Feels like forever
Gone With the Wind
Copeland’s POV
God, it’s been so long.
Cece had seemed to fade from existence. I always saw her with that boy, Jackson, hanging on her shoulder. Had she gotten too high and mighty for us? Had she forgotten us completely?
I tried to smile at her in the halls. It never worked. She would duck her head and pretend not to notice me. I saw the grimace on her face. Had I done something wrong? Everything with my parents had seemed to cool down, and everything went back to normal.
Everything but Cece.
Courtney threw me occasionally dirty glances, nothing out of the ordinary there. Zack and I mostly hung together. We’d sit in the library during lunch. The librarian was pretty nice there. She let us eat even though we weren’t supposed to. We’d chill in her office and she’s let us bring our mugs and take some of her coffee. Her name was Mrs. Byrd. She’s a cool lady.
Today, Zack and I were chilling at my place. He had driven over here in his new car that his dad got him for his birthday last week. It was a nice little Acura. I constantly teased him that one day he was going to grow up and be a male model and travel to Europe to do male swimsuit photoshoots in sport cars. He would always roll those teasing eyes and give me a crooked grin.
“So what do you want to do today?” I asked him. We both lounged on my couch. I had my feet on his legs with a desperate sigh.
“I dunno. What about you? It’s your house.” He fired back.
“You’re the guest.”
“It’s your house.”
“You used that already.” I stuck my tongue out at him. He played with the laces of my shoes. I’m glad we had such an open friendship. I stared down at the carpet, reaching down and running my fingers through the strands. When I looked up, I caught Zack staring at me.
That had been the fifth time in the past twenty minutes.
“What? Do I have something in my teeth?” I mocked. He blushed and turned away. That was the exact moment my father came in.
“Cope!” He yelled from the kitchen. I heard him open the pantry.
“Daaaaad!” I yelled back.
“Food before dudes; remember that!” He yelled back.
“Let her be a teen!” My mom called from upstairs. It was my turn to blush and look down.
“So, Cece?” Zack suggested, trying to pull the topic away from the awkwardness. I stared out the window, setting my face in a grimace and shaking my head.
“Please, no.”
“Come on, we have to confront her at some point.” Zack pleaded, shaking my foot for my attention. I stared at him and shook my head.
“I don’t want to.” I muttered. Zack just stared at me with his puppy eyes. I pouted back and then went back to finding an interest in the color of the sky.
“Say, Monday. A couple days from now. Let’s talk to her about what’s up. It’s been three months. I can’t take this silence anymore.” Zack begged. I sighed.
“What are we going to say? What do we say?” I asked. Zack shrugged and focused on the ends of my shoes.
“Just start with basic questions. Ask her how her relationship is. Keep on going until you get to why she hasn’t hung around. Maybe we could meet her at Kumjani’s, that coffee shop on the corner of fourth?” He asked me. I nodded. Cece always loved that place. She claimed they had the best steamed milk she’d ever tasted.
“Fine, but you’re going to be there with me.” I pointed my finger at him. He agreed and nodded before standing up. I followed his path towards my game cabinet under the television. He crawled from under it and pulled Monopoly with him.
“Ew, that game takes forever.” I wrinkled my nose in disgust. He already started setting up without another word, I groaned and sat opposite of him.
An hour later, Zack was declared the winner with all my money in his hands. He owned every property on the board (don’t even try to ask why he got that amount of money) except for the electric company. That was mine.
“Anymore?” He asked. I had, of course, landed on an expensive piece of property.
“I ain’t givin’ this up!” I declared.
“Woah, sassy-pants. Come on, give it up.” He held his hand out. I shook my head and clutched it to my heart.
“My great-grandfather founded this company! It’s been in my family for generations! I declare….bankruptcy!” I called. Zack grinned and nodded. I helped him pack up the board. We set the box back in the cabinet as he headed for the door.
“I should go now. It’s going to get late soon.” Zack shrugged. I gave him a tight hug. He sighed into my shoulder.
“I hope we can figure this Cece situation out again.” He whispered for only me to hear. I nodded and squeezed him tightly. He let go, a sad glimmer in his eye. His hand rested on the doorknob when my mom appeared.
“Oh, Zack, can’t you stay for dinner?” She offered. He shook his head.
“My mom is making Fettuchini Alfredo and I can’t miss family night.” He smiled. I nodded, knowing how much he loved that dish.
“I’ll see you Monday.” I waved as he walked down our front porch. He turned before getting in his driver’s side. I waved to him and he laughed. I watched as the car revved to life and started to pull down the driveway. I folded my arms as he turned out of the street.
As I sat back down, I watched the clock tick quietly. I started to drift off as my head hit the pillows. I snored silently, drifting into a land of dreams. I saw Zack in there. We were happy. I saw Cece. We were happy as well. It was all good, all like the old times.
I woke when my phone started buzzing. My dad was running towards the door. I picked up my phone, staring oddly at my dad. His eyes were wide and full of glistening tears.
“Hello?” I asked curiously, my eyes still locked on my dad’s.
“Hey, Cope. This is Zack’s dad.” I heard Oli say through the speaker. I checked the number. It was an odd number…
“Hello, Mr. Sykes. Is everything alright?” I questioned softly as a sob was heard through the background.
“No, no. Zack got in an accident. He’s in critical condition.” Oli sobbed. I leapt up, shoving my phone in my pocket. My dad was already ahead of me, getting the car warmed up.
No, not Zack.
God, it’s been so long.
Cece had seemed to fade from existence. I always saw her with that boy, Jackson, hanging on her shoulder. Had she gotten too high and mighty for us? Had she forgotten us completely?
