Unfulfilled Dreams

[Cerise]

Chapter 11

”Why is it that whenever you really want to be on time, something goes wrong and you’re late?”

For the tenth time in five minutes, Geoff anxiously pulled his hand through his hair. What was taking them so long? According to the departure board, the plain should have left 10 minutes ago.

“What a stupid bunch of arses! Can’t these people do anything right?! Seriously, this is the last time I’m ever using Chicago Airlines! They suck, man.”

Aden was walking fast down towards Geoff, pushing aside little children on his way.

“Have you ever used Chicago Airlines before?” Belle asked, frowning. Aden stopped and turned around.

“No, but that isn’t an excuse for treating us like this!” Aden replied and shook his head, which mostly reminded Belle of a stupid teacher she had back in primary school. He always shook his head when Belle asked a question where he thought the answer was pretty obvious.

“But if you haven’t tried it before, how do you know they're that bad?” Melody pointed out.

“That’s none of your business, Sister Melody. Go play with Bible boy and leave the grown-ups alone.”

Melody bit her lip, to prevent herself from saying something inappropriate. But if she was going to be honest with herself, she would much rather spend her time with Geoff than Aden. Aden wasn’t really her type of guy, so she went happily over to Geoff.

“That really wasn’t necessary,” Belle said when Melody was too far away to hear it.

“Oh, don’t lecture me. You know, if you’re going to continue with this nagging, I might have to kiss you just to shut you up. And I really don’t want to kiss you, but you know… Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

“Oh, please.” Belle said and rolled her eyes. “You know as well as I do that you enjoyed that kiss.”

Aden shrugged. Belle sighed and walked over to Geoff and Melody with Aden giggling behind, and they all sat down, waiting for the next plain to Chicago…

After a few hours with Aden’s terrible jokes, they finally arrived in Chicago, where a cab was waiting for them and took them to the hotel. When they arrived after a ridiculous traffic jam, they got their key cards and went up to the third floor, where their rooms were.

“Okay, Aden and Geoff, you two are in the same room and then I’ll be in with Melody,” Belle said when they arrived at the doors leading to their rooms.

“What?! Why do I have to be with Bible boy?”

“Because I don’t want to be with you and I doubt that Melody does, so that leaves Bib... I mean Geoff.”

Aden rolled his eyes. "Your just playing hard to get. You so want me."

"I don't think today is about me wanting you - not that I do, you disgusting pig."

“But I still don’t want to be with Bible boy! What if he starts praying?!” the sad thing was, Aden sounded genuinely scared at the thought of it.

“It’s not up for discussion! Now, go to your room and be a good boy.”

Aden pouted and went over to the door leading to his and Geoff’s room.

“Well, Bible boy, it looks like it’s only you and me now. I’ll be in the shower if anyone needs me,” he said and winked at Belle before he walked in. Belle formed the word “sorry” to Geoff.

“It’s okay. The Bible says that you should turn the other cheek, so that’s what I’ll do.”

“But Aden is the type of guy who slaps the other cheek, so I’d be careful if I were you.”

Geoff nodded before he went in to his room.

“How long do you think they’ll last?” Belle asked once Geoff had closed the door.

“Is there any reason they shouldn’t?”

“Oh, Melody, you’re too pure. Someone should teach you the reality of life,” Belle said before she went in to the room with a confused Melody entering right behind.

In the other room, Aden was done in the shower and came out with only a towel around his waist. Geoff looked at him for a second before he quickly looked away.

“Oh come on, Bible boy. You know you want me and we’re here alone.”

“I’m not attracted to boys. The Bible says it’s wrong.”

“Oh, screw the Bible. Who cares what the Bible says anyway?”

“I do,” Geoff took a little break before he continued. “Aden, would you like to pray with me? Maybe the more people who pray for Annie to be safe, the more willing the lord will be to spare her."

Aden’s eyes were suddenly wide open and he looked at Geoff like he was some sort of insect.

“For God’s sake, Bible boy, it's not a life or death situation. She's already dead; you don’t honestly think they'd call you if they didn’t think it was her? It's just a formality. It's not like your phony God will bring her back to life because you put your hands together and talk to yourself.”

On just a second, Geoff’s eyes were filled with tears and he stormed out. He ran passed Melody who was on her way over to see him. Belle was just putting her foot outside the door when Geoff ran by.

“What the…” was all Belle managed to say before Aden came running.

“What did you do?!” she yelled after him, but he didn’t hear her.

Aden caught up with Geoff outside the hotel.

“Look Bibl… Geoff, I’m sorry. I just don’t know how to deal with a situation like this.”

Geoff wiped his eyes before replying. “Apology accepted. But what if Annie is gone?”

“Well, it’s time to find out,” Aden said as Melody and Belle came outside and together they walked to the mortuary.

When they got there, a man showed them in to a room where they had to leave their belongings due to security. They walked a bit further in, before a man told Aden, Melody and Belle to wait, because Geoff had to do this on his own.

