Just Friends

by Billy Taylor

  “Eleanor suggested we have a party here soon, so we can make some new friends.” Ethan said as we sat eating our cereal on the sofa. He was wearing the pizza tie I bought him for our fourth Christmas together. It’s like his tie is a huge weirdly shaped slice of pizza, topped with pepperoni.

  “Do we need to make new friends?” I groaned.

  “We can’t isolate ourselves from everyone for the rest of our lives, August.”

  I stared at him. Eleanor is turning into his wife.

  “Did Eleanor tell you about the television agency?” He asked.

  I raised my eyebrow at him. “What about it?”

  He ate a spoon full of cereal. “They want me to do a television programme. Street magic, things like that. Eleanor told me to show her friend who owns the television company a magic trick or two. Well I did five, and he liked what he saw and he said the show would have potential and would hardly cost anything to make. Meaning good profit for them.”

  I was happy for him, but I could already sense him drifting away. He’ll vanish off somewhere, leaving me behind in the apartment alone.

  “Sounds great.” I muttered. Our eyes met. I quickly looked away. I grabbed his empty bowl and walked over to the kitchen. I placed the bowls in the dishwasher and when I raised my head from behind the side, he had gone. I sighed. What’s wrong with me? Not even I knew the answer. Ethan must think I’m being a right arse. He’s given me everything, and now I’m showing no interest in what he’s doing. Having his own show is such a big deal and I made out that I wasn’t interested at all. I called my Mum in hope hearing a familiar voice might enlighten my spirit.

  “Hi, sweetie”

  “Hey, do you want to come to New York?”

  “I thought you’d never ask! Madeline and I have been waiting for your call!”

  “Are you being serious?”

  “Yes, I’m being serious. We’ve been waiting for your call to let us know that you’re settled in, sweetie. Madeline really wants to come visit!”

  “When are you going to come?”

  “Well, we can be over within a few days. I’ll have to run it past your Father first. Is something wrong?”

  “I just need to see a familiar face, that’s all.”

  “What’s wrong with Ethan?”

  “Nothing. He’s going to be with Eleanor, isn’t he?”

  “Oh honey, I’m sorry. We’ll be over as soon as we can, ok?”

  “Ok.”

  “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  I called Max straight after.

  “What’s up bro?”

  “Not much, you?”

  “Other than sat in my room, reading all day, absolutely nothing. I’m on my seventh book at this moment in time.”

  “Max that’s pretty concerning you should consider going outside.”

  “I would, but the skin might melt off my body if I do so.”

  “If you say so. Listen, the reason I am calling you is I’ll need an assistant type person soon with all this publicity coming in, aren’t I? “

  “Right…”

  “Do you want to do it?”

  “Me?”

  “Yes, you.”

  “Why not find a proper one?”

  “Because I don’t know any or anyone. You’re my friend and you’re fairly intelligent. I’m guessing all you need to do is answer emails and arrange interviews and stuff for me. I doubt you will be busy for a while. I’ll find a proper one after Christmas because no one will know who I am until November.”

  “Interesting proposal you’re offering me here. Where will I stay?”

  “Well my Mum and sister are visiting within the next week. After they leave you can stay with us until you find somewhere? It depends if you get a visa sorted or not.”

  “Have you spoke with Ethan about this?”

  “I’m sure he’ll be fine with it.”

  “This is the worst job offer I’ve ever been given. I’ll take it.”

  “Excellent. Arrange yourself a flight in two or three week’s time. I’ll pay for your flight if you let me know how much it is.”

  “I’m already searching for them and applying for my visa.”

  “Perfect. Bye, bro.”

  “Bye dude, speak to you soon.”

  September 1st

  NEW EMAIL FROM MARY CADDICK

  Miss Bishop,

  I’ve been passed your details from Stanley Tennant. He informed me that you wished to discuss something with Mr. Phillips? Leonard is currently away on holiday, but if you’d like to send me what it is you’re after, I can forward the message to him. These past few years he’s not interested in television or films, but I was assured this was a personal matter?

  Kindest Regards, Mary.

  NEW EMAIL FROM AUGUST BISHOP

  Hi Mary,

  Thank you for emailing me! My friend Ethan is a magician. You won’t have heard of him, but he will have his own TV show soon! A few months back we were involved in a car crash. I was sat in the front passenger seat. Ethan was sat in the back seat of my friend’s truck. A 4x4 appeared out of nowhere and slammed into my side of the vehicle. When I woke in hospital, my friend and I realised Ethan somehow managed to switch seats with me, and suffered the injuries I should have suffered. We both didn’t see him do it. This event has been playing on my mind for a while now. I’m sure you can understand why. Ethan refuses to tell me how he did it. I want Leonard to help me solve how he did it. Ethan and I grew up watching him and we admire him profoundly, I couldn’t think of anyone else to help me solve this matter. If you could forward this email to him I would deeply appreciate it.

  Thanks, August.

  I felt like a spy secretly doing undercover business as I typed out the email. I most definitely didn’t want Ethan to find out. Otherwise my job as a spy could be flushed down the toilet.

