“Don’t you EVER touch my necklace again or I will make sure your face will get the same color as your purse. Got it?” Missy’s head turned towards her purse, as if to check the color of it. Her purse was a dark red, the same color as for example blood. Missy’s head shot up again.
“G-got it.” I let go of her wrist and as soon as I did, Missy recovered. “Brit, Mia, I think someone is in over her head.” I knew Missy recovered fast, but this I did not see coming. “Maybe some guys of the football team need to teach her a lesson.” The guys of the football team were pretty much under Missy’s control, so this was no empty threat; this was for real. I was a little scared, but I wasn’t about to let Missy know that.
“Maybe you should consider that they aren’t here right now. Right now it’s just you and your pretend-friends -that’ll probably run when given the chance- and me and my best friend.” Missy swallowed and I knew I’d struck a nerve, but she wasn’t going to back off this easily.
“Ladies, ladies, let’s stop with the trash talk. Maybe it’s better if you go.” Casey told Missy. Missy started to protest, but Casey was just a little faster. “We -Liam and I- invited our sisters to come chat with us, but you’re welcome to join if you want.” Missy absolutely didn’t like to be told to go, but there was nothing she could do to make me and Alice leave.
“No thank you, I’ve got a friend I should visit.” And with that Missy, Brit and Mia left.
When the door closed behind the three girls, I realized Alice, Casey and Liam were all staring at me. Alice with an open mouth and Casey with wide eyes, both looking totally shocked. Liam, however, was staring very differently. His face showed more anger than shock.
“What were you thinking? That threatening her would keep her away? Or maybe that her touching your necklace would kill us all?” Yes, it was definitely anger in Liam’s expression.
I couldn’t say a word. He was right. I overreacted and this wouldn’t help at all, if anything, it would get me in trouble. Missy could tell the principal and I would get suspended. This was a very, very dumb action of mine.
“What are you talking about? That was awesome!” This snapped me right back to reality. Casey’s expression had changed from total shock to a more impressed one.
“What?!” Me, Liam and Alice let out in disbelieve at the exact same time.
“The way you made Missy go from the toughest bitch in town to a puppy running away with its tail between its legs.” My face must have shown total confusion, because Casey added hastily: “Wait, you don’t actually think it was wrong to stand up to her, right?” Well, if you put it like that… No, it was wrong to threaten her. Standing up to her, okay, but threaten? Maybe that was going a bit too far.
“Well yeah, but standing up to someone isn’t the same as threatening.” Like Alice had read my mind, she protested her brother’s words.
“You’re picking Liam’s side now? Anyway, that’s not important. What’s your opinion, Lynn?” For the second time today, all of their faces turned my way. This was not the attention I wanted.
“Alice is right. Standing up to someone is a good thing, but this was going too far. I should’ve known that.” While I said this, I just stared at the ground. I was not the kind of person that could disagree with someone and say it to his (or her) face.
“Just forget about it. We’ll see what happens, nothing we can do about it now.” Liam had apparently calmed down and was even trying to make me feel better. This was why we used to get along so well. We were more than just brother and sister, we used to be great friends.
“Thanks, Liam.” I managed a warm smile and got one in return.
“Hey, do you guys want to join us?” I think Casey was trying to keep the conversation light, but he didn’t quite manage it.
“Sure. Alice, you okay with it?”
“Yeah, but maybe we should get a coffee first.” Right, we didn’t get our coffees yet.
“Lead the way.”
Thankfully the line was a lot shorter by now. That could have something to do with the fact that it was already nine thirty, but I couldn’t be sure. This made that we only had to wait for two minutes, after which we sat back down.
“So, what happened to that Spanish test, you skipped?” Casey was starting up the conversation once more.
“Meras called in sick this morning. Lucky us.” I said.
“Meras?” I thought Alice told Casey about our Spanish teacher, but I guess she didn’t.
“Our Spanish teacher.” Alice told her brother with a tone in her voice that basically called him an idiot. She had mastered that tone; she used it all the time.
“Oh, give him a break. It’s not really that important to know the name of our Spanish teacher.” I said.
“Since when are you sticking up for him?” Alice said it, but both Liam and Casey were thinking the same thing, judging by the way they looked at me.
