Listen Lucky

37. Single

Runaway - Ed Sheeran (another inspiration for this book)

**

You don't think I actually wanted to kiss you Memory?" I laughed bitterly.

"Really? Because I-" before he could finish what he was saying the door opened and the light invaded our eyes. Dex stared at us as he held the door open.

"Is that lipgloss Will?" Dex looked shocked before his expression morphed into a knowing smirk.

"No, it's chap stick," he huffed before he shoved Dex aside to get out. I followed closely behind him, smiling shortly at Dex.

When we got out a few people were gathered around Sutton, including Emma who was very close to her and gesturing dramatically.

Will walked straight past them all and out of the gym.

"Malia! I really didn't mean to do its just that the gym teachers kept telling me not to leave the doors unlocked and I didn't realise you were in there when I shut it! You have to believe me, you know I'm trying really hard to be nicer to people, I swear I didn't mean it!" She rushed out after manoeuvring her way past Emma.

It was strange, after everything Sutton had done in the past, I actually believed her. I thought she really was trying to change, and I knew first hand that it was possible for a person to change.

I didn't have time to sit and console her though, when it was Will who really needed comforting.

"Emma, give her a break," I told my best friend who had obviously shouted at Sutton on mine and Will's behalf.

I carried on past them, hurrying to keep up with Will. He was fast enough when he was walking at a leisurely pace, but when he was angrily storming away I had to run to keep up with him.

"Will!" I called after him repeatedly. Eventually he stopped, once we were outside the quiet school and he turned to look at me. He had a frown etched on his face, one full of emotions I couldn't quite decipher.

"I wish you didn't have to see me like that," he sighed, leaning against a wall.

"You've seen me like that hundreds of times," I exaggerated to make him feel better. I slumped against the wall next to him.

After a while he said, "I guess we're both pretty broken." He was breathing heavily, like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

I thought for a while. It was different to hear Will talk like that and it reminded me that he wasn't infallible. He wasn't the constantly enthusiastic, confident boy I liked. He had his issues just like me.

"We are broken, I guess you're right, but broken things can be fixed. They might not be exactly the same after you glue the pieces back together, but they can resemble something similar, maybe even something better. You and I Will, we just need to find our glue."

He turned to look at me, squinting in the sun slightly, his expression was thoughtful and serious. He looked up again, letting some silence pass between us before he spoke.

"Why do we stay here Lucky? We could go anywhere together? Get away from everything and just forget it? We could runaway and live anonymously, contrary to societies' rules! We don't have to be who people want us to be, we can just be! We could just runaway."

He sounded almost excited by the prospect, but I could tell his words only stemmed from hurt and pain. He was understandably stressed out and thinking recklessly.

"I already ran away once Will, I don't want to spend my life running," I told him, before adding, "besides, you can't run from your past, it will always haunt you. You just have to find some way to cope with it."