Chapter 14

"How can you not want to go to Paris?" Darcy asks, looking at Jamal like he just committed a crime.

"I did not say I don't want to go to Paris," Jamal answers, "I just said if I were to leave this town now, Paris ain't my first choice."

She gasps, her jaw literally falling down. She turns to me, just as I bite off my sandwich, then back to Jamal. "Paris is supposed to be everybody's first choice. Isn't it your first choice Israel?"

It isn't.

"I'd love to go to Paris," is what I answer but she's not paying me attention now so...

"See?" Darcy points out and Mal rolls his eyes.

"It's not even my first ten."

"That's preposterous!"

"Well, it is what it is."

Darcy rolls her eyes now. "Paris is the most beautiful place in the world."

"You don't know that." Jamal fires, "you've never been there."

"It is." Darcy presses, like I know she would. I want to tell Jamal it's pointless arguing with her but this is entertaining and at least her focus isn't on me.

"Even if. There are many other beautiful places in the world. Why would I just go there first when I can literally be fucking sold over there and I wouldn't know, because I only bonjour in French?"

"Do not swear." Darcy points out and my phone vibrates just then.

"Do not come to my table and tell me how to talk."

It's a text from Sky and I zone out of the discussion mutating into argument going on in front of me.

Meet me at my car?

Yes!

I smile to myself and start packing my stuff. Darcy was still on the Paris topic and Mal looked like he was close to pulling his hair out. Sky is a saint!

"I've got to go." I say slinging my bag over my shoulder.

"Where to?" Mal asks with a frown.

"I'll be right back," I start moving before Darcy speaks or Mal questions me more. I've never been more happy to leave the cafeteria.

I walk out of the school to the parking lot and some more before I see Sky's truck. The lid is down and he's sitting at the back, his lunch on his legs. I jog over and jump on, joining him.

"Hey." I drop my bag and try to get comfortable.

"Hey you." He offers me a smile and I see that he's chewing on buscuits. "What's up?"

I sigh. "Darcy and Mal are going at it in there."

"Darcy?"

"The girl I was with at the store," I unwrap my sandwich. "They are talking about countries they would go to if they get a chance to leave town now. Darcy's saying everyone should want to go to Paris and Mal's saying no to that."

"What are you saying to that?"

I slap my tongue over the roof of my mouth. "I'm with Jamal. Darcy's just so pushy."

Sky chuckles, "she didn't seem bad last I saw."

I remembered what she said about him and I swallow. "She's not but she can be much at times. She just needs to learn to agree and lose sometimes."

He nods, "if you had a chance to leave, where would you go?"

I've thought about that when Darcy asked but I didn't get to answer. "Now? I don't think I'd go anywhere."

"What?"

"Yep. For now I'd just love to finish schooling right here in town. That's the plan."

"Oh, there's a plan?" He seems curious and I nod mouth full.

"Of course there is," I answer when I'm done chewing. "But it just goes as far as finishing highschool with acceptable grades."

Sky laughs, "what a plan."

I laugh too. "Sorry to disappoint. I can't just think further than that right now."

"I get."

There's a pause as we both eat. "What about you? Where would you go?"

He puts his hand out in front of him. "We'll need a map and a dart for that."

"So any one then?"

"Yes, Scotland would be nice but so would Colorado and Egypt." I laugh and he does too. "There's beauty everywhere."

"Tell that to Darcy."

He sighs, looking out. "I'd rather live in the moment you know. No one knows about tomorrow and they do say that the best moment is now."

"I don't like to believe that." I confess.

"Why not?"

I shrug, "I don't want to believe that my best moment is now. Like I know my life isn't that bad but I'd like to believe it can be better. Tomorrow I'd be happier."

"And what's stopping that happiness now?"

I lick my lips because they felt dry. "I don't know. I don't even know what gonna make me happier tomorrow."

"A girlfriend perhaps?"

