Then Came You (4 page)

So basically, it’s a recipe for disaster.

Dana is glaring at everyone who walks near her today, even Remy, for some strange reason. Remy looks miserable as she stares down at her plate of untouched food at lunch and Joey is ignoring us all as he taps away on his phone.
And me?
I just sit there, awkward and nervous, not having a clue what to say.

Well, hey, I’m a little rusty at the whole friend thing.

The moment almost brings me back to my old high school, the one where I was happy, popular, and I had enough friends to last me a lifetime – or so I had thought. I had a best friend called Rebecca, and together we were the inseparable pair, the superiors of our school. We’d promised each other we’d always have the other persons back. We had practically blood promised.

And then my mum had died, my dad lost the plot, and I spiralled into depression. Rebecca ditched me the moment she saw the change in me and became besties with Morgan Dutch, the girl who hate me, and proceeded to mock and humiliate me from then onwards. That had been one last loss I couldn’t take, so I built my walls and decided never to let anyone close enough to be classed as a ‘friend’ anymore.

And now here I was, sat with three people I was friends with, sitting in an awkward silence as though nobody wanted to be there. Well, technically, Joey wasn’t. But Remy, who was always the life of the party, looked guilty and miserable, and Dana, who was like our loving queen, was angry and looked like she wanted to hit somebody.

I just hoped it wasn’t me, because I’ve heard that she can pack a punch.

I look between them both as I nibble a French fry, wondering what’s caused the tension between the two. “So, what happened at the party?”

After Tyler had gone, I’d stayed in the back for a while longer before walking back into the house. I hadn’t been able to find any of them, so I’ just decided to walk home myself. I’d struggled to find my way and I hadn’t got back until gone midnight, where I’d found my dad passed out on the couch as per usual.

Lost in thought, I hadn’t noticed that Dana had left the table and it was now just me, Joey and Remy. I eye her for a moment, noting the paleness of her skin and how she’s gulping extra hard. “Alex was at the party – he ex,” she murmurs.

Joey’s head snaps up, eyes wide.
“Seriously?
No way!”

I elbow him sharply, making him yelp. “Dude, don’t be inconsiderate,” I glare at him. Turning back to Remy, I ask her, “How did Dana take it?”

Remy looks away quickly, but I’d already seen the sadness in her eyes.
“
Hecameontomeattheparty
.”

Joey and I just blink at her. “What?”

She takes a deep breath, looking pained. “He came on to me, okay? Dana saw and went crazy, telling me I wasn’t a real friend. But I did
nothing,
I swear! I didn’t even realise what he was doing! And now she hates my guts.”

My brow furrows, trying to take in what I’m hearing. “Oh.”

“Did you have a bitch fight?”
Joey asks, voice filled with interest.
I watch his fingers moving towards his mobile, itching to get back to his texting.

I glare at him, telling him to shut up with my eyes. “Remy, I think Dana’s just angry and she’s taking it out on you. It’s not your fault, but don’t blame her, okay? I’ll try talking to her if you want.”

Her face brightens.
“Really?
You’ll do that, for me? Oh, thank you, thank you,
thank
you!” She jumps up and runs around the table to hug me, bright pink hair tickling my face as she bounces up and down. “You’re the best Darcy.”

I roll my eyes, patting her on the back awkwardly. “Um, yeah, thanks. I-I have to go… now…” I turn around and run out of the canteen, suddenly feeling awkward with all the attention from Remy. She can be a little overbearing, and sometimes I just don’t know how to handle all her… giddiness. I may be more talkative lately, but I’m still socially awkward at best. I don’t think that will ever completely change.

As I’m walking I bump into someone, and when I look up I see Tyler looking down at me with a small smile on his face.
“Hey, Darcy.
You okay, you look a little glum.”

