CHAPTER FIVE ~ GRAEME ~ FOURTEEN YEARS AGO
I’m going to miss Kingston.
I never thought I’d love a city as much as I love Edinburgh, but the Limestone City has earned a special place in my heart over the last few years.Edinburgh and Kingston are quite similar in many ways: incredible architecture, a certain old-world charm, plenty of parks and gardens, and interesting history.Plus, like Edinburgh, much of Kingston’s history is bloody, so the city is haunted as fuck.
In the years I’ve been here, there have been countless instances when I’ve felt invisible eyes watching me.I’ve experienced the sensation of ghostly fingers touching me and causing tingles to race along my spine.I’m also not a stranger to catching sight of something out of the corner of my eye, only to discover there’s nothing there.My granny always maintained I had a touch of The Sight, while my parents chalked it up to an overactive imagination.I’m still undecided.
A flash of red catches my eye now.Instead of a ghostly figure, it’s one I’ve come to know well over the last three years: Abigail Morton.My lips lift, and my heart knocks hard against my ribcage, the way it always does when I see Abby.For the millionth time, I tell my traitorous body it shouldn’t react this way to my best friend.Being placed firmly in the friend zone on the day we met hasn’t stopped me from falling in love with her, though.It’s the best and worst feeling in the world.
Abby is standing in front of the display window of one of her favourite stores on Princess Street.She’s obsessed with all the independent shops downtown, and visits them often.She rarely buys anything for herself, but she loves to buy small surprises for the rest of us.
She looks beautiful, but then she always does.Her caramel-coloured curls are pinned back in a loose up-do, and she’s wearing a black dress that ends mid-thigh, showing off her shapely legs, which are encased in sheer black tights.The flash of red I saw comes from her signature rain jacket.My mood sours slightly when I realize she’s likely heading off for a date with her boyfriend.
With a sigh, I coax my feet to move closer.I say her name, then say it again when she doesn’t react.Her brown eyes are red and puffy when she finally turns to face me, blinking several times to bring me into focus.
“Oh.Graeme.Hi.”
“Hiya, Spicy.”My nickname for her has evolved over the years; I still call her Pumpkin Spice, but ‘Spicy’ slipped out one day when I almost accidentally called her ‘sweetheart’.
Her lips lift automatically at the moniker, but the smile doesn’t reach her eyes.I’ve just opened my mouth to ask what’s wrong when her face crumples and tears flood her eyes.Without a second thought, I wrap my arms around her and pull her close.Her arms remain at her sides for a couple of beats before they circle me, her hands fisting in the back of my jacket.
We get a mix of curious, sympathetic, and wary looks as people walk past.Abby’s face is buried in my jacket, so she doesn’t notice.I tighten my hold on her and run a hand up and down her back in long, smooth strokes.
When she loosens her grip, I release her and dig around in my jacket pocket for a tissue.She accepts it with a rueful smile, then angles away from me as she mops up her tears.
“Want to tell me what happened?”I ask.
Her shuddering inhale makes me think she’s going to start crying again.She swipes absently at her runny nose before meeting my eyes.“Tripp and I had a date planned for tonight.He took me to that new place on Ontario Street.”She glances around, her brow crinkling in confusion as if she’s only just realized where she is.
I wait for her to continue.
“As soon as we sat down, he started acting all twitchy.He wouldn’t meet my eyes, and he only grunted or gave one-word answers when I said anything.When the waitress came to take our order, Tripp blurted out that he thought we should break up.”She squeezes her eyes shut and scrunches her nose.“The humiliation hit me before the shock did.The poor waitress looked like she wanted to crawl under the table.”
Abby’s full lips purse, and her eyes turn steely.“Long story short, the jackass said he kissed another girl at a party last weekend, and it made him realize he didn’t want to be in a relationship anymore.”
A wash of red coats my vision.“I’m sorry,what?”
“Right?”The word bursts out of her, startling us both.She claps a hand over her mouth, her cheeks turning an adorable shade of pink.
With a sheepish half smile, she drops her hand, and words rush out of her.“He said we only have a few weeks left of school, and he wants to have some fun before going out into the real world.Like...the guy has done nothingbuthave fun for the last four years.He’s partied more than he’s studied, and he has a ton of friends.He dated a bunch of girls before me, which Iknowshould have been a red flag, but he promised he was ready to get serious with me.”
I know her well enough to know she’s not finished, so I remain silent as she catches her breath.
“Did you know we were talking about living together in Toronto?”she asks.“He was undecided about where he wanted to apply for jobs, but we talked about how easy it would be for him to find something there, and how much fun it’d be to live together and learn the city together.”
Abby truly is my closest friend, so I’ve heard a great deal about her relationship over the last six months.More than I’d care to know at times.I’ve done my best to be happy for her, at least outwardly, but listening to her talk about Tripp and seeing them together has been painful.Between Abby and Tripp, Brodie and Drew, and Fern and her new boyfriend, I’ve grown to feel like the odd man out, so I’ve been putting some distance between myself and The Crew recently.I keep telling myself it’s good practice for when we all move away at the end of April.
A loud gurgling noise emanates from Abby’s direction.She makes a sound of dismay and hunches her shoulders while wrapping her arms around her middle.
I grip her shoulder.“You all right?Are you going to be sick?”
She lets out a hiccuping laugh and straightens, still clutching her stomach.The pink in her cheeks has deepened to a red that nearly matches her jacket.“No, it’s not that.”At my baffled expression, she sighs, then cringes when her stomach rumbles again.“I’mreallyhungry.”
A chuckle escapes me despite my best efforts to contain it.
“Don’t laugh!”She shoves my shoulder, but I don’t miss the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
