Pictures of You

Chapter Eleven

Of course I'd left myself with one major problem. I hadn't anticipated falling out with James, and he was a big part of my going-to-London plan. I didn't want to lie to Mum about where I was going. But I knew she'd be happier if I told her that James and I were going together. I needed him to cover for me. That was one of the reasons I'd gone round to his house; to ask him if he would. But with what had gone on between us, I wasn't sure if I could ask him anymore.

On the last day at school, we kept a wide berth of each other. We didn't have any of the same classes anyway, but we didn't meet up at lunch like we usually did. I didn't want to lose him as my best friend, but I knew that I had to be away from him for a while. I was still so angry at his lack of support.

As it came to the end of our my last class, I wondered if he would be waiting at the school gates for me like any other day. We hadn't arranged to meet there; we never did. It was just part.of our daily routine. I fumbled around packing my books away after the final bell went. I wanted him to get to the gate first. If he wasn't there, then it was his decision to leave without me. But if I got there first, then I had to make a decision as whether to wait for him, or just go.

As I finally got to the gates, I could see that he had chosen to wait for me. I smiled and let out a sigh of relief. Sure, I needed to ask him to cover for me. But it was more than that. I was happy to see my friend again after our fall out. We'd spent the whole day not talking, and I didn't like it one bit. He smiled nervously as he saw me approach. There had never been any kind if tension between us before, so it felt strange. I smiled back at him. 'Hi.'

'Hi..'

He looked up at me, from facing the ground. 'About yesterday,' he said.

'Can we not talk about it?'

'I just wanted to say...'

'You don't have to. It's fine.'

And I meant it. I guess there would be times in life when we wouldn't agree on things. But he was my best friend and I needed him. If things didn't work out on London the way I planned them, I knew he would be the one I would run crying to. And even though he told me so, he would never say the words I-told-you-so.

'So we're cool?' he asked.

'Yeah,' I said, 'we're cool. Back to mine?'

He smiled. 'Sure.'

So that's what we did. We went to my room, listened to music and played video games. We didn't do anything else. I think we both knew that part of our friendship was over. It was fun while it lasted and mutually beneficial. But I was with someone else now. That part of me was reserved just for Alex. With my trip to London just days away, hopefully I would be able to give that part of myself to him really soon.

We finished the game we were playing and put down our controls. I know I'd told him I didn't want to talk about it, but there were certain things that needed to be said.

'I'm going to London tomorrow,' I said.

I didn't ask his opinion. I was going whatever he thought, and I didn't want to have another fight about it.

'I know,' he said.

'Do you mind telling my mum you're coming with me? She'll freak otherwise.'

'Sure.'

'Thanks.'

'You know that thing I wanted to tell you...?'

He looked nervous. He was obviously scared of causing another argument that neither of us wanted.

'Can it wait till I get back?' I said.

He thought about it for a few seconds, then nodded.

***************************

'You will be careful, won't you?' Mum said as she helped me strap ny bulging rucksack on to my back.

'Of course,' I said.

'And you and James will stick together?'

'Yes Mum.' It was a tiny lie, but it was to make her feel better, so it was an acceptable lie.

'Look after each other.'

'We will.'

'I'm sorry if I'm fussing. But I'm worried about the two of you alone in London.'

'We'll be fine, Mum. It's London, not some war torn country.'

'I know. But there's a lot of weirdos around. And you've never been away without me before.'

'I went to scout camp.'

'That's different. It was supervised. The two of you will be fending for yourself.'

'It had to happen sometime, Mum.'

Mum was actually really cool when I told her James and I were going to London for the week. She was glad we were going out to see new things. But when the time actually came, she started to worry. I guess with what happened with Dad, it was only to be expected.

'You'll understand when you have kids someday. Just because you think you're all grown up, doesn't stop me worrying about you. Will you call me every night while you're away. Just to put my mind at rest?'

I rolled my eyes. 'Okay Mum, I promise.'

The truth was, I'd probably have called her every night, even if she hadn't asked me to. I hadn't spent more than a few nights away from her. We were a team. I was keen to know how things progressed with her online dating life whilst I was away. At least now she had given me a reason to call her, without letting on I wanted to.

There was a knock on the door. 'That's James,' I said. 'I better be off.'

'What time is your train?'

'Eleven.'

'I've put some sandwiches and snacks in your bag.'

'Thanks Mum.'

She grabbed hold of me and kissed me on the cheek. James walked in the room as she was kissing me. He always knocked first before letting himself in if the door was open.

'Oh hi James,' Mum said. 'Look after each other in London.'

'We will.'

'You sure you don't want a lift to the station?'

'It's fine,' I said. 'We're okay on the bus.'

Mum kissed me one last time and we left. We got to the bottom of the path before I thanked James for covering for me. 'No problem,' he said. 'Just don't do anything stupid. Your mum will kill me dead if anything happens to you.'

'I will ' I said.

'I can still come with you if you want?'

'No, this is something I need to do for myself.'

'Call me later?'

'Sure thing.'

We got to the end of the road, hugged, then he went back home whilst I turned the other way to catch my train.

My whole life could start today,I thought as I waited for my bus.

Author's note

If I don't get another chapter out before Christmas, hope you all have good one. Want to give me something nice for Christmas? Then vote for this chapter, or give my other Wattpad book a read. Its called In Quicksand and the complete novel can be read on here for free. If you're enjoying his story, then I'm sure it will be right up your street.