After Forever Ends (13 page)

“You could take any one of them,” Malcolm whispered to me at one point with a half-cocked grin. He seemed to be the only one who noticed the non-verbal showdown.

“Thank you,” I returned the smile.

He saluted me with his bottle and shrugged another grin.

“Sil,” Lucy came trotting up to me after a couple of hours. She’d been off with Alexander in a different clutch, “I have to pee so bad! Can you take me?”

Having a pee where we were at meant walking away from the crowd out into the darkness and then squatting in the field. I had to go myself and took her, thankful that I always wore skirts. Lucy, on the other hand, had to strip off her shoes, socks and jeans. The process took a while.

I had never known before I returned that I was the jealous sort, but as Lucy and I re-entered the party, I stopped dead in my tracks. Serena, Amber and Peggy had circled Oliver like three vultures. I had an impulse to go running up and club them over the backs of their heads, but I didn’t. Instead, I hung back and watched.

Oliver was still sitting where I had left him. He laughed at something Joshua said and shook his head in response. It appeared that the McCrary brothers had found another place to go, as they were absent. Amber was sitting on the ground where Con had been and Serena was on her knees beside her. Peggy was off to the side, staring at Oliver like a disregarded puppy stares at someone who is teasing it with a scrap of meat.

Amber said something else and Oliver laughed again, but looked away from her. He glanced at Serena as she spoke. I couldn't hear what she said, but I heard him reply, “No, I don’t think Sil’d want to go.”

I began walking toward them slowly, listening carefully as I went.

“Well, who said Silvia was invited?” Amber asked.

“So rude!” Joshua cooed.

Oliver raised his eyebrows, “Really?” He climbed to his feet, peering down at her, “Well, who says I would go even if she were?”

“Oh, come on, Ollie!” Serena moaned, “You used to be so much fun!”

“No, I wasn’t,” He told her, speaking very slowly the way the Welsh are known to do,

“Alexander was fun. If you check the record you’ll see I’ve never been any fun at all. Now if you’ll excuse me, I see my Sil.”

“Come on, Oliver!” Amber ran her hand down his leg as he passed. I wanted to bad to run up and kick her, especially when she turned and saw me. She actually had the nerve to smile.

Ollie was oblivious to everything. For as bright as he was, he was certainly stupid when it came to the games girls play. He just pushed past them as if nothing were happening and walked over to me. Boy, did they give me three dirty looks, moving together like a solid brick wall of bitches. The urge to beat them up didn't pass, but I did them one worse instead. I embraced Oliver and kissed him deeply while I held my middle finger up at them over his shoulder.

Josh’s laughter echoed through the fields.

I stared triumphantly at the three girls. Amber and Serena were obviously offended. I thought Peggy was going to cry.

The McCrary brothers suddenly reappeared, “Oy, Ambular!” Connor was being particularly obnoxious, as he was known to do when he'd been drinking, “Serenina! Peggers! How ya doin', you buncha feckin' slags? Ya come to get a shotta Irish?”

They all three gave him disgusted looks and began to walk away.

“Low class,” Amber muttered.

“Oy! Don' leave!” He called after them, “Amby! I love you, you know I do! Serenina! You know you like it Irish!” He stood for a second in the laughter of everybody around him, and then cried, “Peggers! Come back! I'll clean yer cobwebs!”

Oliver, Josh, Malcolm and I all cracked up. After another second of mocking shock at the girls’ departure, Connor dropped to his bottom and struck up a conversation about a completely different subject. Oliver and I hung about with them for a little while longer, but once Alex returned and collected Lucy, who was completely out of her element and being unusually quiet, we took the opportunity to take advantage of the back seat of the car. We were once again in the midst of taking things way too far when the door flew open and we both spilled out on to the grass in a knot.

“What the bloody hell, Alex?” Oliver demanded, drawing himself on to his knees. “Are you trying to kill us?” He turned his attention to me, “Are you all right, Sil? Did I hurt you?”

I thought it was the funniest thing that ever happened, both of us crushed up against the door and then us falling out. I lie on the ground with my legs still inside the car, holding my shirt closed, laughing so hard it hurt, even though I was sure I'd be bruised.

Oliver pulled my skirt down to cover my knickers.

“We’ve got to go!” Alex said urgently. “Lucy, get in the car! Ollie, Sil, get up now! I said we’ve got to go!”