  September 2nd

  NEW MESSAGE FROM MUM

  We’re boarding the plane now. See u soon. Love u. xxxxx

  NEW MESSAGE FROM MADELINE

  C U SOON SMELLY!!!

  I’m so excited for my Mum and Madeline’s arrival. It’s a shame Dad has to work. Ethan has driven over to the airport to pick them up. I think he’s excited to be reunited with them, too. I logged into my email while I waited. No new emails. It’s too early to conclude that Leonard Phillips isn’t interested. He is on holiday. He doesn’t want to be disturbed, I’m sure.

  When I heard the key in the door I jumped up. Madeline looked like she was entering Disney land for the first time. Her jaw was massively ajar. She sprinted off to view the apartment before even saying hello. My Mum clambered through the door with a bundle of bags and suitcases.

  “Mum!” I shouted as I ran over and hugged her.

  “August, at least let me get through the door first.” She said as she dropped her bags. “Ooo, this is nice isn’t it? I wouldn’t mind leaving your Father and move in here.” She wandered through the apartment as if she was a lost child in a playground.

  I looked at Ethan. He smiled. He’s wearing his golden star tie I bought him for his eighteenth birthday. He picked up the bags my Mum had dropped on the floor and carried them upstairs. Madeline shortly followed behind him skipping up each step. My Mum watched them as they disappeared up the staircase and then ventured out onto the balcony

  “Mum, Mum. There’s an ice cream place not far from here. Can he take me, please?” Madeline asked, running back downstairs. Mum returned from the balcony and flicked her eyes at me before returning to Madeline.

  “Don’t have too much, ok?”

  Madeline frowned at our Mother, “Fine.”

  Ethan jogged downstairs.

  “Mum says we can go!” Madeline shouted to him.

  He smiled and grabbed his keys and wallet off the side. “Let’s go Maddie!”

  Madeline rushed around and hugged me, allowing me to kiss her cheek before sprinting away. She struggled to open the heavy door to the apartment. Ethan assisted he
r, allowing her to run along the corridor to the elevator. Ethan smiled at Mum and me, and closed the door behind him. Silence flowed through the apartment, but Madeline’s singing could be heard from along the corridor.

  “How the hell did he afford all this?” Mum asked, as she stood and examined the mantelpiece. She picked up the framed Polaroid picture Ethan and I took on my birthday. I wanted to tell her about Ethan and his money, but I knew it wouldn’t be a good idea. Ethan would be furious with me also.

  “I have no idea. What’s new with you?” I asked.

  “Oh nothing. My Daughter is in L-O-V-E.”

  I blushed and buried my head into my hands. “Oh please don’t.” I cried.

  She leapt back onto the sofa beside me. “Why! Let’s talk about it. We never have a gossip anymore!”

  I removed my head from my hands to her sarcastic sulking face staring at me. “I love him, he doesn’t love me. There’s nothing else to talk about.”

  “What an absurd statement. He loves you. You’ve both been too stubborn and stupid to admit it.” She reached for her handbag and pulled out an envelope.

  “What’s that?”

  “These are all the photos from yours and Ethan’s birthdays since you were ten. I didn’t bring the earlier ones and Christmas ones because I was tired of taking them out of the big frame.”

  She laid them out on the table in front of us. Twenty photos, including the framed one from the mantelpiece. “Look at the photos and tell me what you see, please.” Mum said in a teacher like attitude.

  “Why?” I asked.

  She rolled her eyes at me. You can tell where I get it from. “Just do it.”

  I did as instructed and scanned through the photos. I haven’t seen them in a while. We looked so cute, bless us. In the first one my face is so freckly, and my teeth were still a little crooked. Ethan was missing one of his front teeth because I pulled it out when he kept complaining about it being wobbly. It was odd looking at the photos from being ten to the one we had taken a few weeks back.

  “What do you notice?” Mum asked. I shrugged.

  “They’re all photos of me and Ethan?” I guessed weakly.

  “No you moron, look again!”

  Annoyed, I scanned through the photos again. Nothing stood out.

  “I really don’t know, Mum… can you tell me?”

  She snatched at some photos and picked them up, fanning them out in her hands and holding them up.

  “Right. I’ll explain this to you slowly. Here I hold six photos of you two, aged ten to twelve. On these photos you and Ethan are sat or stood beside each other looking forward and smiling for the photo, right?” She said this as if I couldn’t speak English, but I went along with it.

  “Right,” I elongated.

  She placed those photos back on the table and picked up the rest. She held them up and flicked through them one by one, holding them up again. “From thirteen to nineteen. Now he’s looking at you, see? You’re looking at the camera. He is looking at you. O-K?”

  I still didn’t understand what difference that made.

  “So? Just because he is looking at me, it doesn’t mean anything?”

  “Ok, ok. Bare that thought in mind though, the fact he’s looking at you.”

  She rummaged in her bag and pulled out another envelope. “Now, these are photos of me and your Father from when we were younger. This photo was when we were celebrating being together nine months. Here your dad is looking at me, like Ethan was looking at you.”