I laugh bitterly, twisting my lips into a smirk. “I’m
fine.
Can’t you see how happy I am? I’m bursting with joy. Better walk away now, before the sunshine coming out of my pores gives you sunburn!” I snap, pushing him out of my way as I run towards the gates. I hear him call my name but I ignore him, running out of the school grounds and away from all the… people.

There are many different ways to drown; in the sea, in a bathtub, a lake or a pond. You’re skin turns cold, your mind goes blank and eventually you fall asleep. But what about the different kind of drowning. What if you’re drowning in your own feelings? Does your mind go blank, your skin cold enough to turn numb? When you look around, lost, desperate, wishing someone would just reach out to you and help you, tell you what you have to do.

I’ve never really been used to attention, and so when I receive it, a little dosage more than I can take, I just snap. Because, well, snapping and lashing out from people, keeps me from drowning.

People have safe places – their own little spot where they can be themselves, free from the rest of the world. It’s a place where your mind can relax; you can let loose your stress and ignore the shit going on in your life if only for a little while. It’s like a pause button on your life, or a safe house, whilst you catch your breath.

My safe house is, ironically, near water. Whenever I was around a lake, river or ever the sea, all the knots in my body would just loosen and unwind, the soft ripples catching me in a trance, away from the world. The sound of the water was like music of the softest kind, natural, feminine, pure. It was the one place I didn’t have to be afraid of drowning.

On the second day I’d arrived to Little Woods, I’d found a narrow river in the backs of the woods behind my house. It was perfect: a secluded spot with nothing but the sounds of the water and a few birds in the trees.
even
the wind barely blew back here, allowing me to read a book without having to hold the pages tight so they would blow.

Breathing a tense sigh, I fall against the familiar tree I’ve used every afternoon and take my recent novel out of my satchel. I turn to the page I’d dog-eared since the last time I’d read and carry on, losing myself to the words and to my surroundings…

Six

“Do you hide here often?” A voice asks, jerking me out of my peaceful haze. I look up at Tyler and frown slightly, wondering what he’s doing in
my
safe haven.

“What do you want?” I grumble, closing my book with a weary sigh.

He rolls his eyes at my tone, sitting down next to me and running a hand through his hair. “I want a lot of things. Like an elephant that I can ride to school, a zebra that can cook and a giraffe outside my window so I can slide down its neck. I’d also appreciate a never-ending supply of coffee and peanuts, but I have a feeling you don’t want to know any of this.”

“No kidding,” I scoff, trying to fight the smile that’s twitching at the sides of my mouth.

We go silent for a moment, both of us staring at the water.
Peaceful.
I almost forget he’s still there for a moment, until his voice breaks my reverie. “I sometimes feel like I’m waiting for something that’s never going to happen. I spend my days in a blank state, trying to find something that can save me from the darkness – my light.”

I look up at him with wide eyes, my heart thumping in my chest. “Why are you telling me this?”

His eyes flash with something… something I haven’t seen in a long time, before it’s gone and he’s grinning down at me again. “I’ll tell you another time.” His answer makes me huff and he chuckles at me expression, leaning over to flick my nose gently. “Aw, don’t be grumpy, Darcy, or I might have to start calling you that from now on.”

“I am
not
grumpy!” I snap, sounding very grumpy indeed. I slap a hand over my mouth, hoping he hadn’t noticed, but by the smirk on his face, he’s noticed. Well, shit.

“Aw, Grumpy, don’t I get a smile?” he waggles his eyebrows humorously, making me snort. “Ha! I
knew
you’d have a cute laugh!” This makes me blush and I duck my head, hiding behind my hair in the hopes he won’t see it. “And, what have we here? A blusher! Oh, Grumpy, I think you’ve given me a new hobby. I’m going
love
making you blush!” Obviously, this boy misses nothing.

“Shut up, Tyler,” I growl at him, my eyes narrowed. Apparently, the grin under my eyes doesn’t agree with the tone, and he knows that too. “Don’t you have somewhere important to be? Or better yet, someone else you can annoy besides me?”

