After Forever Ends - Ramone Melodie - Страница 27

Alex went pink, but he smiled, “Ah, shut your mouth,” He shrugged, referring to my thick Scottish accent, “You talk funny.”

We both laughed as we made our way down the corridor.

“So, are you dating Meredith Ainsworth?” I asked, trotting to keep up with his long stride.

“Aye. I mean, I suppose I am by now.”

“Why?”

He took a quick sideways glance at me, “I dunno. She’s all right.”

“She is pretty.”

“Aye.”

“Is she very clever?”

“She’s all right.”

“Is she interesting?”

Alexander seemed annoyed, “I said she’s all right.”

“I know she’s very pretty. And very rich. And I know that she’s very, very stuck on you. I’m just wondering how much you like her.”

Alexander stopped and turned to me. His dark eyes were broad, “I don’t know why you’re concerned, Silvia. I know Ollie doesn’t care for her much. He thinks she’s superficial and has no brains. Superficial, maybe she is. Materialistic, she is for sure. But she’s got brains enough. There’s just something about her I like is all. I don’t know what it is to be honest. I like her. That’s it.”

“Then why are you teasing poor Sandy Ashby?”

“Sandy? Who’s teasing Sandy?”

“You’re calling her Bach and giving her biscuits. Yesterday you went up and got her a second pudding. Come on, Alex. What are you playing at?”

“Sandy’s an interesting girl,” He replied. “I’d like to get to know her better. Problem is, she doesn’t find me very interesting and she doesn’t seem to want to know me at all.”

“She’s terrified of Meredith.”

“Then she’s silly,” He began to walk again, “I’m not looking to marry anybody, I’d just like to be able to have an intelligent conversation with somebody. Seems the only girl I can do that with in this place is you. Mind, even if it is just about things that are none of your business.”

“All right! All right! I just want to see you happy!”

“I’m happy, Sil!” He gave me a cheesy grin as he wrapped his arm around me and squeezed, “I’m so bloody happy I could fly!”

“Well, fly to your class then. I’m at mine.” I stopped in the doorway, “See you at supper?”

“See you then, Silvia. Cheers!”

I watched him walk away, thinking to myself that he was mindless. For as many girls as he’d spent time with, he didn’t know a thing about them at all.

Alex told Oliver what had happened at the library over dinner.

“Really?” Ollie looked around the room with interest, “Which ones?”

Alex looked at him sideways and jammed another fork full of meat into his gob before he pointed to a table across the room.

“Those little hamsters?” Oliver ripped off a piece of bread. The boys saw him looking over and quickly turned their heads. Oliver looked a bit disgusted, “You should have hit him.”

“Oh, aye,” Alex nodded sarcastically, his cup held in mid-air, “I’d have hit him, yeah? And his friends would have made a bunch of noise, mind, and Cronin the Librarian would have had me. Pennyweather would’ve called Dad again and I’d be up a tree for real. Good idea, Oliver. Next time I’ll hit him!” He shook his head and then added sharply, “Oh! And you’re welcome, too. You might have thanked me for looking out for Silvia.”

“Thank you, Alexander,” Oliver returned coldly, “Mind, I would have thought that you’d be looking out for her and Lucy without needing any recognition for the fact.”

Alex was giving his brother such a look of pure hatred I wasn’t sure what he was going to do or say. He sat for a few seconds glaring at him until he stood up violently and shoved his tray across the table. It hit Oliver in the chest and splattered.

Oliver jumped up at first in shock, but his face quickly turned to rage. He didn’t have time to retaliate, however, before our Headmistress was beside the table.

“I know,” Alexander gave her an almost apologetic look, “Detention. I’ll see you in your office in fifteen minutes.”

“Actually,” She fumbled with her spectacles, “I was going to ask if everything was all right between the two of you.”

“Everything is fine, Ma’am,” Oliver lied sullenly, wiping gravy from his shirt, “I think it was an accident the way he shoved the tray. We weren’t even arguing. I think he spilled something on his trousers.”

“It didn’t look like an accident to me.” She frowned, her eyes flicking back and forth between the twins.

“No, Ma’am,” Alexander’s voice was not much louder than a whisper, “I spilled some hot soup on my lap and jumped up. I didn’t mean to shove the tray like that.”

“See?” Oliver didn’t look pleased, “I thought so. You all right then, Brother? Didn’t scald your willy, did you?”

Alexander shot him another hateful look, but said nothing.

Headmistress didn’t appear as if she believed a word, but she didn’t check Alexander’s trousers for soup either. She looked back and forth between the boys again and frowned more deeply, “As I said, I wanted to see if everything was all right. It’s always a shame when two people who have always looked out for the other are suddenly at odds. But I see all is well with the two of you, since you both agree to the same story as usual. Seeing as supper has nearly ended, if you’d like to go change your clothes, Oliver, I can have your dinnertime extended.”

“Thank you, Ma’am, but no,” Oliver continued to wipe himself off, “I’m fine.”

“Do you need a new tray, Alexander?”

“No thank you, Ma’am. I’m not hungry.”

She looked between them, “Very well then.” And she returned to the professor’s table.

Alex stood there locked in a moment with his brother that I could not diagnose. He was obviously waiting for something to be said, but Oliver only glanced up at him for a second and then looked away far too casually. He picked up his fork as if nothing had happened and stuck it into his roast beef.

Alexander pushed in his chair and walked away in an angry silence.

There was something escalating between Oliver and Alexander that I did not understand. The discord had begun just before their return to Bennington. Those boys were very close. There wasn’t much that went on with either of them that the other was not aware of. I’d seen them argue, but any anger was generally short lived. They were partners in crime more often, but there had been noticeable tension between them as of late that I found upsetting.

“What was that?” I asked Oliver after a few moments had passed with nobody saying anything.

“That was nothing,” He muttered, not looking up from his supper.

“What is going on, Mate?” Merlyn put down his cup, “Alexander’s a bit up on his horse.”

“He’s a twat,” Was all Oliver said.

“He’s very upset,” Lance said knowingly, “I’ve never seen him so angry with you, Ollie.”

Sandy sneezed viciously into her serviette. She dabbed daintily at her swollen nose and closed her bloodshot eyes in misery before she did it again, “Whatever it is needs to be made right. He’s your twin.”

“What needs to be made right is you getting a refill on your allergy medication before your brains come flying out,” Oliver answered quickly. His dark eyes darted around the table, “Aye, he is my twin. There’s not a whole lot I can do about that one, is there? Believe me if there were, right now I’d do it. You lot need to mind your own business. Don’t any of you worry about what’s going on between me and Alexander. He wants to blame anybody but himself for the consequences of what he does. You’ll be next if you’re not careful.” He waved a finger at each of us. Sandy sneezed again so hard she hit her head against the table. Oliver leaned across his tray quickly and put a hand on her cheek in concern, “Christ, Sandra! You all right? Can’t you get something from the nurse?”

I asked him again what the problem was when we were sitting alone by the lake. I thought that perhaps he would tell me the whole story apart from the others.