Will We Talk? ~ A PG10 Short Story

12. The Article / Living Without You

Title from: Bleach by 5sos

*2 Weeks Later*

"Babe, are you almost ready?" The voice calls as I clip the 2nd hoop into my ear. It's date night and if date night doesn't call for hoops I don't know when does. There was no reason for the call to be quite as loud as it was, I'm only one room away.

'You have GOT to read this Ellie, I'm losing my mind!' The text from Jasmine reads. I roll my eyes at the dramatic tone of her message, fully expecting the link to come through and be an article on how weddings in August (like Jasmines is planned) are cursed and end in the highest percentage of divorces. It's not, I've already looked it up in anticipation of her panic (it's Valentine's Day or winter). So when a link previewing Pierre's face came though I'm frozen in place.

"Ell?" Sam is leaning through the door, his thick puffer coat in his hand looking to me stuck in time with my phone in my hand.

"Erm..." I choke on my words, reaching for the tube of mascara on my dresser table and waving it around a little in front of me. "Two minutes, yeah, Jas distracted me." I explain with a smile, the expression is tight and uncomfortable on my face. He just nods quietly at my reply, brown hair disappearing from the doorway at the words, quietly reminding me of our reservation in thirty minutes when it takes twenty to get there.

'I don't have time' is what I reply to her, unscrewing the cap of my mascara and beginning to apply it on the lashes of my left eye. It's been two weeks since Pierre's very telling interview with Sports Illustrated came out and nearly turned my life upside down. Sam didn't put anything together about the article until a certain silver and blue trophy was delivered at the doorstep of my flat 2 days after it's publication. The same trophy Pierre kept going on about saying it was 'mine' (whatever that meant), truly was now mine. I rolled my eyes when I cut open the box it came in. It now lives in my wardrobe, hidden in that same box. I'd attempt to return it, it means more to pierre than it ever could me, but there was no return address and Pascale wouldn't hear a word when I tried to leave the package with her. True to Pierre's words my name really was neatly inscribed on the bottom of the silver structure - yes I checked, I don't have much reason to believe him anymore. Sam turned to me as I lifted up the trophy with wide eyes and said 'I didn't even realise you were friends like that'.

He'd read the article, most people here had. Everyone knew Pierre here, whether it was from racing, going to school or having a friend of a friend who knew him - so it's no surprise that Sam did too. He just didn't exactly know until that point how well I knew Pierre. He knew we were friends and had met sure, but best friends? No. Admitting love for eachother only six and a half months before now? Definitely not. Even if he hadn't read it, it's not hard to realise that if someone sends you their one and only first place Formula One trophy it means a lot.

Sam and I had a small argument about the fact Pierre and I were closer than I ever let on. He felt I lied - I didn't, I omitted details. I felt he overreacted - he didn't I'd be devastated if it were the other way around. Whatever our feelings, it's all been glazed over now. I don't want to risk dredging it all back up by clicking on the article with his face attached to it. Just because curiosity is eating at me.

The texts 'Make time.' Quickly followed by 'Ellie, please read it. It's hilarious and amazing!' buzz through my phone. Jasmine had tried to ambush me and get me to read the original article, I wouldn't. I won't. The only part I've seen is the part about the trophy, that's only because Sam pointed it out to me on his phone as I pulled the statue from the carefully wrapped box my mouth agape, eyes wide.

Honestly I didn't want to read a thing, I was moving on with my life. Pierre should to, or at least try.

I've started to conveniently change the subject or scoot out of the room whenever he's brought up in conversation. Mama never mentions him anymore, Jas has learned her lesson and barely brings him up (until now), even Valetin doesn't mention Pierre infront of me just referring to him as 'a friend of mine' in our conversations. Still, the curiosity over the 'amazing' element of the attached article gets to me.