Silence (Silence #1)(10)

“So, if Cole’s not the reason you’re upset, who is?” Jasper asked, frowning doubtfully. Cole was the reason, but it wasn’t his fault. “That idiot at school? The one I beat up last year?” he growled, referring to Julian. Jasper was usually as soft as a pussycat but not when it came to me. He was overprotective and quick to lash out at anyone that he thought was giving me a hard time.

I remembered the incident Jasper was referring to; how could I not? Jasper was still in sixth form. He had caught Julian saying some stuff about me. I still didn’t know what, but it made Jasper punch him a few times. He was suspended from school for a week, and then given a week of lunchtime detentions for refusing to apologise to Julian.

It would seem Cole had fully taken over his role… As a brother? Did Cole see me as a little sister? I ached with disappointment.

I shook my head in answer to Jasper’s question, and he got up and walked into the kitchen. There was no way he had dropped it just like that. I followed him, waiting at the door as he got his phone and started dialling. Oh, no! I knew what he was doing. As he raised the phone to his ear, I leapt forward and grabbed it out of his hand. He had started ringing Cole, but the call hadn’t started going through thankfully.

He narrowed his eyes. “Okay, I’m gonna ask you one more time. Was. It. Cole?”

I sighed in frustration and shook my head for what seemed like the fifteenth time.

“Good. You’re not gonna tell me what it’s about are you?”

I raised an eyebrow and let out an exasperated noise.

“Yeah didn’t think so, you’re too damn stubborn for your own good! You’re okay though, right?”

I nodded and smiled. Settling on changing the subject and getting my annoying and crazy brother back, I opened the fridge and grabbed two cans of coke and threw one at him.

“Thanks,” he mumbled, aware that I was trying to end the conversation, and opened the can very carefully in case it exploded all over him. It did not, unfortunately.

“Mum and Dad left for that thing already. You’ll need to cook tonight.” He looked away, downing probably half the can at once. I knew exactly what that meant. Mum told him to cook, and he was trying to get out of it.

“What’re you making?” Jasper asked casually, glancing at the oven. I rolled my eyes, picked out two Hawaiian pizzas from the freezer, and threw them to him as I walked up the stairs.

“Oakley?” he shouted after me, but I kept on walking, smiling to myself. He was so lazy; all he had to do was stick it in the oven for fifteen minutes.

As soon as I closed my bedroom door, I practically ripped off my school uniform and chucked it in my washing basket angrily. I hated school and Julian, but most of all, I hated myself.

From our fight earlier, it was clear Cole and I were not going to go out for ice cream, so I got into my most comfortable pyjamas and prepared for a night of boring TV. I should have practiced gymnastics, but I couldn’t be bothered to do anything. I was just going to embrace the mood I was in and sulk.

Marcus, my gym coach, would not be happy if I hadn’t perfected the triple back flip by next practice. I didn’t care though. I hated the thought of moving and going out to the garden. I had been going to gymnastics since I was seven, and I loved it. Whenever I was there it took me away from reality; I didn’t think about anything or anyone. It was as if all of my problems disappeared. My gymnastics team were amazing too; they accepted me for who I was.

Lying back on my bed, I absentmindedly flicked through the TV channels and settled on watching yesterday’s Hollyoaks. Twenty minutes later, I heard Jasper stomping up the stairs. He pushed my door open.

“Dinner! Come and get it, I’m not waiting on your arse!”

I followed him downstairs to get my, probably burnt, pizza. He hadn’t done too badly; only the crust was a little darker than it should have been. I did turn my nose up as Jasper squirted mayonnaise all over his food though. The only thing that belonged with pizza was ketchup.

“I spoke to Cole,” he muttered, chewing his food and giving me a good view of the mashed up pizza in his mouth. Nice. I looked down at the table and just nodded in response. “You left school because of Julian didn’t you?”

That made me look up at him. Was he just guessing or had Cole said that? Did Cole confront Julian? I started to feel a little sick.

“Just tell me,” he demanded, sounding frustrated. “Was it Julian, Oakley?”

I nodded, feeling defeated. He was going to find out anyway. Jasper jumped up, balling his hands into fists.

“Little bastard. I’m gonna kill him!”

I grabbed his arm and shook my head. What was it with the killing Julian thing? Cole and Jasper were both acting like they were in an action movie.

Jasper sighed and sat back down when he saw how worried I was. I’d had enough of it all. It was the holidays anyway, so it didn’t matter any more.

“Fine. But I swear if he comes near you again I will kill him.”

I ignored that; it wasn’t worth arguing over. I doubted he would drop it, but he wanted me to believe he had.

“So, is Cole coming over tonight?” he asked, trying to act casual. I could tell he was dying to know what had happened between us that we’d cancelled our plans together after school.

I stood up and grabbed my plate, deciding to eat in my room since Dad wasn’t here and I didn’t want to have the Cole conversation with Jasper. Half past eight was too early to go to bed, but I didn’t want to go downstairs and risk Jasper’s questioning though, so I put on a film and curled up under the covers. Cole kept entering my mind, making it hard to concentrate on the TV. I should go over there, get on my knees and show him my best ‘please forgive me’ face, the one that worked every time, but I was too stubborn and scared. Half an hour later, I was finally feeling tired, so I turned the television off and closed my eyes.