OMG! We're so sorry! Exams and projects have been taking up so much of our time lately! It's not a good excuse and we're so sorry. :( But... someone reviewed! So thank you so much! Our first review! :D
Without further ado... chapter 14! Finally, eh? Enjoy! :D
Ella and Caroline rushed to catch the bus just as it was pulling away from the stop. The driver frowned at the girls but they just gave him forgiving smiles and slipped their tickets down the slot. They found a pair of seats near the back of the bus and Ella struggled to catch her breath while Caroline unzipped her jacket and loosened her hoodie strings.
"Sorry, Car," Ella said between breaths.
"It's okay, Ella, don't worry about it." Caroline looked at Ella and smiled kindly.
The other latecomers joined Caroline and Ella as they hurried down the halls with every single book they needed for every single class because they'd forgotten which ones they actually needed.
"I'll see you at lunch," Caroline said as she watched Ella disappear down the hallway.
"Okay. Meet me here." Ella pointed to the front doors of the library.
Ella walked to her first period – gym – and couldn't help but dread seeing Tasha's face so early in the morning. The last thing she wanted was her recent enemy teasing her about the prank she'd played on her.
"Ella!" Tasha exclaimed when Ella stepped in to the silent gym. All of the girls had already changed and warmed up. "So glad you decided to join us."
"Change then five laps, Ella," the teacher shouted from the other end of the gym. She was half in the storage closet and the other half of her was looking around the door at the girls in the gym. She stuck her hand behind the door and pulled out a bag of jerseys and a bag of rugby balls.
Ella walked into the change rooms and changed as slowly as she possibly could, hoping the rest of the class would have already started rugby drills so that she could do her five laps without everyone's attention on her and only her.
Ella slowly found her way back down to the gym after running. She tried to stop her speeding heart and heavy breathing. She was exhausted and ready to shower and go back to bed but there was still a whole period of gym and the rest of the school day to suffer through.
When she went down to the gym the girls were splitting up into pairs and getting rugby balls to practice throwing. Tasha walked over to Ella; Rachel and Jane following closely behind. Ella looked around and saw Krissa looking at them anxiously.
"How's it going with you and Finn?" Tasha asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
Ella was about to reply with a snide remark but she stopped herself. It wasn't Tasha's fault that Finn wasn't talking to her or that their relationship was, as far as she knew, over and it wasn't Tasha's fault that Ella had gotten drunk at the party and made out with Charlie.
Ella walked away from the three girls and went to stand next to Krissa. "Hey," she said.
"Hi. What did Tasha say to you?" Krissa asked, avoiding Ella's eyes.
"Nothing that matters." Ella and Krissa walked absentmindedly to the supply closet and Ella grabbed a rugby ball. They came upon a silent, unanimous decision to be partners. They spent the rest of the period doing drills together. They didn't need to talk; each other's company as enough.
Ten minutes before the end of the period, Tasha came over to Ella and Krissa, one manicured hand on her hip. "Ella, could we talk?"
"I'm kind of busy, Tasha." Ella motioned to Krissa and the rugby ball.
"I don't mean now, silly! Meet me by the field at lunch, okay?"
"Why? What do you want to talk about?"
"Just meet me there and you'll find out!" Tasha walked away without waiting for Ella's reply.
"I told her not to do it," Krissa said, when she and Ella were in the change room after class. She kept her head and voice low so no one would overhear her.
"Who? Do what?" Ella asked, slipping her shirt on overtop of her tank top.
"Tasha. I told her not to send that picture to Finn but she wouldn't listen. She kept saying how it would be funny and it was just a joke."
"Oh. Thanks, Krissa."
"Did you talk to him?" Krissa asked, genuine concern sketched on her face.
"Yeah. And I told him what else happened with Charlie and me."
"What else happened?" The girls had finished changing and were walking upstairs to go to their second period class.
"We went to that party on Friday and he was there and we both got kind of drunk and we were making out. Really making out."
