Minus you minus me

'My role model', Courtney Whinters repeatedly repeated to himself. He to wandered whether it was normal for his role model to be a female but it was so. A cool breeze hit his skin and he immediately wrapped his thin arms around his abdomen.

'A wonderful day to sit on a tree', he mocked himself.

Nevertheless his eyes still managed to find their way back to Miley Stormright.

Miley Stormright was a tall slender woman well into her thirties. Her face perfectly built up inch from inch. Her eyes were a dark shade of green but strangely the dark facade could light the universe with a single grin. When she smiled her dimples would sink into her delicate cheeks leaving another wonder for the world to engrave, but like everything that has an imperfection Miley had a huge pimple on her lower left cheek that never seemed to vanish.

She dressed in an utterly unique way, one day she'd dress in a pair of tracksuits and the next she'd dress like an empress of a royal palace only to mystify everyone by going to the garden in the very same attire.

Fortunately today Miley wore a pair of tracksuits with her feet completely bare embracing mother nature. Courtney looked her up and down admiring her, he still disapproved her lack of shoes but where would he ever get the voice to say so.

The trepidation he felt as he thought of having a conversation with her gave him goosebumps, making the brutal wind even colder.

'I should really get inside', he urged himself.

With one last glance at Miley, Courtney climbed down the tree.

His dog Mega was already barking, Courtney groaned at his unwarranted behavior, it saw him go up and down that tree every single day of its life, but it still found barking and running around a necessity. The dog had learnt that Courtney was decrepit, so when Courtney picked up a stone and missed the mutt by a few inches he groaned and stormed for the front door.

'Stupid dog', he groaned giving Mega one last menacing glare.

Courtney wrenched the golden, ice cold handle open, stepping into the house.

He wiped his hand on the back pocket of his jeans and followed the dim light that led to the dining room.

He got into the enormous room instantly staring at the chandeliers.

'Why are they so dim', he asked himself.

He gave his parents a small nod which they returned with their usually goofy smiles, but today they were goofier leaving his suspicions on edge.

He looked across the table and of course there was a girl seated from across him.

She wore silver necklace around her neck. She had no make-up on not like most of the girls he had seen, her hair was simply plaited back and her lips a tint of pink. 'Cute', he thought to himself.

Courtney arched a brow at his parents and his dad cleared his throat.

"Courtney this is Stasy, Stasy this is Courtney".

His eyes widen, he hoped this wasn't some kind of hook-up, like always said his parents were crazy loons. Stasy got up from her chair and offered him her hand to shake.

Courtney gave in.

"Stasy Johnson", she smiled.

He nodded "Co-cou-Courtney Wh-whinters".

'Dammit', he cussed innerly.

Suddenly afraid of her opinion of him, he watched her look him up and down.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Courtney", she said and walked back to her seat.

"We will be expecting her parents any time soon", his mother chimed.

'Oh boy', he thought.

JESSICA JOHNSON sat with her hands in her lap, taking in the appearance of the Whinters house.

It was an old fashioned house, overly furnished, with way too many chrysanthemum for Jessica's liking.

She looked at her husband to know whether he felt the same way about the flowers, and surely he was staring at the bunch in front of him, his thick fingers tapping vigorously on the mahogany table before him.

Jessica sighed, mollifying her husband wasn't an easy procedure. 'She had to get straight to the point'.

She cleared her throat "Mrs Whinters I'm sure you know the purpose of this visit, so if you'd hurry up, we have somewhere to be".

"Oh yes Stasy Wasy and Courts, would you please excuse us", Mrs Whinters said giving them a dazzling smile that seemed to spread from one pretty diamond studded ear to the other.

Courtney and Stasy left the lounge, the last of the conversation heard was 'for the love of God get those flowers away from me'.

"So do you know what this is about? ", Stasy asked stuffing her hands into the pockets of her denim jeans.

Courtney shook his head 'no', he was just about to ask her the exact same thing. Courtney took out his phone and typed his phone number out and showed her his phone.

"Ummmmm....? ", Stasy asked.

Courtney took it from her and emended his statement typing out

-:it's a better form of communication-:

Stasy read it and furrowed her eyebrows, "I don't get why you don't just tal...oooooooo", her lips formed a perfect 'o'. "Um yea sure let me get my phone real quick".

Stasy was overwhelmed by guilt, she rushed into the Whinters lounge, unaware of the daggers Jessica was throwing at her. Stay sallied for her bag, and just when she was about to scoop out her phone, her mother grabbed her bag.

"Stasy did I tell you to come back in!?", her mother asked giving Stasy an ominous glare.

Stasy walked out of the lounge. Her mother's demeanor was something she could definitely do without. Fretted out Stasy inhaled and exhaled deeply.

Courtney noticed her mood shift and asked her what was wrong. "Wh-wh-wha-whats wr-wr-wrong".

"My mother that's what", Stasy snapped instantly regretting it, Courtney had nothing to do with it. "Sorry, Um, sorry, do you have any video games or board games", Stasy smiled.

Courtney returned her gesture with a cocky smile and a nod.

As they walked up the stairs Stasy stared at the back of his head pressing two fingers to her temples 'I don't have video games, I don't even know whether she can play chess'.

She removed her fingers from her head and smiled "Do you have chess?".

He looked back at her stunned "Y-yes".

"Stellar".

JESSICA JOHNSON gingerly walked up the stairs, when she arrived at the door written COURTS in bold, ugly capital letters she raised her fist to the door and quickly pulled it back.

'My daughter is inside I have every right to budge in'.

She opened the door and just like the Whinters their son carried down their infantility, he was playing chess with her daughter. They both were looking at her now. "You can come down now".

"No thanks, we good, we want to finish this game", Stasy gestured towards the board.

"Stasy, Courtney downstairs now", Jessica admonished sternly "I don't want to repeat myself". With that she had walked out of the room.

Courtney's eyes were wide open he was used to his parents who were always gaily. Mrs Johnson scared him.

He got up and emptied the board of its pieces and putting them back in the box.

When they were downstairs they re-took their seats.

His mother gave him a sad smile "Courts you and Stasy are going to the same school a boarding school", she rested her hands on the table "Go pack your suit cases".

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💜AIO💜