Forever And A Day

Eight : The Past

"Carly , our guests is here !".

I sighed in resignation . Sunday afternoon tea and coffee time was tradition to my parents . I would have been happy for  it if it wasn't for the fact that my Mom invited the Toeriens.

Yeah ,I'd be glad to see Lyssa and Jessie ,but Max not so much . We haven't been spending time together since that day he was so rude and mean to me .

My eyes fell on the locket that lay abandoned on my dresser . The round locket's message was a fake . There was no friendship between us anymore.

I may have a crush on my so called bestie ,but it wasn't going to go places . I was an eleven year old girl who was still in Primary School and he was a boy who was already going places .
Plus he has a girlfriend . Someone I couldn't compete with .

I rubbed my arm nervously as I thought of all outcomes to this little get together of  the Pieterse family and the Toeriens .

I would have to talk to Max to appease my Mom and I don't want to . I really don't .

" Carly!".

I take a deep breath at hearing my mother's voice . She was becoming impatient and if I didn't go there now I would get a lecture later when the Toeriens had left .

I straightened out the creases in my blue  denim shorts before leaving my room . Mom wouldn't be happy if I looked like something that crawled out of a pile of dirty laundry . These days she was lecturing me constantly on how a girl should behave .

I hated it . I loved being free and careless .

I walked out to the back porch finding my family ,but Owen, already there as well as the Toeriens . All of them including my supposed bestie .

I did my best to not look his way as I walked over to greet Aunty Emma and Uncle Niel. Then I greeted Lyssa and Jessie , hoping that my Mom didn't see when I didn't greet Max who's face fell when I clearly ignored him.

" Carly , aren't you forgetting someone?", my Mom asked pointedly ,her voice hard .

" Who ?", I countered . That would be the first time I'd act out  against her and she gave me an unimpressed glare before motioning with her head at Max .

I sighed inwardly at that . I knew she wouldn't let up until I greeted him .

I didn't want to ,yet it was better to appease her than risking her being angry with me .

" Hi", I said looking at a pot plant beside him rather than straight at him .

" Hi", he said back , sounding awkward like the day before when he'd talked to me as we'd walked down the street .

" Why don't you kids take your coffee and cake in the TV room ", Mom suggested then while she cut the cake and Aunty Emma poured the coffee ," you can watch a movie or something ".

" Okay, " Lyssa said grabbing a cup of coffee and a small plate piled high with cake .

Jessie followed her example . I stood back so Max could go first , but he waved me forward trying to be a gentleman . I rolled my eyes and walked over picking up a plate and a cup before following his sisters .

I switched on the TV as I got there .We didn't watch a movie because Jessie wanted to watch cartoons and no amount of complaining from Lyssa's side could change her mind .

" Don't waste your breath ,Lyss ", Max said to her  ," you know Jess won't listen to you ".

I stayed silent as the Toerien kids settled down to watch TV . I wasn't sure if I should join them or not as I sat down on the floor beside a gleaming wooden coffee table where I'd left my coffee and cake when I'd switched on the TV.

Someone sat down beside me and I didn't have to look to know that it's Max . I had Lyssa and Jessie in my line of sight anyway to confirm that it could only be him  .

I ate my cake and drank my coffee while I acted as if he wasn't there beside me . I heard him mumble something ,but couldn't hear what he said . His voice was barely a whisper .

I didn't care  knowing what he was mumbling about . For the rest of their visit I sat quietly beside him . Once or twice he'd try to get me to talk to him . I didn't speak to him ,though . I just couldn't .

I wanted to . I really did ,but and that was a huge but ,I kept remembering that day months ago when he'd been mean to me . I realized something and that was that I wanted an apology . I didn't realize that I was going to wait forever.

The Toeriens visited until eight that night . It wasn't late . The only thing was that we had school the next day . Eight was our curfew .

Jessie was already half asleep when the Toeriens left . She didn't even know that I hugged her goodbye . Lyssa was wide awake , though and she told me with excitement in her voice that she'll see me at school in the morning . I agreed smiling at her as she ran after her parents and Jessie towards the front gate .

Then there was just Max who'd stayed back to give his sisters the chance to say goodnight .

I didn't want to say goodnight to him . I just wanted to go inside the house . Before I could do that , however, he blocked my way and threw his arms around me , hugging me .

I realized then that I was a goner . Well ,in the emotions department , that is .

I hugged him back like I would a friend ,but inside my heart beated like a million drums .

I was completely lost . I knew it then .
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After that hug we were friends again and spend time together some days when he wasn't with Miranda .

He came to see me perform like he'd promised . Afterwards my Mom and Aunty Emma took us to get hamburgers and fries at our local fast food restaurant .

It looked more like a diner than an actual restaurant . We had fun , though . We laughed and talked and even joked around .

I still did small jobs to raise money for presents that I bought the day after school closed for the holiday season.

I bought Max a present too . It was a book by his favourite Author and he could've probably afforded it since it wasn't actually expensive and he had the millions ,but I really wanted to give him that book .

I didn't know that ,that book would end up in a trashcan just the day after Christmas because Miranda had actually bought Max the whole series and my book was the same as one of them .

I was in a happy festive mood on Christmas day as I did my rounds around town ,handing out my presents . Max was last on my list and I was proud when I handed over his present , taking mine from him . He opened his and thanked me with a friendly enough smile on his lips .

Later  that day the  Toeriens and my family spend Christmas day together . Max, his sisters and I laughed and joked  while Owen moped in a corner . I was truly happy .

The next day I was walking over to go visit Lyssa and Jessie , Aunty Emma  because they'd asked me to and lo behold I crashed into their trashcan and had to steady it so it won't topple over . Only the lid fell off.

As I looked down it was like my heart just froze before it fell out of my chest ,shattering like glass would if one threw a ball at it .

There it was . The book and I recognised it because it wasn't a brand-new unused book . I got it second hand . 

I would never know ,I guess, what possessed me to grab it and run back home . I holed myself in my room again that day and I wouldn't speak to Max again for another few months .

Lyssa told me about Miranda's present . She didn't know ,though, about the    book that now lay at the bottom of my bookshelf . Abandoned . Never to be read by anyone again . Not even me .
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I hope you enjoyed. I read on episodes now . Some of those interactive stories are quite good . Wish I could write something .Too bad my laptop had seen its behind. See ya.