Shadows & Dust
Chapter 3
Slamming the front door behind her, Jade threw her bag onto the floor and proceeded to storm off upstairs to the comfort of her bedroom.
“Jade?! Where’s your sister?” her mum asked as she came into the hallway from the kitchen, drying her hands on a tea towel.
“I don’t know and I don’t care.” Jade replied coldly, as she carried on walking upstairs.
“Jade! Come here a minute!” her mum called after her, but Jade ignored her mums voice, carried on walking and finally arrived at her destination.
Slamming her bedroom door shut and locking it, she continued to ignore her mums calls from downstairs and flung herself onto her bed in frustration.
Burying her face into the soft pillow, she began to let her tears flow and her mind wander.
Why was life so awful?
She hated herself, she could barely stand her own family and she wished more than anything to be buried 6 feet under where nothing could bother her ever again.
************Back downstairs***************
Shaking her head and finally giving up calling for her troubled daughter, Mrs Anderson sighed heavily, before trudging back into the kitchen and throwing her tea towel onto the sideboard next to the sink.
Looking out of the back window, she watched as two magpies flitted around the garden, chasing each other, whilst she wondered what on earth to do about her teenage daughter. There was just no getting through to her.
Mrs Andersons gaze shifted toward the white slimline phone, which sat in it’s cradle. Sighing again, she walked over, picked the phone up and dialled Stevie’s number.
************At the Park*************
Stevie had been chatting to Gerard for about 10 minutes now, on the subject of how each of their Christmases had been and what they’d been upto to celebrate the occasion.
“….I was made to play monopoly and allsorts and I swear I lost every single game. I suck at board games, as my wife likes to constantly remind me. So in the end I gave up and went to play on Guitar Hero and I can safely say I suck at that too.” Gerard laughed.
“You’re like me then! I suck at all games…..except maybe snakes and ladders. I kick ass at that game!” Stevie laughed.
Their laughter was soon intervened when Stevie’s phone began vibrating in her coat pocket.
“Oh excuse me a moment….” Stevie said, as she pulled the phone from her pocket and checked the caller ID, before answering it. “Hey mum!”
“Stevie? Where are you?” her mum asked.
“Just in the park. Jade walked off and left me after having another one of her strops, so I came to the park to calm down.” Stevie explained.
She heard her mums sigh at the other end of the line. “Yeah, she’s stormed up to her room again and locked herself in, totally ignoring me.”
Stevie tutted and began fiddling with the buttons on her coat, as she often did during phonecalls.
“Could you come home and see if you can’t have a talk with her?” Mrs Anderson asked.
“Mum, she won’t talk to me, I’ve tried countless number of times. She won’t have any of it. As soon as I attempt it, she snaps my head off and walks off.” Stevie replied quietly, not wanting Gerard to overhear their family problems.
There was silence at the other end of the phone for a moment or two.
“Mum?” Stevie said unsurely.
“Hmm…yeah, yeah I’m still here love. I just…..I really don’t know what to do about her. Your dad won’t be very helpful either, because he’s rubbish in these kinds of situations. It’s like…”
“Mum. Just…look, I’ll come home now and we’ll talk about it okay?” Stevie told her.
“Okay love. Thanks. I’ll see you in a bit then.”
“No worries, see you.” With that said, Stevie cut the line and slipped her phone back into her pocket.
“Well Gerard, it’s been nice talking to you, but I have to go home now. Gotta sort some stuff out.” Stevie smiled politely, as she grabbed her bag and stood up.
Gerard stood up as well. “It’s been nice talking to you too honey, hope you get things sorted. Which way is home?”
“That way.” Stevie smiled, as she gestured to her left hand side.
“Ah, I’m off that way too.” Gerard replied with a grin. “Might as well walk with you. That’s if you don’t mind.”
“No no, of course not.” she replied, as she swung her handbag over her shoulder. “Whilst we walk, you can tell me some more stuff about yourself.”
“Only if you share some of that chocolate muffin with me.” Gerard grinned, as his eyes wandered to her bag.
Stevie giggled and bit her lip, looking thoughtful. “Hmm….I suppose I could…”
“Then we have a deal.” he laughed, as he slipped his sunglasses back on and pulled his trench coat tighter to him, giving the slight impression that he was disguising himself a little.
