Roses

Chapter 2: Wesley

Victoria finally pulls into her driveway in that insanely expensive Audi. How she ever afforded it beats me. Actually no it doesn't. Everyone knows how rich her family is, as much as she tries to hide it. It's in those subtle things though. The clothes that are always branded with whatever brand is in season, the designer pencil case, the watch that is rumoured to cost hundreds of dollars. She's living the life. Perfect house, perfect car, perfect grades even a bloody perfect relationship, it's hard to see how she doesn't find it utterly suffocating.

"Wesley." Her words are always so controlled as if she hand picks them and manipulates them into sentences, there's always been something so expressionless about her words like she's rehearsed them. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, the next captain's meeting is on Monday and I'll be at sports camp for the rest of the week so..." she's intelligent she's bound to have caught the gist.

"Oh right but how did you get my address?" She flicks a lock of hair behind her shoulders and straightens her posture, what is she doing? Getting ready for a verbal battle?

"Ah the office lady, awfully nice. She asked me about my little brother and my older sister." I smile a bit, my family always brings me joy. I'm not the type of guy to think that loving their family is weak, in my eyes it takes a real man to show some vulnerability, it means they're strong enough to risk their 'manliness'.

"Right maybe because your brother kept stirring up trouble last year and your sister is still the 'star student of the school' despite leaving years ago." she replies as expressionlessly as ever. I swear I've seen her laugh and talk animatedly before with her friends, maybe it's just me.

"Yeah, but anyway, so I'll sort the catering and I was thinking for the decorations that we could go for a theme like secret garden or masquerade. Those were the two most popular choices from the survey last year." I can feel my words trailing as I look at her face. She's got classic good looks, big eyes with plump red lips and high cheekbones. Honestly she could be the hottest girl in the school if her royal highness could bother getting off her high horse and mingling with us commoners instead of staying in her own little exclusive group. I'm not admiring her looks though, of course not, I have a girlfriend. It's just that I can tell she's not listening to a word I say. She may be staring straight at me but her eyes are glazed over, like she's miles away from this conversation. "Victoria have you listened to a word I've said?"

Her eyes snap back to reality and she has a faintly surprised expression with eyebrows slightly raised. "Right um... decorations yeah I'll get them done. You'll do..."

"Catering." I finish for her. She says something else in that controlled manner of hers but my eyes slide from her face to the figure walking up to us from behind Victoria.

"Hey babe!" Tiffany my lovely girlfriend struts up, very much different from her usual easy paced stroll. Clearly she's putting on a show and I'm not sure for who until she pulls me in for a deep kiss. Usually she hates public displays of affection like this but she's getting territorial today due to the presence of Victoria. I'm lost in the moment with her for a few seconds. It's funny how she can still do that to me even after five years of dating, although let's be honest does a relationship in year eight really count?

I break away, giving Tiffany a look that clearly conveys the message that I'm sorry. "Yeah all good then Victoria?"

"Yep!" she quickly turns on her heel and heads into her house, clearly glad to have us out of her eye line.

"Somebody's jealous." I give Tiffany a playful smirk and peck her on the lips.

"I'm sorry Wes you know how I get, especially with her!" Tiffany gives me those puppy dog eyes that would look corny and overdone to other people but honestly I just can't resist them. Ever since year seven when Victoria had the biggest crush on me, Tiffany's always been a bit... Let's say wary of her. It should all be in the past though, Tiffany's just a bit weird about it. I mean Victoria has that boyfriend of hers and frankly they're sickeningly sweet together.

I just smile at her and sweep her up into a bridal style carry. Her laughter rings in my ears and the happiness from this moment is branded into my memory just like so many other ones. Tiffany's unforgettable, every single thing about her. Funny how something so unforgettable can make me forget everything else sometimes.

:-:

"You're being irresponsible."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are! It's a shirt Wesley Campbell put it down."

"But this is...

"I don't care what it is or how much it means to Tiffany, all I care about is the price tag on it. Which happens to be over a hundred dollars. Certainly not something you can afford with your measly pay wage." My mother shifts and crosses her arms, a clear signal that she won't be budging on this anytime soon. I sigh and resignedly hang the shirt back up.

It was such a deal! Just a hundred and fifteen dollars for a shirt that would usually be over three hundred. I mean yeah, a hundred and fifty may seem a bit much for a shirt but it's designer. That's not what I care about though, it's the happiness that it'll bring Tiffany that matters to me. It'll be a perfect five year anniversary present ever since she mentioned it to me the first time we met.

"You know Wes, we not seem like much right now but soon we're gonna be crazy rich or famous!" her eyes shone and everything about her came alive. Her brown locks of hair seem to crackle with energy and her smile lit up her entire face. I couldn't help it, I was crushing hard.

"Uh.. yeah Tiff. Totally... sure um yeah..." I couldn't control my tongue, it seemed two sizes too big for my mouth and incapable of forming any coherent sentences.

"I'll even be able to afford um... this!" she thrust a picture of a shirt under my nose and forced me to look at it.

"It's just a shirt..." I said not quite understanding how one single garment could cost so much when I could just pop over to Target after school and buy any old shirt for a miniscule percentage of the price.

"Oh Wes! You'll never understand!" she had said shaking her head in mock disappointment or was it mock disbelief, all I remember clearly was how her hair shone and how much I had just wanted to touch it. Even now sometimes I just stroke it when I'm not paying attention, it's just so beautiful. Impossibly beautiful, like her.

"Wesley!"

"Yeah okay fine mum I'm putting it down." Maybe one day I'll have all the money in the world, I'd use it just to make Tiffany have all the happiness in the world.