His hands fly to his chest, a dramatic pained expression on his face. “Oh, Grumpy, you wound me! My love for you is strong and yet you break my heart as though it is weak! However will I carry on?”

“Oh, dear
god.
Do you ever give up?” I giggle, hiding my smile behind my book. He immediately pulls it down, a serious look on his face.

“Don’t hide your smile, Darcy. It’s too beautiful not to be seen.” his voice sounds hoarse, husky. His eyes linger on my lips, and is it my imagination that he leans forward, almost like he wants to kiss me? My tongue flicks out on its own accord, running along my lips as is stare at his own full ones. Do I want to kiss him too?

“How about we go on an adventure?” he whispers against my lips, causing a shiver to run along my spine. His breathe smells like apples and mint, a warm, intoxicating smell that sends my mind abuzz.

I nod through my delirious haze, feeling my eyelids droop slightly. “Mhmm, okay,” I mumble, licking my lips again. He moves back, eyes twinkling, and holds a hand out for me to take. The distance helps me clear my mind, and before I know it, I can smack his hand away and stand up on my own, ignoring his chuckles.

“What do you have in mind?”

He grins, hands in his pockets as he leans against the nearest tree trunk. “That depends. What do you like to do?”

A blush rises on my cheeks and I duck behind my hair once more. “I-I like to read.”

A small smile crosses his face, eyes softening. I gulp, trying to calm my racing heart as he looks at me. “What’s your favourite book, Grumpy?”

“I
said
don’t call me that!” I snap, my earlier feelings fading quickly, irritation taking its place. Seriously, does this guy never just
give up
?

He tips his head back and laughs softly. “And I said it was my new nickname for you. Think of it as a term of endearment. Now I asked you a question?”

“My favourite book is Villette, by Charlotte Bront
ë,” I admit sheepishly. It’s one of the only books I read that my mum liked, and I have her torn and battered copy like a keepsake – a treasured possession that I read at least once a month, maybe twice.

Tyler’s eyebrows rise; clearly he didn’t expect that for an answer. “Well, that’s a first. You’re a girl of many surprises, Darcy. So, what’s one of your favourite parts? I’m guessing it’s a love story?”

My blush intensifies. “It
is
a love story, but that’s not all. It’s about a girl at a boarding school who achieves independence and so much more, but she can’t marry the man she loves.”

“Interesting.
Why is that your favourite book out of the millions of others out there?” he asks quietly, his voice a mere whisper against the soothing waves of water, musical and tempting.

“Because the novel is all about the loneliness and desolation of Lucy.
It’s one of the only novels I can truly relate to, and I fell in love with it when I was eleven years old,” I smile at him, lost in the memories of me, curled on the sofa next to my mum, flicking the worn pages of the novel. She would have a similar novel in her own hands and we would swap them after we’d both finished before taking them back to the library. But Villette was a book I never had to return, because it was my mums, and now it is mine.

“You know,” Tyler murmurs, reaching out a hand to rest on my cheek, warm against my cold skin, “you look so beautiful when you’re talking about something you love.
I only hope you talk about
me
with that look in your eyes one day.”

I almost gasp at his words. “What did you just say?”

He blinks, pulling away and pursing his lips slightly. “I said
,
did you want to go on an adventure?”

“
Uhh
,” I gape at him, confused by the sudden change in conversation. “I guess so? I’m not the most adventurous person, though.”

“It’s alright,” he winks at me, reaching out to take my hand. “We’ll just start of slow. How about a beginner’s adventure?
Like, say, climbing a tree.”

I raise an eyebrow at him, incredulous. “You call climbing a tree an adventure? What are you, five?”

He chuckles, “Hey, you’re the one who said you weren’t adventurous. So are you a liar?” He smirks at me, walking closer, “did you
lie
to me, Grumpy?”

“N-no,” I stutter, stepping backwards away from his warmth and almost stumbling over a large branch. His hands snap out and he grabs me just in time, smiling gently.