Page 67 of The Boy I Once Loved

I laugh. "Dylan doesn't love me, Mum. At least not in that way."

My mum doesn’t take her eyes off me as she lifts her cup to her lips. “If you say so, honey.”

I Ignore Dylan’s calls for the rest of the night. I know it’s only a matter of time before he’s round here banging on the door, so I pick up my phone and call Kyle.

“Hey, this is a pleasant surprise,” he says when he answers. It’s noisy in the background, wherever he is.

“Hey, sorry, are you busy?” I ask, suddenly feeling stupid for ringing him.

“No, not at all. I’m just down at my local with a few friends. Come down?” He suggests.

“Oh, I don’t know,” I say. I’m not sure what I am thinking ringing him like this.

“Come on, come and play pool with us, you can help me beat Jay here.” He sounds like he genuinely wants to see me and he isn’t just being polite.

“Okay. I’ll be there in about twenty minutes. Which pub is it? The Crown?”

“Yeah. See you soon.”

I put the phone down and chew on my lip. Anything is better than staying here and dealing with whatever Dylan has to say. To see the look of regret on his face as he tells me we’re better off as friends. I jump to my feet and scour through my wardrobe until I find a white cropped long sleeve top that is casual but okay for the pub.

When I go downstairs, my mum does a double-take. "Off out?"

I nod, grabbing my keys for the bike. “Just meeting up with a friend.”

“Be careful and don’t be late home. You have college tomorrow,” She tells me with a yawn. The bruising around her eyes is coming out. She is going to have a right shiner.

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