usual cool-as-a-fridgerated-cucumber attitude. "I got sick of waiting for replies from my friends on Facebook, so I decided to make the most of the nice weather whilst it lasts.
"Me too. I've mostly been hanging out with Cassie at home or writing if I haven't got anything else to do."
"Really?" Tara questioned, her noticeably pencilled-in eyebrows raised in unexpected surprise. "I thought you told me that you'd never dream of writing another word again because of your oh-so-boring English teacher."
I shrugged. "It doesn't matter anymore, I suppose. Writing has somehow made me feel a bit... better than before."
"So, are you writing about what, um, happened?"
I nodded, noticing Tara's awkwardness. "Yeah, call it therapy of some sort - it definitely works!"
Tara smiled. "That's great," she said. "Have you spoken to Joel yet?"
"No, not yet," I replied, ignoring the pang of pain which slyly aroused in my heart. "I'm not sure when I can speak to him - who knows, he may have forgotten about me by now."
"I doubt it."
Suspicion slowly crept upon me, questioning Tara's indiscreet words, which I tried to overlook, until the curiosity became too much to ignore. "Have you been in contact with Joel, Tara?" I asked, without a quaver or hint of emotion in my hard-as-stone voice.
Tara looked down at the emerald-green grass, twisting her fingers through her tousled, loose mane of blonde hair, and clearly attempting to buy any length of time before responding to my direct-to-the-point question.
"Tell me, please," I pleaded.
"I'm sorry," Tara spat out, her eyes still staring at the grass. "I couldn't just stand there and allow Joel to get away with what happened."
"What did you do?"
Nervously gulping, Tara raised her head and responded, "I phoned Joel a few days ago and told him to apologize for his actions."
Out of nowhere, an irrepressible, manic fit of laughter burst from my mouth, leaving me unable to say what I truly wanted to admit. The situation - all of it - just seemed so amusing, as if it had featured on a comedy sketch and I was the main star of the show, whom the endearing audience couldn't get enough of. But it was near impossible to find it funny...
"Are you alright, Sadie?" Tara asked, offering me a gulp of water from her bottle.
I shook my head, a fever spreading all over my body, and laughed a bit more before replying, "I'm fine," then returning to the final cycle of laughter, which suddenly stopped.
In the distance, I could hear Tara mutter, "I never thought she'd react like that," and a wave of sadness washed over me, destroying all previous perceptions of hilarity like it never existed.
Standing up straighter, I mumbled, "Sorry about that," as embarrassment made its shaming mark in the form of a heated red blush on my cheek, unexpectedly awakening my awareness of the people passing through the park, who must've thought I was a complete nutter.
That was one valid logic why I should add it to my 'Reasons For Staying At Home' list; which I'd probably ignore, anyway.
Tara waved her hand, clearly glad that she'd managed to avoid talking about Joel just yet. As if I was gullible enough to completely let her off the hook.
"What did Joel say?" I asked.
Tara fidgeted with anything she could get her cocoa butter-smooth hands on - her golden moon pendant, a wild, untameable mane of luxuriously looked-after hair and neon bright coral cardigan - then responded, "He didn't really say much."
My eyes almost popped out. "Like what?"
"Um, he hung up before I allowed him to talk," Tara said.
There was absolutely nothing I could say to that. Nothing sprang to my arctic-frozen mind and Tara kept opening her mouth - which strongly resembled a sulky model pout - then shut it again, preferring to keep her thoughts to herself. I was glad she did.
As a cooler breeze created goose bumps all over my arms, I finally found
"Me too. I've mostly been hanging out with Cassie at home or writing if I haven't got anything else to do."
"Really?" Tara questioned, her noticeably pencilled-in eyebrows raised in unexpected surprise. "I thought you told me that you'd never dream of writing another word again because of your oh-so-boring English teacher."
I shrugged. "It doesn't matter anymore, I suppose. Writing has somehow made me feel a bit... better than before."
"So, are you writing about what, um, happened?"
I nodded, noticing Tara's awkwardness. "Yeah, call it therapy of some sort - it definitely works!"
Tara smiled. "That's great," she said. "Have you spoken to Joel yet?"
"No, not yet," I replied, ignoring the pang of pain which slyly aroused in my heart. "I'm not sure when I can speak to him - who knows, he may have forgotten about me by now."
"I doubt it."
Suspicion slowly crept upon me, questioning Tara's indiscreet words, which I tried to overlook, until the curiosity became too much to ignore. "Have you been in contact with Joel, Tara?" I asked, without a quaver or hint of emotion in my hard-as-stone voice.
Tara looked down at the emerald-green grass, twisting her fingers through her tousled, loose mane of blonde hair, and clearly attempting to buy any length of time before responding to my direct-to-the-point question.
"Tell me, please," I pleaded.
"I'm sorry," Tara spat out, her eyes still staring at the grass. "I couldn't just stand there and allow Joel to get away with what happened."
"What did you do?"
Nervously gulping, Tara raised her head and responded, "I phoned Joel a few days ago and told him to apologize for his actions."
Out of nowhere, an irrepressible, manic fit of laughter burst from my mouth, leaving me unable to say what I truly wanted to admit. The situation - all of it - just seemed so amusing, as if it had featured on a comedy sketch and I was the main star of the show, whom the endearing audience couldn't get enough of. But it was near impossible to find it funny...
"Are you alright, Sadie?" Tara asked, offering me a gulp of water from her bottle.
I shook my head, a fever spreading all over my body, and laughed a bit more before replying, "I'm fine," then returning to the final cycle of laughter, which suddenly stopped.
In the distance, I could hear Tara mutter, "I never thought she'd react like that," and a wave of sadness washed over me, destroying all previous perceptions of hilarity like it never existed.
Standing up straighter, I mumbled, "Sorry about that," as embarrassment made its shaming mark in the form of a heated red blush on my cheek, unexpectedly awakening my awareness of the people passing through the park, who must've thought I was a complete nutter.
That was one valid logic why I should add it to my 'Reasons For Staying At Home' list; which I'd probably ignore, anyway.
Tara waved her hand, clearly glad that she'd managed to avoid talking about Joel just yet. As if I was gullible enough to completely let her off the hook.
"What did Joel say?" I asked.
Tara fidgeted with anything she could get her cocoa butter-smooth hands on - her golden moon pendant, a wild, untameable mane of luxuriously looked-after hair and neon bright coral cardigan - then responded, "He didn't really say much."
My eyes almost popped out. "Like what?"
"Um, he hung up before I allowed him to talk," Tara said.
There was absolutely nothing I could say to that. Nothing sprang to my arctic-frozen mind and Tara kept opening her mouth - which strongly resembled a sulky model pout - then shut it again, preferring to keep her thoughts to herself. I was glad she did.
As a cooler breeze created goose bumps all over my arms, I finally found
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