“Jade?! Where’s your sister?” her mum asked as she came into the hallway from the kitchen, drying her hands on a tea towel.
“I don’t know and I don’t care.” Jade replied coldly, as she carried on walking upstairs.
“Jade! Come here a minute!” her mum called after her, but Jade ignored her mums voice, carried on walking and finally arrived at her destination.
Slamming her bedroom door shut and locking it, she continued to ignore her mums calls from downstairs and flung herself onto her bed in frustration.
Burying her face into the soft pillow, she began to let her tears flow and her mind wander.
Why was life so awful?
She hated herself, she could barely stand her own family and she wished more than anything to be buried 6 feet under where nothing could bother her ever again.
************Back downstairs***************
Shaking her head and finally giving up calling for her troubled daughter, Mrs Anderson sighed heavily, before trudging back into the kitchen and throwing her tea towel onto the sideboard next to the sink.
Looking out of the back window, she watched as two magpies flitted around the garden, chasing each other, whilst she wondered what on earth to do about her teenage daughter. There was just no getting through to her.
Mrs Andersons gaze shifted toward the white slimline phone, which sat in it’s cradle. Sighing again, she walked over, picked the phone up and dialled Stevie’s number.
************At the Park*************
Stevie had been chatting to Gerard for about 10 minutes now, on the subject of how each of their Christmases had been and what they’d been upto to celebrate the occasion.
“….I was made to play monopoly and allsorts and I swear I lost every single game. I suck at board games, as my wife likes to constantly remind me. So in the end I gave up and went to play on Guitar Hero and I can safely say I suck at that too.” Gerard laughed.
“You’re like me then! I suck at all games…..except maybe snakes and ladders. I kick ass at that game!” Stevie laughed.
Their laughter was soon intervened when Stevie’s phone began vibrating in her coat pocket.
“Oh excuse me a moment….” Stevie said, as she pulled the phone from her pocket and checked the caller ID, before answering it. “Hey mum!”
“Stevie? Where are you?” her mum asked.
“Just in the park. Jade walked off and left me after having another one of her strops, so I came to the park to calm down.” Stevie explained.
She heard her mums sigh at the other end of the line. “Yeah, she’s stormed up to her room again and locked herself in, totally ignoring me.”
Stevie tutted and began fiddling with the buttons on her coat, as she often did during phonecalls.
“Could you come home and see if you can’t have a talk with her?” Mrs Anderson asked.
“Mum, she won’t talk to me, I’ve tried countless number of times. She won’t have any of it. As soon as I attempt it, she snaps my head off and walks off.” Stevie replied quietly, not wanting Gerard to overhear their family problems.
There was silence at the other end of the phone for a moment or two.
“Mum?” Stevie said unsurely.
“Hmm…yeah, yeah I’m still here love. I just…..I really don’t know what to do about her. Your dad won’t be very helpful either, because he’s rubbish in these kinds of situations. It’s like…”
“Mum. Just…look, I’ll come home now and we’ll talk about it okay?” Stevie told her.
“Okay love. Thanks. I’ll see you in a bit then.”
“No worries, see you.” With that said, Stevie cut the line and slipped her phone back into her pocket.
“Well Gerard, it’s been nice talking to you, but I have to go home now. Gotta sort some stuff out.” Stevie smiled politely, as she grabbed her bag and stood up.
Gerard stood up as well. “It’s been nice talking to you too honey, hope you get things sorted. Which way is home?”
“That way.” Stevie smiled, as she gestured to her left hand side.
“Ah, I’m off that way too.” Gerard replied with a grin. “Might as well walk with you. That’s if you don’t mind.”
“No no, of course not.” she replied, as she swung her handbag over her shoulder. “Whilst we walk, you can tell me some more stuff about yourself.”
“Only if you share some of that chocolate muffin with me.” Gerard grinned, as his eyes wandered to her bag.
Stevie giggled and bit her lip, looking thoughtful. “Hmm….I suppose I could…”
“Then we have a deal.” he laughed, as he slipped his sunglasses back on and pulled his trench coat tighter to him, giving the slight impression that he was disguising himself a little.