Within A Year

Chapter 7

In spite of initially enjoying my university courses, I had to admit recently they had been droning on a bit. It was perhaps the lectures that were worse because there were always people who were constantly whispering around me meaning it was extremely difficult to listen to what was being said.

I didn’t understand why people would bother to pay so much money to come here if they weren’t even going to pay attention. It was plain stupid. However I was not confident enough to turn around and tell them to shut up, so I had to simply deal with it. I scribbled what I could on the notebook in front of me before the lecture thankfully came to an end.

I hauled myself tiredly from the seat, slamming my notebook shut and swinging my brown, satchel bag over my shoulder quickly. I had to remind myself that this was only a small part of university and that when I was studying alone, everything would seem better. I made a swift exit from the lecture room and waltzed outside in attempt to find Fletcher.

I wasn’t entirely sure yet whether he had finished his classes or not, so decided to wait for him on a nearby bench. I didn’t have anything else to do today and frankly I did not care if I looked like a complete loner.

To try and pass my time, I began skimming over the notes I had taken a few moments earlier. I was taking an English Literature course because for some reason I thought that that would be a good subject to avoid being centre of attention. I could simply read a few books, write a few essays and then I would be done. So far, it had been okay but I could tell there were a lot more challenging tasks to come.

After trying to make sense of my pitiful notes, I checked my phone for the time. I had been sat on the bench for half an hour and Fletcher was still nowhere to be seen. I was beginning to get quite concerned because Fletcher usually met me here all the time and his classes must have finished by now. It wasn’t like him to just disappear and ditch me.

Not wanting to spend another moment on my own on an uncomfortable bench, I chose to get up and head towards the town centre. Perhaps doing some light shopping would stop me from feeling so lonely. Of course, I wouldn’t go over the top because I didn’t have that much money to spend but maybe a few bits of stationary or some new clothes. I deserved a treat now and again, right? Anyway, I felt I owed it to myself. I had made it two months without killing myself and the promise I had made to Fletcher was still strong. In a weird way, I felt proud.

I puffed my chest out with this small sense of pride before making my way down the windy lane that led directly into the centre of town. Brighton wasn’t exactly a small place, the array of shops that I knew were fairly secluded, especially on weekdays when people were at work or school, this way I wouldn’t feel too overwhelmed, like I had at the restaurant.

Firstly I opted to going in a very quirky looking clothes shop where there were only a few, older people milling around. I made my way towards a rack of clothing and began rummaging around for something cheap. Also, I had to be quite dark. Bright clothing made you stand out and I certainly didn’t want that. I pulled at a plain, navy blue skirt than was slightly flared at the bottom. It was simple and neutral, perfect for me.

I glanced at the price tag and was pleased to find it was considerably inexpensive, so I made my first purchase of the day and exited the shop. I couldn’t deny, I wasn’t haven’t the best time shopping alone but nevertheless it had distracted me from a mysteriously absent Fletcher.

No sooner than that thought had entered my mind, I suddenly spotted the guy in question from across the lane. To my utter shock, I also noticed a familiar ginger haired girl standing next to him, Olive.

However this wasn’t the most surprising thing about the scene, it was the fact that they were holding hands. Fletcher and Olive were dating? Why hadn’t he told me? It wasn’t like I minded. Despite being initially caught off guard I thought it was incredibly sweet. However there was a horrible feeling in my stomach, it felt a lot like betrayal. The idea that Fletcher had ditched me to go out with his girlfriend that he hadn’t told me about just didn’t sit right with me. We were supposed to be best friends and this isn’t really how they are supposed to act.