Free The Deepest Cut by Natalie Flynn Page B

him a man hug and told him good luck. That was the last time I saw him for three whole days straight.
    I sat and festered. I watched Storage Wars and episodes of Come Dine with Me. I played a bit of guitar and slept, lots. Most of all, I lay in bed, checking my texts, Facebook, and Twitter for any signs of life from Jake or Nathan but there was nothing. They were both loved up and I was abandoned. I was confined to my flea pit of a bedroom with only my TV for company.
    I was bored and I was hot.
    And I was properly pissed off with both of them.
    On the Monday morning, I’d had enough, so I had a shower for the first time in days, then I made my way round to Jake’s. I knew that his big, lazy arse would no way be out of bed that early. I was going to swoop in, jump on his head and claim him as mine for the day, before he could get to his phone and piss off out with Kelly.
    I knocked on the door four times. There was no sign of life from his house. I reckoned Debbie was out shopping or something and Jake was still in bed snoring his head off.
    â€˜Jake,’ I shouted.
    I sat on the doorstep for a bit then wondered what the point was, so I walked over to Nathan’s to see if he was in.
    He answered the door in his boxers. His hair was all fluffy and pre-gel perfection ritual.
    â€˜Morning,’ I said, and barged past him into the hallway.
    â€˜Ad, man, I got Megs upstairs, know what I mean?’
    â€˜Whoa, I’m surprised you remembered my name,’ I said.
    â€˜Where’s Jake?’ Nathan asked. ‘Go round and bug him instead. I’m getting down, man. Got her waiting up there, man, she’s–’
    â€˜You two can’t abandon me, it’s not right.’
    â€˜We’re not abandoning you.’
    â€˜Yeah, you are.’
    â€˜No, we’re not.’ He paused and looked up the stairs. ‘Look, lemme go back up and see her. I’ll text you in a bit. We’ll go park later, yeah?’
    â€˜Fine,’ I said. ‘He’s got chlamydia,’ I shouted up the stairs, before walking out his front door.
    â€˜You’re a wanker,’ he laughed, and shut the door behind me.
    Back at Jake’s, I knocked once, and Debbie let me in.
    â€˜Morning, sweetheart,’ she said.
    â€˜Is he in bed?’ I followed her down the hallway into the kitchen where she was unpacking the shopping.
    â€˜No, he’s not actually. Has he not texted you?’
    â€˜Not in three days,’
    â€˜Oh, new love, eh?’ She laughed. She opened a multi-pack of crisps and handed me a packet. ‘Juice?’ She asked, opening a carton of orange.
    â€˜So is he with her?’ I asked.
    â€˜He stayed there last night,’ she winked.
    I got a glass out the cupboard, poured some juice, and tried to take it all in.
    â€˜You do know you can still stay here whenever you like, don’t you? Even if he’s not here – this is your home, too.’
    I shrugged. It didn’t feel right being there without him.
    â€˜I’ll get him to call you when he gets in,’ she said, with her head cocked to the side and her bottom lip out in sympathy.
    I had no choice but to go back to my bedroom, on my own, and sulk. Both of them had a girlfriend and I had nothing. It was meant to be the best summer ever, but I was on my own.
    Neither of them called me later that day. It didn’t matter how many times I checked my phone, how many indirect status updates I posted, there were no missed calls, no texts, nothing. I’d been abandoned.
    About half seven, I checked Facebook again and saw that they’d both tagged themselves at the park with Kelly and Megan. ‘Double date’ it said. I was gutted. I looked around my four walls, at the sun trying to come through my thin little curtain and at my tiny TV. That was my life. That was how I was going to spend my summer. No friends, no family, nothing.
    I was so pissed off with them both; I shoved my