Only One I Call Home

Chapter 10 - "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful..."

I smiled and walked out of the classroom. Tully met me in the hallway. She could tell something was up but she didn’t question it and I didn’t tell her. I didn’t want to worry her and I didn’t want to believe that it was true.

Trey was here.

*

I crossed my legs as I sat on the stupid plastic green seat and inspected my nails. My friend Karen smiled at me before opening up her math textbook, we had been in a few of the same classes last year and she was really nice. I sucked in my breath and tried to concentrate on my breathing but nothing was mistaking what I’d seen this morning. Trey had walked through the school gates. He was here. He was at my school.

“You look really stressed Mads, is everything okay?” She asked me with a small smile.

I shrugged and shook my head. “No, I’m fine.”

Just as I felt like I’d            controlled my heart from racing the door to the classroom opened and in walked our math teacher and a tall, toned and terrible Trey waltzed in behind him.

Mr Jones crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. “Okay things are going to go a little different today. Newbie, you’ll be working with Madison and Karen. The rest of you, sort yourselves into groups.”

For a moment Trey looked a little disappointed but then Karen giggled and stood up, waving him over.

He smirked, looking me straight in the eye before grabbing one of the green chairs and swinging it around to sit, leaning on the back of it. He shook his head and rubbed his jawline in disbelief.

“Well, well, well if it isn’t my favourite, slightly insane woman?” He bit his lip and grinned.

Karen turned to me and frowned. “Do you guys know each other?”

I glared at Trey and sighed. “We ran into each other before school today. He nearly ran over me.”

Trey chuckled. “Still as charming as I remember you.”

I rubbed my face and opened my book. “Look can we just get started please?”

“Fine by me, Mads.” Trey nodded and then opened his own book.

I tried to ignore his existence pulsating beside me but it was so hard. Karen looked confused but I guess she was confused most of the time so no one really noticed. But Trey kept looking at me, which made it so much harder to ignore him, and I hated it.

Half way through the lesson Trey heaved a smile and casually grabbed my paper from me with a mischievous smile. He started reading over my answers, trying not to laugh.

“What?” I demanded.

He chewed his lower lip. “How the hell did you get these answers?”

I shrugged. “What’s wrong with them?”

“There are no solutions?” He frowned.

I rolled my eyes. “What the hell is your point?”

He shook his head and grabbed my hand like he would have done back when I was Laurel. “L, everything has a solution.”

I frowned at him and snatched my hand away. “Did you just call me L?”

He bit his lip. “No Mads, I didn’t.”

I squeezed my eyes shut. “Not everything in life has a solution, Trey.”

He sighed and met my eyes. “There is if you look hard enough.”

We didn’t talk for the rest of the lesson. It was an awkward and dull silence and Karen just looked really confused the whole way through. I couldn’t believe he was here everything would fall apart. Everything that I had worked so hard for was just going to fade away because he was here.

When the bell rang I stood up and made an escape before he had a chance to grab me. I promised myself that I wouldn’t let him get under my skin. It wasn’t even an option. I couldn’t let him get under my skin.

After school Tully met me at the bus stop and we sat around waiting for the bus together. We usually went straight to work after school but Monday was our night off. She was watching me closely and I could tell she was itching to ask me about my day but I was doing my best to ignore her.

“What was in that letter? You never told me.” She asked with a small frown.

I looked up at her. “That was a few weeks ago now.”

She sighed. “Well I’m asking now.”

I shrugged and closed my eyes softly. “Nothing too bad. It was just simple really.”

She nodded slowly. “Right.”

I turned to her. “What’s your problem?”

She chewed on her fingernails. “I don’t know you’re acting sort of weird. I just want to know what’s up and I know you’re not going to tell me.”

“Um, well…nothing really. I just had a really weird day I guess.” I told her.

She shook her head. “No it’s more than that.”

Karen sat down beside us with a grin. “Hey girlies.”

I smiled small. “Hi.”

Tully nodded once at her.

Karen giggled and crossed her legs. “So, did you guys see that new guy?”

I turned away from them.

“What new guy?” Tully asked.

Karen nudged my leg. “Come on, you know who I’m talking about. What was his name? Terry, Troy…?”

“Trey?” Tully asked, arching her eyebrow at me.

I hid my face and squeezed my eyes shut.

Karen grinned. “Yes! That’s the one.”

I sighed heavily. “Yeah, what a dick.”

She shook her head. “No, he’s not. He’s in my English class and he’s really lovely. He kept asking me questions and trying to get to know me. He’s pretty shy too.”

“Well then what happened to him in math?” I mumbled.

She shrugged and smiled happily. “I’m not sure, maybe he was just a little excited.”

Tully put her arm around me and smiled. “Well, I’m looking forward to getting to know him. You never know, maybe we’ll have a class or two together.”

Karen laughed. “Fine, but don’t get any ideas. He’s mine.”

I stood up. “I’m going to go and find Jake, I haven’t seen him all day.”

Tully frowned. “The bus will be here in like fifteen minutes.”

I nodded once. “I know I just need to see him.”

I walked down towards the big oak tree where all the jocks liked to hang out. Jake was usually there until nearly four o’ clock every night because he only lived around the corner. Sometimes we walked back to his place together to hang out but lately we hadn’t seen much of each other.

As soon as he saw me he stood up and told his friends that he was leaving before jogging over to me. He smiled and gave me a hug, slipping his fingers through the loops in my school skirt. I smiled back and let him kiss me.

“How have you been, babe?” He asked.

I shrugged. “Fine, you?”

He laughed and nodded over to his group of friends, Trey was sitting there quietly. “Great, have you met the new kid? He’s cool, you’d like him a lot.”

I shook my head. “I’m not interested in him, only you?”

He smirked and pulled me a little closer. “Do you want to come back to mine?”

I bit my lip and wrapped my arms around his neck. “I’d love to but I have to get home tonight. I’m not feeling that great.”

“I bet I could make you feel better.” He whispered huskily into my ear before nibbling at it.

I looked past him and met Trey’s eyes. He looked both parts sad and tired. I’d seen that look only once before, when he’d found out that he’d lost his father. I hated that I had made him feel that way again.