All of our demons

Eight: Late for the date

He kissed her. That’s all she could think about and She kissed him back.

She felt her blood run cold she was scared he would think she was a bad kisser, but the second their lips made contact a hot fire spread through her veins heating her up giving her sinful thoughts.

Bad Mia! She scolded herself.

She couldn’t think about anything else but hips lips on hers, his hands in her hair, arms around her waist. She began blushing at the thought of it, turning scarlet red.

‘Mia?’

‘Huh yeah, oh- I'm- yes- sir I'm here.’ Mia was so wrapped up in the memories of the kiss she forgot where she was. Hiding behind her physics textbook. She tried to fan her face to cool her cheeks down.

‘Pay attention Mia’ Mr Allen scolded her.

‘What you thinking about?’ Greyson said from the seat next to her Smirking down at her. His big brown eyes bore into her green ones.

‘Nothing’ she blushed even more and turned to look down at the desk.

‘Want to have lunch together?’ she asked hopefully, this morning when she saw him at school she didn’t know how she was going to act around him but she hadn’t needed to do anything as he slumped down beside her and ignored her until now.

‘Can’t I’m eating with my friends.’ Again ouch. Did he not consider her a friend.

Why hadn’t he brought up the kiss, it was all she could think about. She hardly slept, tossing and turning all night.

When lunchtime rolled around Mia ventured into the café convincing herself she could do it. She walked through the doors and straight in and speed walked right to the doors on the other side and out of them.

She couldn’t do it!

Why was it so hard for her to do something that everyone else found easy. Mia placed herself on a cold bench outside setting up her lunch in order.

Okay here we go.

Bite. Chew, chew, chew, chew… swallow. Wait a second… repeat.

Easy.

She could already feel the chicken sandwich weighing her down. She felt like the food was clinging to the inside of her stomach and going to be stuck there forever. No, no, she couldn’t think like this. Food was good! Food was fuel!

Mia smelt her luring and sweet perfume before she heard her. ‘Aww, where’s you’re little lunch buddy.’ Bethany stood behind Mia she was close enough to pull on Mia’s hair. ‘What a shame. Is he bored of you already, pity’ Mia could see her pout as she spat out her spiteful words. ‘I thought you might be able to have one friend but I guess he doesn’t want you either. You should know not to get to attached to people.’ Bethany sat down next to Mia her voice was calm. Bethany had struck a nerve in Mia and she turned to look at Bethany her hair was falling in front of her eyes hiding the tears. Bethany gently tucked Mia’s hair behind hear ear. ‘ We’re very similar everyone always leaves us in the end.’ It wasn’t comforting knowing Bethany thought that they were alike, maybe they once were but not anymore. ‘Smile darling boys will be boys. There always braking our hearts.’

‘Bethany w-‘

‘But.’ She tightly griped Mia brown hair pulling it harshly so Bethany lips where to her ear. ‘But you did more than brake my hart so I won’t give you any sympathy, he properly came to his senses and realised what a waist of space you are.’

Mia’s cheeks were wet with salt water Bethany stood collecting her school bag from the table and walk off. ‘And sweety, eat your lunch. You look awfully pale.’ Mia watch a change in Bethany’s face as she muttered. ‘and thin’ as she walked away.

Sniffing Mia gathered her things from the table wiping her eyes turning around with her bag hitched on her shoulder she saw Greyson watching her from across the outside café. He stood there hands clenched by his side looking directly at her then switching to Bethany. He looked livid and Mia had no idea why. Clutching her lunch tightly she headed straight for the bin turning away from Greyson. Mia looked distantly at the food in her outstretched hand before it reached the bin a warm one caught her wrist.

‘Don’t, don’t let that b***h get to you.’

‘Why do you care?’ she snapped, he had been ignoring her since there kiss only spoke to her this morning to embarrass her and make her blush. ‘Let go.’ He didn’t. ‘Get off’ She pulled her arm to get him to release it but he yanked on her harder until he shoved her down on the bench. ‘Hey-’ she shut up when she saw the obviously pissed of look on his face. People around them saw how mad he was and ran off.

‘Eat’ he positioned himself beside her so she was unable to get up from the bench. ‘I’m waiting.’ He hurried her.

‘For what?’ Mia reverted back to her timed self as she watched his anger rise.

