Fools Who Dream Read online

  Chapter One

  28th April 2017

  The day was a Friday. I remember that detail because I had English, and what a way to round out the week; triple English with Miss Edwards. Just for the record, Miss Edwards is boring. So boring. I’m not surprised there’s a ‘Miss’ in front of her name; she probably bored her last three husbands to death.

  And on that specific day, as I was frustratingly scribbling in the corner of my notepad, the classroom door opened and a girl walked in. A new girl, I remember thinking. I could tell she was new because a) I’d never seen her before, and b) she looked absolutely petrified.

  There was a tap on my back.

  “Who do you reckon the new girl is?” Scooter asked me.

  That wasn’t his real name, but people had seen him riding around on his little red scooter, and so the nickname had quickly stuck. We’d been friends ever since the first week in college, where I’d seen him pick up a stapler and use it as a hole punch. I enjoyed being his friend, he was a good laugh. At this particular moment in time, however, I wasn’t in the mood. I couldn’t give a crap who the new girl was, and I barely even noticed that she was stunning enough to make half the kids in the class drop their pens in awe.

  She shuffled awkwardly between the tables, knocking a kid’s book on the floor in the process, and sat down next to me. I really didn’t want anything to do with her back then, but the space next to me seemed to be the only one she felt she could sit in without being scorned at. I realise I looked miserable as hell, but I guess that was better than having her face chewed off on the first day.

  “Everyone,” Miss Edwards suddenly announced. “This is Daisy. She’ll be studying with us until you finish the course in June. Please try and be nice. Make her feel welcomed.”

  There was a slight pause while Miss Edwards gathered her thoughts to carry on with the oh-so-interesting lecture about literature in the nineteenth Century. In that brief span of about twenty-three seconds, there was a movement next to my ear and then a soft voice.

  “She seems nice,” the voice said, and I snorted aloud at that. A couple of the closest kids gave me sharp looks, but Miss Edwards didn’t seem to notice.

  “You think Miss Edwards is nice? Wait till you get taught by her for two years, then see nice you think she is.”

  “Well,” Daisy said, “I’m not sure if I will be doing English next year. It’s between this and photography.”

  “So, what’s the deal?” I asked, genuinely curious.

  “The deal with what?”

  “Why you’re in here. It’s a little late in the year to start your A-levels.”

  “Well I’ve been floating around since I finished school last year and I decided that I might as well go to college in September but I didn’t know what to take as my third A-level, so they let me sit in here for a while.”

  “Right,” I said. I didn’t know what else to say. I was still salty.

  I think she could tell I was still salty because, seconds later, she asked, “Are you always this salty?”

  That was when I took my first proper look at her and I could understand now why people had turned their heads to marvel at this girl. She had mousy brown hair and freckles on her cheeks, and she was currently smiling at me, with dimples in her skin. Her eyes were blue, as blue as the sea, and I could smell the strawberry perfume she’d plastered on this morning. She hadn’t gone overboard with it. It was the perfect amount, and she was the right amount of perfect.

  “I, no, something happened this morning and it kind of annoyed me. I’m sure I’ll get over it.”

  Then I smiled at her, and it was the sincerest smile I think I’ve ever given anybody. The truth was, this girl had made me smile on the inside, right from the very second she sat down. It wasn’t just the fact that she was drop-dead gorgeous, but she had a confident air about herself. Sure, she looked nervous when entering the classroom, but I’d have been worried if she wasn’t nervous on her first day. It’s the way she just sat down next to me and started talking. I liked it.

  “Alright, Daisy, here’s the deal,” I said, and she giggled when I spoke her name. “So, it’s the end of term in six weeks and, by some miraculous coincidence, my mum was supposed to be going to Barcelona that week with some friends. I’d arranged a massive house party, with half the kids in the year going, and then my mum dropped a bombshell. They’re going the week before now. They managed to get their flights changed. It’s all to do with some festival thingy that they want to attend, or some crap like that.”

  She giggled again. “So, what’s the problem?”

