Chapter 2- Sinead’s Secret.

My mum had been run off her feet the past week and I decided to help her out I’d go get her shopping for her, and give her some time to be alone. We had a big supermarket up the road so it wasn’t much bother, and we never had many thing to get because me and my mum didn’t have very large appetites.

It was sunny outside, but the chill of winter still loomed in the air. Spring and winter just seem to merge into one where I live. I shoved on my scarf and gloves and grabbed my Ipod.

“Life is so much better when music is playing in your ears.”

Jack always used to say that to me. Thinking about that made me smile and then I felt that sinking feeling again, knowing he wasn’t with me.

I got the shopping and began to walk back home. Then I bumped into Sebastian.

A few things you need to know about Sebastian.

He is a liar.

He will say anything to get what he wants.

He breaks heart and he has no concern for other peoples feelings.

Putting it nicely, he’s a bit of a shit. When we were dating last year he cheated on me with a girl in another town and apparently he had been cheating on that girl with another girl. None of us knew about the other, until I found messages in his Inbox and dumped him. I also got in contact with the other 2 girls and they got shot of him too.

I know what you are thinking, if he was such an asshole, then why did I date him?

I’ll tell you, he seemed like a really nice guy. He was kind, smart and funny and I was smitten.
Being practically invisible in school, I found that most guys didn’t notice me, not with the slappers running around in my year anyway. He was two years older than me. I met him when I was 15.

The school had one of these “Pupil Council” days where various pupils from various schools would go to and talk about what needed to be fixed in their school.
There was only about 4 volunteers from my school. I only went because my teacher guilt tripped me and I HATED public speaking, so I was shitting it.
The people who went were: me, a girl in the year above me named Jennifer, a boy in the year below me named Andrew and then Sebastian. I felt pretty damn uncomfortable next to these people. They seemed really smart. I had no idea what they were talking about, I just sort of agreed.

We all sat in various places around the room. The teachers had laid the chairs around in a wide oval- I don’t know why they do that, but they always do- and I sat in the far corner.

During the meeting I thought I felt someone’s eyes on me. I looked directly across to find a pair of brown eyes flash away from me. It was Sebastian. When I turned back he did it again but I was sure he couldn’t be looking at me. The girl next to me was from another school, she was quite pretty, I assumed he was looking at her. But god it was annoying, talk about blatant staring. I was tempted to ask the girl to go over so he’d stop looking over beside us.

Once the meeting was over, there was a little buffet (which stank by the way) full off little pizza’s, crisps, and egg salad sandwiches. I just had a mini pizza and a drink of orange juice. While I was studying some of the sandwiches - which I swear were alive or something! - Sebastian came over to me.

“Hi.” he said.

I spun around towards him.

“Oh god,” I thought “He WAS looking at me earlier.”

I began to feel my face go red.

“Hi.” I said.

He was quite handsome, very tall around 6 foot I think (6 foot seems big when you are only 5,5). He had short brown hair which curled up at the edges, it looked quite cute. His eyes were a light brown colour and he looked pretty toned.

“You go to west bank?” he smiled, it was a very white set of teeth, bright enough to burn your eyes out your head.
“Yeah, I’m in 4^th year.” I said nervously, feeling my leg beginning to go funny with anxiety.

“Never seen you before. You new?”

I wasn’t surprised that he thought this. Little Miss Invisibility - that was me.

“Nope.” I said.

“Ah well, surprised I’d miss a pretty face like that.” He said.

I didn’t take compliments well to be honest. My face would just burn up and I’d get embarrassed as hell.

“Uh..” I said awkwardly.

“What’s your name?” he asked

“Erica. Erica Clearwater.” I said.

“Sounds pretty, I’m Sebastian Gray.” He said and stuck out his hand.

“ I know,” I said shaking his hand “I’ve heard your name mentioned in school at assemblies and things.”

Sebastian was the captain of the football team at my school, he had also been the highest scorer for school ducks one year and he took part in swimming and racing with the school.

“Ah,” he smiled and wrote something down on a small piece of paper. “Looks like everyone is leaving now, but here’s my msn address, add me. I’d like to have one of these awkward chats again.”

It was downhill from then. We started dating, and I seemed to spend every waking moment with him, falling for him. I even went on a family holiday with him and his parents. He seemed too good to be true and he was. We had been dating 6 months before I found out he was seeing other girls and I really hated him. He tried to make out that I had been a bad girlfriend, and that was why he was cheating! I felt so betrayed and angry, he’d told me he loved me too, and I believed him. I felt really stupid for trusting him, and have only recently got over what he did to me. Basically, this boy is bad news.


“Hey Erica, how are you?” He talked to me as if nothing had happened.

His face was exactly the same as it had been, except more stubble and what looked like the beginnings of a moustache. He was wearing a black coat, a blue scarf, jeans and wallabies. He looked very smart.

“Not any better seeing you anyway.” I said coldly.

“Ouch.. I guess I deserve that. How are you though? In all seriousness. Everything going good?”

“Yep.” I replied.

“Right..”

“Bye Sebastian.” I said and turned to leave. He grabbed my hand.

“ Can we talk?”

“There’s nothing to talk about..”

