All of our demons

Five: On my run

The roof!

He took me to the school roof. If I wasn’t in trouble before I sure as hell will be now if we get caught. Greyson had already sat down and stretched his long legs out he had an apple in one hand and some sort of meaty sandwich in the other. I switched my weight from one foot to the other feeling uncomfortable.

‘Are you going to sit down?’ I looked at the dirty school roof and must have made a face because he patted his lap. ‘You can sit here.’ He smirked. My eyes widened with shock I went as red as a tomato. ‘I’m joking, you can sit on my blazer.’

‘No. It will get dirty.’

‘It can be washed.’

‘I’m not sure we can be up here what if we get caught?’

‘We won’t’

‘You don’t know that’

‘You owe me, I took the punishment and blame and got you off Scot free.’

That made me so mad. I thought he was just doing something nice for me but now he was using it against me. ‘You tried to drown him!’ I took a step back after realising I just yelled at him. ‘Are you going to push me off the roof now.’ Greyson burst out laughing. His laugh was beautiful and so dark, I wanted him to laugh more, it had been a while since I made someone laugh.

‘My god. Do you really believe what everyone says about me… I was only giving him what he deserved, I saw the look in his eyes he wanted to hurt you, so I scared him a little.’

Scared him a little Harvey was traumatised! So was I. He patted the floor again. I looked around there was a lovely view of the school grounds. It looked nice and calm from up here serine even. You could see everything the acers of fields and trees used for P.E classes, stupidly long school driveway and all of the ivory brick towers that have produced robots for student. Broken students with the amount of pressure they applied but from up here its nothing more that an overpriced privet school. Just because something has a high price tag does not make it any good. And Archer Hill Academy is one of the most prestigious and over priced school in the country.

‘It looks like nothing more than another fancy building from up here.’ It was like he read my mind.

‘Why did you bring me up here?’ When I spun around he was right behind me leaving no space between us. I didn’t even hear him sneak up behind me.

‘I could tell you didn’t want to sit in the café.’

So you brought me up to the roof alone with you the school most notorious psycho.

‘What did you say to Mr Preston? You shouldn’t have to take my punishment.’

‘But you did nothing wrong so why should you be punished for something you didn’t do. Besides My records already s**t anyway but I take it yours is pristine and that’s why you freaked out.’ Greyson was surprising, he was nothing like I imagined the horrors of what others had said about him all seamed like lies but then I think back to what he did to Harvey at the pool. I had only know him five minuets and he was already showing me two very different sides.

‘I was still ther-’

‘What kind of movies do you like?’ Greyson interrupted me to change the topic catching me of guard to the point where I didn’t respond and he asked again not so nicely this time. ‘Movies’ he snapped. ‘what do you like?’

I hadn’t really thought about the kind of movies I liked I was much more of a T.V show kind of girl. I like that they lasted longer and could have more going on. Me and Bethany and Ava would always watch a series together even ones our parents had forbid us from watching.

‘Anything but paranormal.’ I don’t like ghost they gave me nightmares I would have to sleep with a light on so I could see everything in the room. He laughed at my answer and my stomach did flips. My face was flaming red hot. It took Greyson a good few minuets to calm his laughing down. ‘why is that funny?’ I had never felt so defensive and embarrassed what was funny about not liking horror movies. He started laughing again. ‘what’s so funny.’ I never stood up to anyone but I wanted to smack him right now. Huffing I stormed for the door he brought me through.

Greyson caught my hand holding on tightly his touch felt like a thousand sparks dancing on my skin, it felt like he was touching every inch of my body I hadn’t noticed it before when he touched me it shocked me and I whipped my face around to look at him.

‘I love paranormal there my favourite, that’s why I was laughing, because of how opposite we are, you Mia are all pristine and proper an-’

‘And what are you…’ I cut him off I didn’t like how he was describing me it made me seam dull, which I probably was.

‘The opposite of pristine.’

‘so you’re dirty and unconventional.’ I raised my eyebrows at him and he smirked before his face dropped and he looked guilty then sad. It didn’t suit him, Greyson should not be looking guilty and sad.

‘You have no idea how dirty my hands are’ he took his hands off mine and stepped back from me before walking to the door his mood having suddenly decreased. It sounded dirty but I understood what he meant the look in his eyes was clear. Greyson had blood on his hands and it tortured him.

********

Music thumbed in my ears as my feet padded on the pavement in time with boomers paws. I didn’t often take him on runs mostly because my grandparents would report back to my parents. I felt good about my run this morning I wasn’t running to burn off calories I was running for fun, to feel free to escape my parents mostly my mother and her demands to go dress shopping for a charity ball. I didn’t want to go but their company was throwing it and our whole family was invited. My mother was forcing me to go this afternoon we had scheduled a fitting with one of her favourite up and coming designers Mary Parker. I didn’t want to think about the stupid ball and all of the pretty skinny girls that will be there. The next one prettier than the last.

I pushed my body to it limits running further and further than before I felt strong today I ran past the town sign and into the next town before turning back. I looked at the woods remembering what happened last time I ran through them, it was safe to say I have avoided the wood since my encounter with that stranger. It gave me shivers just thinking about.

‘Mia!’ It was faint and I’m sure I heard wrong but then again my name was called by a deep voice. ‘You’re quite fast.’ Greyson was running by my side all sweaty and glistening as the sun shone on him. His grey muscle-T was straining against his large chest his headphones now hanging around his neck.

‘I didn’t know you ran this way.’ I said. I was not going to slow my pace down for him but he didn’t have a problem keeping up even edging a bit further forward than me. Boomer didn't like that he liked to be in front.

