Flowers and Darkness

Chapter 11

I was sprawled on my bed in my pyjamas, going through my phone's pictures.

I smiled at an old picture of me with Jayden and Ellie at school. I held two fingers up in a peace sign, Jayden was grinning ear to ear and Ellie was looking over at Jayden with her tongue stuck out. 

So much has changed since then. It felt so long ago.

My smiled dropped. Jayden was lying down next to me wearing a pair of grey joggers and play kicking me. He didn't notice the change in mood.

After the beach trip a few days ago, Alex suggested that I shouldn't be left alone in the house since my birthday was fast approaching. Everyone had quickly agreed and before Alex could even offer, Jayden had slung an arm over my shoulder and volunteered.

"Talk to me."

I ignored him and kept going through my photos.

"Talk to me," he whined.

When I ignored him again he snatched my phone off me.

"Oh." He had my phone in his hands and was looking at a family photo from a few years ago I had saved.

It was a few years ago on my brother's birthday and we were all stood together. My brother was grinning ear to ear in front of a cake, I was laughing next to him at the little bit of icing he had on his nose, and my parents were standing on either side and smiling at one another.

We were smiling and we looked happy. Generally happy. It's been a while since we've all been together. Would we ever be this happy again?

Everything was changing.

Jay wordlessly passed me my phone back.

It felt tense for a moment before I sighed and put my phone face down beside me.

I slung my leg over Jayden's and turned on my side to face him. "You never told me about your parents."

"That was the point of having fake parents Vi. You weren't suppose to know."

"Where are they now?" 

Looking back I could recollect seeing them once before. The very first time he had invited me inside. 

His dad wore a full-piece grey suit and had sharp intimidating features. He didn't speak much to me besides a gruff 'hello', but I brushed it off as him being busy. His mother on the other hand had big blue eyes, a warm smile and tumbling chestnut hair. She had brought up homemade brownies, that tasted store brought, and mothered me about making sure to finish all of them before I left to go home. 

I never saw either of them since. And looking back...I was probably right about the brownies being store brought.

 My parents weren't around a whole lot, so I never thought anything of their absence.

Whenever I'd ask how his Christmas or summer holiday went he'd tell me a story about his family.

About how much fun they had. About how his mother's cooking wasn't the best, so how he and his dad would have a running joke about her famous Christmas turkey.

He'd mention how his dad took him camping and how he got one too many mosquitos bites that he's now vowed never to go camping again.

He'd tell me stories about them. About his family.

"It's just me here, but I can look after myself. They have their own duties. So do I."

I ignored his tone and touched his arm. "Does it upset you?"