How I Missed You.

James

I didn’t like him. I didn’t trust him. But he was Isabella’s friend and he made her happy so I was willing to overlook my dislike and be nice. I was sitting on the edge of Isabella’s bed watching her and Jamie battle it out on one of her old video games.

Jamie paused the game, looking up at Isabella’s alarm clock. “I better go,” he finally said.

“Aww, do you have too?” Isabella whined.

“Yeah, sorry,” he said stretching.

“Fine. We’ll walk you to the door,” Isabella smiled, jumping up.

Grudgingly I got up off the bed and followed the two downstairs where Jamie said goodbye to Julie and my mother.

“It was nice meeting you James,” He said slapping me on the back. I smiled, trying not to make it look forced.

“Bye Jamie,” Isabella hugged him. Julie and Sharon forced some leftovers into his hands before he was out the door.

“So what’s up with that Jamie guy?” I asked once we were safely back in Isabella’s room.

“What do you mean?” Isabella wondered, getting under the covers of her bed.

“You like him,” I spoke bluntly. As much as it pained me, I did notice the gleam in Isabella’s eyes when he spoke to her and they way she never stopped smiling when he was in the room. I didn’t like him, but I was going to have to get used to him.

“No I don’t,” Isabella cried, clearly scared that she had been caught.

“Even after nine years of separation I still know you like the back of my hand.”

“Okay fine,” she sighed, “I might, might! have feelings for him.”

I laughed, “Girls.”

~~~~~

Saturday came and I was beyond tired, I hadn’t gotten any sleep the night before thanks to Isabella. We had stayed up all night talking, not about Jamie, about random things, we didn’t stay on the same topic for more than five minutes and then we would spend ages laughing at something that wasn’t supposed to be funny.

I sighed when the alarm Isabella had forgotten to turn off sounded.

“Morning,” Isabella smiled, looking down at me from her bed. More for comfort than anything else I was sleeping on an unused mattress rather than in Isabella’s bed which was only a single.

I yawned, smiling back up at her, “Morning. What’s on the agenda for today?” I asked I didn’t have to go home for a while. Julie and my mum wanted to spend as much time together as possible; it wasn’t just Isabella and I who got separated.

“Well,” Isabella started, sitting up in bed, “we could just hang here. Or I could take you to go see my school. It’s not a very long walk,” she informed me.

I coaxed my head the side as I weighed out the pros and cons of each. “Take me to your school,” I grinned and she chucked her pillow at me which I then threw back, resulting in a pillow fight. Unlike in the movies you see, feathers did not fly out of broken pillows although I had always been interested in seeing that.

“What’s going on up there?” A voice shouted form downstairs.

“Nothing!” We called back as I hit Isabella over the head with my pillow once more.

Sighing, Isabella said, “I guess we should get up now.”

“Yeah,” I agreed hitting her again.

She whacked my across the shoulder before getting up and opening her curtains. The sunlight poured in and pained my eyes for a second. Isabella laughed and began pushing me out of her room so she could make her self presentable. I trudged down the hallway, making my way to the spare room where my things were being kept, along with my mother’s. I changed into a plain black shirt, blue jeans, my blue hoodie and balk converse. Then went down stairs for some breakfast, Isabella wasn’t down yet.

“So, what are you kids up to today?” Julie asked, placing some toast in front of me.

“Isabella’s gonna take me to her school,” I said, my voice muffled due to the toast I had just stuffed into my mouth.

“Don’t talk with your mouthful,” My mum scolded, I swear she only had me so she could criticize my every move.

“Oww,” I cried as a hand collided with my head.

“And don’t give me that look James,” my mother smirked.

I ate with narrowed eyes until Isabella came and took the seat between me and my mother, saving me from further pain.

“Come on,” Isabella sighed, tugging me out of my seat by my hood before I had even finished my first piece of toast.

“Where’s the fire?” I asked as I followed her to the front door.

“There’s a lot to see, that’s all,” Isabella giggled.

“How far away is your school again?” I asked as Isabella pulled me along the path.

“It’s just a ten minute walk, I swear.”

I sighed, ”Fine.”

Ten minutes went by surprisingly fast without any complaints from me, or from Isabella due to my slow walking.

“Ta da!” Isabella cried as we walked the through her school’s front gate.

“Wow,” I said, slightly sarcastic. The school was possibly slightly bigger than mine, but ovals were definitely smaller.

“Come on, I’ll show you my classrooms,” Isabella said, grabbing my hand and towing me up a little dirt path obviously made by all the people who were too lazy to travel up the real path.

I followed after Isabella, taking everything in. As we walked, Isabella filled me in on everything. All the different personalities and how they clashed. Who she hated and who she envied. All the funny stuff that’s ever happened and then all the times she thought the principal’s head might explode. I listened, only slightly interested. A lot of the stories involved Jamie, even before he and Isabella had become friends.

“Damn it,” I groaned, hearing the familiar tune that meant my phones battery had just died.

Isabella giggled, “Relax, you can charge it when we get back to my house; I think our phones have the same connector.”

“Let’s hope,” I grumbled, attempting but failing to turn my phone back on.

“Here, I’ll show you where I sit at lunch,” Isabella said, leading me away from the buildings and out towards the oval. It was shady underneath the big tree, big enough to hide someone from teachers if they kept quiet. It was also very close to a fence separating the school from one of the town’s houses. I was almost certain this area must be out of bounds but didn’t question Isabella. “We haven’t sat here for long but I think it’s kind of peaceful.”

“Yeah,” I agreed.

“So what’s wrong?” Isabella asked sitting down and leaning her back against the fence.

“What do you mean?” I joined her.

“You know, you’ve been acting weird all day.”

“No I haven’t,” I defended. Did my expression give something away about how I felt about Jamie?

“James?” She hedged.

“What?”

“Fine, don’t talk to me,” she shrugged.

“You know I would, if there was something to say,” I told her.

“Okay,” she said, ending the conversation.

“So how’s your oral going?” I asked, curious to know what she had written about me.

“It’s going fine. Although I might have to change something now,” she scrunched her eye brows together, as if in deep thought.

“What bit?”

“The bit about, even after nine years of separation we still trust each other enough to tell each other everything,” she said, starting at me pointedly.

I sighed, “You honestly don’t want to know what I’m thinking. But I promised, when I think its right, I’ll tell you.” How could I tell Isabella that I thought her new friend was trouble? She’d probably just end up hating me and then have to change her whole oral presentation.

She rolled her eyes like I was being ridiculous. Well she’d just have to deal with it.

“I’m presenting it on Tuesday,” she continued.

“Yeah, can I come watch?”

“Aren’t you going to be in school then?”

“Nah, we’re having a whole school swimming carnival. I honestly can’t be bothered going this year. So if you won’t let me come to see your oral I’ll probably just stay home all day bored,” swimming had never been my cup of tea. I only ever signed up for the novelty events and every broke the rules so it was impossible to win anyway.

“Hmm... I guess you can come,” Isabella thought, “But you can’t let anyone see you! I’ll leave the window open so you’ll be able to hear. And you are not allowed to laugh no matter what!”

“Cross my heart and swear to die!” I swore like we use to do as kids.

“And no recording it either!” Isabella added.

“It shall be forever recorded in my mind anyway,” I joked and she slapped me on the arm, “hey! I was just kidding.”

“Yeah, I know,” she grumbled.