Baby I've Got My Eye On You
Fourteen
My eyes dashed forward and backward over the passing scenery as I sat in Brian’s car, on the way back to my house. From a distance, I could see my house and was a little embarrassed about its vague overall whiteness and irksome face in comparison to Brian’s home. The windows were placed in a typical ordinary fashion, like lidless eyes staring in to space; the door was smacked uninventively in the centre, and uniform to the rest of the street. I rather thought from an early age, having lived in the same house all my life, that such a place simply echoed my own lifestyle – dull; a smile tugged at the corners of my pale lips thinking about the overall, transformation of my life in the last few weeks. I wasn’t living in a day-to-day routine anymore, my relationship with Syn made my life seem much more dangerous, dare I say, Rock N’ Roll. It was all so risky and deceptive that I now thought of life with enthusiasm – it was like reading an amazing and unpredictable book, not knowing what would happen next but desperate to know, and wishing it would never end.
“You’re quiet” Brian commented, glancing over at me, snapping me out of my chain of thought.
The smile on my face, having sat there for the duration of the journey trying best to conceal itself, now grew to the point that I knew my dimples were showing.
“I’m just thinking,” I said.
“Is your sister in?” he asked as we pulled up to my house. It didn’t look like it, her car wasn’t in the driveway.
“I don’t think so. Why, you wanting to come in?”
He nodded. I wasn’t sure if I wanted him to, seeing as due to my parents were away, Beth and I had allowed the house to become pretty much a bomb site, but I let him.
Walking in to the kitchen, I checked to see if Beth had left any note explaining where she was or when she’d be back, but she hadn’t. I told Brian to go wait in the living room, pointing to the door, while I got changed out of last night’s clothes. I changed into a pair of jeans and a blue Led Zeppelin T-shirt and ran a brush through my hair. I could hear Brian talking through in the living room: the curse of the thin walls of my house; I was for once glad of it, concerned about who exactly he was talking to – I thought the house was empty? Or was he infact insane and talking to himself? The thought amused me, but I quickly rushed through the corridor and poked my head round the edge of the door to take a look.
Shit.
Beth had just got home.
“What are you doing here?” I asked stupidly.
“I live here you idiot” she replied, making Brian laugh.
“No – I mean… I thought you were out”
“I was” she grinned deviously, “But now I’m back”
“Do you not have… somewhere to be…?”
“Nope” she smiled, “Enjoy yourself last night?” I could have hit her.
I gave her a death glare then looked at Brian, who looked surprisingly comfortable with the situation, at least more so than I.
“Syn and I have just been having a chat” she said “Syn, have you seen that photo of Roz when she was a baby?” she said, pointing to a framed picture that was hung on the wall. I was slowly dying of embarrassment.
Brian laughed: “Awww, Roz”
They were both deliberately humiliating me.
“I hate you both” I sulked, slouching down in to an armchair, hoping it would consume me. Brian winked at me, making me smile. He took of his hat and brushed a hand through his hair; Beth sat grinning at me, obviously dying to know about last night. Like hell was I telling her now.
“Mammy and Daddy called,” she said standing up and walking towards the door, “They aren’t going to be back for at least another two weeks apparently. Our darling mother kept saying that they were ‘improving’ whist father dear grumbled in the background. Thank fuck they won’t be back tomorrow, that’s all I can say.”
I had completely forgot that they were due back tomorrow, the day before my birthday; now I was a little pissed that they were going to be away for my eighteenth. I was sure they had forgotten all about it, they had done the year before.
“I think your lying” I said to her.
“You can listen to the message if you don’t believe me,” she said, leaving the room.
I took her up on her offer and re-played the message on the answer machine, forgetting about Brian for a moment. Beth wasn’t lying, they were staying longer. My face sunk in to a frown.
“Are you alright?” Brian said concerned.
“They forgot my birthday” I whispered, before turning to him with a false smile.
“Oh babe” he said, pulling me in to a hug, “I’m sorry”
“It doesn’t matter” I lied “It’s not a big deal really”
“When is it?”
“Tuesday”
“Oh. Well, I have to go” he said, kissing me on the forehead, “I’m supposed to be rehearsing with Zack today.”
