Started With a Tube

Started With a Tube - Chapter 8

Started With a Tube - Chapter 8

I return to school a few days later, and I can truly say I have never wanted to go back less.

It's funny, actually, how people say that school days are the best days of our lives. That we'll miss them when we're gone. So why is it that so many young people dread going back to school after weekends and holidays? If school's supposed to be fun, then why do we hate it?

My normal routine begins again and it settles so quickly it's as if the holidays never even happened. I catch up with Jamie, Olivia and Grace and it seems like the holidays have done us all some good. The separation has given us something to talk about and any underlying arguments we've been having have all suddenly vanished, it seems.

It's lunch, the first day back, and Jamie is telling us a story from her holiday in Florida. I'm eating my sandwich and contributing lightly to the conversation, laughing at all of the appropriate moments, agreeing when agreement is needed. My phone lies on the canteen table, beside my bag. Grace is sitting opposite me, and I have Jamie to my right and Olivia to my left. Jamie's voice is rising as she gets more into her story, and we're all laughing at her tale. It is pretty funny, I'll give her that.

When she finishes, Olivia begins a story about how her boyfriend gave her his t-shirt the other day. Olivia's a strange girl. She talks to a lot of boys, never really settling for any of them. I mean, she never gets into relationships with any of them, usually. But she's been seeing this Andrew guy for a few weeks now and she seems happy enough, so that's good.

"Guys clothes are the best," Olivia sighs, and I nod.

"Oh definitely," I agree, and I hear Jamie laugh a little beside me.

"How would you know?" she asks me and I shrug. "Are you still talking to that guy?"

"Who, Alec?" I ask, and I can feel a light tension creeping over us. I haven't really talked to Olivia about Alec yet, and Grace only knows the beginning. To be perfectly honest, none of them really know the whole story. Jamie nods. "Yeah I am."

"So are you guys like going out now?" she asks, her eyebrow slightly raised.

"Wait, who's Alec?" Olivia asks with a laugh. "I'm confused."

"This guy she met on the tubes," Jamie says snippily, and I catch Grace's eye. She's looking at me with her usual 'oh-my-god-Jamie-will-you-just-shut-up' look, and I grin. Deciding that, since it obviously bothers Jamie, to tell the whole story. I know that makes me sound like a bitch, but I don't really care. My excuse is, if she didn't act the way she's acting, then I wouldn't have to resort to annoying her intentionally.

So I tell them most of the story, leaving out small pieces which I don't want to share, which I want to stay mine. I tell them about how we kissed, and Jamie instantly questions me about it. It's a little awkward, because her questions aren't exactly holding back. Since she doesn't even talk to guys, never mind get into relationships with them, she isn't very experienced in terms of kissing and stuff.

I answer her questions anyway, and Olivia asks if she can see a picture. I hand her my phone once I find my favourite, and her eyes snap up. "You never said he goes here."

"What?"

"He's in our History class," Olivia says, gesturing between her and Grace. My mind whirs to sort out the information.

"No, he's going to the Academy," I say, confused, and the girls all raise an eyebrow.

"Obviously not," Jamie says. "See, this is why you don't talk to guys you meet on the tubes. He's already lying to you."