5 years ago.
Year nine.
It sucked, and I hated it, same shit different day.
Long days, boring lessons, bitching girls and the rumour mill. Which I had unfortunately encountered a few too many times. Sigh. The only thing that helped me get through my torturous school days were my two best-friends and Kaden’s monthly phone call, yes, he still kept in touch although, it wasn’t as much as I would like, but he made and effort, that counted for something right? I missed him even more, I missed being able to see him, even hug him, listening to his voice just wasn’t the same.
He seemed different though, I couldn’t put my finger on what was different about him other than distant, he seemed distant. Why? I didn’t know. He told me he was ok, but I wasn’t sure I believed him, but I didn’t pry for answers either. Kaden told me he was planning to visit London soon with his Uncle for business, I was sad it wouldn’t be permanent, I didn’t tell him this because I didn’t want to upset him. My brothers were excited for his visit, they missed their best-friend, especially Caleb.
Speaking of brothers, Callum, the evil brother had betrayed me, I was so mad at him, for dating my nemesis Georgia. I couldn’t force myself to be happy for him, not when she was the biggest bitch I had ever met, you would think she would change her opinion on me, but no, it was only worse.
I took my usual seat in my maths class, at the back next to Elaine.
“Hey,” I waved, “you alright?”
“No,” she grumbled. “We have math.”
I laughed, “Sucks doesn’t it”
“Yep,” she nodded. “Oo guess what.”
“What?”
“I have a date this Friday night with Rob,” excitement rolled of her in waves.
“Aw that’s good,” I smiled. Rob, Argh, he was pig and a womaniser, I wasn’t keen on him, but she was my best-friend and had been crushing on him for ages, I would support her no matter what and if he hurt her, I would punch him, that was a promise.
One of Georgia’s side-kicks strolled into the class, laughing loudly at something the boy next to her had said. I rolled my eyes, I didn’t like that girl and I didn’t know her name either, other than side-kick number one.
She did Georgia’s bidding, because Georgia wasn’t one to get her hands dirty. Side-kick number one had, stolen my clothes during P.E, stuffed disgusting shit in my locker, pushed me and tripped me over and stuck post-it-notes on my back that said kick-me. Immature arsehole. Did I fight back? Sometimes, but most of the time, I walked away because I felt that made me the bigger and better person.
“Did you hear what I said?” Elaine clicked her fingers, gaining my attention.
“Shit, sorry, what did you say?” I asked, feeling guilty for zoning out.
“Will you help me get ready on Friday? I’ll ask Liv as-well, it will be so much fun.”
“Yeah,” I smiled. “It will be.”
“You okay Eva? You seem distracted.”
“Yeah,” I assured. “I’m fine, just tired I think” I was distracted. Mum hadn’t been well, she kept telling me it was a bug, I think she was lying to me, I wished she would tell me what was wrong with her, but I wouldn’t pry, hopefully she would tell me on her own.
Something hard hits the side of my cheek. Looking down to floor, I find the item that was thrown, a pen, I rolled my eyes.
Chuckles sounded around the room, clenching my jaw, I ignored the sting on my cheek and the sound of laughter and turned my attention to the front of the class.
I was ignoring it; however, another pen hits me in the forehead, followed by more laughter.
I turned my head to the left and saw side-kick number one smirking at me.
“What’s your problem?” I hissed quietly, not wanting the teacher to hear me.
“My problem,” she snorted, unattractively “you.”
“Why?” I demanded. “What did I ever do wrong to you?”
“Nothing. I just don’t like you.”
“That doesn’t even make sense, idiot,” I rolled my eyes.
“Excuse me, what did you call me?”
I grinned, “I said you’re an idiot, would you like me to spell it out for you?”
“You bitch,” she launched across the room, claws out and everything. She grabbed my hair roughly and pulled me of the chair and slapped my face. The students in the class shouted and screamed the word “fight” around us.
I shoved her backwards, kneeling above her, I slammed my fist into her jaw. Slapping was something I didn’t do.
She screamed in my face, her words not audible. Blood leaked from a cut on her lip, were I punched her.
