Words, Words, Words

The bland walls of Lee's basement are becoming less comforting and more suffocating by each passing moment. Every instrument is tuned and tested, just waiting to be used. But instead, all of us are sitting around with bored expressions on our faces.

"Did yeh tell Tom wha' time band practice starts?" Matt N asks from the ratty, blue couch across the room. I sit on the floor, picking at a huge hole in my ratty old, black vans. Next to me, on his phone, is Lee. Curtis and Matt K are messing with their instruments for entertainment.

"I think so," I mutter just as the basement door swings open. Tom walks in, his mouth filled with food, his camera dangling around his neck. Behind him, looking sheepish and pale, Amelia follows. She refuses to make eye contact with me, though I know she knows I'm staring her down as usual. I don't know why I'm so infatuated with her.

"Sorry we're late, we stopped fo' food," Tom says after swallowing what was in his mouth. He glances at me, his blue eyes glaring a warning towards me. I look away, keeping myself in control, mouth shut.

"Could 'ave gotten us somethin'," Lee mutters as he gets up and stuffs his phone in his pocket, "We all know wha' a horrid cook my mum is."

A couple of laughs and words of agreement are shared between the others as I get up and make my way to the microphone. Tom sits on the floor, messing with his camera. Amelia, looking uncomfortable and out of place, takes up Matt's spot on the couch and we begin.

_______________________________

"Good practice, good practice," Matt K says, breathless, as we finish the last song. Tom takes a last picture of Lee's guitar before nodding. I cough a bit, wiping some of the sweaty hair off my forehead and grab my water bottle, downing the contents in a matter of five seconds.

"I'm starving. Unlike Tom and Lia, I haven' eaten anythin' all day," Curtis whines as he plays with his own half full water bottle. Matt N and Lee agree that they, too, are hungry. I glance at Amelia. She's staring down at her fingernails, picking off nail polish. Her jaw is clenched tightly.

"I could eat," Tom says as he gathers up all his stuff and smiles up at me. I roll my eyes playfully and smile a little.

"Of course yeh can," I mutter, smacking him a bit in the back of the head. He shoots me a nasty sneer before turning his back to me and talking to Matt K about a good shot he got.

"Let's go teh the diner," Lee says. Everyone looks at each other and talks it over before coming to the conclusion that it's a rather brilliant idea. "I call shotgun in Tom's car!"

"What's wrong with my car?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. Although Tom's car isn't really his, it's our mom's, he uses it twice as often as her. When he's dragged along with me and my friends, they always pile up in his car for whatever reason.

"Nothin'. Yeh jus' drive like a maniac, that's all," Matt N says for the rest of them nonchalantly. I scoff and pull out my keys as they try to figure out who goes with who, "I wan' teh go with Tom."

"Who cares wha' yeh want? I'm goin' with Tom," Curtis says with determination.

"The car can only fit five people," Tom pipes up, his eyebrows knitted together. Curtis counts Tom, Lee, himself, and the Matt's then smiles wide as if there's no problem.

"We are five people, we'll fit," He tries but Tom rolls his eyes and merely points at innocent Amelia, who's still sitting on the couch, staring up at all the confusion. Curtis glances at her then at Lee and the Matt's and shrugs carelessly.

"She'll go with Olleh," He laughs and runs out the door. Lee glances at the Matt's and laughs along with them before they sprint out and rush towards Tom's blue Toyota. I stare at my brother who's still standing there, staring at Amelia.

"Sorry," He says softly before looking at me. I don't make any agreement but I don't refuse. Tom accepts this as if I've said yes and walks out slowly, repeating his apology to Amelia. I can see her eyes narrow at my younger brother as he makes his desperate escape.

Silence passes through the basement as I stare out the small window above the drumset before the rumbling of a car engine comes then goes in the distance. Amelia's staring at me. I look towards her but neither of us say anything. I'm sure a full five minutes passes before she gets up and walks out.

___________________________

How we managed to get into the car, I'm not sure. But as we speed towards the diner, the music in my car plays softly, filling the awkward silence between us. I'm softly tapping my fingers against the wheel as we come to a red light.

Without warning, a car swerves into my lane, nearly crashing into us.

"Bloody hell, fuckin' prick," I grumble as my fist hits my horn. The loud noise rings in my ears and out of the corner of my eye, I see Amelia glance at me. She mutters something under her breath softly before giving me a dirty look. "Go' a problem, love?"

Amelia doesn't respond right away. She stares ahead, out the window, before gritting her teeth and glancing over at me. I'm shooting her a sneer, I can feel it. She says, with much attitude, "Yes, actually."

