String of Fate

Chapter Thirty One

I felt arms wrap around my neck as someone threw themselves as me from behind. I stumbled forward, putting my hands flat on the worktop before I knocked my bowl of cereal and it flew everywhere. "Happy birthday, Vincent!"

"Good morning, Jordan. What have I told you about doing that near food and hot places?" I questioned as Jordan let go of me, stepping backwards. I turned around to her, and couldn't help but smile at her. I liked to think that we were close since we had grown up together for the past fourteen years, since I was four years old and my parents had died in a plane crash. She was kind of like some sort of little sister to me even though we weren't related in the slightest. I guess she was my best friend, then. I was meant to be stern with her about this sort of stuff but I just couldn't bring myself to be like that.

"Um, not to?" She wondered, clasping her hands in front of her for a moment. Then, she stepped to the side of me and started making her own breakfast that consisted of some strawberry flavoured cereal that smelled ridiculously sweet. She always did have a sweet tooth. "I'm sorry, I didn't see the bowl of food."

"It's alright." I replied, passing her the milk from the fridge on my other side. I could never stay mad at her for long, anyway. I grabbed my bowl, leaning my back against the worktop to eat it as I stared out at the empty open plan room that showed the whole kitchen, dining, and living room area. "You just missed your mum and dad. They went to see if any of the sheep had gone into labour. I'll be heading out after this to help them. What time are you in school?"

"I have time to eat this before I need to leave." She answered, glancing up at the clock. Then, she gulped down a spoonful and started talking to me again. "Do you have any plans for your birthday?"

"Help out on the farm and maybe go out for a pint later." I explained, finishing my breakfast and putting the bowl in the sink to start washing it. I had to give it a little bit of time to warm up the hot water to wash it but it gave Jordan the time to finish off her bowl of cereal.

"That's just a usual Friday night for you." Jordan pointed out, finishing off her bowl of cereal and adding it to the sink for me to wash. I tutted but gave hers a quick wash and added it to mine on the draining board as she ran back to her room to grab her school bag and slipped her shoes on.

"I'm nineteen, it's nothing special." I retorted as she came back to stand beside me. "Besides, it's your sixteenth next weekend, so, you can do the celebrating for the two of us."

"You're not going to be partying? We hired the pub and everything!" Jordan complained, referring to the party that her parents were throwing for her sixteenth birthday. It was in the local pub that I worked in some evenings and most Saturdays.

"I can't help it, the owners all booked their holidays for the same weekend and I can't let Ben and Sarah manage the two bars alone, especially considering the fact that you have a birthday party in there. At least I'll still be at the actual party." I told her, grabbing a tea towel and quickly drying off the bowls, popping them back into the cupboard. I picked up my car keys, turning back to her as she checked her hair in the mirror by the door. "Come on, I'll give you a lift to school."

She was stupidly happy with that, quickly grabbing her jacket from the hook by the door. She nearly ran to the car, getting into the passenger seat as soon as I zapped the car. I had to turn back around to lock the house up. As soon as I started the engine, she messed around with my radio and found one of the top forty stations. I would have to change that back as soon as she got out because there was no way that she would let me touch it while she was in the car. "Vincent, have you got a string yet?"

"Not yet." I answered honestly. She'd asked me the same thing every day since I had turned sixteen. It was like she was going to be heartbroken if my string did appear. I was bound to get a string one day, and a part of me hoped that she would be at the end of it. We weren't related. We were simply childhood friends who had grown up in the same house. We were really close and I think it would have been great if we could be destined. Then I knew that it would be fate, especially since our parents had been best friends, so even if they hadn't died, I probably would be close with Jordan regardless.