  “The problem, dear Daisy,” and she blushed at that, “is that having my mother hanging around the house isn’t going to look super cool, is it? And besides, she has a zero-alcohol-in-the-house policy, which is complete shit because she knows I’m a teenager and she knows that teenagers drink alcohol.”

  “Right,” she muttered, looking at me and smiling. “I see the problem. But couldn’t you just have the party the week before?”

  “Having a leaving college party and then still going to college for a week seems to defeat the purpose, don’t you think?”

  “I’d agree with you on that one,” she said, and gave me one more flutter of the eyelashes.

  I didn’t get the chance to talk to her much after that, the class-work getting in the way. It was six days before I managed to speak to Daisy again. The weekend accounted for two of those days, but that didn’t stop me loading up Facebook and doing a bit of innocent stalking. It took me a solid twenty minutes to find her on there, but it was worth it. Her profile picture was taken a week ago and she had her arms hanging over the neck of two girls. She seemed to be at a party. Another damn reason to hate my parents. If my party was still a go, I’d have invited her for sure.

  After that, Daisy wasn’t in college for the first three days of the week. Either that or she was skipping out on English. I wouldn’t blame her to be honest, but she’d seemed to have a strange fixation on Miss Edwards when I’d met her the previous Friday. It was as if she was actually interested in what the teacher was saying. Somehow, I didn’t think she’d have dropped out after a single day.

  It was Thursday by the time I finally met her again. By that time, I’d almost forgotten about the girl. I’d been busy hanging out with my closest friends, and knuckling down to cram in some last-minute revision before the start of my exams. My mind was a bit preoccupied, and crazily, impossibly, Daisy had begun to slip from it.

  That all changed when there was a tap on my back and her freckled face popped over my left shoulder.

  “Daisy,” I almost shouted.

  “Hey… I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name the other day.”

  “Jack. I’m Jack.”

  “Right, and your friend?”

  “That’s Max. More commonly known as Scooter.” He was standing next to me, a grin from ear to ear. She nodded at that, and so I continued with, “Where have you been all week?”

  “He missed you,” Scooter chimed in, and I gave him a dig in the ribs for his trouble.

  “Oh, did he now?” Daisy asked, giving me a sly look.

  “No. Maybe a bit. I just wondered where you were.”

  “Well,” Daisy said, preparing her story. “I’ve been sleeping with someone behind my parents back. He’s a celebrity, super famous and twice my age, so the only time we can hook up is during college hours.” I wasn’t sure what to say to that, and it was only when she winked and cracked a grin that I realised she was joking. “I just came down with the flu. All better now though.”

  I could feel my cheeks redden at the thought of believing her wild story. Scooter was obviously loving my embarrassment, and I could feel him rubbing it in for the rest of term.

  �
�I got your Facebook request,” Daisy continued, cutting through the awkward silence. “I’ve been meaning to accept it, but I haven’t got round to it yet. You got in there quick though, adding me after speaking for a whole two minutes.”

  “It’s because he’s a player,” Scooter said, slapping my back. I could feel my cheeks burning brighter.

  “I am not a player. Cut it out, man,” I growled at him.

  “Some wingman you’ve got there,” Daisy chuckled, and she was right.

  We’d never officially used the term ‘wingman’, but Scooter was often by my side while chatting up girls and, nine times out of ten, he was no use. In fact, he usually made the situation worse. I was about to shout at Scooter to get lost so I could chat some more to Daisy, but that wouldn’t look very impressive in front of her, and that was the moment Miss Edwards decided to let us into the classroom.

  We were working in pairs that lesson. The details of what we were doing escape me now, but I remember I was paired with Scooter. I wanted more than anything to spend some time with Daisy, but she’d become friendly with a few girls in the class, and she was pairing up with one of them.

  “So, let’s talk about Daisy,” Scooter said, as soon as we began our work.

  “I’d rather not,” I said, sneaking a glance at her.

  “Do you like her?” Scooter pressed.

  “No.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, Scooter. I don’t even know her.”