I shrug, I am not really paying attention. I am thinking about something else that I decide to voice out. "How do you know when you're your happiest?" I turn to Sky and he's paying full attention to me. "Do we ever know in that moment that this is the happiest we'd be?"

He narrows his eyes a bit and I take that to be his serious thoughtful look but he eventually says. "I have no idea."

I bite into my sandwich and slowly chew, then swallow. "I wish we did."

"Why?"

"So you'd really live in the moment. So one doesn't unknowingly take it for granted knowing that is the happiest they can be."

"Hmm," Sky says and I think that maybe we're sitting too far apart. "I think the contrary."

"Why?"

"Because happiness no matter how small or big shouldn't ever be taken for granted." He looks at me. "We never know when our happiest would be so every moment should be cherished and loved because that really could be your happiest." He looks away. "We should always live in the moment Israel, because those moments are all we'd be left with."

I watch him be so serious and wise and I can't help the swelling in my heart and the tingle of my skin. "You're so insightful."

He breaks into a smile, "and you're so smart. Who comes up with this like that?"

I shake my head, "you just want to flatter me. I'm serious."

"And I am too."

I look away smiling to myself. Then I think about happy moments and I think about laughing with him and talking together and his mum. "Being with your mum, were those your happiest moments?"

"I won't way happiest but they were pretty happy." He relaxes back into the truck bed, resting his head on his hand behind him. "I loved her so much."

"Loved?"

He inhales deeply and I join him, mimicking his position. "I guess now I'd love to think I hate her."

"For staying behind?"

"Not just that. I came to terms with it, she said she'd visit and then she said she'd send a plane or train ticket so I'd come see her and maybe stay..." he ran his tongue over how teeth. "... She never did and when I saved and went over to meet her, she didn't want me. She sent me back with divorce papers."

I hold back a wince, Sky looks the angry. A new look that had his temple wrinkled, cat eyes darker and lips as straight as a ruler drawn line. I didn't like this look on him like the others.

"What kind of mother does that?" He looks at me and smiles dryly. "A fucking shitty one that I hate."

Somehow I knew he didn't mean that. He might believe he does but he doesn't hate his mum.

I don't know what to say so I just extend a hand and place it on his shoulder in silence. I see Sky smile and I know I didn't have to say anything.

"The weather's nice out here."

He chuckles and the cloudy atmosphere is gone from his face. "Eat with me outside everyday then?"

"No no," I shake my head. "Other people would steal my seat in the cafeteria with Jamal. You eat in with us."

"I'd bring pizza," he throws in and my head snaps to him. "Extra cheese."

"You would not."

"I would," he promises. "Just a slice though."

I pout thinking about it. "Fine but just Wednesdays."

Sky pouts now, "just Wednesdays?" I nod. "What if I throw in coffee?"

"I don't drink coffee."

"W-what?" He shutters and I laugh.

"It's not so surprising. Cut it off."

"You're serious?" He asks eye wide and I nod.

"I just take it like once in two weeks. If I take it at all." I point. "I'm allowed to take once a week though."

"Are you bullshitting me right now?"

"Nope."

"How then do you–" he gestures to my body. "Function?"

The bell thankfully goes off and I jump off with a smile. "Okay, I'm out."

"You don't drink coffee?" He asks like he still can't believe it and I'm laughing as I pack. "Coffee?"

"Shut up Sky."

"It's fucking life petrol!" He shouts after me and he's laughing too.

"Not to me!" I shout back.

"You're not human Israel. Tell me your secret, what mount did you fall off?"

I'm blushing now as he's shouting and some people are walking out and about. I would have given him my middle finger that moment if that something I can do but instead I just frown at him, my frown fooling nobody. He waves before I disappear from sight and I do too.

There's one thing I know for sure; my moments with Sky were happy moments.

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"I didn't do anything wrong!" I hear Nessa shout from downstairs and I wince from my position where I was eavesdropping from my door.

