Crash

Danny
The Past

After my first English class sitting next to Amelia I couldn’t wait to leave I met up with Becca, Dan and Damon at the end of class, quickly escaping from Amelia’s side and walked down the stairs to go meet the rest of my group for lunch.

Becca and me met up with my good friends Nathan and Ben as we ate lunch on the benches outside by the football field, across the way I saw Amelia walk past with Anna and Jess to meet the rest of their friends. Gazing over I couldn’t help but trail my crystal blue eyes over Anna’s model like frame. Anna and Amelia had been friends ever since year 7 same goes for Jess as well. Anna was around 5’8, raven black hair and green eyes – she was definitely my type, but she never hung around with the popular group I belonged to.

Jess was around the same height as Amelia, around 5’3. She had deep brown eyes, dark brown boob length hair with a shocking pink streak dyed into it – she had a wild streak inside her, she was always spontaneous. Both Anna and Jess could belong in the popular group, but instead they hung around in their own little group with Amelia, Jemma, Sian, Amy and Ellie.

Sometimes I was almost envious of them; they didn’t have to deal with the social pressure forced upon them from their peers. Constantly I was under watch from my so called friends, what to wear, who to hang around with and who not to hang around with. They didn’t even have to deal with all the angst and bullying that came from being unpopular. They were just them – they didn’t have to impress anybody.

“Danny I can’t believe how unlucky you are being seated next to Amelia, she’s so ugly it makes me want to be sick”

Becca commented as Nathan and Ben snorted in response, their eyebrows rising in surprise.

“Wow Amelia really? Unlucky dude”

“I know right, Miss Brown must really have it in for me”

I trailed off as I noticed my other friend Jon stride over to us from the ICT department, he nodded his head in acknowledgement before sitting down on the bench in between me and Nath.

“Danny you fancy coming over to talk to Anna with me mate, I think she likes me”

Laughing at Jon I shrugged my shoulders before jumping off the bench and walking by Jon’s side as we made our way over to the log the girls were all chatting and giggling around. As we approached I saw Amelia notice us and she smiled wide before Jon spoke.

“Hey Anna”

Amelia’s smile faltered immediately when she noticed the reason me and Jon were over here was for Anna and Anna only. Anna spun around and as soon as she saw Jon she immediately flashed her pearly white teeth, her raven black hair twisting around her face swiftly as she did – it made me jealous I have to be honest.

“Oh hey Jon”

She kept that smile present the whole time they chatted and I awkwardly stood as a bystander to their little love scene. Eventually Jon exchanged numbers with Anna and she waved goodbye at him before turning to me, I said goodbye by referring to her by the nickname I called her.

“Bye Smiler”

“Bye Danny”

Turning my back to the group I saw Amelia’s baby blue eyes follow my retreating figure, there was something about Amelia – I just couldn’t manage to put my finger on it yet. Jon nudged my side in triumph, obviously pleased with himself at acquiring Anna’s number. For Jon to possibly date someone like Anna would be acceptable, she wasn’t in the popular clique but if she wanted to she could, easily.

-

2 days later – Friday

“Alright class quit the chatter and take your seats now”

Miss Brown instructed as she dropped a packed to the brim, A4 folder down on her desk, sighing loudly I heard Damon laugh in response as I slid off his desk to take my allocated seat next to Amelia. She was animatedly chatting with Anna and Jess as I approached and sluggishly I slumped down into my seat.

“You know you don’t have to make sitting down next to me seem like such a fucking chore”

Shocked at hearing Amelia cuss my head immediately snapped over towards her, opening and shutting my mouth for a while I was at loss at what to say to her, eventually I said the first thing that came to my head.

“I don’t….I mean, it’s just –“

“I’m not popular I know, I don’t have the right looks and each strand of my hair isn’t perfect. I get it you don’t have to explain”

Even further shocked by her sudden outburst I dropped my head in shame as she just bit down on her lip, her chest rising and falling as a sigh escaped from her lips. Not another word was said between us for the majority of lesson; we completed the tasks set on the board in silence.

10 minutes before the lesson finished I observed Amelia shaking her head in sadness as she watched Damon torture Johny from across the other side of the classroom. Damon always tended to pick on Johny just because he was different, he was unpopular. He was obsessed with grammar and Damon found it hilarious, I saw personally nothing wrong with Johny and didn’t understand Damon’s need to pick on him – I guess me and Amelia saw eye to eye on one thing.

“Right class I need to grab an early lunch so you can leave 5 minutes early”

Just as the whole class instantly sprang up from their seats all eager to leave, Miss Brown immediately rolled her eyes before shouting at the top of her lungs, silencing the class to a halt instantly.

“There’s one catch though, as a weekend assignment I want you to write a paragraph on your English partner seated next to you. Go to each other houses and get to know one another. Monday on my desk please, you may leave”

“I guess you’re going to need this then”

Amelia huffed in an almost annoyed tone as she scribbled down an address down on a scrap piece of paper before sliding it in front of me. She looked like she was going to say something else but didn’t, she grabbed her bag from under the desk and walked out of the class with Jess and Anna following behind. Looking down at the piece of paper, I crumpled it slightly under my fingers and stuffed it into my hoodie pocket uncaringly – this should be on interesting weekend.

-

Five hours later and on a Friday afternoon I found myself looking down at the crumpled piece of paper in my shaking hand, the temperature over the past few days had dropped to arctic conditions. Knocking on the door with my numbed, blue hands I cupped them to my mouth before blowing my warm breath out in an attempt to warm up.