  “But you added her on Facebook. And you’re pretty keen to chat to her at every opportunity. And when you’re not talking, you’re raping her with your eyes.”

  “I don’t look at her that much,” I said, trying to defend myself.

  “Yes, you do, but everyone does. Even the girls.”

  “She’s hot, OK? She’s insanely attractive, and she’s super friendly, but that doesn’t mean we’ll go anywhere. For all I know, she already has a boyfriend. I barely know her.”

  “She doesn’t have a boyfriend,” Scooter informed me, and I looked at him with scepticism.

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because she touches her hair and giggles when she talks to you. And she keeps giving you the eye as much as you give it to her. Besides, she tried to make you jealous by telling you she was sleeping with a celebrity. That’s a classic flirting technique.”

  “How is it you know all of this, and yet you’re still single?”

  “I know lots of things about how to talk to girls, I’ve just never been very good at putting them into practice myself,” Scooter said, a nervous look in his eyes.

  “Right. So, are we hanging out after college?”

  “Sure. I’ll ask Vince and Tom if they wanna head park or something. Get some chips and sit on the swings.”

  Those are our other two friends. It’s been the four of us all the way through college. Jack, Scooter, Vincent and Tom. I wouldn’t change them for the world, as sappy as that is to say.

  “Speaking of that,” Scooter continued, “I’ll ask Daisy if she wants to come.”

  “No, please don’t,” I started to say, but I was cut off.

  “Oi, Daisy,” Scooter shouted across the classroom. She looked up from her work, clearly surprised to be addressed like that. “Want to come to the park after college? It’ll be me and Jack, and a couple of others.”

  She recovered quickly from Scooter’s outburst, smiled and nodded her head, before Miss Edwards came over and exchanged stern words with him. Something about not shouting across the classroom, but I wasn’t listening; I was panicking. I’d always been smooth with girls before, but Daisy was different. No matter what I’d said earlier, I did like her and I didn’t want to ruin it by rushing too much. On the other hand, I didn’t want to wait too long and let the steam run out. I’d rather it was just me and her hanging out, but I guessed it would be less awkward with a group of us.

  So, after college, the three of us went to meet Vincent and Tom. I introduced them to Daisy, and she smiled at them both. I’m usually a pretty laid-back person, but I didn’t like the way they were staring gooey-eyed at her.

  “Chips are on me today,” I said, as we approached the chippy, the smell of salt and batter wafting up our noses.

  “You sure, mate?” Tom asked, taking out his wallet.

  “Put it away,” I said with a grin. “I’m getting them. Daisy, what are you having?”

  She gave me her order and I opened the door of the chip shop, before an arm stopped me in my tracks.

  “I’ll come with you,” Daisy said. “You might need help carrying them.”

  I accepted with a nod. As we entered the shop, I heard Vince say, “She does realise they put them all in one bag, right?” and that made me grin.

  I’m sure she did realise that, but I was equally sure that I was about to spend some quality time with the girl.

  Chapter Two

  Queensway Fish Saloon is located a short fifteen minutes away from Banbury College when travelling by foot. The owner was used to seeing our faces popping up every few days in there, and he often gave us a free scallop for our custom. It was one of many college hangouts, and was situated at the end of a long row of shops consisting of Pets at Home, a furniture shop, and the Co-op, amongst others.

  Another popular hangout was People’s Park, and it was especially populated throughout the Summer months. It was a place, not just for college kids, but for parents to take their children; a playground and a bird cage saw to that. The other popular hangout was Spiceball park, and this consisted mainly of a long stretch of open field, as well as a skating area.

  Then there’s Castle Quay, the main attraction of Banbury. Boasting a huge array of shops and restaurants, there is something for everyone there. Blimey, I sound like a bloody housing estate person. I promise I’m not trying to sell you anything, or encourage you to relocate to the quiet and peaceful town of Banbury, but I am trying to give you an idea of the surrounding area, and the places I visited frequently. I think that’s enough for now.

  So, chips. Chips chips chips.

