Before We Say Goodbye

Chapter Six: It'd Be Safer

Chapter Six - Damon

I didn’t want to be friends with her. After I told her what happened to me, she started to get annoying. And desperate, asking for my number like that. But I gave it to her anyway.

Probably because she’s the only person to treat me normally.

“What’s up, Dame?” Paul asks, punching me lightly in the arm.

“The sky,” I reply grumpily.

Mum huffs from the wheel. “Damon, be nice to your brother. He’s worried about you. As am I. I mean, you just disappeared! We were searching for you all over the hospital! Where were you, anyway?”

I avoid her eyes. “Café,” I mutter.

She nods. “Okay, then. I was worried. Y’know?”

I clench my fists. I’m fed up of hearing that! It gets old pretty damn quick, you know! Ugh. Just…stop worrying. “Sorry, Mum,” I say quietly, hiding my anger.

“That’s okay, Damon. Just be careful. I don’t want to lose you.”

I close my eyes. “Can we turn on the radio please?” I ask, through gritted teeth.

Mum sighs. I know I’ve probably hurt her feelings, I know she’s not trying to annoy me, but lately that’s all she does.

I feel so guilty.

This is the first and the last time

I swear

I laugh at the song that is playing. Contagious Chemistry, You Me At Six. I don’t particularly like that band, but those lyrics fit.

The last time I swear.

This is the last time. I swear. I stare out of the window gloomily. I know I need to get over my damn face, but it’s just so hard.

I glance down at the scrunched up paper in my fist. I’ve already debated with myself about a hundred times whether or not to fling it out of the window, but I think I’ll keep it. It could come in handy. Sophie was pretty, I guess. And she was only trying to be nice. She’s probably socially awkward. I can’t really talk when it comes to social awkwardness, so I’ll give her a ring when I get the time. I don’t want to be one of those guys who just leads a girl on, for nothing.

It’s contagious, so catch it…

“Ugh, let’s change the station, please,” I say, pulling a face.

Mum flicks a button, and we move to Capital FM. I close my eyes, taking a deep breath.

Capital FM sucks…but Mum likes it. Just let her listen to it, Damon. It won’t hurt you. Mum glances back at me.

“You don’t mind, do you?”

I force myself to smile and shake my head. “It’s fine.”

Paul gives me a strange look.

“What?” I ask, eyes narrowed.

“Nothing, Dame. Nothing.”

I shrug to myself, looking out of the window again. Trees speed by, blurring into one another so that you can’t tell where one ends and the other begins.

It’d be safer

To hate her

Than to love her

And to lose her.

What is with all the You Me At Six? It’s everywhere! And on Capital FM, of all the stations in the world? I guess they’re pretty good, and I expect the band members are good looking enough for girls to fall in love with them, but on Capital?