Silence (Silence #1)(9)

My phone had vibrated at least ten times since I’d been sitting on the ground. A few texts and a load of missed calls. I flipped the phone open and started reading the first of Cole’s messages. ‘Hey where are you? I’m waiting near my car x’. I sighed and scrolled down to read the next one. ‘Hurry up I’m starving! x’. The next two were similar, but after that, he must have started to worry. ‘Oakley where are you?’ The final text message was angry as well as concerned. ‘Where the hell are you? Text me back now! I just need to know you’re okay’.

Switching the phone off, I laid down on the grass. I felt pathetic. I was pathetic. If the teacher hadn’t opened the door when she did, what would Julian have done? I didn’t believe he would physically hurt me, but I didn’t entirely trust him not to, either.

“Oakley?”

I sat up and wiped my tear-stained face with my hand. How had Cole found me so quickly? I plastered on a fake smile and waited for him to appear around the corner.

Cole let out a sigh of relief when he saw me, and seeing him made me relax. I relied on him too much. It was selfish of me. My relief soured as his expression turned to anger.

“What the hell, Oakley? Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?” he shouted, his forehead creased in a deep frown. He looked as mad as he had been at Julian. Cole, Mum, and Jasper were the only three people in the world that I trusted entirely. My shoulders sagged. I felt awful for making him worry.

After a few seconds of complete silence and just looking at each other, he knelt down beside me.

“What happened?” he asked softly, his voice was tight, but he was trying to be calm.

I looked at him and shook my head as I swallowed the lump in my throat.

“Nothing happened?” he asked doubtfully. Again, I shook my head. “Why didn’t you text back or wait for me before you took off like that? I was really worried about you. You don’t even seem to care!”

I flinched at his words. I did care. That was the problem; I cared about him too much.

Cole scratched the back of his neck and groaned.

“You should have at least replied. I didn’t know what’d happened to you.”

I looked away, not wanting to see the disappointment and hurt in his eyes.

“Oakley! God, you have no idea do you?”

His sudden outburst made me jump. We had argued and annoyed each other before, but he had never been this angry. He sighed heavily and shook his head.

“Fine. Don’t worry about it. You obviously don’t give a shit about me so just forget it.” He stood up and quickly walked away.

I stared at his back as he left. Tears rolled down my face, dropping down onto my lap. How could he think I didn’t care about him? I felt sick. Was that it now? Did he want nothing to do with me again?





Chapter Three


Oakley




I sat as still as a statue, staring at the space where Cole had been standing just minutes ago. My heart felt like it was breaking in two. What if we never spoke again? I shook my head. I was overreacting, but we had never fought like that before.

At least if he stayed away, he wouldn’t get any more comments about him babysitting the ‘mute freak’. Cole had never cared what people thought of him, at least that was what he told me, but it must have gotten to him occasionally.

I shouldn’t have ever let myself like him as anything more than a friend. We were never going to be anything more. How could we be? I couldn’t even talk to him! There were times when he would give me a lingering look that I thought he might just like me a little bit. I was sure I wasn’t imagining it but it was hard for me to believe he’d want me.

For the rest of the day, I did nothing but sit inside the shack at the park and stare into space. After a while, I didn’t even think about anything, I just existed. As I saw and heard students walk past the park on their way home from school though, I knew I needed to pull myself together and get home.

Walking slowly, I headed home, looking down at the ground to protect my eyes from the sun. Would Mum and Dad still be there? They were attending a charity dinner and had to travel just over a hundred miles, so they were leaving sometime in the afternoon. I prayed that they would have already left.

Sighing in relief as I noticed Dad’s car wasn’t in the driveway, I walked to the front door feeling a little lighter. At least I wouldn’t have their freak out to deal with.

When I pushed the door open, I saw my lazy brother sitting on the sofa playing the PlayStation. His university had finished for summer earlier than my high school, so his summer holiday had started two weeks ago. One day he would have to grow up and get a house and job, but it was hard to imagine it seeing him slobbing around here all the time.

“Hi,” he grunted, with a little nod of his head, not even looking up from the screen. I flopped down on the sofa beside him. School was over for six weeks, but I couldn’t even feel that happy about it. All I could think of was the fight with Cole and that look on his face.

Jasper took a double take of my face and paused his game.

“What happened?”

I smiled and shook my head.

“Where’s Cole?” Jasper’s face hardened, his jaw clenched and eyes narrowed. “What did he do?” he demanded. Again, I shook my head and tried to make out he was reacting over nothing.