A/N: I'm worried people won't like how I've portrayed Lynette's character, but I did it how I thought best. She's just a typical teenager, with typical little brothers. Please R&R!
Chapter 2:
After leaving Jed, with the promise of meeting in the same place at the same time the next day, I started to walk home. Worry was circling my mind. How was I going to tell Mum and Dad I had met a guy that I really liked, but he was a Cross. I hated that I had to worry about it too. Jed seemed so amazing. I really want to get to know him and let him get to know me. I knew Mum and Dad wouldn't react well. Jude's only 13 and Callum's only 12 at the moment, and I don't think they'd understand why it was such a big deal. Callum, because his best friend is Persephone Hadley, the daughter of the woman Mum works for. Jude because he's at school and a lot of his friends are Crosses. They would be right though, in not understand why it was such a big deal. It shouldn't be such a big deal, but I knew it would be. Friendship at a young age is one thing, but a relationship? No way. Noughts and Crosses didn't mix like that. Ever.
I sighed inwardly and wondered how the world got to be like this? The Good Book says 'love thy neighbour' and yet that only seems to apply if your neighbour has the same skin colour as you. God's son was a dark-skinned Cross, I know, but what did that matter? Wasn't he supposed to be all about forgiveness and things? Shouldn't he have been promoting unity between noughts and Crosses, rather than leaving the world with such a great divide, which is still here 2000 years after he walked the earth. It wasn't fair. Skin colour was so unimportant, and yet no one else thought that.
'Lynette' Mum was in front of me before I had even closed the front door. I instantly looked at the clock on the wall. It was 9pm, I wasn't late. 'Where've you been'
'Out' I replied. Yes I probably sounded sarcastic, but I had been out. Mum looked at me in a way that sound "don't get sarky with me" so I added 'In town, then I went for a walk' It wasn't a technically lie. I had been in town when I met Jed in the café, and then I walked home.
'All right' Mum backed off. She's always like that. Even if I'm exactly on time she jumps to find out where I've been. If I'm early she worried about why I'm home so early in case something happen. If I'm home late she's worried about why I'm late. And if I'm home on time she worries about that. I guess it was all part of being a Mum, she just had to worry about everything.
That was part of the reason I couldn't tell her. A small part though. I couldn't tell them because it would cause nothing but trouble and I just wanted a quiet life. For now at least. I'd tell them another time, when the time was right. When I was sure it was serious. After all it would be stupid telling them now if nothing came of it.
I walked up the stairs and into my bedroom. Jude appeared in my doorway a moment later 'Where've you been?' He asked.
'in town' I told him.
'I know when you're lying, Lynny' said Jude. And that was the trouble, he did. Jude was the more sensitive of my two brothers. The one never afraid of showing how he felt, whether it was anger or love. Callum was quieter about how he felt, rarely letting people in. Callum was a thinker, Jude was a feeler. How was I going to get around this? I couldn't tell Jude the truth, but I couldn't lie to her.
'I was in town' I told him.
'Alone?' He eyed my suspiciously.
'Listen toad-face' I said. 'I'm not under interrogation and you're not a police officer'
Jude poked his tongue out. 'I know you're hiding something' He said ominously 'I will find out what it is'
'Close the door on your way out Judie' I said, purposely calling him that because he hated it.
'It's Jude' He hissed and left, slamming the door behind him.
I knew he meant it, he wouldn't let it go until he did find it out. I just had to be clever about hiding it. I sighed to myself and flopped back on my bed. When did life get so complicated? I knew the answer, it always had been. Being a nought automatically meant everything was harder. It automatically meant being on the outside, the lesser side. It meant meaning nothing to everyone on the inside. Everyone except Jed. I smiled as I thought about him. I was so determined to make it work. In this world is was hard to fine someone my own colour who was as true as Jed so obviously was, so to find a Cross like that was a chance in a million. Jed and me could make this work. We would and sometime I would tell my family.