You Can't Run Forever (#Watty2014)

Chapter 4

Hi guys, thought I was dead did you? Sorry for no update for a while, but I just got a year older and life’s gotton in the way.

Thanks for reading!

~Lea

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I got up, making sure not to move Lord too much. He gave me the sad kitten eyes when I moved over to my desk. I smiled at the pin up board behind it. There were a few photos on it. There was one of Shay and me after the premier screening of “The Hunger Games”. There was another of Cale and I in our year three play. I was the evil sorcerer, and he was the tree. I smiled as the memories flooded back. The photo next to it showed my family before the whole split. 6 year old Jake, 2 year old me, Mom and Dad all holding hands. I felt my face crinkle as I shunned the memories out of my head. There were a few amazing illustrations stuck up all over the pin up board. Cale drew all of them. He was lucky enough to get into the specialist art program. I moved away from my desk and sat down on the office chair. I pulled the guitar off the stand and pulled it onto my lap. I ran my fingers over the strings, feeling them twang underneath my touch.

I pulled the Guitar up as I felt the urge to play rush through me. It was effortless. I let my wrist relax as I let myself form around the instrument in my arms. Lord pounced up from where he was sitting and started chasing my hand. I shook him off and he just rubbed irritated against my elbow. I continued to play, feeling the song evolve. I felt the urge to sing, but I caught myself. I checked the clock, making sure no one would be here for a while. After making sure it was at least an hour before anyone showed his or her face around the house, I began the song again. I felt the strings strum under my fingers as the song grew. I felt the words tumble from my mouth before I could stop them. My voice filled my small room easily. I felt my lungs fill with air as I belted the lyrics out. I ignored the rush of colour to my face as the song became more and more wild. I felt the end chords play under my fingers and the final notes came. I took a deep breath and felt a grin fill my face. I was elated, the feeling of letting everything out like that was so… fulfilling.

 I put the guitar back on the stand and sat down on the window seat. The panadol seemed to finally take some effect. I curled into my usual ball and watched birds fly across the sky. The window looked out onto the back garden, which backed out onto a giant expanse of forest. I watched as animals emerged, taking the food I had left out. A fox was the first, taking some left over steak from a few nights ago that was long gone. There were a few squirrels, taking some off peanuts that mum had forgotten about since last night, and (much to my terror) a bear. I watched in fear as it took the hummingbird cake mum had ,with very little success, baked. I watched as the giant brown beast sniffed the small basket. It wolfed down the whole cake in a single gulp and wandered around the back garden, looking for more. When the giant bear didn’t find anything else, it just wandered back into the woods. Nothing else… just gone. I hadn’t noticed my jaw dropped so I closed it and looked around to Lord, who was attempting to put his head in my shoe. I felt the relief fill me when I saw he was safely inside. I checked the time. I was shocked. I had been sitting on the window ledge for a whole two hours.

The phone rang and I ran to pick it up. It was Jake, saying that dinner was in the fridge and that Mom was taking the Night shift because they needed her on for another 12 hours. He wanted to come and check on me, but I reassured him that he needed to finish his studies. Reluctantly, he told me that would be Ok. I hung up and grabbed the food from the fridge. It was already dark outside so I put some more inedible food out for the animals and ate the food that was left out for me. I slurped the tasteless chicken and bean stew. I fed Lord and let Lobster out for a run around the house before preparing his meal. After all the evening chores were done, I settled myself down on the couch and pulled a book off the shelf. I read, not really comprehending the words. Luckily, the phone rang again and I had an excuse to do nothing. I picked it up and Cale’s worried voice reached me.

“Lu, are you alight?” He asked worriedly. The nickname made me smile. Of course two syllables had to be shortened to one!

“Yeah, panadol makes everything better.” I joked

“Sorry for calling you really really late… but there’s something I thought you might need to know.” He said urgently. My stomach curled. This was going to be bad, I knew it.

“What is it?” I asked nervously.

“Uh…” He began but someone on the line but in.

“TALKING TO YOUR GIRLFRIEND CALE!” Screamed Ollie, Cale’s 10 year old brother.

“Shut up before I make you!” Cale yelled. Ollie’s laughs faded into the background noise as Cale groaned.

“Sorry…” Cale apologised, his voice embarrassed.

“It’s ok.” I smiled.

“Well, Dylan and his gang are backing off! They saw the way Shay and I were all protective and he decided not to bother. He thinks you might com- I mean uh… drop out!” Cale said, changing his words at the last moment.

“I might what…” I groaned, knowing it would be bad.

“Well… uh… you know how they tease you about being…. Dark?” He asked awkwardly. I groaned. Yes, yes I knew that. Dylan had already started a rumour about me cutting myself… I came home to Jake and my mom looking sadly at me. It took a whole week to convince them I wasn’t.

“Yeah…”

“Well… Dylan’s kinda convinced that you’re gonna… well…” Cale tried to get the words out.

“DIGITAL KISSES!” Ollie screamed from across the phone.

“Excuse me for a moment.” Cale grumbled. I heard the sound of the phone hitting a table then a series of loud “Bangs” and “Ow”’s. I listened, stifling my laughter when he answered the phone.

“Sorry about that…” He growled.

“That’s… ok…” I managed, shaking with laughter.

“So uh… what was I saying?”

“That Dylan thinks I'm going to INSERT WORDS HERE”

“Oh uhh… right. Well… you know how he always gets the wrong impressions, then turns them into rumours? Like how he made up that you were cutting yourself?” He asked, nervously

“Mmhmm.” I replied, sceptically.

“Well… this time it’s a bit more intense then that…” Cale said, uncomfortably.

“What is it this time…”

“Well… there’s sort of a bet going around. Dylan and Jamie are having a bet. Jamie recons you’ll last till the end of the year… but Dylan thinks you won’t last the term.” Cale explained in a whisper.

“Won’t last what?” I asked, feeling the Chicken stew stirring in my belly.

“They think… you’re going to… off yourself.” Cale whispered, almost inaudibly into the phone. It took me a moment for my brain to comprehend this.

“They think… I’m going to… kill myself!” I managed to choke out.

“Uh… yeah. Wait a sec,” Cale whispered before turning his head away from the phone. “MOM I’M GONNA GO GIVE LUNA THE HOMEWORK SHE MISSED OUT ON!” Cale yelled. There was a mumble of voices that I didn’t understand on the other side of the receiver.

“I’m coming over, I’ll be there in a minute.” He whispered, then the line went dead.