The Unwanted

Chapter 10- Bonds

Chapter 10- Bonds

"Did you see me out there!" I shouted, "I was WOOOSHH and BAMMM! Volleyball really is the best"

"Coming from the guy who could barely stand until a couple of minutes ago," Anthony laughed.

"That's cute," I responded in a joking tone, "coming from the human water tap"

We laughed as we slowly walked along the concrete pathway.

"Anthony," I asked in a serious voice, "Do you plan on telling me about your older brother?"

A heavy silence settled on us. The uneasy tension in the atmosphere around us grew.

"You once told me I was more than just your friend, more than your brother," I continued, "So tell me. Who is this older brother? And Why haven't I heard of him?"

"Sorry, Alex," Anthony said with a fake smile, "I can't tell you."

"You helped me get out of a dark place after my father went for his job overseas," I replied with a genuine smile, "Let me help you."

"You think I don't want to," Anthony muttered softly.

"You think I don't want to tell the person that I trust more than anyone else! To the person who I've been through so much with!" He yelled as tears began to form in his eyes, "But... I can't... It hurts too much."

"Please," Anthony said as he wiped away the tears, "Let's talk about something else."

"Okay Anthony," I responded while pulling out the paper Principal Todd had given me earlier, "I still have to go to this math tutor thing with Principal Todd. Do you know this address?"

"16B Strathallan Street?" He questioned looking down at the paper, "Nope, sorry"

Our conversation was put on brakes with the sudden appearance of Emma. As her glossy brown hair blew in the wind, I couldn't help but be mesmerised as my eyes followed her as she walked past us.

"Yo Emma!" Anthony shouted as he noticed the embarrassed look on my face.

She sharply turned around with a smile once noticing us.

"Hey Alex, hey Anthony," she said softly, "How's it going?"

"We're alright" Anthony answered for the both of us as he handed her the note, "We were just wondering if you had any idea how to get to this address"

"Yeah, I was just heading in that direction," She said with a giggle, "Do you guys want to walk there with me?"

It was at this moment that Anthony gave me a look that I instantly understood. His expression was asking me "Do you want me to come along." He obviously didn't want to be a third wheel if I planned to flirt with her. He forgot my zero skills or charm when it came to girls. I gave him an expression that replied with "Please come!"

"Yes," I responded to Emma, "If you don't mind."

We soon left the school gate in a direction I was not familiar with. The street lamps flickered, leaving dark shadows behind, enhancing the paranoia that surrounded the area. On the floor, the black tarmac glistened from the snow, picking up and reflecting the smallest amount of light back up into the night sky. On one side of the road, was a dark fence, the rotting wood and the peeling varnish making the fence look like it could collapse at any moment. On the other side of the fence were the houses, barely visible from the poorly lit street, with a river of abandoned cars in front of them.

We walked until we reached a seemingly abandoned playground. At which point Emma turned towards us and asked,

"You don't have to be there until eight, right?"