“What did you do this time?” Oliver stood and buttoned his trousers, trying to look casual.

“We’ve got to go!” Alexander repeated, shoving his brother's shoulder as he got into the back seat. He sat and leaned out the door, “Come on now, let’s MOVE! OLIVER! NOW!”

“I’ve got to find my keys,” Oliver answered, not making a move to get in the car.

“LET’S GO!” Alex nearly shouted, “NOW! OLIVER!”

I scooted across the driver’s seat to the passenger’s. I buttoned my blouse and smoothed my hair in the mirror. I had the distinct feeling that Ollie might be moving slowly on purpose, as he still hadn't gotten in yet.

Lucy sat silently beside Alexander. Her face gave nothing away. She sat straight with her hands in her lap, but she kept looking at Alex out the corner of her eye. Oliver was still not in the car. Alex was obviously tense.

“What happened?” I finally asked.

Alex looked at me with the blank face he was so famous for and said nothing. Whatever had happened, he considered it none of my business and wasn't planning on explaining.

It was Lucy who spilled the story and did it at a mile a minute at that, “OK! It went like this! We were just sitting with some people and these three lads came over. The one was very cross with Alex about something and I thought they were going to fight. Alex looked like he wanted to fight anyway, but a girl called Jennifer came over and took the boy away with her, but one of his friends stayed and wouldn't let us leave and Alex had a fight with him and left him lying in the grass. I think he beat him up pretty badly. Then we left. Then on our way to the car another girl came up to us and said we'd better go because Jennifer's boyfriend was back and he was looking for Alex and so were his mates since Alex had beaten up the other boy. They're very angry. There's a group of them going to teach him a lesson, she said!” She squeaked out the last bit, “So we really need to go!”

With that information, Oliver got into the car and put the key in the ignition. “Jennifer, eh?” He looked over his shoulder at Xander, “So let’s fight. How many of them are there?”

“I don’t know. Three? Five? More than I care to deal with.”

“Well, if it‘s only a few, we can get Con and Mal and…”

“No!” Alexander barked so loudly I jerked, “Put the bloody car in gear and let’s GO!”

“You really want to run away? We've got an army right here. They’re fuckin’ English for Christ’s sakes! We’re on home ground!”

I’d never heard Oliver sound so macho. It struck me as sexy.

Alex lunged over the seat and turned the key himself. The engine fired, “Let’s go!” He growled, “I want to go, all right? Oliver? Can we please just fucking go?”

“All right! All right!” Ollie put the car in gear, “We’ll run away then! But it’s a good night for a fight,” He added as he backed up, “Nice clear weather, plenty of moonlight, not too hot...”

Alexander said nothing. He just stared out the window. I couldn't read whether he was frightened or just not in the mind for war. His blood lust in general greatly depended on his mood and it was often impossible to gauge when those moods would change. He'd already had a fight. Maybe that was enough for him for one night.

We drove on in silence. After a half hour on the road, he tapped my shoulder. When I turned to acknowledge him, he spoke. “That’s a pretty bra you’re wearing, Silvia,” He stuck his tongue in the corner of his mouth and narrowed his eyes, “Very lacy. I saw it when my brother had you nailed to the car window. You look nice in lavender. I saw your knickers matched, too. Tell me, did you buy the set yesterday at the mall with my mother?”

I felt my face go hot.

No one said a word for about ten seconds and then we all burst out laughing.

Lucy and I went home the following day. She was a bundle of excitement from then on about going to Bennington and I wasn’t sure I was happy about why. My sister had developed a monumental affection for Alexander over that weekend we spent at his house. It was more than a crush. She adored him. In fact, she was so besotted with him that his mere existence wouldn’t let her think of much else.

Alexander was well aware of it, too. “She’s a sweet kid,” He assured me, “But she’s just a kid. No worries, Silvia, I’ll do the big brother thing and watch out for her and I won’t break her heart. I promise.”

Alexander, for all his faults, could be an outstanding human being at times. I loved him as much as I did Oliver, but in a different way. Over the year I had known him, he had become more than my best friend. He had become my brother. I trusted him with my life and, thus, I certainly trusted him with my sister.

