19 ELIZABETHAN OBSESSIONS

That indeed does leave me, without an answer. Because I know he’s right. Zach may have been sickeningly irritating, but I did get distracted. Which was indeed a welcome change.

“Now, don’t spend brains and energy for that as well. You should be saving some for the Revealing.” My thoughts pause midway and just like that, I’m thrown back into the worry, that happened to be reality.

“The what?”

“The Revealing? The formal consent and announcement of all the candidates up for the election? Tomorrow?” My mind is literally not ready to swallow that absurd piece of information.

“Please don’t tell me they bloody named something “THE REVEALING.” What is even this? Macbeth premiere?”

Is that even a word? I mean, yeah it’s a word in the dictionary, but then how does it even relate to this milennium?

“Oh, trust me they did. But I think you should actually be worrying about a bigger issue.”

“Can we do with my not knowing it please?” Honestly, I don’t know when all of this even stops.

“Well, you’ve got to have an answer when they ask you, right?” I scrunch up my eyebrows in obvious confusion. This just keeps getting better.

“Ask me? What do they have to ask?”

“Wow, apparently you know nothing.”

“Obviously Alderidge. I didn’t even know they named something ‘the Revealing’!”

“Alright, calm down. So tomorrow, we’ll be having a full batch assembly at the auditorium. The names of all the students contesting for the core membership are announced. And you have to answer if you’re willing. It’s more like a formal consent and public announcement.

So the students, kind of, know the candidates. Followed by the elections and then the results.”

I close my eyes and rest my head on my table with my hands covering my face. I want out. I so want out of this place.

“Can’t I just withdraw?” I ask, my voice all muffled and not that clear but Nathaniel seems to have heard me.

“Uh, no. Once the name’s submitted, you’re officially in. And the only option that remains is to negate at the reve-, the announcement. No one, does that, really.”

I groan yet again, banging my fist on the table and earning a few looks from around.

So basically, I have to attend this- too populated a gathering, for an announcement that I didn’t volunteer for, and submit my unwillingness towards the election – which is not even the usual practice. Talk about having Lady Fortune. And I thought Karma was bitch enough.

“I guess I hate to leave you with your thoughts but I better be going. Basketball practice is due and I’m really running late. And try not to worry yourself to death. Or get in trouble.”

I look up as he shuffles through his duffel bag and gets ready to leave.

“I’ll manage.” And just like that he’s out the door, not before offering a small it-will-be-okay smile.

I can’t help but think how he’s so good at goodbyes. And then there’s Zach.

Don’t bother, I have places to be. I scoff. Will he ever learn? I roll my eyes, shaking my head in a self-answered no.

“Hey, