“I’m sure.”
He sighs. “Okay then, don’t keep her long, okay man?” he points a finger towards Scott, who holds up both hands in surrender.
“Got it,” Scott smiles as his hands fall to his sides as we’re left alone.
He takes a deep breath and his grey eyes cast downwards when he says, “Calla, I know I’m the last person you wanted to see tonight, but the thing is, I’ve wanted to talk to you for a while. We never seem to be in town at the same time anymore.” I pressed my lips together, not looking him square in the eye because I just can’t.
“I don’t know where to start. I’ve practised this speech over and over in my head but—anyway, I wanted to say I’m sorry. So, so sorry for all the crap I put you through. At the time I was going through some stuff myself—” I open mymouth to speak, but he stops me, holding his hands up, “I know it’s no excuse, and it’s not the only factor, but I had a chip on my shoulder. I was jealous. You were always top of the class, always got everything you wanted, and you must have known I fancied you a little bit—which I don’t anymore, I hasten to add. I’m completely not interested.”
My mouth twists, “Okay, I get it, Scott.”
“No,” he says, shaking his head. “No, you don’t. You accepting my apology is important to me. I put you through so much and regret what I did.”
I bite my bottom lip in contemplation. I’ve thought over a thousand times what I might say if I ever saw him again. My anger towards him has faded over time, so why is it bubbling inside me now? “It’s not as simple as you think, Scott… I’m not sure I can talk about this right now. There’s just too much going on in my head and you’ve caught me off-guard. I have so much pent-up anger towards you—anger I thought I’d already dealt with, but it seems I was wrong. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to talk to you about it.” Scott bows his head, taking in a breath while my body shakes, and my stomach is in turmoil. “For now, let’s just put it to one side, okay?” I ask.
He agrees with a slight nod but still doesn’t meet my eyes. Then he says, “This is better than I hoped for. I thought you’d give me an ear full, which is no less than I deserve.” A half-smile flickers across his lips and has me wondering. Is he under the impression this is it? Does he think he’s off the hook?
“Look, Scott, I don’t know what you think is happening here, but I’m not ready to become best buds overnight. I have too much hurt inside.”
“No, no, I understand, but what if I was to tell you I’m not the same person anymore. I’ve accepted a lot of things about myself.”
“I don’t think—” I sigh, there’s no point in carrying on this conversation. I’m not ready for it. “Look, I need to go. If I don’t see you again, good luck with—whatever.” I turn to leave, moving away from him as quickly as possible, but before I get to Ash, who is watching our every move, I take one quick glance over my shoulder. Scott is rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. I recognise it took a lot of guts for him to make an apology, but I can’t accept it. Not yet.
I cast my eyes towards Angie, double-checking she’s okay. I won’t leave her out on a limb. If she were unhappy, I’d take her home myself. However, going by her body language, if I drag her away from Tommy right now, she might kill me.
I turn around, just a step or two away from Ash. Before I get a chance to take one of those steps, another female body sidles up beside him. She’s pretty, probably the same age as us, but a little shorter than my 5ft 7in. Her long, peroxide blonde hair goes all the way down to her bum. She flicks it slightly as her hands lay flat to his chest. Ash’s eyes bug out from their sockets. Is he happy to see her or just surprised? I’ll soon find out. I’m close enough to hear her say, “Where have you been hiding?”
“Jade, hey,” he laughs her name out rather than speaks it, and his magnetic eyes seem to contract when he notes I’m standing behind her. His lips tighten as her palms move onto his shoulders. She looks up to his mouth while waiting for a reply, but he knocks her hands away and takes a step back. “It’s been a while.”
“Just a couple of weeks,” she steps back into his personal space once again; standing on tiptoes to whine in his ear, “but I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve been busy with the band and course work. You know how this gig goes.” Her grabby hands try to paw himagain, but he catches them before they contact his body. His eyes nervously dart to mine, but to be honest, watching this scene play out is almost light relief compared to facing Scott. My hand covers my mouth, keeping my smiles to myself. I’m not going to cause a fuss; it’s been a few years since I’ve seen Ash myself and he didn’t exactly fall from the ugly tree. It wouldn’t shock me to find out there was a broken heart or two around town.
“Calla, you’re back,” he calls, looking past the girl in front of him. She glances over her shoulder, her brows knit together, then she faces him again. “Oh, I didn’t realise you were with someone.”
“Jade, this is Calla.”
I take my hand from my mouth. “Hi there,” I say with the sunniest tone I can muster. As it goes, Jade doesn’t respond to my greeting. This situation is awkwardly funny.
Her hands fly to her hips, “You might have told me you were fucking someone else, Ash.” Well, isn’t she lovely? I glance over at him, wide-eyed and smirking. It's safe to say she’s dropped Ash well and truly in it.
“Jesus Jade, do you have to be so fucking careless all the time. Calla’s an old friend of mine. We’ve been catching up, that’s all.”
She turns back to look me up and down, so I give her a sweet smile. Spinning around to Ash, she runs her index finger over his jaw, while pawing his chest and standing on tiptoes to whisper in his ear again. I don’t hear what she says this time, but Ash keeps his stoic expression focused solely on me. Again, she gives me a side-on glance with a very smug smile. Ash catches it, before signalling to me by holding up one finger, “I’ll be a minute.”
His arm wraps around her as he gently leads her away, talking in hushed tones with his head down. Their exchangetakes more than a minute, maybe more like four, and although I think the situation is funny, I’m standing here like a lemon. I’m also praying to God Scott doesn’t seize another opportunity to come over and talk. Eventually, Jade breaks from his hold, exaggerating the huff from her chest. She leaves without another word, clearly giving me the side-eye.
When Ash finally returns all rosy pink cheeks, he doesn’t know where to put himself. “That was embarrassing, Cal. I’m sorry.”
“It is what it is, Ash, but if you’re seeing that girl?—”
“No; nothing is happening between us.”
“Listen, as long as nobody gets hurt; it’s fine by me, but you know, you might have to get used to so much attention. Before long, groupies will be falling at your feet. It happens when you become a rock star,” I giggle, making light of it to clear his apparent awkwardness.
“You should stick around, just in case I need protection,” he huffs out a laugh.
“Sadly, I won’t be around to protect you forever,” I tell him as I walk slightly ahead.