A pair or arms grabbed me from behind and pulled me of her.
“Enough,” the teacher growled from behind me, I stopped struggling against his hold, Mr Johnson let’s go of my arms. I turned around facing him, his face was red from anger.
“Get your stuff and go to the headteacher now.”
“But I d—”
“NOW!” he shouted. I growled under my breath. Going to my desk I retrieved my belongings, Elaine gave me a sympathetic smile, she looked at Mr Johnson, her features grew furious.
“That’s bullshit sir.”
“Excuse me Elaine?”
“I said,” she puts enthuses on the word said, “that’s bullshit.”
“Would you like to go with her to the headteacher as well?”
“Yeah, you know what I think that’s a fan-fucking-tastic idea teach, because that bitch,” she pointed to side-kick number one whom was clutching her jaw, pain etched across her features “started the fight, she should be sent out, so yes, I would love to go to the headteacher and tell him the real story, now,” she grabbed her bag climbing from her seat, “if you don’t mind, I’ve got better things to do,” she grabbed my hand pulling me to the door, “have a nice day won’t you sir.” Elaine called over her shoulder, the class erupted with laughter and I couldn’t stifle my own any longer, because Elaine.
“I’ve been excluded from school,” I told Kaden.
“You what?” he chuckled.
“I kinder got in a fight.”
“You didn’t?”
“Yep,” I smiled into the receiver, “I sure did.”
“Well aren’t you a little rebel, huh firecracker.”
“Ha. Funny Kaden but it wasn’t my fault.”
“Ok then so tell me what happened.”
“Ok,” I breathed and told him the story of what happened in maths.
“Remind me to never get on your bad side Eva,” he laughed
“Hey,” I grumbled. “I’m not usually a violent person, but today I just couldn’t take it no more.”
“What’s wrong Eva, I know you and I know that something is bugging you?”
“Nothing,” my voice wobbled.
“Eva what is it?”
“It’s mum,” tears spilled onto my cheeks, “she isn’t very well, she keeps telling me it’s just a bug, but Kaden she doesn’t look to good.”
“Hey,” he said. “Come on, calm down darling she will be fine. If it’s serious she will tell you, don’t work yourself up over something that might be nothing.”
I nodded, then realised he couldn’t see me, “yeah your probably right.”
“I’m always right.”
“You’re big-headed Kaden,” I laughed.
After a short while, Kaden told me he had to go, I hated that our conversations were always cut short, it sucked, I never got enough time to talk to him.
Thank god it was Friday.
Liv and I were sitting on the bedroom floor whilst Elaine got ready for her date.
She was nervous bless her, but she shouldn’t be, she had a personality to die for.
I had straightened her luscious blonde hair, so it fell sleekly down her back, her skin didn’t have an ounce of foundation on it, her eyes were the only make-up you could identify, smoky coloured eyes, illuminating her brown eyes.
She looked beautiful, but she didn’t think so.
“You look lovely Elaine,” Liv assured.
“No, I don’t!” she cried.
“You do, so shush your mush and calm the hell down,” Liv demanded.
“Fine,” she huffed, and slumped down on the floor next to us.
“You sure I look okay?” Elaine asked.
“Yes,” I turned around facing her. “You look great, now stop worrying, worrying’s not a good look on you.”
“Yeah, your right,” she smiled. “Do you think he will kiss me tonight? It would be my first.”
“You never know what happens.” I shrugged, “plus, if he doesn’t then that’s not necessarily a bad thing, taking things slow is good.”
“Yeah, I think so,” Liv agreed. “You’ll kiss when the time is right.”
“Ok then,” Elaine nodded, “that’s probably for the best.”
Elaine’s mum Amanda peaked her head around the door, she waved at Liv and I, then told Elaine her date had arrived.
We watched her walkaway with Rob holding her hand. I hoped that her date went well, despite what I thought of him.
“Want to order Pizza at mine?” I asked.
We sat on my living room floor watching my brothers play video games.
“Can we watch Tv yet?” I moaned.
“No,” Josh replied without looking away from the game. “You were excluded from school remember.”