A little less than two weeks later when Lucy and I arrived at Bennington for the first day of class, we were met by Ollie and Alex at the gates. Alexander sported a half healed black eye and still badly swollen cheek. He had a red scar from stitches near his left ear and a large split in his lips. One of his wrists was in a splint and two fingers were taped together.

“You had your fight then?” I asked as I set my hand gently against his face.

“Aye,” He answered, turning his head from my touch, “I ended up not having a choice.”

“Oh, Alexander…”

“Stop it,” He avoided looking me in the eye, “I’m fine.”

The boys carried our bags to the Great Hall for checkin and from there I took Lucy to orientation and left her with Professor Wilson, who was in charge of her group of first years. It felt strange leaving her. I still remembered my first day when I was only seven years old. I had been lonely and frightened and I didn't want my sister to feel that way at all. “Professor Wilson is very nice,” I assured her, but it was more to comfort myself as she didn’t seem a bit worried, “Don't be afraid to ask any questions and don't be too shy. You won't make friends if you're too shy and you need friends at a place like this.” I looked down into her little face, “You'll be fine, Sissy. I promise.”

She nodded. “I’ll be fine, Silvia. You can go.”

After I left her off, the twins and I headed out into the quad to find mostly the same students that attended year after year. After several brief “hellos” to them, we fell quickly back with our group of friends.

Lance had spent his summer at home in Caernarfon and unable to make the distance to see his girlfriend in Liverpool, they had parted ways, although they still seemed friendly enough when they met again at school. I caught on quickly, however, that this was false on Lance’s part.

“She’s already got someone,” He did his best to hide his ruin. “Can you believe it?”

“You don’t need anyone disloyal,” Alexander told him. “Bennington is filled with all kinds of girls. It’s a three-to-one ratio.”

“You would know,” Lance muttered.

“Oh, she was too short anyway,” I consoled, cuddling against Oliver's chest to hide from the wind, “But you now! You’ve sprouted up like a weed!”

“Ah, Sil and her sugar-coated lies!” His good nature left him unable to resist a smile, “Let’s just say I feel taller when you say them so sincerely!”

Merlyn, on the other hand, had had quite an eventful holiday. He had spent it in Paris, where his parents now lived. He’d gotten a job bussing tables in a jazz cafe, which I respected him for doing as he was quite rich and had no need to work at all. But he'd wanted the experience and it was one way he could find his way into a musical environment. He'd made loads of friends, he told us, had a little romance with a girl from Spain, and, best of all in his opinion, a professional lounge singer had offered to give him vocal lessons.

“I found my range!” He was ecstatic, “She told me that I’ll never be able to sing like Pavarotti, but listen to this…” He took a few steps back and belted out, “What’s New Pussycat?” People stopped to stare, but not in horror like they once had. Most walked away, but one actually clapped and said, “Yay!”

“You may have a future yet!” Oliver told him sincerely, “Merlyn Pierce, the new Tom Jones!”

Merlyn grinned. His chest puffed out, “Do you really think?”

“Oh, aye!” Oliver nodded enthusiastically, pulling his ear, “I really think! Keep at it! That was a great improvement!”

I was wondering where Sandra was when she came running up. Literally, she was breathless by the time she threw her arms around me. “Oh, Silvia! I missed you! You look wonderful! How was your summer?” I told her it was fantastic. Sandra gave Oliver a quick smile and a hello before she continued, “I checked the lists in the common room! Headmistress approved our request and we’re sharing a room again, only it’s a floor up, which is brilliant because I’m told the ones up there are larger.”

She unsnapped her satchel and reached inside, “I’m sorry I’m so frazzled. I drank about a barrel of coffee. Whoo!” She shoved her hair back with a shaking hand, “But I saw this when I went on holiday to the US and I had to get it for you.” She handed me a small box, “I meant to mail it, but if you want the truth I lost your address and couldn’t send it!”

“Oh, Sandra, you didn’t have to!” I took it from her trembling hand.

“I know I didn’t have to. I wanted to.”

I opened the box to find a beautiful silver hair clip adorned with moonstone and lapis lazuli. “Oh my, thank you! I love it!”

Oliver looked over and saw it in my hand. “Now that’s beautiful,” He said sincerely. “Give it here, Sil, I’ll put it in your hair.” He drew my hair back in his hands and fastened the clip. “It’s really lovely, Sandy.”