"Oh my gosh! You and Charlie?!" Krissa did a good job supressing a laugh but her smile betrayed her.
"What? What's so hard to believe about that?" Ella didn't know why she was defending the idea of her and Charlie together.
"He has a girlfriend!"
Ella stopped in her tracks. "What?" She couldn't believe that Charlie had knowingly cheated on his girlfriend with Ella. But then she realized she had done the same thing to Finn.
"Yeah. She doesn't go to this school but they're awfully serious."
"He never mentioned her at all."
"Maybe he didn't want to scare you away," Krissa commented insightfully.
"I don't care. It's over and done with and I just want to move on and forget about that night. I mean, I have less than a week left in England! I don't want to ruin it by staying in the past!"
"That's the spirit! Now let's go to class," Krissa said. Ella followed her up the stairs and they parted when they reached Krissa's art room. "I'll see you later, Ella," Krissa said, before entering the busy studio.
"Bye, Krissa. And thanks. You're a good friend." With that, Ella walked down the hallway to her next class and made it just before the bell.
Caroline stood by herself as she waited patiently for Ella in front of the library. She had her backpack slung over her shoulder and she clenched her phone tightly with the hand that wasn't gripping her shoulder strap. Caroline glanced around, in hopes of spying Ella walking towards her but Ella was nowhere to be seen.
Caroline remained on her own for another twenty minutes when she decided she'd waited long enough for someone to never show. Caroline had called, texted and left three messages, none of which Ella and answered to.
On her way out of the school, Caroline noticed a group of Will's friends lingering by the front door.
"Hey, have you guys seen Will?" Caroline asked, stopping by the group on her way past them.
"No, love, he's sick," said a tall boy standing fairly close to Caroline. He had deep brown hair and pale blue eyes. His shoulder were broad but he was only about an inch taller than Caroline, unlike Will, who towered over her.
"Oh," Caroline said. "Is he okay?"
"Yeah, it's just a cold." It was the same boy who answered; the others just looked at Caroline.
"Okay. Thanks," Caroline said as she turned to walk away.
"Hey, love, you should call him," said the dark-haired boy.
"Why?" Caroline asked, turning around to face him again.
"He wants to talk to you," he replied with a smile. It wasn't a happy smile, or a sad one. It was as if he felt sorry for his friend.
"Will do," Caroline said finally as she turned and headed towards the Starbucks across the road from the school.
Caroline sat in French class, at the back of the room, all by herself. No one to talk to, no one to laugh with.
The teacher spoke slowly, or so it seemed, and the minutes dragged on like hours. Caroline stared out the window but nothing seemed to make the time go faster. She tapped her pen against her desk, spun her rings around her fingers, wrote her name in cursive in her notebook several times and even Google-searched baby elephants out of boredom.
By the end of the day, Caroline had put all of her leftover energy into the desk doodles she'd left for tomorrow's first period class.
Caroline waited for Ella once again at the library. Ella was quick this time. She was beside Caroline in less than thirty seconds.
"Where were you at lunch? Why didn't you show up?" Caroline asked, her voice slightly harsher than usual.
"I got held up," Ella said with guilt written across her face.
"What did you do?" Caroline asked, knowing immediately something was up.
"Tasha wanted to talk to me and asked to meet me by the field. She didn't show up, I waited, I was about to text you but then Charlie saw me and took my phone from me and wouldn't give it back so I couldn't call or text you. I'm really sorry."
"Why did you need to talk to her? What happened in gym?" Caroline asked, her voice softening.
"I'll tell you later. You ready to go?" Ella asked, changing the subject.
"Actually," Caroline said, pausing. "I have somewhere I have to go. You go back to the hotel and I'll see you a bit later."
"Where do you have to go?" Ella asked, more curious than ever.
"I have to see a friend," Caroline replied vaguely.
"Which friend?" Ella asked, grinning wildly.
"What is this, an interrogation?" Caroline asked defensively.
