Neal could feel the cool breath of wind against his bare skin. Mr Ellis smelled like the city: coffee in the park, damp leaves, and newspaper print left too long in the sun. When he entered Sara's bedroom, he brought the barest hint of the outside world with him and the contact made Neal shiver.
"Um, hey Mr Ellis. This isn't what it looks like..." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. Sara's dad glared at him.
"I should hope not," he said, witheringly.
"Dad! No! God – we can explain!" Sara was babbling now, too panicked to string together a cogent sentence. "Neal's just over to, uhhhh, help me with some homework, and… and then…" Neal took the opportunity to steal over to the side of the room and slip on his trousers. He still had one of the blankets from Sara's bed draped around his shoulders. A crimson blush was slowly edging up his cheeks, clawing up his throat. This was beyond embarrassing. Mozzie would laugh himself silly when he told him. Sara's father listened to her gushing in silence, a sort of disappointed looking crease set firmly between his eyebrows. It would have been worse if he had shouted. The silence was unnerving. Neal pulled his shirt over his head as quickly as he could and stole a quick glance at Sara. She stopped talking. It was time for him to step in.
"Sir, I am so, so sorry. Sara and I were not doing anything uncalled for or irresponsible. We were simply practicing for our drama final next week, and-"
"I don't see why that involves you standing in my daughter's bedroom in nothing but your underwear." Mr Ellis hissed. He folded his arms across his chest resolutely. Neal gulped, but kept on talking, smooth as glass.
"The drama exam involves us acting out a scene from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet…" Out of the corner of his eye, Neal saw Sara bury her head in her hands. He pressed on regardless. "So we were practicing-"
"And I suppose that you just happened to bag the role of Romeo, and my daughter just happened to land the part of Juliet? There's one fatal flaw in your plan, Caffrey. My daughter can't act to save her life. She hates drama."
"Sara's part is, um, Roseline Capulet." Neal ran his fingers through his hair. He was clutching at straws, and everyone knew it.
"I seem to recall that Roseline never got any lines in Shakespeare's play. She was a purely silent character that was only mentioned by name – she never even appeared on stage." Neal swore silently. Trust Mr Ellis to be an expert on the bard.
"We were asked to improve the play, introduce new characters and put our own spin on it. You know, to get a good mark in our final exam." There was a heartbeat of very tense, very dangerous quiet. Then Mr Ellis puffed up like a blowfish and jabbed a podgy finger in Neal's face.
"One does not improve the work of Shakespeare!" he bellowed; face purpling by the instant, "One does not put their own spin on the works of the greatest playwright in history!" Neal could feel himself trembling, but he stood his ground against the barrage. Mr Ellis was breathing heavily. "I want you to get the hell out of my house. I don't know what you were doing with my daughter, but I don't want you to ever speak to her again. I don't want you to go near her, or smile at her, or anything. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, sir." Neal mumbled, staring at the carpet.
"I said do you understand me?"
"Yes!" he said, louder than he had intended. Sara sat down slowly on her bed, face hidden in her hands. Her father glanced between the two of them, then retreated towards the door, shoulders heaving.
"Get your things. I'll see you out." They heard the heavy tramps of his feet going down the stairs, then the room was quiet once more. But the damage had been done.
"Sara. I am so sorry. I don't know what to say-"
"Don't say anything." Sara said without looking up. "Ever. Please, don't talk to me again."
"Look," Neal gathered up his things as he spoke, his voice bordering on desperate, "if this is about what your dad said,"
"It hasn't got anything to do with him! I don't want to speak to you, Neal. My dad's right – you're a bad influence. I can't believe what you had talked me into! I was going to help you rob a museum and forge a freaking painting!" Neal was flabbergasted.
"We were only going to do those things to save my friend's life-"
"I don't care! You're a whirlwind, a hurricane out of control. You came into my life and at first I was caught up by your charm, your smile, your mind that works at a thousand miles an hour. But now I see you for what you are. You're a criminal. You're poison!"
"Sara, please." He didn't know what else to say. It was one of the fist times in his life when words had failed him.
"Just leave me alone. It's over."
"Caffrey?" Mr Ellis was calling from downstairs. Neal hoisted his backpack, which had the blank canvas stashed inside, onto his shoulder and stood lost in the middle of the room. He looked at Sara. Five minutes ago she had been the love of his short, chaotic life. What had changed?
"Goodbye, Sara." He said into the silence of her bedroom. She didn't reply.
Neal left her house with a heavy heart and a lump stuck in his throat.
Hey guys, sorry it took so long for me to update, and sorry it's such a short chapter! I've been really busy revising lately. My GCSEs start in a week and a half, so there might not be any updates for a while... Anyway, hope you enjoyed this small little snippet and please feel free to drop a review! They might help me with my revision! :)