“So, what’s that got to do with the price of chips?”
“Nothing that’s what,” he laughed.
“You’re an arsehole,” I threw pizza crust at the back of his head, out the corner of my eye, I saw Liv’s shoulders shake with silent laughter.
“Bitch,” he turned around, grabbing the crust from the floor and stuffed it into his mouth.
“Argh,” I groaned. “Your disgusting”
His smile widens with the food in his mouth, “I know.”
Rolling my eyes. I took a bite of my double peperoni and sweetcorn pizza.
“Want a game?” Callum asked.
“You broke up with Georgia yet?”
“No,” he frowned.
“Then no I don’t want to play your game with you,” I faced Caleb/ “I’ll have a game with you though.”
“Aw Eva, it’s his choice if he wants to date the bitch, you don’t have to keep taking your anger out him because of her.”
“Her stupid friend attacked me on Monday!” I yelled almost, “because of his stupid girlfriend.”
“Yeah well,” Caleb shrugged. “That’s stupid friend now has a busted-up lip because of you.”
“And,” I raised a brow, “she deserved it.”
“I agree,” Josh added, “she did.”
“At least some-ones on my side,” I smiled.
“Hey,” Liv nudged me. “I’m on your side to.”
“I know,” I grabbed her in a side hug.
“I’m sorry,” Callum told me, surprising me.
“What for?”
“For what happened, your right Georgia is a bitch, she’s pissing me off, if she doesn’t sort her act out towards you, we’re over. You’re my little sister, your more important to me.”
I crawled over to him and hugged him, “thank-you Callum, but I feel guilty being the reason you two breakup.” I didn’t feel guilty, not one bit, that girl was pure evil.
“Hey, don’t, she acts like a bitch with me too,” he smiled.
“Then why are you going out with her?” I asked, feeling confused.
He shrugged then said, “I haven’t got a clue, just easy I guess.”
“I don’t think I even want to know what that means.”
“Trust me.” Josh chuckled. “You don’t want to know.”
Later that evening, Caleb knocked on my bedroom door and asked to come in.
Sitting at the bottom of my bed I could already see that something was wrong, if the sombre expression was anything to go by. I straightened my posture and braced myself.
“Kaden’s Uncle died.”
“Oh my god,” my heart broke for him, for Kaden, he didn’t have any other family, he only had his Uncle Nick, I had met him on a few occasions, but he was a lovely man and loved his nephew dearly.
Now he was alone, in a big city, no one there to comfort him and tell him everything was going to be ok, not like you could, I mean how would you know everything was going to be ok, a death of a loved one was not something you could recover from so easy. I wished I was with him, I wished I could hug him, tell him, he was not alone, but I couldn’t, there were thousands of miles between us.
“Eva, hey you ok?” concern washed over Caleb’s features.
“Yeah, well no, not really,” I admitted. “How is Kaden? Is he ok, that’s a really stupid question, of course he’s not ok. How’d he die?”
“He wouldn’t tell me how he died, only that he died, it was weird, I don’t know Eva maybe he didn’t want to talk about it.” Caleb raked a hand through his hair, “It’s hard you know, he’s across the country, miles away, it’s not like I can be there for him you know?”
“Yeah Caleb,” I sighed. “I know what you mean, are you ok?”
“Yeah, I’m good,” he told me. “Thought you ought to know, I know your close to him.”
“I wouldn’t necessarily say we’re close, not like we use to be, we talk on the phone, that’s all.”
“With the way Kaden has spoken about you, you would think your close.”
“Really,” I said, taken aback. “He talks about me?”
“Yep,” he chuckled. “All the time, it can get a little annoying when you’re trying to catch up with your best-friend.”
I laughed, shaking my head, “Poor you.”
We said good-night and I sat there staring blankly at the wall, mostly in shock and contemplating whether or not I should ring Kaden, deciding it was best to send my condolences, I picked up my phone, searched for his name and pressed call.
It rang three times and went straight to voicemail, I tried a few more times, on the third time I left him a short message, telling him to ring me when he could.
But he didn’t.