I tried to smile at her in the halls. It never worked. She would duck her head and pretend not to notice me. I saw the grimace on her face. Had I done something wrong? Everything with my parents had seemed to cool down, and everything went back to normal.
Everything but Cece.
Courtney threw me occasionally dirty glances, nothing out of the ordinary there. Zack and I mostly hung together. We’d sit in the library during lunch. The librarian was pretty nice there. She let us eat even though we weren’t supposed to. We’d chill in her office and she’s let us bring our mugs and take some of her coffee. Her name was Mrs. Byrd. She’s a cool lady.
Today, Zack and I were chilling at my place. He had driven over here in his new car that his dad got him for his birthday last week. It was a nice little Acura. I constantly teased him that one day he was going to grow up and be a male model and travel to Europe to do male swimsuit photoshoots in sport cars. He would always roll those teasing eyes and give me a crooked grin.
“So what do you want to do today?” I asked him. We both lounged on my couch. I had my feet on his legs with a desperate sigh.
“I dunno. What about you? It’s your house.” He fired back.
“You’re the guest.”
“It’s your house.”
“You used that already.” I stuck my tongue out at him. He played with the laces of my shoes. I’m glad we had such an open friendship. I stared down at the carpet, reaching down and running my fingers through the strands. When I looked up, I caught Zack staring at me.
That had been the fifth time in the past twenty minutes.
“What? Do I have something in my teeth?” I mocked. He blushed and turned away. That was the exact moment my father came in.
“Cope!” He yelled from the kitchen. I heard him open the pantry.
“Daaaaad!” I yelled back.
“Food before dudes; remember that!” He yelled back.
“Let her be a teen!” My mom called from upstairs. It was my turn to blush and look down.
“So, Cece?” Zack suggested, trying to pull the topic away from the awkwardness. I stared out the window, setting my face in a grimace and shaking my head.
“Please, no.”
“Come on, we have to confront her at some point.” Zack pleaded, shaking my foot for my attention. I stared at him and shook my head.
“I don’t want to.” I muttered. Zack just stared at me with his puppy eyes. I pouted back and then went back to finding an interest in the color of the sky.
“Say, Monday. A couple days from now. Let’s talk to her about what’s up. It’s been three months. I can’t take this silence anymore.” Zack begged. I sighed.
“What are we going to say? What do we say?” I asked. Zack shrugged and focused on the ends of my shoes.
“Just start with basic questions. Ask her how her relationship is. Keep on going until you get to why she hasn’t hung around. Maybe we could meet her at Kumjani’s, that coffee shop on the corner of fourth?” He asked me. I nodded. Cece always loved that place. She claimed they had the best steamed milk she’d ever tasted.
“Fine, but you’re going to be there with me.” I pointed my finger at him. He agreed and nodded before standing up. I followed his path towards my game cabinet under the television. He crawled from under it and pulled Monopoly with him.
“Ew, that game takes forever.” I wrinkled my nose in disgust. He already started setting up without another word, I groaned and sat opposite of him.
An hour later, Zack was declared the winner with all my money in his hands. He owned every property on the board (don’t even try to ask why he got that amount of money) except for the electric company. That was mine.
“Anymore?” He asked. I had, of course, landed on an expensive piece of property.
“I ain’t givin’ this up!” I declared.
“Woah, sassy-pants. Come on, give it up.” He held his hand out. I shook my head and clutched it to my heart.
“My great-grandfather founded this company! It’s been in my family for generations! I declare….bankruptcy!” I called. Zack grinned and nodded. I helped him pack up the board. We set the box back in the cabinet as he headed for the door.
“I should go now. It’s going to get late soon.” Zack shrugged. I gave him a tight hug. He sighed into my shoulder.
“I hope we can figure this Cece situation out again.” He whispered for only me to hear. I nodded and squeezed him tightly. He let go, a sad glimmer in his eye. His hand rested on the doorknob when my mom appeared.
“Oh, Zack, can’t you stay for dinner?” She offered. He shook his head.
“My mom is making Fettuchini Alfredo and I can’t miss family night.” He smiled. I nodded, knowing how much he loved that dish.
“I’ll see you Monday.” I waved as he walked down our front porch. He turned before getting in his driver’s side. I waved to him and he laughed. I watched as the car revved to life and started to pull down the driveway. I folded my arms as he turned out of the street.
As I sat back down, I watched the clock tick quietly. I started to drift off as my head hit the pillows. I snored silently, drifting into a land of dreams. I saw Zack in there. We were happy. I saw Cece. We were happy as well. It was all good, all like the old times.
I woke when my phone started buzzing. My dad was running towards the door. I picked up my phone, staring oddly at my dad. His eyes were wide and full of glistening tears.
“Hello?” I asked curiously, my eyes still locked on my dad’s.
“Hey, Cope. This is Zack’s dad.” I heard Oli say through the speaker. I checked the number. It was an odd number…
“Hello, Mr. Sykes. Is everything alright?” I questioned softly as a sob was heard through the background.
“No, no. Zack got in an accident. He’s in critical condition.” Oli sobbed. I leapt up, shoving my phone in my pocket. My dad was already ahead of me, getting the car warmed up.
No, not Zack.
Notes
Okay, so I said I'd be a better co-author, but I wasn't. Sorry about that!
A big thanks to the I_Ship_KalanXD who um....."gently" reminded me by alerting the entirety of Facebook that I had forgotten to update this in a while....Thank you XDDDDDD
-Chaos'sWolf
;-; tears man
3/4/15