  I like chips. Daisy likes chips. I think everyone likes chips. Well, apart from my second cousin, but I don’t think he likes anything, including himself. What a lonely life he must lead.

  Anyway, the chips on this particular Thursday afternoon were scoffed under a large tree in Spiceball park, with beads of sweat pouring down our faces. I looked up occasionally and studied the landscape. It was mainly littered with school and college kids, mucking about, having fights, swearing at each other, making out, making up, and everything else that comes with being a teenager.

  Meanwhile, I was busy thinking what to say to the insanely good-looking girl sitting two feet away from me. Tom seemed to be eyeing her chips because, like usual, he’d finished his first. But, now that I come to think of it, his eyes seemed to flicker towards her chest more often than the food she was holding.

  “Good chips,” I commented drily, placing the empty wrapper on the floor.

  “Not bad,” Daisy muttered, her salty finger lining up the next victim.

  “Did any of you see that movie a few years ago?” Vince piped up. “What We Do in the Shadows, I think it was called.” Heads shook from everyone. “A really good movie if you have the chance to see it. Anyway, there were a bunch of vampires in it, and they could make people believe what they were eating was something else. Like, you could be eating your chicken noodles and I could say “Do those worms taste nice?” and it would make you freak the fuck out. I don’t know why, but these chips reminded me of that.”

  “It’s an interesting concept,” Daisy mused, “but I highly doubt it would actually work in the real world.”

  “Well of course it wouldn’t,” Vince said, rolling his eyes. “It was a movie. Pure fiction. Although it would be interesting. We could use it in the restaurant at college, get the chefs in deep shit. Imagine if the chefs got fired for serving worms at lunchtime.”

  Vince threw back his head and grabbed h
is sides, erupting in a throaty laugh. He was still doubled over with laughter two minutes later, while the rest of us just stared blankly at one another.

  “So,” Tom said, once Vince had begun the recovery process, still with tears in his eyes. “What do you guys wanna do now?”

  Scooter was first to his feet in response to the question. Slapping my back, he yelled, “Tag, you’re it,” and ran in the direction of the playground.

  I didn’t move at first, but shook my head in disbelief. Did he really think we were still in primary school? It was only when I saw Daisy’s reaction that I realised she was into the childish game.

  “You really want to play?” I asked, and she nodded.

  “Come on and have fun. Live a little.”

  “By playing tag?”

  “Yeah, why the hell not?” was her response, and then she was up and away, chasing after Scooter.

  “I don’t know why she’s going after him. You’re It,” Tom noted, and then the three of us were away as well.

  We played for a solid thirty minutes, not taking it too seriously, just having fun. We got a few funny looks from mothers, but it wasn’t long before a few more kids had joined the ranks.

  The afternoon was getting on, and the playground was beginning to empty of school kids, so Daisy and I climbed the fence to the playground and sat on top of the slide. She studied the graffiti for a moment, noting the elegant scribble of who loved who and which members of our college secretly had no genitals. We sat there for a while, Daisy staring out into the distance and I was watching Scooter, Vince and Tom sitting back on the grass, deciding to give us a moment. And what a peaceful moment it was.

  “I should probably be getting back,” Daisy said at last, and I felt my heart dip a little in my chest.

  “Why?” I asked, sharper than intended.

  She blinked three times, her eyelashes fluttering innocently in the summer breeze, before stating, “My parents worry,” and she wouldn’t say anything more than that.

  I don’t know if it was my imagination or not, but Daisy seemed to be scared. I didn’t know what she could possibly be scared of, but she was afraid to lock eyes with me, and I could almost see the breath vaping unevenly from her mouth. There was a slight tremble as she spoke, and this was the first time I was noticing it. Daisy caught me staring at her lips and she gave me a smile, unsure what I was doing, probably unsure of why I looked so worried about her. I shook my head slightly and returned her smile, realising that it was probably paranoia playing tricks. I cared about Daisy, as crazy as that sounds from our extremely limited time together, and I wanted her to be happy.