and nods a little. “How about you? You going out with Grace yet or..?” He throws the words at Saxon like poison.

“Andrew.”

“Our friendship is never going to be the same again, Saxon. You broke my nose. You yelled things at me that I would never say to even my most dreaded enemy.” No one pays attention to the two quarrelling boys, one standing at the other’s table in the cafeteria. Andrew sits with two people who are ignoring him. Saxon watches one of them for a moment. He shovels a big slice of lasagne into his mouth chewing with his mouth wide open.