The Dating Game

Chapter Eighteen

Juliet

Two weeks had passed already since Justin and I utilised those coupons at the Indulgence Café.

Since then, we'd only sent friendly smiles to one another when passing in the corridors at school. Sometimes, I'd say hello to him if I'd see him waiting by the gates for his sister, but he was beginning to stay behind after school and play basketball with his friends before the disastrous weather would take a turn for the worst again.

All in all, we'd not had much communication in the past two weeks with the exception of talking via two bricks we deem phones that we have to be tethered to in order to get the most out of our conversations. But right now, he was absent so the texting has momentarily ceased but school only finished twenty minutes ago and I'd only been home for five. He was presumably playing basketball with his friends and gossiping mindlessly about people. I can only hope it wasn't about me.

I dread to think what they'd say about me with my knitted jumpers and the Coke lid I wear as a necklace. Aimlessly, my hand reached up and my fingers fiddled with the jagged metal edges of the lid. It got me thinking back to when Justin asked what the deal was with it. It made me uncomfortable; I wasn't prepared to articulate and declare the story about it. I guess it was because I wasn't equipped to trust him yet.

It can take months or even years to build up a solid wall of trust, but then it only takes a couple of minutes or even seconds to rupture that wall. I wanted to make sure Justin was someone to be trusted before I let him crumble it all down before it's had a chance to be built properly and sturdily. I've had a lifetime of disappointments; I just wanted something to be right for once.

Sat on my bed at home, I had just finished reading Anna and the French Kiss. It had taken me awhile to get through considering I've had some progress tests at school – everyone in the year were receiving them to show where we were all up to and if we were on target for our finals at the end of the year. I've also barely had chance to play the piano.

At the end of the book, there was a note.

Anna got her fairytale kiss at the end and so will you.
The next book is Lola and the Boy Next Door. The right guy could be closer than you think.
- Justin

It was almost as if he was insinuating that he'd be the one to kiss me and kiss away all of the blues of my life and replace them with untainted happiness. But I shook that thought away because it seemed too ludicrous and preposterous. But the right guy could be closer than you think gave off so many implications that I didn't know where to start.

"Sport," Dad called out from downstairs.

Discarding the book and note on the bed, I stood up and rushed outside. Dad was standing at the bottom of the stairs. He was holding his briefcase in his hand so he must have just gotten home from work. I didn't even hear him come in.

"Just wanted to make sure you were in. How was school today?" he queried, shrugging off his parker coat.

"It was fine, Dad," I replied. "I had the last of the tests today. Starting Monday next week, we get the results."

"And now you have a weekend to relax. Aren't you lucky?" He smiled at me. "For dinner, I've got some pasta if that's okay? You can play the piano now, too. You don't have to do any more revision."

"Thanks, Dad."

Dad strolled contently into his study to inspect the newspaper, presumably – I abhorred being so presumptuous about everyone – whilst I ambled back into my room. I sorted the books out, getting Lola and the Boy Next Door ready and putting the note back with the stash in the top draw of my bedside table. I had recently moved them to a new location so Dad wouldn't happen to stumble across them.