Chapter 8 Since the night Tammy and Kyle came around , I hadn't seen Aiden . I didn't even know if he had been home because his truck was never there when I got home from school or went to bed . I wanted to be relieved by this . I had the house back to myself and yet I couldn't shake the heavy weight of disappointment that lay in my chest . I hadn't even seen Tammy which was also strange given that over the past few weeks Tammy had become a regular presence in the house . Somehow , the house didn't feel the same . I resigned myself to the thought that I would be spending another birthday alone with a pang of sorrow in my heart that I was too stubborn to acknowledge despite it depriving me of peace and sleep . The lack of sleep and slowly darkening mood soon had me fretting over my prankster especially when a player I had seen before friended me on a game . They never said a word until the end when I finally decided to call it a night . Their sign off left me stunned and frozen to my seat . I'll be seeing you soon . It's just a coincidence . I kept telling myself . I couldn't shake the anxiety at the back of my mind though . Friday came around quickly and even though I had a full day of school and then work , I was looking forward to the weekend . I was tired and I had already planned to have a lazy day over the weekend . It wasn't like I had anywhere to go anyway . Getting ready in an empty house yet again , I headed to school , following my usual routine . Stepping into the school grounds , I spotted a familiar figure . Dirty blonde hair , denim jacket with wool lining and beat up combat boots . " Kyle? " I blinked in surprise when I realised it was exactly who I thought it was . " Hey Ellie ! " Kyle grinned , showing me perfect white teeth . " Surprise ! " " What are you doing here ? " I asked . " Going to school . Why ? What do you do here ? " Kyle chuckled cheekily , I felt the heat of my blush dance across my cheeks . ' I didn't know you went here . " ' I didn't until this week . " Kyle admitted with a shrug as he walked beside me . " Fancy showing me where the office is so I can get my schedule . " " Uh , sure . " I nodded . Kyle's presence brought attention with it . Not only was he the new kid but he was good looking . Girls were watching him like a hawk and yet he seemed oblivious or not to care as he talked to me , dimples showing with every smile . His warm brown eyes sparkled with boyish mischief . It turned out Kyle had a few of the same classes as me . It was a pleasant surprise even if I had already decided in my head he would forget about me soon enough when he made friends . ' So has Aiden calmed down since last week ? " Kyle asked me as we sat down at lunch . " I haven't seen him . " I confessed as I dabbed a fry into some ketchup . ' I think he's been staying with Tammy . " " Wow . " Kyle's eyebrows raised in surprise before letting out a low whistle . " Don't take it personally . He can be a real grumpy shit for no reason at all ." I shrugged at this . ' It's okay . I'm used to being on my own … " Well if you ever want company just let me know . " Kyle grinned . " We could go do something fun like bowling or a movie or house party . " 1/2 Chapter 8 Oh , I don't do house parties . I countered , shaking my head quickly . Really ? His face dropped in confusion , tilting his head a little . I suppose that makes sense . You're not like other girls after all . " I frowned at this , watching Kyle as he attacked his lunch . I wanted to ask what he meant by me not being like other girls but I didn't have the chance because we had different classes after lunch . He promised to meet me when school finished but I didn't hold my breath . Kyle was making friends everywhere and it would only be a matter of time before I was invisible to him too . Sighing tired , I made my way to class while everyone else dragged their heels , in no rush to get to their last classes on a Friday afternoon . I didn't mind so much . This was my routine after all . Chapter Comments Adele