All the Other Days. Jack Hartley
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Название: All the Other Days

Автор: Jack Hartley

Издательство: Ingram

Жанр: Детская фантастика

Серия:

isbn: 9780987639042

isbn:

СКАЧАТЬ times on the field?’

      I smile at her and laugh, ‘Yeah that sounds about right, by myself?’

      She looks into my eyes for the first time, and it’s just like I imagined it would be. They hold me there like I’m hypnotised. I can’t move mine away from hers, nor do I want to take my eyes off of her. She’s absolutely beautiful. Everything about her face makes me want to smile, the way her big green eyes glisten in the light, the way her lips curve as she speaks. My head starts to race at a million miles an hour. As if my mind wasn’t filled with thoughts of her already, now I know that she’s real. It’s all I want to my head to be filled with.

      Stuck in a trance, she speaks back to me, ‘Yeah that must be it. Anyway, I’m Kate. What’s your name?’

      ‘I’m Judd!’ I blurt out. ‘How come you’re sitting here?’

      She looks away from me and moves her eyes across the field as she answers, ‘My parents were fighting, so just needed to get away. How about you?’ she asks.

      ‘I know that feeling,’ I say, leaning back in the seat and resting my leg on top of my knee, trying to look cool. ‘Just needed to clear my head. This is my favourite spot in this whole town. I always come here.’

      It goes silent for a moment, and I worry she thinks I’m a bit of a dork trying to sound mysterious. My brain starts punishing me for my poor attempts at conversation. Why couldn’t I say something interesting? I wait for her to speak again, and then luckily she does, because I don’t want the conversation to end.

      ‘Well, I quite happen to like this spot too. Might see you more often here, then?’

      A big grin comes over my face. ‘Yeah I hope so. It was nice meeting you, but I better go. My Mom’s got dinner ready. I’ll see you at school?’

      ‘Yeah, you sure will. I’ll come and say hi next time I see you out on that field.’

      I walk away from the park with the biggest grin on my face, so big that when I try to shake my head of the magnitude of everything that has happened it stays there, unable to leave me. I talked to her and she was real — just like in my dream, only more beautiful. As soon as I know I’m out of her sight, I run home frantically to go and draw the missing pieces of her face I couldn’t draw from memory the last two times I’ve seen her. I knew those moments meant something. There must be a reason why my brain chose to pick up on those few seconds and not the other 86,400 in a day.

      Judd

      Day 3

      The bell rings at the end of fourth period for lunch, so I rush to the field. For once, I hope Arthur doesn’t show up because I want to see her again, and I know if he’s there I’ll go quiet like I always do. I know he’s my friend, but he’s a lot more charming than I am, so she’d probably end up liking him. I sit down with my lunch and pull out my salami sandwiches from my bag, hoping to see Kate. The field starts to fill up with all the students, and it soon becomes a chaotic sea like the bus in the mornings. As I look across the field scanning my eyes about, trying to see her, I hear a soft voice from behind me.

      ‘I was hoping you’d be here,’ it says. I turn around and she’s standing there. All of the noise in the background stops, and I feel my brain sitting still for once. My mind can focus, and it’s stuck on her like a scratched CD replaying the same part of the song over and over.

      ‘I’m glad to see you,’ I say excitedly. ‘How are you are finding school?’

      She comes and sits down next to me, and it feels weird having some company. I want this spot to be like the bench at the park where we can hang out at lunch.

      ‘School’s school, ya know? I still don’t know many people here, but I’m used to moving around so I guess it’ll be fine in time,’ she says, looking across the field.

      Her voice is so soft and soothing to hear. I don’t want the words to stop flowing from her mouth.

      ‘I’ve been here my whole life,’ I reply. ‘I can’t wait to get away from it all. Do you know your way round school yet?’

      ‘Yeah, I think I’m getting the hang of it. I just changed one of my subjects to photography, so I’m not sure where that is. Can you help me?’

      ‘Of course!’ I reply straight away. ‘I pretty much live in those classrooms whenever I’m not here on the field. I’ve got a study break next, so I can take you there if you like?’

      ‘You’re into art too? I guess I’m not surprised. You look like the type. Are you any good?’ she asks.

      ‘Ahh, I don’t think so. I just do it ’cause it’s fun.’

      ‘Well, can I see some of your work?’ she asks with a hint of a smile.

      I hesitate for a second because I’m not sure if I want her to see my drawings, but the way her lips fold up as they smile takes away all the control I have. I think I they’d make me do anything she says.

      ‘Um, I guess so. I’ve got my sketch pad in my bag.’ I grab the pad out of my bag and pass it to Kate.

      She starts flicking through the pictures and looks up smiling at me. ‘These are really good! Who is she?’ she says curiously.

      ‘Um, she’s just this girl I came up with in my head, not really real, just sort of made her up.’

      She looks at the one of the drawings of two hands holding each other that I’ve drawn. ‘Ha! She has the same bracelet as me,’ she says. ‘I like these. You’re really good!’

      I worry that she might notice that it’s her I’ve been drawing, and then she won’t want to talk to me again. I wouldn’t blame her. I’d be scared if I just met someone that had a whole lot of drawings of me in their bag. It’s kind of creepy and borderline stalking.

      ‘Thanks. I’ve never really shown anyone my work other than my teacher. Do you want me to take you to class now?’

      ‘Yeah, that’d be good, thanks. You lead the way!’

      I walk beside her towards the art department. The leaves are scattered all over the ground, and it looks stunning. I can’t believe I’m walking next to the girl I’ve been dreaming about, and I feel as though this crush has turned into something bigger, more real and also more overwhelming. While we walk, she hums and I don’t have a clue what the tune is; yet, that’s all I can focus on.

      ‘What are you humming?’

      ‘Just a Lana Del Ray song.’

      ‘What is it?’

      ‘Brooklyn baby. You should listen to her! I think you might like her music. Anyway, thanks for taking me to class. I’ll see you later?’ she says making it sound more like a question than a statement.

      ‘Yeah, of course, see you,’ I reply, emphasising the “you”.

      Surely that “you” means she really wants to see me again — not like a generic “I’ll see ya later”. I wish I didn’t have to analyse everything I hear or see under a microscope. Nothing ever just goes in one ear and out the other. The words play in my head until I come to the conclusion СКАЧАТЬ