  She flicked along to the next photo. “This photo was the night your Father proposed, here he is looking at me, like Ethan was looking at you.”

  She flicked onto the next photo. “This photo was on our wedding day. Here your Father is looking at me, like Ethan was looking at you.”

  She viciously swept away revealing the last photo. “This photo, our honeymoon, again your Father is looking at me like Ethan was looking at you. Don’t you see what the common connection is?”

  I sighed because I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.

  “I don’t know Mum. Guys look at girls weirdly in photo’s after they reach a certain age?”

  She threw the photos in the air and ran her hands through her hair.

  “No. You bloody idiot. Ethan is or was in love with you. Like your Father was in love with me. It’s very fucking clear in the bloody presentation I put a lot of hard work into it. Pardon my French, but I thought you were a lot more intelligent than this, August.”

  She picked up the photos and stacked them on the table. I sat silently, staring at her.

  “I need a wee.” She said in a fluster.

  I laughed and pointed towards the downstairs toilet. She smiled and rushed towards it. It shocked me a little that she swore. Mum very rarely swears.

  I returned to the photos on the table and picked them up. I compared the photo of Ethan and me at his seventeenth birthday to the photo of Mum and Dad on the night he proposed. Mum was right. They were both looking at us in the same unmistakable way. I can’t believe I hadn’t noticed this. Saying that, if I couldn’t see it when Mum explained it as clear as daylight, I wouldn’t figure it out by myself, would I? Does this mean Ethan loved me? Why didn’t he say something? Does he still love me? Did he ever love me?

  September 12th

  We visited the Empire State Building today. Since it’s Mum’s and Madeline’s final day, we decided to treat them to a little sight seeing. I would tell you how magnificent the view is from the top of the Empire State Building, however as we all remember, I am scared of heights. I had my eyes shut the entire time. Even before we got in the elevator. I clung to Ethan like my life depended on it. The only reason I agreed to go up was because it was something to cross off my list. I could actually say I reached the top.

  “You’re such a loser!” Ethan laughed.

  I squeezed his arm and scrunched my face while shushing him.

  “She’s always been like this for some reason.” Mum mumbled.

  The elevator wobbled as it came to a halt. The doors beeped as they opened. I heard Madeline’s patterned footsteps sprint out of the elevator and onto the roof.

  “Be careful!” I yelled to hear. A whiteness flooded my eyelids as we stepped out. The suns heat followed. It was warm, but the wind dimmed it.

  “It’s so beautiful.” Ethan whispered, escorting me out.

  “I don’t care what you say, I am not opening my eyes.” I muttered.

  “What if I told you Hugh Jackman was stood no further than ten feet away from us?” Ethan said, squeezing my arm.

  “Ethan, Hugh Jackman isn’t here, that isn’t going to work, you fool.”

  “Mr. Jackman, we’re such huge fans. It’s so nice to meet you,” Ethan said in a brightened voice.

  For a second I genuinely thought Hugh Jackman really was stood infront of me and I considered opening my eyes for a moment.

  “Why thank you. Beautiful up here isn’t it?” I heard in an Australian voice.

  “Ethan that is the worst Australian accent I have ever heard.” I said, turning my head with an unimpressed look.

  “I thought it was quite good.”

  I shook my head. “No, it really wasn’t.”

  We continued wandering around in silence. Mum and Madeline had left us behind. I couldn’t even hear Madeline’s voice or her feet stamping around.

  “Aren’t you that magician?” Ethan started in his pathetic voice again.

  “Yes I am!” He replied to himself.

  “I’m such a huge fan! I’m sure you are a fan of Wolverine?”

  “Who isn’t, Hugh? I can’t believe you’re a fan of mine, this is so humbling!”

  Ethan’s one man show between him and a fake Hugh Jackman was equally annoying as it was funny. I had a smirk on my face, but tried to hide it.

  “You’re such an idiot!” I managed to say through my laughter.

  “I’m just trying to keep you distracted!” Ethan said, joining me.<
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  I squeezed his arm and rested my head against his shoulder.

  “It’s so weird walking around with your eyes closed.” I whispered.

  Ethan hummed as we continued to walk. A gust of wind would often lift my hair and chill the back of my neck. Madeline’s voice started to become louder and clearer.

  Ethan let go of my arm. “Maddie, no! Get down from there!”

  “Madeline!” I yelled. “Whatever you’re doing, stop it!”

  My eyes remain closed as I helplessly stood still.

  “Maddie, just climb back over the fence, please, I don’t want you to fall.” I heard Ethan say.

  “Fence?” I yelled. “I thought the fence was huge?”

  “Well she’s on the other side of it. Don’t worry, I’ll get her.” Ethan replied.

  “Madeline, climb back over it immediately!” I screamed.

  My heart began to race uncontrollably and my legs started to shake. I tried to force open my eyes, but it was as if they were glued shut. I tried to follow Ethan’s voice, hoping to get closer to them.