Dr Chris scratches his head in thought. His glasses keep slipping off his nose and somehow his hair looks even more ginger and ruffled than usual.
"Have you thought of Philly College?" He asks, mulling over a certain leaflet.
We are discussing college applications and with nothing interesting on my portfolio other than the hospital volunteering I almost did, I'm probably going to end at the local reforms college.
"No, but Murphy goes there. I can get him to give me a tour." I reply, silently dreading that I might have to end up there.
At Philadelphia College, instead of exams and grades, the kids are more interested in frat parties and alcohol. But with my skill of basketball definitely lost forever, it seems I have no other options.
"Nice. So, how are you Bradley?" He slaps me on the back.
"Good." I smile and for once I am actually good.
I'm not just pretending, by painting a fake smile on my face and just surviving each day. I felt like I've found myself and it's all okay. I finally feel truly happy. With Isla. With Shauna and Murphy. With Christopher and Dr Chris. But, especially with Isla.
She's like nothing I've ever seen before. She's so bright and beautiful. She makes me laugh. She makes me smile. Real smiles that I haven't smiled for a very long time.
"So, who is she?" Dr Chris asks, smirking. It's an odd look on him, almost like a sad creepy-uncle smile.
"Who's who?" I ask, leaning back into the couch.
"The girl. You were just thinking about." He says.
Either he's a magician or a mind reader or both.
"Nobody." I say a little too fast. "I wasn't thinking about anybody." I gulp down the contents of saliva in my mouth.
"Was it Isla?" He gives me a paternal look.
Definitely a mind-reader.
"Maybe." I tilt my head a little. "Guess you'll never know."
"I think I already do." Dr Chris gives me a wise, all-knowing look like he's some sort of God, showering me with blessings.
"Okay, my mum's picking me up. I've got to go." I quickly leave Dr Chris with a short smile. But before I can leave, he grabs my shirt and whispers:
"She's a keeper, that one. Hold on tight, Bradley and don't let go."
That's exactly what I intend to do, once I'm holding on. I'm going to hold on for dear life and never let go.
"Bye, Chris." I yell. Then, I leave.
●●●
When I arrive at Murphy's dorm room, Shauna is perched on the edge of Murphy's bed, where he sits scribbling away profusely. Turns out you do have to study for exams and 'wingin' it' does not get you good grades. Since Murphy's not yet started studying, I can tell from his blotchy face and red sore hands that he has a long night ahead of him.
When Murphy looks positively stumped (which is about every five minutes), Shauna leans over and helps him.
"No, tan is opposite over adjacent." Shauna says, writing the formula into Murphy's skinny notebook.
"And sine is?" He asks, looking down into the scribbles of the notebook, which I can't make head or toe out of.
Shauna lets out an exasperated sigh.
"You know what...you're wing it plan was better." She mutters accompanied by an eye roll.
By the end, we all look dejected.
"Let's take a break." I sigh, dragging both Shauna and Murphy off the stiff college bed.
"Fine." Shauna says. "But, you will learn trigonometry, Murphy, even if it's the end of me."
At this, Murphy simply slams his book shut and replies. "Come on, Bradley. Let's go."
He leads us out of the room and we walk towards the café.
"What's the campus like?" I ask with curiosity. Now my dreams of getting a basketball scholarship have blown through the roof, I can't afford to go to some prestigious college.
"The campus is cool. But, you know what's cooler." Murphy winks at me. "The frat parties. Oh, and the hot girls."
The last statement provokes a laugh out of me and Shauna and a sharp elbow in the ribs from Shauna.
The campus is quite green, covered in an expanse of trees and grass. There are a few students sitting under trees, music plugged in, and studying. It's a stuffy sunny day, so there are a few bike riders and football players out on the grass too.
It's honestly much nicer than I initially thought. I imagined it to be littered with beer bottles and swearing tattooed kids having a beer pong contest at 12.
We stroll down the small field, while Murphy rants on how much he wishes he never took Maths at college and how everything would be better if there was no such thing as trigonometry. He describes it like a monster that sends Shauna and I into fits of laughter.
"Seriously, Murph?" Shauna cocks her eyebrows, laughing loudly.
"Anyway, speaking of hot girls," Murphy begins and gets another sharp poke in the stomach from Shauna. "There's a party tonight. It's gonna be a big one. You guys in?"
Shauna immediately nods, but I still think. Parties really aren't my thing and I can't stand the stuffy hot bodies crammed together like sardines. After, imagining the situation in my head, I answer back to Murphy and Shauna who clearly aren't happy.
"Nah." I shake my head. "Not really my scene."
Murphy lets out a deep breath like he's on a mission to get me to come to this party.
"Come on Bradley. What is your scene? A tea party at kindergarten?" This earns a chuckle from Shauna.
"Seriously, Bradley. Do it for us?" Shauna gives me a longing sad face.
"I've got so much homework." I make a weak excuse, but eventually Shauna and Murphy give up with a few sighs of defeat.
"Fine. But you're missing the party of a lifetime." Murphy shrugs.
"You said that last time." I shove him towards a tree and Shauna smiles.
I can suddenly hear a soft chuckle. It's mellow and light. I recognise it immediately and scan the campus for any sign of her.
Isla Woodley stands laughing with one of the college boys. He's definitely older and quite handsome. Maybe a friend of Markus. Probably just a friend. I attempt to coax myself, but I don't know why.
Something wells up inside me. It's full of spite and malice. Jealousy fills my whole body. My stomach sinks.
Isla continues talking to the boy, smiling and blushing now. And, it kills me. Like a slow ringing pain.
I turn to Murphy and Shauna.
"On second thoughts," I say. "I'm coming to that party. With Isla."
They smile at eachother.
It took a car crash to bring us together and it's going to take another car-crash to take us apart. Because someone told me to hold on tight, and now I'm going to keep my grasp until my hands wither away.
YOU ARE READING
After the Crash ✓
Teen Fiction"It's day 10, Isla. I wish you would wake up. I've lost everything and you're the only person who understands." Bradley Monse used to have everything. He was the star basketball player. He dated the most popular girl. He had good grades and friends...
