After Forever Ends - Ramone Melodie. Страница 42

“Headmistress Pennyweather?” My voice was shaking.

“Yes, Dear?”

“I want you to expel us.”

She burst into laughter, a sound like bubbles that I had never heard come from her. “Missus Dickinson! The very thought!” She patted my back, “You are one of my top students! You are an excellent candidate for a scholarship to university! I couldn’t see it right to expel you just because you want to go! And I would hate to see you resign the school! I enjoy having both you and Oliver here very much! You two bring life to this stuffy place! Plus, if the two of you left I would think Alexander would go and then my detention pad would be lonely,” She chuckled. “We will find a way, I promise. We will find a way for you both to be together and see a successful finish here at Bennington.”

We finally made it to the door of my room in the dormitory. “Thank you,” I said meekly.

“You are welcome,” She smiled softly. The creases beside her eyes deepened as she put her ageing hand on my shoulder, “Sleep now, breakfast will come sooner. And please remember what Oliver said to you, Silvia. Love has a magical way of making everything work out just right. Don’t doubt it or forget it.”

She waited for me to go inside the room and close the door. I heard her shoes clicking until they turned the corner the end of the hall. “Hi, Sandy,” I said weakly, turning toward my friend, “How was your holiday?”

“Why are you crying?” Sandra asked with concern. She was standing between our beds in her pyjamas and had obviously been waiting for me for a while. There were two sodas and a half-eaten box of chocolate rings on my bed, “And why did you get here so late? I was worried! I thought you weren’t going to come back. I thought maybe you’d had a crash…oh, no! Oh my! Is it Oliver? Is he OK?”

“Oh, Sandy!” I fell on to my bed, “It’s terrible!”

I told her everything. I buried my face into my pillow and sobbed until my head pounded and my teeth hurt.

She handed me the last tissue just as my eyes swelled shut, “Well, you’ll see him soon, won’t you?” She said in a comforting tone, rubbing my back with the flat of her hand, “Oliver! Your husband! Wow, you’re the only person my age I’ve ever known who got married! But you didn’t tell me what it was like.”

“What was like?” I was breathing through my mouth like a fish out of water with my face pressed against the pillow.

“You know…it…you know…sex.”

“Oh,” I thought it was a silly question, “It was like…well, magic.”

“Really?”

“Oh, yes,” I mumbled, “But I never got my socks back.”

I didn’t hear what she had to say after that, I was sound asleep.

The news of Oliver’s and my marriage spread like wildfire throughout the school. By lunch we were being stared and pointed at. “No photos, please!” Oliver said grandly as he passed a table of gawking sixth year girls. He lifted his food tray as if to block his face, “Show starts at eleven, Everyone! It’s nearly sold out, so if you haven’t gotten tickets already, buy them soon! They’re on sale in the middle room!”

That was Oliver, always making a joke of everything. I didn’t find it quite as funny.

At dinner Lance and Merlyn joined us at our table. They came in together and took their usual seats, giving us generic greetings. Immediately afterwards the awkward silence set in.

“How you holding up, Mate?” Lance finally asked Oliver as he mashed his potato with his fork.

“What do you mean?” Oliver was perfectly casual.

“Well, everyone’s talking about you two being married,” Merlyn began slowly. His lovely brown eyes flicked up to meet mine and then went straight down again.

“I know. But it seems to me they’re not saying much.” Oliver bit into a carrot and immediately spat it out, “Bloody disgusting! I hate when they make them sweet!”

“No, they’re saying plenty,” Lance’s pale green eyes were filled with sympathy, “Not that Merlyn or I believe any of it, you see.”

“It’s all bullocks,” Alexander said through a mouthful of stew, “Don’t you give it any mind, Sil.”

“Well, I heard that I’m a filthy whore a few times today and that a few people are surprised I’m walking straight. Oliver has me pregnant, I’m told, and it’s why he married me. Is that what you heard?” I was looking at Lance. Merlyn, for whatever reason, still did not seem to want to look me in the eye.

“Well, yes. They’re saying you’re with child.” Lance answered softly.

“But that’s not the bad bit,” Merlyn shook his chocolate milk carton, deciding that he was going to speak to me, “Someone’s telling folks that your parents forced Ollie to marry you against his will.”

“Oh, my God!” I threw my hand against my forehead. I felt sick. “You’ve got to be joking!”

“That’s absurd!” Alexander snorted, “Philip Cotton couldn’t make Oliver do anything! Lucy could take the old man with one arm! Ollie’d snap him into bits!”

“Why does everyone think she’s pregnant?” Oliver asked innocently as he spooned stew around his bowl. “Can’t two people just get married because they want to?”

“She’s not?” Lance shoved his dark blonde blond fringe out of his eyes with the back of his hand. He was honestly surprised.

“You are a great stupid scrut,” Alexander told him, “The two of you have the combined sense of a pair of goslings,” He raised his voice and put his arm around my waist as if to protect me, “She’s not pregnant! Sil’s a fine and decent girl! What’s so unbelievable that they might be in love? But then again,” He looked around to see how many people were listening. I’d say it was most in our half the hall, “If you would combine the keen and insightful minds of this lot you’d no doubt come to the wrong conclusion every time!”

“I’m sorry,” Merlyn told us sincerely, “It just seems odd is all. The two of you planning on going off together…well, that’s all right. But then you come back married! What’s a bloke supposed to think?”

“It was a bit sudden,” Lance added. He seemed relieved. “You never mentioned getting married, neither of you.”

“Ollie did to me,” Alex muttered. “Why’s he got to tell you clowns?”

“It’s all right,” Oliver handed me a piece of buttered bread. “I really don’t care what anyone thinks or says.”

“I do!” I objected, “They’re saying that my dad made you marry me! It’s bad enough they’re saying you only married me because you banged me up, but my Dad forcing you to marry me…that’s just humiliating!”

“It’s completely stupid as well,” Oliver replied calmly. He put his arm around me and tucked me to his side, “We’ve been a couple for two years and they’ve always talked, haven’t they? It’s never bothered me.”

“Of course it’s never bothered you! Nothing ever bothers you, Oliver!” It was the first time I can remember being really angry with him. I jerked away, “When someone says something you don’t like, you have this uncanny ability to just turn your head away and not hear them or you make it into a bloody joke! This is no joke to me! What they're saying bothers me! It hurts me!”

I turned away from him and found myself facing Alexander. He didn’t say a word, but I knew he was as upset as I was. I stared into his dark eyes and I got the distinct impression that he would kill for me if he had to.

“Eat your supper, Sil,” Oliver urged, putting his hand against my back, “You haven’t had a bite since we’ve been back. When we’re through with dinner we can take a walk around the lake like we always do. Get away from all these people who would do better to find themselves a hobby other than worrying about us.”

“I’m not hungry! I don’t want to go for a walk! I want to leave, Oliver!” I turned to him and then turned away just as quickly. If I looked at him I might start shouting and I didn’t want to do that. Enough people were already staring at us. “I told you when we got here! I hate this place and I hate almost everyone in it!”