"Well ge' the fuck over it," I snap before turning back to the road. The green light flashes and the cars stream towards their destinations, one after another. I smirk as a little trick runs through my head. I hit the gas quickly, making Amelia lurch forward.

"Oh my God, you're such a fucking asshole," She screams rather loudly. I'm a little taken back from her sudden outburst, not expecting such a big reaction. I take a second to glance at her as we drive down the familiar road, three blocks away from the diner.

"The feelin's mutual, babe," I growl angrily. My foot presses down on the gas, even more eager to get to the diner suddenly and be free from her, but instead, I'm stuck bumper to bumper behind what seems to be an old lady driving ahead of me. Just my luck.

"God, it's a miracle anyone can put up with you," Amelia goes on. She isn't screaming anymore, but she says it so matter-of-factly, I almost agree with her. When I realize this, a mix of negative emotions runs through me and before I can stop myself, I become the monster Tom had scolded me about the night before.

"Hell, it's a miracle yeh fit in the car," I sneer. For a moment, I feel like I'm on top of the world. I've caught her off-guard, the rude comment eating her on the inside. But as I let myself look towards her, a tear runs down her cheek, leaving a glistening, wet trail. I whisper sympathetically, "Amelia..."

"Stop the car," She says softly. Her voice shakes as she tries to keep strong. But it's obvious how weak I've made her; not just through that one, recent lie, but within these past seven years - I've torn her to pieces, thinning her armor.

"Excuse me?" I ask dumbly as I keep the car at a steady pace. She isn't having it, though.

"Stop the car!" She yells. Her high-pitched voice rings in my ears as my eyes go wide. I stare at the road, questioning whether to do it or not as my foot reluctantly lightens on the gas pedal. I catch myself and shake my head.

"Fuck no," I say, furrowing my brow as I press back down harder on the gas pedal. I look towards Amelia, who's wiping the tears off her face, sniffling and breathing heavily. I bite my bottom lip, that familiar guilty feeling coming back.

"Stop the fucking car, Oliver Scott Sykes!" She screeches at the top of her lungs. My jaw drops and I quickly drive towards the curb, stopping the car. She opens the door and gets out, slamming it behind her. Her feet don't stop. She begins walking towards the diner.

I drive beside her on the road as she walks on the cracked sidewalk. I roll down the passenger side window and call towards her, growing more and more frustrated by the minute, "Amelia, ge' back in the car."

"No," She says, not bothering to look at me.

I grit my teeth together and roll my eyes. I glance towards the road, making sure I'm not about to hit anything. Cars honk at me from behind and speed past me, yelling insanity at me through my closed window. I say, "Stop bein' stubborn and jus' ge' in the car."

"No."

"Amelia Emily Maurice, ge' in the fuckin' car!" I yell loudly. The few pedestrians around stare at me with wide eyes and dropped jaws. They gasp and shake their heads at me but I ignore them and look at the unfazed girl. She pulls her jacket closer to her body and stares straight ahead.

"No."

I lose whatever patience I have left and yell, "Fine! Walk teh the diner! See if I care!"

I jolt the car forward, pressing my foot down on the gas pedal with all my might. It speeds towards the diner. Grumbling mad words under my breath all the way there, I park quickly and get out. I see Tom's car a few parking spaces down and somehow get even angrier.

As fast as my feet will let me go, I walk into the diner and find the table surrounded by five guys with ease. They all stop talking when they see me plop down beside them in the large booth with a sneer across my face and no Amelia in sight.

"Where's Amelia?" Tom asks finally. Worry bites at his words but I shrug it off my shoulders, crossing my arms and scoffing at him with a glare. Everyone's eyes bore into me.

"I don' know an' I don' care," I say simply as I glare at them. The other guys look down at their drinks, hands and phones awkwardly as Tom stares at me. I try not to make eye contact with him.

"Wha' the fuck happened, Olleh?" He practically yells, letting all eyes in the room look towards us. I'm used to it by now so I, with ease, ignore the others and shrug at Tom.

"She wanted teh walk," I huff, swishing some hair out of my eyes. Tom keeps his hard gaze on me for a long time before he motions for Curtis and Matt N to get out of the booth. They get up and he slides out.

"I can' fuckin' believe yeh, Olleh. Yeh such an ass. Go fuck yehself, why don't yeh, yeh lil' wanka?" He says, pointing a finger in my face then storming out to find Amelia. His words haunt me as I sit in the booth, staring at the table.

Everyone in the diner stares at me. I can feel all their judgmental eyes on me. Loosing my cool again, I snap my head up and yell loudly, "What?!"

They all look away but I know they're all thinking the same thing.

What an ass.