Page 54 of Unspoken Words
Hesitating for a moment I decided to give her a brief rundown of Aaron. She’d opened up to me so it was only fair I did the same. Plus, talking to Lilah was easy, almost as easy as talking to Ellie. “Okay. My best friend and I were promising basketballers. He died. I stopped playing. Ellie wants me to play again. It’s not gonna happen.”
“So tell her that.”
“I have, but … Ellie’s stubborn.”
“Well, for what it’s worth, sorry for your loss. And sorry she won’t respect your wishes.”
“It’s all good. We’ll kiss and make up in a couple of days. We always do.”
She gave me a half nod.
“Anyway, I better go,” I said, jumping down from the branch and nearly landing on Tristan. He was leaning up against the tree, arms crossed over his chest, one foot propped against the trunk.
“Shit! Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”
“No sweat. I’m easy to miss.”
Something in his tone and body language pulled at my uncertainty. I wanted to respond with ‘I wish that were the case’, but I didn’t. I just nodded and wished them both a happy Easter before walking home. Alone.
*
Ellieand I didn’t kissand make up after a couple of days like we usually did. Two weeks passed—the entire Easter school holiday period—and she hadn’t once tried to contact me and apologise for being out of line. I also hadn’t written her a note like I normally would. Fuck that. Not this time. I wasn’t the one in the wrong. She’d pushed me, sworn at me, and been a bitch for no reason other than to be a bitch, and if she did have a reason, she’d hadn’t even tried to explain it.
It was now the first day of term two, and as I stepped onto the bus, the first thing I noticed was Ellie sitting next to Tristan. Inourseat.
Clenching my fists by my sides, I wanted to grab the intrusive arsehole by the scruff of the neck and toss him out the window. And despite Ellie being the most stubborn girl to walk the planet, I wanted to tell her I missed her and then take her hand and trace a heart on her wrist to let her know my love for her was always tattooed above and below the surface. Instead, I sucked in a deep breath and exhaled, my eyes meeting hers for the briefest of seconds before I relaxed my hands and sat in the only spare seat left on the bus, next to Lilah.
Ellie and I didn’t talk for another two weeks after that, until Chris showed up at my school, a menacing look on his face as he waited by my locker.
“Hey,” I said in passing, en route to the bus. “Here to see your dad?”
“Nope. Thought I’d offer you a ride home before football practice starts.”
I looked around for Ellie. “Where’s ya sister?”
“On the bus. She’s still refusing to get in the car when I drive.”
I scoffed. “Stubborn, little, pain in the arse.”
“Exactly, which is why you need to apologise to her and play happy families again.”
“Me?” I placed my books in my locker and grabbed my backpack. “Na, not this time.”
“What do you mean ‘not this time’? You’re a dude. That meanseverytime, so suck it up.”
“That’s a crock of shit and you know it. Na, I’m just gonna wait it out and give her time to snap out of her Ellie-is-always-right bullshit.”
“As her brother, I can respect that. But as her brother who happens to think her boyfriend is all right, I suggest you rethink that.” He twirled his keys around his finger and began walking toward the car park.
I followed him. “Why?”
“Because while you sulk over your balls disappearing, our friendly neighbourhood twin is flaunting his.”
“What are you talking about?”
Chris unlocked the door to his blue, XF Ford Falcon and told me to get in. I did but was more interested in the answer to my question. “Well?” I asked, moving the seat back for extra legroom.
“The past few weeks, I’ve seen Tristan’s mug more than I’ve seen yours.” He turned the key and revved the engine. “It’s a handsome mug, don’t ya think?”
