The Middle - Volume Three ✔️

Chapter 3

Jamie

I wake up to the When Harry Met Sally DVD menu illuminating my dark room from the TV screen. I'm groggy, but I feel a hell of a lot better than I did earlier. I pick up my phone and see that it's only 11.12pm. Well, it is pretty late. I've slept for hours though, and I don't feel that tired now. I have a tone of messages, but I don't read any of them. My dad, Aubrey, John, Erin, Jay and Joel. No Patrick or Noah.

Benji is lying on his back at the foot of my bed, his paws twitching in his sleep. Poor boy, I didn't walk him earlier. Or give him his dinner. Speaking of dinner, I haven't eaten anything all day (besides two spoonfuls of cookie dough ice-cream). So I decide to go downstairs to put out some dog food for Benji and get something to eat myself.

11.15pm and I'm sitting on my kitchen counter eating cereal, watching Benji devour his late dinner. I'm still wearing sweats, Patrick's hoodie, Patrick's headband. I'm ignoring everything else and focusing on practical things. I'm gonna take Benji out for a midnight stroll once I've eaten my cereal. I can practically hear Patrick now 'do you ever walk the poor dog?'. But I'm not thinking about Patrick. He hasn't sent me any messages. Either has Noah.

I shrug on a jacket and my thick scarf (to hide the hickeys - I doubt I'll run into anyone at this time of night, but you never know.) and I shove a woolly beanie on (on top of the headband, I don't wanna take it off - I don't know why). Before heading out with Benji. I don't even bother putting his leish on, he's a good boy and it should be quiet out at this time.

As I walk down my street I plug my headphones into my phone and shove them over my ears. I hit shuffle on one of my many playlists, and the first fucking song that comes on is Fleetwood Mac - Tusk.

I'm 13 again. And I'm in the Music room in Middle School with Jay, Joel and Patrick. We're listening to songs from my iPod plugged into the speakers, and trying to copy them. We've already mastered The Chain, Rihannon and Go Your Own Way easily. Joel keeps teasing Patrick about a Fleetwood Mac song called Tusk. I don't know the song, but apparently there's an impressive drum solo by Mick Fleetwood in that one. I have it on my iPod though, I have most Fleetwood Mac songs. So I put the song on and we listen. It sounds so tribal and weird, but I like it. Patrick follows the beat easily. He listens to the solo a couple of times then copies it with total ease, but he carries on and keeps drumming out his own beat over the music. It's fast, his eyes are closed, his hair has totally fallen over his eyes and he looks completely lost in the music. It's the first time I've really seen him drumming like this. A small crowd of kids has even formed by the door to the Music room, and the Music teacher has come in and is watching Patrick in awe. We all are. By the time he stops, his knuckles are cracked and bleeding a little. He looks up, startled by the audience that have formed. He pushes his hair back, takes a deep breath and says "Man, I need to get a headband or something." Everyone laughs. From that moment on, Patrick was very popular with the girls.

Present day, and I'm skipping Tusk. I don't wanna listen to that right now. It's an awesome memory, a memory I love. But I don't wanna let it in, not fully anyway. The next song that comes on is Lego House - Ed Sheeran.

I'm 16 again. My eye makeup is dark, my hair is blue, and I'm sitting in my garage on a Saturday morning, desperately refreshing the webpage I have open on my laptop, trying to buy tickets to see Ed Sheeran. The general sale opened 10 minutes ago, and I haven't managed to get tickets so far. Im trying for five, for me, Erin and the guys. Jay and Joel are messing around with their guitars, and Patrick is sitting beside me on the couch browsing through his phone. I finally give up, I'm not gonna get tickets, and I'm bummed. It's the first time Ed Sheeran has had a tour date in South bridge, I knew it would sell out quickly.