"Fine, go," Ella said reluctantly, wishing she'd got a few more answers.
"I'll see you later," Caroline said with a smile.
"Should I wait up?" Ella asked.
"I won't be that late," Caroline replied with a giggle.
Ella headed in the direction of the bus stop and Caroline watched her disappear. When Ella was on the bus and on her way back to the hotel, Caroline pulled her phone out of her pocket and scrolled through her contact list until she found Will's phone number.
Caroline waited patiently as the phone rang loudly. It was after five or six rings that Will picked up.
"Hello?" Will answered.
"Hi, Will. It's Caroline." It came out as more of a question than anything else.
"Hi, love," Will replied.
"Your friend told me you weren't feeling well. Are you okay?" Caroline asked, sounding more concerned than she'd anticipated.
"Oh yeah, I'm okay. I just have a rough cough and a migraine. It's just a cold," Will said casually.
"That's good to hear. I was a little worried."
"You were?"
"Yeah, a little."
"Oh," Will replied.
"I was sort of hoping I'd see you at school today." Caroline began to walk down the pathway that lead to the bus stop at the top of the street.
"Sorry about that. I really wanted to talk to you but I didn't want to make you sick."
"You don't have to worry about that. I don't catch colds very easily. It would take a lot more than a cough and a few dirty Kleenex to get this girl sick," Caroline said with a laugh. Will laughed with her.
"Well I'll make it up to you, I promise." Will's voice was soft and kind.
"I know you're sick, but I could come see you," Caroline suggested.
"Tonight?" Will asked.
"If that's okay," Caroline added, suddenly feeling stupid for even thinking up the idea.
"I'd like that."
"Really?"
"Of course." Will paused slightly then continued to speak. "I'll text you my address and you can come over as soon as you can."
"Okay." Caroline felt guilty for even agreeing to see Will. She thought about how betrayed Jack would feel if he found out, but then, the fact that Jack and Caroline wasn't even a real thing crossed her mind. They'd never kissed or even been on an official date, so what was she so afraid of?
"I'll be right over," Caroline said.
"Great. See you soon, love." Will hung up before Caroline could reply. Her phone buzzed barely thirty seconds after she'd pressed end. It was a message from Will containing his home address.
Caroline walked up the front steps to a small two-story house. On either side of the front pathway there were little bushes covered in small, white flowers. There was a framed piece of stain glass hanging in the window that looked like it belonged in the window of a church. The stainless steel mailbox next to the front door was bright in the sunshine; it was almost blinding as the light reflected off its sleek surface.
Caroline knocked on the door and waited for Will to answer it.
Caroline knocked on the door and waited for Will to answer it.
The door swung open but Caroline was surprised to see a young boy standing in front of her. She looked at him, wondering if she'd come to the right house.
"Hi," Caroline said. "I'm looking for Will?" Caroline asked.
"Yeah," the boy answered. "I'll go get him."
"Thanks," Caroline said, unsure of what to do next. She waited patiently outside on the front step when she heard a voice shout from inside.
"I told you I was expecting someone and not to answer the door." It was Will.
"Sorry about that," Will said as he opened the door and ushered Caroline inside. He placed his hand on the small of Caroline's back before helping her with her jacket which he then hung on the rack behind the door.
"It's okay," Caroline said. Will coughed harshly into his elbow.
"Sorry. It's not getting much better." Will smiled at Caroline and she smiled back.
"Do you need a glass of water? Or some tea? Maybe a ginger ale would make you feel better," Caroline suggested.
"I'm supposed to offer you a drink, not the other way round," Will said, leading Caroline up the stairs and into his room. He closed the door behind them and Caroline glanced around the room. Will had shelves of trophies and photos. He had a desk with piles of books; academic and pleasure. The walls were light blue and the comforter was navy blue-and-white plaid. There were cushions sprawled across the mattress and tucked away behind the closet door, Caroline could just make out a cardboard box of old stuffed animals and board games.
