Someone Like You

Chapter 10

"I think that it would be a better idea if we used clay to form the land instead of just using flat paper and sketching on it," I say to Keiran on Wednesday after school as we work on our English project. We are sitting at his kitchen table planning out the model of our island. "If we use clay then we can shape it and mold it to give our island some depth." I look to him for a response, but he isn't listening to me. He is bent over top of his iPhone scrolling through what looks to be Instagram.

I roll my eyes and turn away from him. I scribble a couple of notes on my page for what I need to grab from the store. If I want our island to look realistic I am going to need some supplies to help me. I told the page and place it in my pocket, then I grab my bag from the chair behind me. Keiran still hasn't noticed me, which is frustrating. We are supposed to be working on this together!

"I'm going to the store down the street to grab some stuff for the project. I'll be back in about 10 minutes," I state, not caring if he is listening or not. His head pops up and stares at me blankly. It's getting on my nerves how he ignores me and acts like I'm not there. He's either really friendly or really distant towards me, and it's so confusing.

He drops his head back down to his phone, completely disregarding my statement. I groan in frustration and I stomp our of the house like a child. I don't have a vehicle yet, but I'm fine not driving. I drove everywhere before I moved, but I don't think I'll ever be comfortable getting behind the wheel again.

Instead, I choose the "ankle express". I pull my phone out of my purse and call Ava's number. It takes a couple of seconds for her to do so, but she picks up. "What's up Liv?" she answers energetically. "How is the project going?"

I sigh loudly and tell her what happened. As I go through the story of how Keiran wasn't helping I walk towards the convenience store down the street. Ava listens and then talks with me about how big of an idiot Keiran is. I talk to her while I walk to the store, and then hang up the phone.

It feels good to be able to rant to someone, but I feel upset. I shouldn't even have to rant about him! I just don't understand why he acts the way he does. I think that he really needs to grow up.

I walk around the store while basking in the cool air inside. It's such a relief to be out of the warm sun, which I am pretty sure is baking my skin. I search around for a couple minutes until I find the decorations I am looking for.

I put a whole bunch of mini plastic nature items, like rocks and trees, and a couple packages of clay in my basket. Then I walk over to the candy section of the store. My eyes land on a package of mini Reeses cups and my mouth begins to water. After internally scolding myself I throw it in the basket. I turn to leave the aisle, but I run into a wall.

Nevermind, it's not a wall because walls don't have muscles. I look up and see a smiling face that belongs to Parker. I smile at him brightly and take a step back. "Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going. I think that the heat is frying my brain," I say to him. He laughs and shakes his head.

"No apology needed, Olivia. It's totally fine." I nod my head and then I look up at his face. He smiles at me and I immediately feel guilty. Even though there are no marks left, I feel bad remembering what Keiran did to him. I completely forgot about it until right now!

"I am so sorry for what happened the night of the party. I don't understand why Keiran decided to suddenly act out for no reason. Were you okay afterwards?"

"Yeah," he replies with a distant look in his eyes. "I've got thick skin. Keiran isn't the best person, and he has anger issues. How can you be okay being around him?" I frown, unsure how to answer his question.