“Hey sorry I took a while come in”

Amelia answered the door still in her school uniform, her hair was frazzled and she looked like she was worn down and tired, she didn’t look like that 5 hours ago. Shrugging my shoulders indicating it was no big deal I slipped past her and into the warmth her house incased.

“Urm we can go up to my room my parent’s won't care”

Nodding my head I followed Amelia’s lead up the stairs, once we reached the landing at the top of the stairs a little boy crawled out from one of the rooms, he could have only been about 3 years old. Amelia sighed before rushing over to pick up the little boy in her arms, holding him on her hip.

“Isaac what are you doing hey, mommy won’t be happy you’re meant to be in bed”

“Dummy”

The little boy spoke as he clenched his little palm together as some sort of action, Amelia looked around the landing before spotting the pacifier on the tiny landing table, struggling to free one of her hands she groaned in frustration, noticing her struggle I picked it up for her.

“Here”

“Thanks”

She smiled before handing the pacifier over to Isaac to hold, he placed it in his mouth as Amelia opened his bedroom door and tucked him into bed placing a sweet kiss to his forehead. Quietly she tiptoed out of his room before opening the door opposite and beckoned me in. Slowly I entered the room and allowed my eyes to take in the sight of her room, she had a bookcase filled to the brim with books and dvds and a desk lay against the other wall. She had a simple oak wardrobe and a dusty guitar lay abandoned in the corner.

“You play guitar?”

“Oh I used to, I haven’t played in ages though I probably have forgotten how to play to be honest”

“Oh well that’s cool”

I mentioned nonchalantly, conversation between us was awkward and with as little words as possible.

“Really?”

“I guess….who was the little boy outside?”

“Oh that’s my 3 year old brother Isaac, he’s a little late on the walking stage”

She mumbled the last part so much so that it was almost inaudible to me, I thought to myself that it was a little weird that Isaac wasn’t walking.

“So what’s wrong about that my brother didn’t learn to walk till he was a least 2”

“It’s not that, it’s just my parents they aren’t even bothered about him walking. They’re too busy with work”

“Oh sorry”

“Don’t be…Urm Danny can you look away for a minute I need to get out of my uniform”

She hung her head down low in embarrassment as I just simply nodded and turned my back towards Amelia as I heard the zip on her school trousers fill the silence. What I or Amelia didn’t notice was the mirror placed directly in my line of vision. I tried to look away but as I watched her trousers slip to the floor it was hard not to look - i mean i was a 14 year old teenage boy. Her body was slightly pale and she was perfectly toned, dare I say it even more toned than Anna’s body appeared.

I guessed Amelia just hid her tiny frame under her baggy school uniform, she grabbed some grey joggers and slipped them over her long legs as she removed the woolen, navy school jumper followed by her tie and polo shirt, she quickly slipped a white tank top on.

“You can look now”

I was looking all along believe it or not I thought, slowly I turned around on her bed as she sat down next to me pulling out a notepad.

“What are you doing?”

I asked her as my blue eyes analyzed her curiously, watching as she scribbled stuff down on the top of her notepad.

“Well we need to get to know each other to write these paragraphs –“

“And you think taking notes is the way?”

She blushed a furious red as she let her mousy brown hair hide her cheeks, before I could apologize the front door slamming downstairs interrupted me. Amelia shuddered beside me before mumbling something and rushing out of her bedroom.

“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU’RE WORKING LATE AGAIN TOMORROW! YOU DON’T GIVE A TOSS ABOUT THESE KIDS”

“WHAT! AND YOU DO YOU NEARLY FORGOT AMELIA’S BIRTHDAY LAST YEAR BECAUSE OF YOUR STUPID PRESENTATION DAWN”

“SHUT THE HELL UP DAVE…Oh Amelia darling sorry we didn’t see you there? Has Isaac been fed? Me and your dad are just going to go out and get something to eat instead sorry”

The front door slammed shut yet again and quietly I crept out of Amelia’s room onto the landing, instantly being faced with the sobbing little boy in front of me, who was sitting in the middle of the landing balling his eyes out desperately clutching onto his white cotton blanket.

“Up…Up”

Isaac whined taking his pacifier out of his hand and reaching his arms out towards me, cautiously I thought whether I should just go, leave but I felt like I couldn’t I walked over to Isaac and picked his light weight up effortlessly as I held him tightly in my arms, he immediately snuggled closer to my neck his sobs subsiding.

Carefully and slowly I tiptoed down the stairs into the living room, checking the scene to make sure Amelia’s parents hadn’t decided to stay – something was definitely going on. However the only sight I was shown was a broken Amelia slumped against the wall, crouched down into a fetal position.

“Lia”

Isaac shouted out as her head snapped up from her knee’s, her mousy brown hair stuck to the tears streaming down her face. She looked a mess, she looked embarrassed.

“I think you should go”

“I’m not leaving you like this Amelia”

I demanded handing over Isaac to her as she stood up from her spot.

“Why? You don’t care, you shouldn’t care –“

She retorted in frustration as Isaac’s sobs picked up slightly due to level in her voice and towards the end she dropped down to a whisper almost.

“I’m not a jackass Amelia, despite popular belief. I’m not leaving you like this”

“Fine Danny whatever”

“Maybe you can get some sleep tonight; you look like you need it”