"I'm sorry, Caroline," Will finally said. He was sitting on the edge of his bed. Caroline was standing in front of him with her arms folded across her chest loosely. She dropped her hands so that they were at her sides.
"You have nothing to apologize for," Caroline said sincerely.
"I should never have asked you to kiss me. Even after you said you couldn't, I tried to push to see as far as I could go. It was unfair and I shouldn't have pressured you." Will shook his head.
"I shouldn't have just run away." Caroline just looked at Will. "I have a confession to make."
"What is it?" Will asked.
"I don't have a boyfriend."
"Oh," Will said, clearly caught off guard.
"I said that because there is this guy that I've been hanging out with. I thought I liked him, but then I met you," Caroline said.
"So why didn't you want to kiss me then?" Will asked, extremely confused.
"I didn't want to be leading him on and kissing you at the same time. I would have said the same thing to him if the situation was reversed."
"So where is this bloke now?" Will asked. Will sounded angry. Not with Caroline; she hadn't done anything wrong, but he was mad at the fact that some guy was getting in the way: someone he didn't even know.
"He's around," Caroline said casually.
"So are you still seeing him?" Will asked, trying to find the bottom of the dark pit he'd jumped in to.
"I haven't spoken to him since Saturday night. I told him what happened and he wasn't mad. He said I was allowed to think about kissing you."
"That's not for him to decide," Will said harshly, despising the boy who was unintentionally taking control of Caroline.
"No, it's not. But I still don't know what to do. I've apologized to both of you and I still don't have an answer."
"Well no one can make the decision but you. I don't know who this bloke is, but he must be pretty damn special if you're having trouble picking between him and me," Will said jokingly.
"Oh trust me, this is no walk in the park," Caroline said honestly.
"Well you let me know what you want," Will said after a moment of silence between the two.
"I wish this wasn't so hard," Caroline said, more to herself than to Will. Caroline walked closer to the bed and took a seat next to Will. Will just looked at her, no words ever coming out of his mouth.
"Where did you meet him?" Will asked after a long period of silence.
"Who?" Caroline asked, forgetting the previous topic of conversation.
"This chap you're involved with," Will replied.
"I met him the first night we were here. We were in a pub for dinner and he and his brother were at the bar."
"How old is he?" Will asked.
"Twenty," Caroline replied.
"Wow. And he's going after a seventeen-year-old?"
"Hey," Caroline said, offended, nudging Will in the arm with her elbow.
"Come one, you know you're worth it. I'm just playing around," Will said with a smile.
"He's in university," Caroline said.
"When do you see him?" Will asked.
"We went to the beach on Saturday. Ella and Finn, his brother, went to Finn's band's gig and Jack and I had dinner at his flat. We just watched a movie and hung out."
"Has he kissed you?" Will asked, not sure if he actually wanted to hear the answer.
"He's tried to."
"You stopped him?"
"Well at first, I liked his brother, but Finn never liked me so I gave up on him and realized I really liked Jack. He's a quite a bit older than me so I told myself I shouldn't move so fast and I had to get to know him before I could let anything else happen."
"Did you tell him that?"
"Not exactly. I told him I wasn't feeling well so he drove me back to the hotel."
"Why didn't you tell him the truth?"
"Because I was afraid he'd be mad at me," Caroline confessed.
"Trust me," Will said. "If he's a decent bloke, he'll understand."
"He is decent."
"Am I decent?" Will asked.
"You're better than decent, Will." Caroline smiled. "Yes," Caroline said.
"Yes, what?" Will asked.
"Yes, you can kiss me," Caroline answered. Will hesitated, pausing to make sure she wasn't joking and when Caroline gave a slight nod, Will leaned in close to her and pressed his lips against hers. Will cupped his hands around Caroline's cheeks and she placed her smaller, dainty hands over his. They leaned back all the way until they were lying together on Will's bed. They lay silently as the cool breeze from the outside world rolled in through Will's open window.