‘For you to eat.’ She tried to get back up but again he forced her to sit. ‘I’m not stupid, I’ve been watching you for days. You look at your food like its you’re enemy.’ Once again she tried to get away from him but his large frame and domineering posture wouldn’t allow her to even raise her bottom up from the cold bench.

‘I’m not talking about this with you.’ She hissed attempting to shove him. It was a weak attempt.

‘Please.’ How someone could display such a large variety of emotions in such a short amount of time was beyond Mia.

‘Please? You’ve been ignoring me for days. Why would I do anything you say’ She was playing with fire Mia shrunk back as her timed voice became quieter and quieter until she swore he was having to use some otherworldly super hearing to be able to understand her. If only she knew.

Mia bit her lip and played with her long wavy hair as she watched him respond. ‘Why?’ he leaned in to close to her. ‘Because I’m not the type of person to say please or ask twice. Now. Eat.’

Scared her hand shook as she raised her sandwich to her lips, the shaking wasn’t only from fear of Greyson but fear from the calories, the carbs, sugars all of it. how hard was it going to be to burn all of this off what if she couldn’t do it, if she threw her food back up would someone report her for being sick in the toilet to the nurse. Would the nurse call her parents her dad would be so mad. Tears swam in her beautiful green eyes. Her mum would be disappointed and give her that look Mia hated.

Bite, chew, chew, swallow. Repeat. She told herself. It’s easy, everyone else can do it.

Do you know how fat that bread will make you. Her eyes met Greyson’s the sandwich touching her lips as her hands shook. She was scared. Scared of food! A whole summer at that place didn’t fix her it didn’t fix anything only the number on the scale. The sandwich was snatched out of her hand when she sniffed, she watched as Greyson tore it up into smaller pieces handing her one small piece.

‘One bite at a time, don’t focus on the food. Talk to me about something’ he shrugged. ‘Distract yourself’. Reluctantly she took the toddler size food from him eyes still watching his every move like a hawk. Questioning why he was helping her. How he understood what was wrong, how did he find out?

‘Why are you helping me?’ she drew her eyes away and down to the bench.

‘Eat your food Mia.’ Was his only response. She raised a challenging eyebrow at him refusing to do as he said until her glared at her then she shoved the sandwich in her mouth. She hoped never to at the receiving end of the glare. Jesus Christ the grim reaper would have dug his own grave to hid in with how scary that look was. it chilled her down to her core and froze her bones. No wonder he has a scary reputation and everyone was scared of him. It took Mia fifteen minuets to eat a small sandwich. They sat mostly in silence Greyson asking her a random question every now and then to keep her distracted she held her hand back out wating for him to give her the next bit she hadn’t even noticed it was all gone.

‘See wasn’t that hard was it? nothing bad happened the world didn’t implode.’ He said.

‘Thank you, yo-’

‘How long?’ He was so rude constantly demanding and interrupting her. ‘How long have you struggled with food?’ she looked away embarrassed.

She shrugged her shoulders Mia couldn’t pin point the exact moment she began to struggle with food. It was a gradual thing. ‘How did you know?’ What was the point in denying it.

‘I watched you, doesn’t take a genius to work it out.’ She didn’t have time to respond only blush at the fact that he had admitted to watching her. ‘Charity balls this weekend, I figured if I picked you up half an hour late then we have the driver take us the long way, super long way we would miss most of the boring parts.’

‘Its all boring.’

‘True, but not if we go together.’ Mia was going to respond when the air was out from her lungs stood by the next table was Harvey with some of his friends all laughing at something his eyes met Mias across the table and he smirked if she was brave enough she would have smacked that stupid smirk right of his face. She was too caught up in wondering why Harvey was looking at her like he had won. She could hear the murmuring of Greyson sat beside her trying to get her to talk but she was only zoned on Harvey who raised one eye brow. Mia felt genuine fear seep through her bones chilling her like a ice cold shower. Startling her by pinching her leg she whipped her head to Greyson.

‘Ouch!’

‘It was barely a pinch’

‘It hurt’ she rubbed her now redding thigh.

‘Want me to kiss it better?’ She had never turned more red before. Her cheeks were going to be stained red by the time she finished secondary school if she kept hanging out with Greyson. Mia was convinced she resembled a tomato right now. Kiss!

Why hadn’t he brought up there late night make out in the park. She still could not believe she let him Kiss her she hardly knew him. They had only been friends for a few weeks and she let him stick his tongue in her mouth. She licked her lips and clench her legs just thinking about it. Him kissing her lips, her legs and everywhere. She smacked her hand on her forehead knocking the immerging images from her mind.

