We sat back down on the lounge and keep talking about our ideas for the party well into the night until both Casey and Riley eventually left and went home. Zach went to bed but I just couldn't bring myself to sleep. My mind was still racing, still reliving that moment over and over again. Thinking about the way his hand felt pressed up against me, warming my body up, how the air stopped in my throat and my heart raced in my chest. It was crazy to me that something so little had me sitting in my bed for hours, smiling. I needed to get over myself... he has a girlfriend.
...
Saturday mornings were always my favorite when I was younger, I would get up at 6 am to watch cartoons in the lounge room with my brother. we would watch all the classics, Phineas and Ferb, ben 10, we would even watch kids WB it didn't matter. We enjoyed the fresh pancakes and fruit, racing to get a second plate in between add breaks - screaming out " it's back on" and racing back to the TV like your life depended on it because as an 8-year-old, it did. Slowly 6 am turned to 10 am and pancakes and fruit made by mum turned into cereal and a glass of water - still delicious but not quite the same. This Saturday morning, in particular, was different from the rest, I had netball like usual but today I had a plan, my usual Saturdays consisted of last-minute ideas with friends not knowing where we would end up or what we would do but it was always fun. As well as going out at night to the creek for a swim, just me and the steady flow of water over the shallow, crossing bridge. Living in the country was the greatest part of my life. There was always open space, air to breathe deeply into my lungs. And just like that my Saturday morning bliss had come to an end. My front door was met by the fists of a man with places to be. Jack.
" Coming" I heard my mother yell from the kitchen as she floated over to the door, opening it to a disheveled, hung-over-looking boy in shorts and white top.
Moving down the steps quickly but carefully I stepped in between my mother and jack as she walked back to the kitchen. He couldn't look me in the eyes for longer than a second, his energy was so different now.
" Hey"
" hi" he squeaked out
" um, well here are your keys from yesterday, your cars parked where you left it"
He fiddled the keys around his thumb for a second, just looking at the ground.
" oh, and before I forget... your jumper" I handed him a worn-down old black jumper that his name sowed into the corner in white thread, it wasn't so white anymore though - more of a faded grey/brown colour.
" um... you, you keep it," he said as his eyes looked up and passed mine, looking into the house.
" it always looked better on you anyway."
" thankyou" my voice was gentle, but his eyes still couldn't quite meet mine. looking for something more interesting to distract him, but not out of arrogance... out of embarrassment.
" okay well if that's all I've got a footy game I've got to get ready so um-"
" oh yeh for sure... Good luck, I guess ill be seeing you "
" yeh for sure", he said, back turned to me and walking down the long driveway. there was something wrong with him but I just don't know what. I had things to do.
1st on my list of priorities was to find someone to make us flyers, the art of poster design was a dying one. plus in a town my size, finding a place to print them all would be like trying to convince a child to eat their vegetables on their own, pointless and your just gonna have to do it yourself anyway. I drove into town and looked through all the stores that had copier machines, failing one after another until finally, just as i was about to give up, I found this little old lady who lived on the corner. She inhabited a dull old part of town, the kind of house that you drove past and never stopped to look at. so we never did. The sign out front of her lawn was falling apart and small chips of paint fell over the dead yellow grass. walking up to her front door was like entering a different world altogether, the sign read " copier assistant wanted" I never even realized a 'copier assistant was a thing. I raised my slender hand to the door and knocked a few times, waiting for a sound or some indication of life behind the deep blue wooden door. nothing. I knocked again and waited some more but still nothing.
YOU ARE READING
Heads will roll
Romance"Halloween. The one night a year girls can dress up like sluts and no one can say anything about it" I sure hope that's true because Halloween in Australia gets slutty, hot, and heavy. One giant party with girls dressed as play boy bunnies and guys...
