“Shaun!” his mum bellowed up the stairs but Shaun couldn’t hear her. He couldn’t hear anyone. It was near the end of the Easter holidays. A week left of freedom he thought to himself. On the Sunday night he did what he did most of those nights that came before. He sat in his room alone with no one but him, his Les Paul and Jimmy Hendrix. He wanted to mellow out since she happened. “Shaun!!” his Mum was getting really irritated now like a sleeping bear being poked with a branch. She was going to wake up and really roar. So then he stopped ignoring her and opened his door.


“What is it Mum?”


“Kelley’s on the phone?”

His head dropped when he heard her name. His heart sunk and his eyes closed with a hint of sullenness . He ruffled his hair with great ferocity. Why did she need to phone him now? She’s done the damage that she needed to do. He was dead to Kelley, well that’s what she said.

“Are you coming to get the phone or shall I hang up?

“I’ll get it mum. Sakes.”

He trudged down the stairs not expecting any good news to come from this despair full phone call. If she’s crawling back grovelling because Pauli has left her, she can shove off, he thought. He put one meaning less foot in front of the other. He walked over to his mum and her up tight face with a look like don’t be long. “I won’t be long. Ok?” he said with an ounce of cheek.

“Don’t be cheeky with me.” she said this reply with one hand on the bottom of the phone like it was top secret information that should be hidden from everyone and everything that they know because it was a life or death situation. It’s only Kelley.

“Hello” she said with a hint of sheer joyfulness.

“What do you want?” Shaun grimaced with not half the joyfulness that Kelley was exposing.

“How are you this fine summers’ day Kelley? Yes I’m alright how about you? Yes Kelley I’m a miserable old git who can’t be pleasant to anyone else except from a dead guy that is on a poster.” she replied sarcastically.

“What do you want Kelley?”

“Well Kevin, Peter, Juliet, Aisha and I are having a sort of field party over in the field near the Memorial Park on Thursday night.” She was waiting for a reply but there was just this awkward silence that wouldn’t budge. No matter what. “Hello?”

“Yeah.”

“So, do you want to come?”

“I don’t know…”

“Come on for old time sakes.”

“I don’t think I want to go back to old times.” He said pointedly.

“Oh come on, those last weeks of our relationship were hard for me, you know that?”

“Right.” The awkward silence came back.

“I’ve got booze…” she said begging

“Right. What time?” he reluctantly accepted.

“Eight.”

“See you then.”

“Oh Shaun.”

“What now?”

“I love you by the way.” The phone went dead. His body was injected with a feeling of exhilaration and confusion. The exhilaration part was because it is was the school’s bike said she loved him. Inside he was jumping up and down like he has just won the Olympics, but he was just standing there. This could be his time.

He felt confused. Confused because it was only three months ago she said she would rather sleep with a monkey than him. She ridiculed him. She stole his music and put it on Bebo and said, “Listen to this junk!”. She stole his song book. She betrayed him stole his trust and ripped it to shreds. When he found out, he was riddled with rage and humiliation but he still loved her. Couldn’t stop loving. He really couldn’t, until Sophie re-found him. Sophie saved him from despair and worry. From a dark place with knives, drink and pills. She stole him from that darkness. But what should he do now?

Then, the anger swept over his body. It ran through all the veins that covered his slightly Spanish tanned body. How dare she do that to me? He thought. How dare she?! His face went a shade of red. RRRIIINNNGGG. Who is that? Shaun thought. RRRIIINNNGGG. “I’m guessing I’ll need to pick it up!” he shouted through to his mum. He slammed his right hand down on the table with such anger and might that the vase full of Lilacs flew across the hall like an Eagle soaring through the air. RRRIIINNNGGG. “HEAVENS SAKE!!” He picked up the phone with such anger and irritation that he nearly pulled the phone out of the socket. “Hello!” he shouted down the phone with great annoyance and irritation.

“Hello. It’s Sophie. Is Shaun there?” After hearing this he felt slightly better but still reeling after what she had said. But, should he tell Sophie. Shaun then went from being happy and excited to being angry and irritated to being confused and indecisive. I’m so screwed up, he thought to himself. “Hello? Hello? Is anyone still there?”

“Yeah, yeah, sorry. It’s me. Hi. How are you?

“No it’s alright. Yeah I’m fine just a bit tired but how are you? You sounded really angry. What’s wrong?”

“No it’s nothing it’s just that my mum just really getting on my nerves and it’s really grating. So why you phoning?”

“I was just wondering if you want to go out tomorrow? You sound like you need a break?”

“Yeah, definitely. Where and when?”

“The park about…two o’clock?”

“Yeah sounds great. I’ll see you there.”

“Bye. Love you”

Shaun paused. Does he? “Yeah, I love you to.”

Shaun was in a bewildered state not knowing what he’s doing, who he is and who he loves?

He started to walk up the stairs while being confused and annoyed at himself. As he got onto the landing he turned around and sat down at the top of the stairs and thought to himself, What have you done? He put his hands on his head and solemnly said to himself, “You jerk.” Then he sobbed like a baby out of the womb. He was inconsolable.



He woke up in the morning bleary eyed and fully clothed. There was something weighing him down. Something that just wouldn’t budge for love nor money. He thought, why did you need to go and love two girls at the same time then you wouldn’t feel this bad. He brought his heavy head up and saw his les Paul lying across his skinny jeans and checked shirt with the strap still around his shoulder. He dragged his upper body of his damp bed sheets and he took the strap from his shoulders and grabbed the guitar with both hands and whispered, “You’re the one I want.” He hauled himself out of his bed and used his neck like a crane to look over the building site that was his bedroom. Everything was sprawled all over the floor. Sheet music, clothes, boxers, books, pictures, DVDS but in a neat stack his Jimmy Hendrix’s albums. He saw a dusty and sweaty tee shirt, it’ll do, he thought.



Shaun walked down the stairs with a spring in his step. He felt renewed with a great sense of optimism. He’s going to fall for Sophie. Well, that was his master plan. Shaun thought to himself, I’m going to forget her. And why wouldn’t he think like that, the sky was blue and the sun was shinning was a new week and a new day.

Shaun opened the chipped oak door which led to the family room (well, that’s what his mum calls it.) “Mum, what time is it?” Shaun asked with great concern because he didn’t wan to be late for Sophie. “Don’t ask stupid questions.” his mum replied with a hint of disgust in her tone. Shaun walked into the room and threw his bag of bones down on the couch like throwing a bag of potatoes on a couch. “So what are you doing today?” she asked this with a sense of routine nor concern or care. “Just meeting up with Sophie. Nothing much.” As soon as theses words left his mouth his mum started to take an interest. “So,” she turned around to face him instead of Colleen Nolan on Loose Women with a investigative look on her face, “were are you going? How long will you be out for?” These questions just went straight over Shaun’s head. He just ignored her and she didn’t seem to care.