Bad Mia!

To distract herself from his close proximity she pulled her phone out seeing a message from an unknown number.

Did you know my dad wants me to follow in his foot steps?

What? Mia pocked her phone convinced they must have the wrong number.

‘I have to run, see you in science.’ Greyson said letting his hand linger on her lower back as he said good bye. The action send a storm of butterfly’s into her stomach she watched his muscular back as he strode over to his friends one of which was glaring right at her like she murdered his puppy. The other giving her a cheeky grin. All three of them were handsome but Greyson was by far the hottest. Ryan was insanely good looking too but Calum he was beautiful. Twinkly eyes dark hair and lashes he took the cake on the prettiest out of all of them he could be a model.

When she turned back to the table Harvey was sitting opposite her.

‘You see this is why you don’t have any friends, it rude to leave people on read.’

‘What’

‘I thought you were meant to be smart. The message I sent you… you didn’t reply.’

Mia didn’t like where this was going standing up she was about to head of to class early, when He spoke again. ‘Did you know my dad also owns a recovery and development centre. I just like to call it the loony bin of the west but apparently that’s offensive to the patients at the centre.’ No that’s not possible. This could not be happening. ‘I did a little bit of a summer intern in the front office, going through paper work and putting it into the right places making sure all of the doctors had the correct files on their patients. Suzie Martial was my guide while I was there, she had a favourite patient…’ Mia sucked in breath. This was not happening she wanted to run away but she needed to know if he knew. ‘One pretty brown haired girl named Mia Holland.’ s**t!

*********

She felt uncomfortable the dress was pretty her hair had been straightened and swept to the back held back with shinny diamond decorated clips that matched her earrings bracelet and neckless. Lucy had a woman come over to style their hair and apply makeup flawlessly onto their faces. Mia’s make up was simple, fresh and glowy her mother's was similar but paired with a bold lipstick. ‘Look at my two beautiful girls.’ Her father said approaching them as they stood in the entry way waiting for him to finish up at work call. ‘You both look stunning.’ he placed a kiss on Mia’s head then one on Lucy’s cheek. She would not let him mess up her lipstick. ‘Thank you honey.’ Lucy said straightening her husband tie and fixing his shirt. She always did that he could never properly dress himself she always had to sort out his ties. Mia knew he did it just to irritate his wife. ‘What time is Greyson coming?’ Is he even still coming? She looked at the clock he was nearly thirty minutes late. Overwhelming sadness filled her thinking he stood her up.

‘He told me seven.’ Mia looked out the window to see if his car could be seen but nothing yet. She had never been more scared in her life. A boy was coming to pick her up and take her to a ball. A boy who kissed her!

‘Greyson who’s that?’ Lucy smiled taking her husband's hand excitedly.

‘Thats the boy who was outside our house the other week. He and Mia got smoothies. He’s taking her to the charity ball.’

‘That boy! No. Absolutely Not. He is not taking my Mia to the ball. No. I won’t allow it. Did you see him Lucy he looks like trouble.’ Mia’s dad was loosening his tie and taking his jacket off ready to fight this boy. A boy who Mia believes to have stood her up. The clock kept ticking and he still was not here.

‘Maybe you should give him a call?’ She didn’t have his number, they never got to that part, where they would exchange numbers and stay up all night texting. Mia walked back over to the window to peer outside nothing, nothing but her parent's driver waiting for them. ‘Maybe he wanted you to meet him there.’

‘He said he would pick me up.’ She sat down and slipped off her uncomfortable heels. ‘He’s not coming, just go without me.’ Mia did not want to see what tall blond he had found to go with instead.

‘Told you.’ He dad seemed a little too smug with the fact that his daughter had been stood up. ‘I don’t like this boy, nothing but trouble, a boy like him is no goo-’ The doorbell stopped him talking as his wife left his side rushing to open the door.

Stood there with a bouquet of peonies in his hand was Greyson glad in an all-black suit. ‘I’m so sorry I'm late.’ He apologised as Lucy pulled him into the house.

‘You’re late’ Mia said at the same time as her dad who stepped forward.

‘I know and I'm sorry.’ He approached Mia surprising her by Kissing the top of her head.

‘Oi’ He dad shouted at Greyson. Lucy pulled him out of the house and to their awaiting car while Mia stood their arms folded across her chest waiting for an excuse.