Once Again

Chapter 23

(Ali's P.O.V)

Glancing down at my hands, I turn them over repeatedly, scrutinizing every inch of them on the lookout for some sign of aging. Honestly, I never pictured my life this far ahead. I still remember when I was only a little child, I'd look at the world so differently, I was oblivious to so many things. Yet now here I am, ten years later and still just as clueless as my eight-year-old self.

I guess as we get older we have to learn, we lose our sacred innocence as life goes on. But who am I kidding? I still know absolutely nothing from this short while that I've been alive, I guess I just feel old because it's one day after my eighteenth birthday and I think I spot a white hair on my head.

"Honey you look great, put that mirror down." Noah attempts to comfort me.

As we sit at our usual lunch table, I pick at my half-eaten lasagne. Usually I'd be the first one to finish but today there must be something extremely wrong with me, seeing as I've only eaten half of my food.

Ava sits beside me, staring longingly and very indiscreetly across the room and I can already establish the reason for that.

Elliot sits with his head in his hands, looking unstable and unusually scruffy. My glance shifts as I search for another person, where's Dylan?

"Ava please don't do this to yourself," I mutter when my gaze shifts to her once again. She turns to me distractedly, her expression dull and impassive.

"There are plenty more fish in the sea," Noah quips unhelpfully as his eyes widen, "maybe a very yummy fish that goes by the name of Jason Scott." He licks his lips hungrily and I roll my eyes.

If Noah isn't gay then I'm a monkey's uncle.

Jason strides across the cafeteria, girls eyeing him up like a piece of meat as he does so. When our gazes lock, I wish I hadn't have looked in his direction. He's now walking purposely towards me and I prepare myself for the worst.

"Oh em gee, Jason is totally coming over here to ask me out!" Noah exclaims, sitting up in his seat and running a hand through his overly gelled hair. Honestly, it kind of makes him look like a Persian paedophile.

"Ali," Jason greets, plopping himself on the seat beside me and I think I hear Noah gasp.

"What do you want?" I sigh, glancing ever so unenthusiastically at Jason.

Ever since that time at Gammy's house, he hasn't done anything to annoy me like he used to, which is surprising, yet deeply reassuring. My patience towards him has been gradually increasing, but that doesn't mean I don't still hate him.

However, at my surprise birthday party yesterday, he was acting anything but like his old self. He was kind, and unusually normal, he even helped to clean up afterwards. I don't know what happened to him during the six years that I didn't see him, but judging by the outcome, it must have been drastic.

"Just came to remind you of our thing today, I'll pick you up after school, ok?" He asks, looking at me expectantly.

"Dylan is picking me up," I inform him, shaking my head.

"Dylan just so happens to have football practise after school, with it being football season and all. Coach wants him to train extra hard, he's on the field with the rest of the team as we speak," Jason explains and I finally understand why Dylan's table is so empty today.

"Why are you here then?" I quiz.

"Bad ankle,"

I glance down at his foot and notice a slight patch of his bandage showing.