“ I wanted to apologise, properly. I am really sorry, I know I wasn’t the perfect boyfriend but I wondered if maybe, after some time, you would ever consider…giving us another go?”

I looked him over. His face seemed to be softening and that bright smile tore its way through his cheeks, just like I remembered. The way he was when we dated. If I’m completely honest, the offer was tempting to me, but he had let me down too many times and I wasn’t going to go through that again.

“I don’t think so Sebastian.” I said and pushed my way past him and up the road.

I couldn’t get over how much of a chancer Sebastian was, he’d always been that way. He still managed to surprise me.

I got to my house and found a visitor sitting on my steps, his head in his hands.

“Jack?”

The boy lifted his head, I felt that same flutter of butterflies in my stomach.

“ I didn’t know.. Where else to go.” Jack said, looking very upset.

“Come inside.” I said, leading him gently into the house.

Jack seemed pretty much the same. Though his hair was now shoulder length and he had grown ever so slightly taller.

He sat down on the couch in the living room, holding his mouth in one hand and staring at the floor as if it was going to jump up and grab him at any given moment.
I stuck my mum’s shopping down on the table and sat next to him.

“What’s happened?” I said, bringing him a cold glass of water.

“I’ve been such an idiot Erica. Sinead, she’s been cheating on me. With Tommy Smith.”

“Tommy Smith! But you guys are best friends, I didn’t think Tommy would ever do anything like that.” I paused for a moment “What did you do?”

Jack had a little bit of an anger problem, and I was worried he might have done something stupid.

“Nothing. I Punched Tommy and left.” Jack said and raised his right hand, his knuckles were badly bruised.

I ran into the kitchen to get some Ice and walked back through, placing the ice on his hand. He looked up at me.

“You take such good care of me.”

“That’s what Fr-Friends are for.”

He kissed me lightly on the forehead.

“You are an angel. I don‘t deserve a girl like you in my life”

I simply blushed.
“I can’t fucking believe her. Tommy…”

“How long was it going on for?”

“ I have no idea, long enough.”
“My mum is out of town just now. Lonely house. I was meant to be staying at Sinead’s…”

This stung me a little.
“Stay here.” I said quickly

“ Are you sure your mum would be ok with that?” He asked raising one of his eyebrows.

“Sure, I’ll make up the bed in the spare room, you can stay as long as you like. It will be like old times.” I said happily.

He gave me one of his funny looks again.

“I’m sorry for not being over more often, these past few months.”

“Don’t worry about it.” I said.

I was just happy to have him back with me.

I sat closer to him and sighed.

“I think I’m going to give up girls for a while.”

“Cool,” I said “then you can focus on your music”
“Yeah you’re right , there’s a “battle of the bands” at the school in 2 months. Me and Fin should start practising ‘cause there’s no way that I’m letting Tommy back in. He can rot for all I care.”

“You don’t need him anyway.” I said supportively.

“Thanks,” he said and put his arm around me “You’re the only girl I need in my life.” and he squeezed my shoulder.


Over the next month he buckled down, studied for all his major exams and practised for “the battle of the bands” whenever he could. I went to a few of the practises at Fin’s house. Fin lives with his mum and dad only a few streets away from me and Jack. His dad lets him practice with Jack in the garage, even though his mum hates it.

I walked up the street with Jack, helping him carry his equipment. We got into the garage and set everything up.

Fin came out with 2 beers and an orange juice for myself.

Jack looked at the beer unsurely.

“Still hung-over?” Fin asked.

Fin was quite handsome, he had a sleek jaw line and a high forehead and mousy brown curls that sprang up from his head like bed springs. He was quite a bit taller than Jack - but it didn’t take much- and quite muscularly built.

“Don’t start.” He said and took the beer from Fin’s hand.

Fin turned to me “He was a bit drunk last night at Michael’s party.”

“Michael Elliot? I heard about that party.” I said.

“Jack was quite naughty too.” He said mockingly.

“Don’t.” Jack said beginning to look angry.

“Tell me.” I smiled “What did he do? Strip or try to scale the house or something?”

“Ohh, I dunno, you might not think so well of him if you knew.”

Jack eyed Fin, looking worried.

“ Ha-ha. Please, I could never think bad of Jack .”

“He shagged Tina Kent.” Fin laughed

My face dropped. I looked at Jack, not knowing what to say.

“I’d had a lot to drink.” He said.

“Tina…from your maths class? The one you said was a total slapper?”

“Yeah…her.” He moved away trying to change the subject.

I sat looking moody. He pretended to tune his guitar.
“What’s wrong?”

“I’m disappointed Jack.”

“So am I.. I cant remember this chord..”

“Jack!”

He laughed nervously. “It didn’t mean anything, I regret it already.”

I looked away.

“Don’t be mad at me.” he said and put his arm around me once more.

I felt his warmth around me again, and his hair on my face. I pulled him into a hug and laughed.

“I’m not mad.”

“Exactly. You are Crazy.” He smiled and walked back over to his guitar.

I wasn’t sure what to think. This was so unlike him, to meet girls and have sex with them. So I took his word for it. It was nothing. It wouldn’t happen again?