I nodded and kissed him back.
I let out a ghostly sigh once he had left: I felt like a ghost when he wasn’t around. I knew Beth cared for me, of course she did, she’s my sister, but she had her own problems, and just like my parents, it seemed as though she had forgotten all about my birthday too. I listened to the sound of the wall clock as each ‘tick’ broke another second of silence. I felt empty again. True, Brian made my life exciting, but when he wasn’t there, nothing had really changed. I was still very much invisible.
“You’re quiet” Brian commented, glancing over at me, snapping me out of my chain of thought.
The smile on my face, having sat there for the duration of the journey trying best to conceal itself, now grew to the point that I knew my dimples were showing.
“I’m just thinking,” I said.
“Is your sister in?” he asked as we pulled up to my house. It didn’t look like it, her car wasn’t in the driveway.
“I don’t think so. Why, you wanting to come in?”
He nodded. I wasn’t sure if I wanted him to, seeing as due to my parents were away, Beth and I had allowed the house to become pretty much a bomb site, but I let him.
Walking in to the kitchen, I checked to see if Beth had left any note explaining where she was or when she’d be back, but she hadn’t. I told Brian to go wait in the living room, pointing to the door, while I got changed out of last night’s clothes. I changed into a pair of jeans and a blue Led Zeppelin T-shirt and ran a brush through my hair. I could hear Brian talking through in the living room: the curse of the thin walls of my house; I was for once glad of it, concerned about who exactly he was talking to – I thought the house was empty? Or was he infact insane and talking to himself? The thought amused me, but I quickly rushed through the corridor and poked my head round the edge of the door to take a look.
Shit.
Beth had just got home.
“What are you doing here?” I asked stupidly.
“I live here you idiot” she replied, making Brian laugh.
“No – I mean… I thought you were out”
“I was” she grinned deviously, “But now I’m back”
“Do you not have… somewhere to be…?”
“Nope” she smiled, “Enjoy yourself last night?” I could have hit her.
I gave her a death glare then looked at Brian, who looked surprisingly comfortable with the situation, at least more so than I.
“Syn and I have just been having a chat” she said “Syn, have you seen that photo of Roz when she was a baby?” she said, pointing to a framed picture that was hung on the wall. I was slowly dying of embarrassment.
Brian laughed: “Awww, Roz”
They were both deliberately humiliating me.
“I hate you both” I sulked, slouching down in to an armchair, hoping it would consume me. Brian winked at me, making me smile. He took of his hat and brushed a hand through his hair; Beth sat grinning at me, obviously dying to know about last night. Like hell was I telling her now.
“Mammy and Daddy called,” she said standing up and walking towards the door, “They aren’t going to be back for at least another two weeks apparently. Our darling mother kept saying that they were ‘improving’ whist father dear grumbled in the background. Thank fuck they won’t be back tomorrow, that’s all I can say.”
I had completely forgot that they were due back tomorrow, the day before my birthday; now I was a little pissed that they were going to be away for my eighteenth. I was sure they had forgotten all about it, they had done the year before.
“I think your lying” I said to her.
“You can listen to the message if you don’t believe me,” she said, leaving the room.
I took her up on her offer and re-played the message on the answer machine, forgetting about Brian for a moment. Beth wasn’t lying, they were staying longer. My face sunk in to a frown.
“Are you alright?” Brian said concerned.
“They forgot my birthday” I whispered, before turning to him with a false smile.
“Oh babe” he said, pulling me in to a hug, “I’m sorry”
“It doesn’t matter” I lied “It’s not a big deal really”
“When is it?”
“Tuesday”
“Oh. Well, I have to go” he said, kissing me on the forehead, “I’m supposed to be rehearsing with Zack today.”
I nodded and kissed him back.
I let out a ghostly sigh once he had left: I felt like a ghost when he wasn’t around. I knew Beth cared for me, of course she did, she’s my sister, but she had her own problems, and just like my parents, it seemed as though she had forgotten all about my birthday too. I listened to the sound of the wall clock as each ‘tick’ broke another second of silence. I felt empty again. True, Brian made my life exciting, but when he wasn’t there, nothing had really changed. I was still very much invisible.