Three Years, Five Months and Eleven Days

Chapter Five

So here's chapter five! This one is my longest so far... but the one I'm least confident about, so if you're reading please, PLEASE take a minute to tell me what you thought. Also if you liked it vote please :D it only takes a second, but mostly I would like to know if those people reading are enjoying it.

The video at the side doesn't have much to do with the chapter, but it's a cover of Adele's song Set Fire To The Rain by a very talented little american girl, that I was listening to when I wrote this so I thought I should share it with you.

Anyways, read away!

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     The beautiful weather stayed with us through Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, as did my temper. I tried to stay calm and light-hearted and Beth did her best not to leave me alone with Michael long enough for us to get into an argument. It worked for the most part, he apologized and I bore no grudge. When we talked it was pleasant and though I sensed a couple of times that we were heading towards a disagreement, Beth was back with us before we reached it.

     When he wasn’t winding me up or being rude he was a nice guy, and I could see myself being friends with him. But in the back of my mind, I was waiting for him to prove once again how much of a jerk he was.

     It was in this state of mind that I woke up on Friday morning and saw the dark ominous clouds through the window. I sighed and rolled over, feeling sad that we would not be able to spend another carefree day at the beach. Beth was already up as usual, but instead of going to find her I stayed in bed, not quite ready to move yet.

     I also had another motive for staying in bed - I had been secretly trying to give Beth and Michael some alone time in the past week. I kept on thinking back to when I was seven, shortly before Michael moved away.

     Beth would come back to my house after school everyday, until her mum could pick her up on her way home from work. Dianne would offer us food and try to organise us to do something: go to the park, play a game, run around, but we were happy to sit in my room and talk. Mostly we talked about Michael. Beth was obsessed with him, she told me all about him, how he was the nicest boy in her class, much nicer than Rob (I wasn’t too fond of my brother then, given three more years we became very close) and that she was sure he would be her boyfriend soon.

     ‘Can I tell you a secret?’ she had asked me, one afternoon in April. My eyes widened in excited anticipation and I nodded vigorously, always desperate for these signs that Beth really did like me above all others. ‘You can’t tell anyone though, especially not Michael.’

     ‘I promise, I won’t,’ I reassured her.

     She took a deep breath, then said ‘I’m going to marry him.’ She was the picture of confidence and her eyes glistened with pride.

     ‘How d’you know?’ I asked, fascinated.

     ‘I just do,’ she shrugged. ‘It’s just something I know. When we’re older we’ll be married.’

     After he left Wales she was heartbroken. So now, I was leaving them alone for short periods of time and hoping that something would happen. I was sure she still felt the same way; after all he was the same person but ten times more handsome. I knew giving them space was the right thing to do, the best friend thing to do, but I hated it really. It only made me feel more left out.

     When my stomach gave a loud rumble I knew it was time to get out of bed. I went straight to the kitchen, in search of food and when I got to the fridge I found a note from Beth.