‘I don’t I usually run through the wood just thought I’d change it up.’ I freaked when he said he ran through the woods. Doesn’t he get scared running through the woods by himself.

‘Have you ever come across anything strange in the woods.’ He slowed down for me and his shoulders visibly tensed.

‘Strange like what?’

‘Another runner…’

‘People run through them all the time.’ He snapped a little before signing and picked up his pace as I tried to run ahead of him. ‘Want to go and get breakfast?’ he pointed towards the road that led to the town.

‘No’ it was my turn to snap.

‘Come on, the café does the best Green smoothies.’ I shook my head. ‘It’s important to replenish your muscles after a workout.’

‘What are you trying to do?’ I wanted to tell him to cut the crap but I was more polite than that.

‘I’m trying to get something to eat because I’m hungry, I’m also trying to convince you to come with me.’

‘Why?’ It sounded weak and defensive I stopped running and stood still waiting for an answer. His answer however was one I could never imagined anyone would ever say to me and so confidently with a smirk on his face. Greyson’s eyes twinkled with delight and mischief.

‘Because I think you are pretty, beautiful actually.’ My eyes were wide astonished I stood with my feet sinking into the ground like roots taking there place. ‘You Mia Holland are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.’ Crouching down he gave boomer a scratch on the head and behind his ears.

Who the hell says something like that to a person, I was so red and it wasn’t from running Greyson took my wrist and pulled me to the town and into the café he ordered two Green smoothies with a splash of almond milk in each.

On the back of the take away cup was all of the nutritional information including the calories. My eyes were instantly drawn towards it but the drink was snatched away and pealed off the part of the sticker where the numbers were contained, however he left the ingredients and list of all the good things that it had in it.

‘I don’t look at that crap, only what matters.’ He pointed to list of good qualities it did to your body. He took the lead from my hand when he gave my my drink back.

We took a long walk back towards my road with our drink question after question he fired at me, surprisingly I found myself talking to him, maybe it was because I had so desperately wanted to have a friend or perhaps it was because of a small tug within me. My face remained permanently red because of his early words and the smirk stayed pasted on his lips a chuckle leaving him every time he glanced to my coloured face. My watch lit up with a message from my mum asking where I was.

I made the not so smart choice of ignoring it. I didn’t want to go to a stupid dress fitting.

‘Nooo’ I laughed as he tried to take my headphones to see what music I was listing to. I didn’t like others listening to my music it was to personal, music was my escape. My old friends would often judge my music choices telling me how crappy it was. It was to late he had already hit play and stuck one earbud in his ears. Greyson scrunched his eyebrows and wrinkled his noise but bobbed his head slightly his questioning eyes roamed over to my face before exploring my body a little bit.

‘You like this?’ He asked and the slight nod of my head had him flicking through to the next song and then the next and then the next. He laughed when he switched the song for the last time. ‘Not what I imagined.’

‘And what did you imagen?’

‘Top of the charts, some sort of cheesy pop music.’ He was looking into my eyes amusement dancing behind the dark brown twisting with the secrets he held.

‘I do have some pop music!’ He laughed at me as I jumped to my own defence.

‘Yeah along with some heavy metal, classical, country, rap and everything else under the sun.’

Music was a way for me to express myself I had taken voice lesson from a very young age because my parents needed me out of the house so they could work longer hours so I did everything from voice lesson to dance to gymnastics, I was never good at gym though my body was just not meant to bend in half it wasn’t natural. ‘I like all kinds of music. Don’t laugh!’ My cheeks hurt from laughing and smiling to much, it was almost foreign for me to laugh these days. The long walk we took felt like nothing and before I knew it we were walking up my road and stood outside the gates to my house. Greyson’s eyebrows raised in surprise when he looked back at my house. It was a nice house a modern three story house, to big for four people in my opinion but what mother wanted mother got.

‘What?’ I asked as I sipped the last of my green juice through the funky coloured straw. I had been so busy talking to Greyson that I hadn’t even noticed that I had finished my drink. I wasn’t sure how to feel about it. Suzie had told me it was better to feel neutral about food than guilty and that there was nothing wrong with indulging in the food I liked.

He was about to speak when my ever so beautiful mum dressed in an expensive pristine white coat buttoned up and black knee-high boots walked out of the gate hand in hand with my dad and her prized chanel handbag. ‘Mia. Sweety what are you doing?’ she looked at my clothes, then her eyes diverted to my empty cup and then the boy stood beside me. ‘Who’s this?’ I watched as her blue eyes kept darting back to my cup, a smile present on her face. I want to die. My mum didn't know what to pay more of her attention to the empty smoothie cup or the good looking boy beside me.

‘Mum this is Greyson, from school.’ my dad just grumley stared at Greyson unimpressed.

‘Nice to meet you.’ Greyson held out his hand for my mum to shake and she didn’t hesitate for a second and shook his hand.

‘What is he doing here, with you Mia?’ My dad could be so rude sometimes. ‘Why is he with you?’ It was clear from the expression on my dad’s face that he didn’t like Greyson, not one bit.

‘I saw Mia on her run so we went to go and get smoothies after.’ The glimmer in my mum's eyes could have lit a whole country with how light and sparkly her eyes were. Her eyes only dazzled like that when she made a new purchase or when dad proclaimed his love or apologised for whatever he did that irritated her.

‘Oh that’s lovey’ She said.

‘No it’s not.’ My dad said and received an elbow to his ribs from my mum along with a shut up. They excused themselves by saying they were going to walk to town for brunch before our dress fitting. My mum had given me a look and said we would talk about running on the later.

Bloody brilliant.