Going Together

BONUS CHAPTER - Xavier's Prequel - The Loser

I can’t pinpoint the moment I knew I loved Scarlett. I think part of me always did. We had kind of been friends until we got to high school. Until she rose to the top of the food chain, and I stayed down in the waste bin. But she never smiled when she was with her friends, at least not the kind of smile that radiates through your soul.

They didn’t deserve her.

I planned in my head how to tell they weren’t worth it, time and time again. It always ended the same way. I would make her feel bad. I hated doing it. I hated hurting her, but I realized quickly that when I called her a faker or tagged her locker, she noticed me. Even if it was only for a short time. It was all a boy like me could hope for. So I kept doing it.

**

I washed the remnants of the pink spray from my hands. Scarlett’s locker was once again adorned with the words ‘Faker’. I hoped one day she’d take notice, one day she’d understand.

“Oi Xavier. You coming?” My friend Darius exclaimed as he walked over to the bathroom door.

“Yeah sure.”

I threw the empty can in the rubbish and followed Darius out of the bathroom into the corridor. Once we were out on the quad I scowled. Ryan, the schools meat heat Jock was talking to a beautifully shy looking Scarlett. I forced my gaze from her and continued walking.

Darius lit up a joint and held it out to me. I shook my head. “Might loosen you up Smith.” My other friend Franko laughed as he took a long puff. I shrugged, I didn’t want to be loose. Being tightly wound up was my thing.

“Your girlfriend just walked past.” Darius let out a snicker which soon turned into a cough.

“Shut it Darius. She’s not my fucking girlfriend.”

“You wish she was.”

“Fuck off.” I lied. I did, every part of my body and soul and heart wished she was mine, and I was hers.

“She’s pretty hot, I’ll give you that.” Franko added. “But she’s a faker.”

I turned and eyeballed Franko. Only I was allowed to call Scarlett anything and they knew it. I kicked myself off the wall and walked across to where Scarlett stood. She looked sad, it churned my stomach.

“Jackson. Fancy seeing you this close to the wrong side of the tracks.” I said, the words came out harsher than I had intended them too. Still it was better that way, I couldn’t let her see that I was a faker too, that underneath it all I was really just a ball of emotion hung up on her.

She looked up and her eyes darkened, she frowned.

“Go away Smith.” She said, her words enunciated, a plea. “Just for once. Please.”

She folded her arms across her chest, and looked back down blocking me out. I hated it, I wanted her to be open with me, and I wanted to tell her just how much I cared. I could see something was bothering her, I wanted to be there.

“Scarlett.” I murmured, the way her voice sounded on my tongue made me smile slightly. She didn’t catch it before her eyes traced back up and caught mine.

“Xavier.” She sounded confused, I didn’t blame her. I didn’t usually entertain this level of conversation with her.

I looked back over at my friends, still smoking their joint watching me. Fuck them. They could think whatever they liked. Scarlett was my territory. Mine alone.

Scarlett’s face steeled and she slid off the fence she had been sitting on. I was losing her, she was going to walk away from me. I wasn’t ready to be so far away from her yet.