“We’ll be waiting here,” Belle said and Geoff continued, all alone in the dark halls of the mortuary. He entered a room where man was waiting with a table. On the table there was a body with a white blanket that was covering the body so he couldn’t see who it was.

“Are you ready?” the man asked. Geoff nodded and the blanket was pulled aside. When Geoff saw who the body was, he felt like screaming.

[Cerise]

Chapter 12

Geoff walked silently between Melody and Belle, head bent low. They had just left the mortuary. He had never experienced anything like the moment when the man lifted the cover up from the body of the fourteen year old girl. When he had seen her a pang of grief overwhelmed him. He could barely confirm whether it was his sister or not. It took him ten minutes to get his tongue around the next two words he had to say.

"Not her."

He should have felt relieved that it wasn't Annie - but the thought of somebody else now losing their daughter - sister, cousin, niece... he really felt for that family.

"So... what now?" Aden asked.

Belle sighed in exasperation. "Can't you give us time to process this? You should take the time to do so too, seeing as you were so sure she was dead."

"Hey, I was wrong, okay? Calm down. By the way, I'm so bunking in with you tonight, Belle."

She looked practically mortified at the thought. "Please, no, not him. Melody, tell him, not him!"

"I'm staying out of it. All I know is that I wouldn't mind sleeping with Geoff."

Aden raised his eyebrows, appreciating the perhaps deliberate mistake in the way Melody phrased her statement. Belle thought if someone didn't tell her something really depressing - and soon - she wouldn't be able to keep her laughter in much long.

"It's okay Belle, just calm down. She could have said something worse." he tried to reason with her. She spluttered for a second, but then managed to keep a straight face.

"What did I say? Not something..." Melody lowered her voice "...dirty?"

"Oh no... you just stated that you felt it was time to lose a particular vital piece of you... to Geoff. But, moving on..." Aden said quickly. "While we're on the subject of dirty things..."

"You said it wasn't!"

"... should we go back to the hotel? I mean, there's nothing to do here. This state is boring."

"Aden... did you honestly think Chicago was an independent state?" Belle asked, skeptically. How could he be so stupid, honestly? "Chicago, IL, dear. It's just a city."

"A very cold one and all." he replied.

The four of them returned to the hotel, and decided to walk up the stairs instead of the lift, as it very often got stuck, and nobody wanted to be stuck with Aden in a confined space for too long.

"So, can we do the room swap?" Aden pleaded with Belle, a pained expression on his face. "He'll be praying again." he added in a low voice.

"Fine. But Just because we share a bed does not mean you get any 'perks'."

Aden shrugged his shoulders, pushing her into the room. "That's what you say now. Tonight it'll be a different story." he winked at her.

"It is 'tonight' and I still don't want to." she rolled her eyes and let herself flop down onto the bed.

"You don't actually think you can avoid a second kiss for much longer?" Aden scoffed.

"I'm not trying to avoid it!" she propped herself up. "I'm waiting for the right moment." she pushed back on the bed so that she was lying on the cushion. "And between getting attacked by a psycho to identifying a body there hasn't been one."

"What about now?"

"Still not..." Belle shook her head pityingly, leaning in closer to him, as he was now lying beside her. "But unfortunately I'm too tempted. So I guess it's now or never, and usually I'd say never, but I'm bored.... actually, wait, I'm not that desperate." she then reconsidered. "I need to take a shower."

"Belle, your killing me!" Aden pleaded, getting up after her. "Otherwise I'm going to have to spring it on you."

"You wouldn't do that, you want the kiss to be just as special as I do." she winked. "Join me in the shower and your dead, by the way."

"Well, seeing as I don't have a desire to be killed... I guess I'll refrain from it." he sighed, forging upset. "But seriously, Belle... whenever's right for you."

"Oh wow, I never thought I'd hear you say that. I'm impressed."

[Cerise]

Chapter 13

**2 days later**

After having recovered from a not so relaxing break to Chicago, the four returned home after Geoff had made sure Annie was fine and safe with her friend in the city. Their unofficial absence from school had caused some talk around, but rumors they were. Aden had to laugh at some of the things people were saying. Although the death scare and the attack should have brought Geoff, Melody, Belle and Aden closer as a group, they all went their separate ways again - when they had arrived back in Summer Bay Aden hadn't exchanged a word with Melody or Geoff, Belle only talked to Geoff when he was at home and they weren't studying and she didn't see Aden much around school, nor Melody, who seemed to have disappeared into the study room and never came back. Although the year was only staring, the HSC was nevertheless coming their way.

"Belle!" Geoff called out, just as she was getting ready to leave. "Can I speak to you for a second?"

"Let me guess, you want us to come to North Carolina to identify another body?" Belle joked.

He smirked, not appreciating her humor. "Not exactly. I just... I'm just worried about something. I think I have to get away for a while. Clear my head, like. I did something horrible."

"Oh, please, as if Bible Boy could ever commit a sin."