"Vanessa Taylor, you didn't?" Ma shouts right back and I'm tempted to open up my door and go see for myself what's going on there but I don't want to get roped up into Nessa's drama.

"No, I didn't. It was just a beach party that all my mates were literally at. Was I supposed to just sit home?" Nessa asks and even from way up here, I can detect the crack in her voice.

"I allowed you to go to that party Nessa. You know that's not the point."

"I don't what the point or your problem is."

"Don't give me that tone young woman," Ma shouts and I can just imagine her face. "You got drunk at the beach. You were just in bikini's despite everything!"

"Was I supposed to wear a suit to the beach?"

"Anything could have happened. When did you start drinking?!"

"Since I grew the fuck up!" As soon as the words left Nessa's lips, I knew what was going to happen next and as predicted, I heard the hard slap as Ma's palm connected with her cheek.

It's then I finally leave my room and come running downstairs.

"I'm your mother and you would not talk to me that way under my roof!" Ma hollered, face red and eye wide in anger.

Nessa was on the ground, her hand over her cheek. "I'm almost eighteen, I would talk anyhow I want!"

"Not in this house, not with me!" Ma shouts as she descends on Nessa with her a leg of her slipper, hitting the madness out of her.

"Leave me!"

"Ma!" I shout running over in attempt to stop her before someone gets hurts. "Ma please stop. Please she's sorry." I apologise crying with Nessa now.

Thankfully Ma listens and she let's Nessa go, panting hard and crying too. "I– I thought I trained you better!"

Nessa's too busy crying to respond and Ma storms off leaving a leg of her slipper behind. I look confused between them and I just end up hugging a crying and sweating Nessa. She hugs me back and breaks down, crying heavily on my shoulder. And I just quietly try to calm her down.

"I'm sorry." I whisper, cleaning her tears.

"I'm leaving, I hate her and I'm leaving and never returning!" Nessa chokes out, her face all red like Ma's. Maybe redder.

"Don't say that Ness, please." I continue cleaning her eyes. "It'll be fine."

I wished Dad was around, then he'd know what to do. But he went away on a business trip and won't be back until tomorrow. Nessa and I stayed in that hugging position on the ground until she stops crying and it reduces to hiccups. Then we go into the kitchen and I get her a glass of water.

"Want anything else?" I ask and she just shakes her head. Her eyes swollen and red rimmed. I relax on the table counter and watch her slowly drink on the water. "Crying really doesn't suit you."

Her red eyes flick to me, then back to her cup of water before she smiles a little. "I look like Pounce, don't I?"

"Pounce without fur dipped in boiling hot water." I expand and that makes her laugh.

"Making me imagine Pounce without hair is just evil Is." I smile, happy to see her laugh even if a little. She sighs. "You think Ma would forgive me?"

I nod, "doesn't she always?"

"I'm stupid," she sighs again, dropping the cup and covering her face with her palms. "It was supposed to be a simple party, in and out. But somehow Sam made me drink, we were dared and I couldn't back out since she did it. It was just a sip I swear," she looks at me with tears filled eyes again. "But I got drunk so fast, I had no idea what was happening. My friends brought me home because they know how our parents get. Now I don't even know which would have been better, staying out or coming back."

I stayed silent. "What about Jordan?" Jordan is Nessa's boyfriend and everybody likes him over here. He's a pretty good person.

"He went camping," she drags her hand over her face. "I swore Is. I'm dead."

"It'll be fine." I walk over to hug her. "By tomorrow Ma would have forgotten and it'll all be over."

"Hopefully."

"You know, spanking is illegal now."

"Wanna be the one to tell that to Ma?" Nessa looks at me and we burst out laughing. "Little advice little brother, never go to parties."

I bite my lip thinking about it. "Got it."

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Okay, so that isn't abuse or anything. Every African child has at least gone through that once or twice in this life time. Me included. It's not that they don't love us, it's just that the 'slipper' speaks louder than words. x

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