working progress, what do you think so far!?
Emmett drummed this hands on the table in a drum-roll, grinning widely as he waited for Bailey to answer!.
She tried to hide her smile unsuccessfully under Emmett's intense gaze!. I watched closely despite liking the girl about as much as green cheese, privately enjoying her discomfort, no matter how small that was!.
"I am *so* not gonna answer that!" She flicked her gaze upwards, meeting Emmett's gaze for a second and then burst out laughing!. "Stop it! I won't tell you!"
"Oh yeah!?" Emmett's eyes gleamed mischeviously!. Next second he had pounced, and Bailey shrieked in surprise and everyone else laughed!.
"Let go! Let go!" She laughed!.
"Oh shut up, you know you love it," Emmett lifted her over his shoulder as my phone beeped!.
I looked down, a sliver of anticipation ran through me as I saw that it was from Ethan!. Grinning, I opened the message!. I stiffened in my seat, staring at the text, everything muted suddenly, as though someone had stuffed cotton wool into my ears!.
*sorry, i can't do this!. i don't think we should see each other anymore*
The world was spinning, and I didn't know what to do!. Of course this had been coming, so why was I caught off guard!? The pressure in my ears and chest increased as though I was sinking under water!. My breathing was shallow as my eyes unfocused and I gripped the phone so hard my knuckles turned white and I began to lose feeling in my hand!.
The others were laughing around me, Emmett having just cracked another joke!.
"Cowardly bastard" I growled under my breath and the laughter died away!. I was surprised that they could hear me!. They stared at me cautiously, wearily, as though waiting for me to explode!.
"You OK!?" Emmett finally asked, taking a step towards me!. Behind him, Bailey pouted in annoyance!.
"Fine!." I replied gruffly, yanking his baseball cap off his head and putting it on, pulling it down as far as it would go over my eyes!. I turned away briskly, trying not to feel, but my heart was beating like a frantic bird in a cage, threatening to break free and destroy me!.
"Where are you going!?" Emmett called as he jogged a few paces to catch up with me!.
"To throw myself off a cliff," I replied sarcastically!. I wished I knew what my face looked like, what, if anything it betrayed!.!.!.
The bright sunlight blinded me momentarily as we walked out into the courtyard, and I felt a sudden surge of irrational fury!. I was sick of all this sunlight! Sick of the constant heat, sick of being so hot that I had to change my clothes several times a day, sick of the fake blondes and their stupid nose jobs and every damn person that surrounded me! I couldn't believe that when I got here at the start of the year I'd considered this place to be *beautiful*! It was hot and stuffy and I missed home!
Emotions were building up in my chest and my breathing was uneven, I tried to calm down, seeing as Emmett would think that I was upset over *Ethan* rather than the sudden hate of every damn thing that surrounded me!. It was like I had been dreaming, caught up with the lovely Americanness of it all and now I was suddenly and rudely awakened, disoriented and finding myself in a place where I hated everything about the strange people and places, from their ridiculously over-sized cars to their even more ridiculous accents!.
I missed home; I missed England!.
Forcing myself into a numbed state, I looked down at my hand, expecting to see my phone so that I could call the airlines and book a flight out of this hell hole!. My hand was empty!. I looked around, confused, wondering whether I had dropped it, but then I saw Emmett was holding it, looking at me intently, cautiously!.
"What were you about to do!?" He asked quietly as a pair of girls went past us, shrieking with laughter and throwing glowing looks under their eyelashes at Emmett!.
"Book a flight to go home," I reached for my phone, but he didn't hand it over!. I sighed, realizing that I may have alarmed him slightly!. The problem with being completely myself around him was that my behaviour was not something that he, being normal in so many ways, was not used to!.
"Home!?" He repeated, not missing a beat and taking my elbow, gently steering me towards the trees!. "Why!?"
"I am so *sick* of america!.!.!." I snarled, flinging myself down onto the bench, glad to be in the shade again!.
"Is this about *him*!?" He indicated at my mobile phone, which he was still holding!. I was glad that he was tactful enough not to say his name!.
"No!. I was just deluding myself with the American Dream," I half smiled!. "I thought that by moving here, I would get a chance at normality, but I was better off in England!. No annoying accents, no sun trying to burn my skin all the bloody time!.!.!." I took a deep breath!. "The text merely made me remember that I was deluding myself, and I am not going to waste another moment in this place, humiliating myself any further!.!.!."
My foot began to tap impatiently as sweat collected on Www@QuestionHome@Com