Hey Niki

I talked to my uncle on Tuesday and it was arranged that we would go and visit my mother at the end of the month. I had three weeks until I could see her again. I hadn't seen her since this had happened because she asked me not to visit her at the start. It did hurt, if I'm being honest, but I understand why she didn't want me to visit straight away. My uncle was going to take the Saturday off and work on the Wednesday of that week to make up for it so that he could take me. I did tell him that he shouldn't take the day off just for me but he told me that it was family matters so of course he'd choose that over work.

Chess Club was chatty on the Tuesday for some reason. Alexandria still didn't have the courage to speak to Chris which I could somewhat understand. I went against what I'm normally like and told her that I would help her try and get the confidence to befriend him to see whether she does actually like him or whether it's just a little crush. I knew if my mother heard what I said I would do she'd think that I had lost it because I'm not into the whole 'liking a boy' scene. It doesn't matter what I've had boyfriends –that doesn't mean I'm the sort to talk about boys, obsess about them or either pay them all that much attention.

On the Wednesday I stood waiting for Tomos and his friend for five minutes before Tomos came running up to me, his friend trailing behind him slowly. "What are you, running a marathon?" I asked him with a raised eyebrow.

He shook his head. "No, no, it's just . . . its football try-outs today," he explained.

"Try-outs?"

"For a smart girl, you're awfully dim sometimes, Niki," he told me. I shook my head at him. "Anyway, I want to join the team this year."

I could tell he had something else to say. "But?" I asked and he sighed.

"Mikey's had some . . . trouble, I guess, with the football team before and it's probably not smart if he sits and waits for me there," he finally explained. I looked at his friend who was behind him and then back to him.

"Football, football?"

"Soccer." I made a face of disgust and he laughed. "Anyway, would you mind walking back with Mikey, just the two of you? You know I wouldn't ask you if I wasn't really desperate."

I laughed this time. "And you're desperate about this?" He nodded and I sighed. "You know I don't mind. What do you take me for, Tom?"

"A girl that I don't know what I'd do without and am very lucky to have in my family?" he told me in a tone that said he was sucking up to me for making me walk back with his friend alone. He turned to his friend, spoke to him briefly before waving at the both of us and running back into the school building. When he was out of sight I turned to his friend and opened my mouth to speak to him. I closed it straight after, not quite sure what to say. When I realised that I wasn't going to think of anything to say that would keep a conversation going, I turned and began walking away from the school. A moment later I heard his footsteps behind me so I knew he was following me. It felt rude, if I was honest, but I couldn't think of anything to say. I'm not really good with conversations unless I know the person or it's one of those times where I'm in a group and have to talk to the other person.

The walk back to my uncle's house was one that I found myself wishing to never have to endure again. I don't know whether it was just me who felt that the silence was awkward, but I didn't like it. When we got to the house I went up to my room and the boy went into Tomos's room. I closed my door, dumped my bag on the floor, and pulled my homework and books out. I started to work on the homework I was set today, but that wasn't a lot so I finished it quickly which left me with a lot of time to spare until dinner. Pushing my work over on my desk, I got up and left the room. I went downstairs and into the sitting room. My uncle has his bookshelves in the sitting room and he told me when I first came here that I could borrow any book that I wanted as long as I kept it in good condition and didn't open them too wide. He also said that he knew I wouldn't mistreat them so I would be able to take them to school with me if I wanted to. I didn't but I did appreciate his trust in me. I took a book back upstairs with me and closed myself in my room again.

I was a few chapters in when I heard a knock on my door. I put my book down and opened the door only to be surprised when it was Mikey standing there instead of my aunt like I had thought. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Um, your mum . . . she said that you would keep me company," he said. I could tell that he didn't want the company but was too polite to say anything.

"My mum?" I asked.

"Aren't you and Tom related?" he questioned.

I laughed. "Oh no, she's not my mother. Tom's not my brother, either. I am related to them, though," I explained and he looked slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, I'm sorry then," he apologised. I waved it off.

"It's okay. Doesn't harm anyone," I assured him. He stayed in the doorway, lingering as if he didn't know what to do. I then realised that I hadn't invited him in. "Oh, you can come in if you want. I'm not that good of company but I guess I could, ur, try to be." I moved away from the doorway and he came in the room. I closed the door behind me and looked around the room, trying to work out how to be good company to him. Admittedly, I had never had a boy in my room –outside of the family, that is– without fooling around with them. I never had to work out how to be good company; fooling around made the company good. I didn't know what he was in to so I didn't know what to do. I looked around the room. "Do you . . . oh, can you play chess?" I asked.

"Chess?" he asked and I swear I heard a hint of confusion in his tone. "Um, well, I've never tried."

"I could teach you, if you want," I offered. "It's the only thing I'm good at. I'm honestly no good with company or people."

He cracked a small smile. "Me either. I'm terrible with people –mostly anyway. And, um, sure, you can teach me chess, if you want." This was one of the moments where I felt grateful about joining the school's Chess Club. Because, in some strange way, it brought me friends I never thought I'd have.