sheffield? where's that?

reflecting

I sat on the bench watching Josie run around chasing the other dogs. We had one day left of summer before school started, and I didn't dread it as much as I did before.

I had somehow been accepted in to the group of friends consisting of the band and the four girls, and they showed me a true British summer. I'd gotten through about 5 disposable cameras, a lot of blurry pictures and close ups of Lucy's face. I had taken them to the shop about a day ago, aching to see the final pictures of maybe the best summer of my life.

A lot of days we'd be lazing about in the sun, tanning in the park while the boys played multiple games of football. We'd take bikes or skateboards and go down to the nearby fields, where we'd always get too hot and jump in the lake. I'd catch Alex's eye once in a while, but we'd both look away.

A lot of nights were spent outside concert venues or in someone's back garden with Alex strumming the guitar, all of us drinking and talking about nonsense. I got closer with the rest of the girls, Elise, Leila and Gabby, who turned out to be good students, rolling joints expertly by the last time we went out.

I sighed and leaned back to watch the clouds pass by. Kids playing on swings in the distance and the occasional dog barks were the only things filling the air. Oh look, that cloud looks like an elephant.

I was letting my mind wonder off to a different world, when a big wet tongue slapped my face.

"Josie oh my god." I managed to say between laughs and trying to push the massive dog off. She grew huge in the past three months. Now, when she greeted you she'd stand up on her hind legs and rest her paws on your shoulder.

I stood up and she bounced back, wagging her tail furiously. I clipped her leash on and she seemed ready to go home.

Sheffield was better than I expected, not gonna lie. I wasn't too nervous for school yet, but Jamie told me I should be. Jokingly of course, but he warned to steer clear of Tom and his "entourage". The girls had pitched in to call them creeps and pervs. So I made a mental note to take that advice. Also mental note : remember to clean your mirror finally.

Leon and I had grown a bit distant in the past month, went from calling nearly everyday to just texting. Occasionally. The plans to fly and come visit me had dissipated in to a long-gone idea, and it didn't feel the same anymore.

I guess it would've been better for us to have ended it right when I left, but at the time he was the only true root holding me back to Paris. Still dating him while moving to Sheffield made this all seem temporary and not permanent.

I cleared my head of the confusing thoughts, and pushed away the problem I didn't want to confront. I had bigger immediate things to deal with now, like trying on my uniform and actually going to the new school.

I checked my phone and saw a bunch of texts from the group chat we started a few weeks back. The names they all put for themselves in my phone were a masterpiece.

Elise ⚡️ : And that's why the theory is true, thank you for tuning in to my ted talk

Nick O.M : I didn't give my consent to be spammed with paragraphs about bread conspiracies

Jamie the Lad : Hear hear

Elise ⚡️ : Dont mock my wisdom you fools

Luce/y : Guys I got a tattoo

I smiled at the name she put as her contact in my phone, acknowledging Nicks nickname for her. They started properly dating about a month again. About time.