"Your starting to sound like Aden. Have you not wondered why Melody hasn't shown herself around here lately and avoided us at school?"

"I thought she was just studying for exams. What did you say to her, Geoffrey?"

"We sort of... in the hotel room... had... relations. You know. Sex." as soon as he realized he said that word he clasped his hand in front of his mouth.

Belle stared at him. "Do you honestly think that's a sin? Come on, Geoff. If you both wanted it..."

"But her mothers so angry! She's told her not to come near me."

"Wait, she told her mom?" she giggled. "Were you that bad?"

"I don't know..." he looked so confused, Belle really didn't have the heart to tease him about it, so instead she gave him a clap on the should and swung her bag over her shoulder, leaving the house.

"Cya, Geoff."

--

"Hey, Aden. Aden!" Belle called. He was a few meters in front of her, walking by himself in direction Summer Bay High.

"Oh, hey." he replied as she caught up, panting. "How's things going? I haven't seen you recently."

Belle shrugged her shoulders. "Alright, I guess. I never thought about how much we have to study for these wretched exams. I mean, it's a lot of information to process, right?"

"Yeah, I guess. I don't see why we - and I mean, You, Melody, Bible Boy and me don't really hang out much anymore. I thought Chicago had changed things."

"Well, it did, of course. But Melody and Geoff slept together and apparently she's not allowed near him now. And then add the HSC, Homework and everything else we're just trying to catch up. Besides, I didn't think you liked Geoff and Melody. I thought you thought they were losers. I guess Chicago did change a lot."

"Despite everything I've said about them, we are friends, the four of us. Right? I mean, I never thought they were losers. Just god. But not them."

Belle nodded, understanding. "I know. We should definitely hang out sometime though..."

"But you've been acting strange too since what happened in the hotel room. Are you okay with it?"

She sighed, her prayer that it wouldn't come up flew straight out the window. Geoff and Melody weren't the only two who did something that night.

"Look, I'm fine. Aren't you? I mean, we're together, right? I enjoyed it. I mean.."

"I know what you mean. I just thought you were avoiding me, because of it."

--

Melody sighed, and took a minutes break from her homework, and leaned back in her chair to look at the view outside. the sun was shining, and it was really hot. Her Mom had granted her the day off to catch up with work, but really it was just to get her away from Geoff. Why did she have to tell her? And why in gods name was it so hot? She stood up, and left her room with the intention of going to the shop to buy an ice cream or something.

"Mel? Are you going up to the shops?" she heard her Mom call out.

"Yeah, it's just really hot so I thought I'd take a walk and get an ice pop or whatever." she replied, as Christine Jones came out of the kitchen.

"I think I'll join you. I need to get bread and milk and stuff like that anyway."

"Mum, its' okay, I know what your trying to do. I won't go and see him."

--

Belle buried her face in her hands, cursing herself for being so stupid. She didn't know what to do. She didn't think she could face school, so she'd returned home where Geoff was packing his things.

"Your going already?" she had asked.

"Yeah, Lucas is going away so I thought I'd go with him. Irene agrees." he replied hastily, stuffing a Walkman into a lilac sporthouse bag. "Sorry, I know it's your backpack, but I couldn't..."

"It's fine." she smiled weakly. "Look, I think I need to lie down." she stood up and gave him a quick hug. "Have fun, don't be too hard on yourself."

[Cerise]

Chapter 14 - The final coda.

"Stop here." Geoff told Lucas, signalling for him to pull up beside a white stone house. "This is where she's staying. Thanks ever so much for dropping me off."

"No problem." he replied, confused. "I just can't believe your leaving Summer Bay and dropping out of school. What caused it?"

Geoff paused for a second or two before answering with the vague statement. "I need to get out."

--

Melody stood in her room, her eyes filling with tears, looking down at the thing she held in her hands. She'd suspected it all along. At least she didn't tell her mother about the first time she had done it. She probably wouldn't bear the embarrassment or shame that would come along with her mother being there while she tested positive. But now she was on her own. If she were totally honest with herself, she wondered where she would have been if all of this hadn't happened in the heat of the moment. And all that was left was now that Geoff had gone was silence.

--

Belle almost had to laugh at the fact that Geoff was gone. He couldn't even handle one night of sex with his girlfriend. She had done it with Aden and she wasn't dropping out of school and moving towns. Yeah, she was definitely on to him. She knew he had left for good. She just didn't know the real reasoning behind it. What Irene would say when she found out.

--

She picked up the phone, knowing she was going to kick herself for doing so, ruin everything.

"Mom? Yeah, hi, it's Melody. I just did some tests and I've come back... positive."

Mrs. Jones was silent for a few seconds. "What are you talking about? What tests?"

--

Belle pressed the call button on her blackberry, her eyes closed, already secretly cursing herself.

"I need to talk to you. It's just not working out."

--

Geoff picked up the hotel phone, frowning as he heard the familiar voice.

"Whats up? Why are you acting so weird?"

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