“I did, didn’t I?” All three of them nodded. “Well, since today I guess… but he kind off did the same for me with Missy.”
“Yes, why did you do that?” Liam asked Casey. He apparently thought this was a strange thing, just like I, and probably Alice as well, did too.
“Because I wanted to get rid of Missy just as much as Lynn and this was the best way I could think of to do that.” That sounded like a good reason.
“Or maybe it’s because you like her. I mean, you were flirting with her this morning.”
“What?!” Me and Casey replied simultaneously. We took a quick look at each other and immediately shifted our gazes back to Alice.
“I see what you mean, they make a perfect couple.” Liam was kidding, he had to be.
“No way! You’re kidding me, right?” I really hoped the answer to my question would be yes, but Liam’s face was unreadable.
“Well… you are pretty cute together.” Would he stop joking already?
“Seriously, you’re trying to hook up your sister and your best friend?” That definitely changed Liam’s expression.
“Hey, I don’t want to date you, but is the idea of dating me that repelling?” Casey wore an offended expression while asking me this.
“You yelled ‘what’ as loud as I did, so don’t start with me.” I didn’t really want to answer the question he gave me, because both yes and no would be wrong.
“Okay, as long as you’re not going to threaten me.” Those jokes Casey made every time things got serious were getting really annoying. As I’m sure my face showed.
“Awhh, they even fight like an old married couple.” Thank you Alice, that was what was missing; even more irritation.
“Can we move on to a different subject, please?” I think what I said made even more of an impact on Liam than I thought.
“So, the weather is great, don’t you think?”
“Really, Casey? The weather?”I said. You’d think that a guy studying film and special effects would be a little more creative, but I guess not.
“You think of something then!” Okay, maybe I was a bit too hard on Casey, or maybe he overreacted. Guess we’ll never know.
“Sure,” I said with the most confident tone I could manage, “how’s your study going? You’re still doing film and special effects, right?” Casey looked confused, probably because he didn’t expect me to continue the conversation with him.
“Yes and everything is going great, thank you.” Adapting apparently wasn’t hard for Casey; he sounded completely relaxed now. Alice, however, didn’t look too happy. Actually she looked pretty angry. So angry, that I didn’t even want to ask her what was wrong. Only Liam didn’t feel the same way.
“What are you so angry about?” He asked.
“What do you think? MY best friend would rather talk to my brother than me! Can’t they just save the flirting for when I’m not around? Besides, we agreed we wouldn’t date each other’s brother!” Really? That’s what she was so angry about?
“Alice, are you insane? No, really, I want to know. Because I’m only talking to Casey because he started a conversation, something you didn’t do. Furthermore, would you stop saying I’m flirting with him? It’s not true and you know it! Finally, even if you could call this flirting, it doesn’t mean we’re dating! I promise you that there is nothing going on between me and Casey and there never will be, okay?” Alice kept trying to interrupt me, but I didn’t give her the chance.
Alice stayed quiet for a couple of seconds and I could see she regretted her words. “Okay, sorry, I’m not in a great mood.” Yeah, I’ve noticed.
“What’s going on?” I asked. If Alice wasn’t in a good mood, there was something wrong. Normally I’d say she and Casey had a fight, but since they seemed to get along pretty well (for them), that couldn’t be it.
“I’d rather not talk about it.” She said with pain in her eyes. That she didn’t want to talk about it wasn’t entirely true; we told each other everything. My guess would be that she didn’t want to talk about it in this company. Alice and Casey were a typical brother and sister; fighting a lot and trying to annoy one another, but they had each other’s backs if necessary.
“It’s mom and dad, isn’t it?” Casey carefully asked Alice. This is what I meant; Casey really did care about his little sister, even though he didn’t always show it.
“She didn’t want to talk about it.” I told Casey. If Alice said she didn’t want to talk about it, she meant it (one way or another).
“Yes, it’s mom and dad.” That surprised me; I didn’t think Alice would actually answer her brother’s question.
“What about them?” Liam gently asked Liz.
“They’re never around.” Alice wasn’t telling everything. I knew they were away most of the time, because they both had a full-time job. Her dad was a cop and her mother a lawyer, but Alice had gotten used to that by now. This couldn’t be the real reason she was so upset.
“And?” My curiosity had gotten the hand over my willpower.
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten