The Scholarship

The 'Sleep'over ~ 26

Everyone had arrived and it was now 7:30, and we were just setting up our 'sleeping' arrangements whilst talking along the way...

"So you used to live in Australia?"

"Yep," Lucy answers, "but that was a lifetime ago to me....em...let's just say i moved because of what happened there. Do we have any corn dogs here? I'll go check." She said that last part pretty fast, and I know that something happened, well now we all do, but she just hasn't told me what. We've been best friends forever, well, she's only moved about a year and a half ago. Lucy's nineteen by the way, and we met when I went there for holiday ages ago, but I always go out of my way to meet new people and make friends; however much shy. We've stayed in touch since, weather it was Skype calls, literal calls, or texting. We went back once on holiday to meet her again, my family and I go on yearly abroad holidays. And it goes in a cycle of who choses where, and I of course chose Australia.

I went into the kitchen, she loves corn dogs, but they weren't available in her hometown. We go to a special shop for them now, but she knew that we had to go again. We were planning on going tomorrow in fact.

"What's up?" I ask.

She stops what she's doing and turns to me. "Nothing, can we just not talk about it?"

"Alright, but you know I'm always here. Whatever it may be." I lightly laugh, my hand on her back. I nod and remove myself from the situation and join the others in the living room.

They were whispering and as soon as my arrival came, they all stopped and turned to look at me. "Erm, everything ok?" I ask nervously.

"Yeah, great." Connor says. "Never been better." That under his breath. I give a weird look and shake it off, hopefully it wasn't that important. But it obviously was enough for them to be talking presumably about me, may I mention behind my back. With the silent room and everyone now staring again. Great!

What were they talking about? A swift entrance was now made by my best friend, and I give a comforting look.

"How about a film?" Brad says, his attempt of lightening the mood. From the dull, silent atmosphere. And it works,

"Yeah!" I agree, a few others do too.

We debate over what we should watch and I go to grab the carefully selected disc from my room. Earlier we came back and watched the rest of that other movie. I hear the stairs creak behind me as I entered my room, on my hands and knees at my bookshelf in search. There's a light knock on the door. He takes me by surprise and I ask if he's okay.

"Yeah, I'm alright. You?" He shoots back a worried look, sitting on my bed.

"Yeah but, what were you talking about before? And why such the tension?"

"Oh nothing, em, you know that charity work you love to do?" I nod, "Well how about giving some presents and donations to the poor or help shelter? You're a real help to the community you know! Be really proud." He says, whilst his eyes belonging down at his feet.

"Well of course, and I'm proud to be yours." I take his chin in my hands and lift, we meet eye to eye, inches away from each other's skin. "How about we get you to help out, being a band an' all. Your fans could really help!"

"Yeah, em," he picks the DVD case from my grasp and says, beginning to stand, "Shouldn't we be getting down now?"

I cut him up by grabbing his arm softly, "What's up? You know you can talk to me? Right?"

"Yeah I know."

"Do they know? The fans? About me?"

"Em, not yet, but I'm planning of tweeting it soon. I mean, I'll tell you later, you'll probably have to remind me." He laughs softly, looking worried. Which worries me, but I don't show it.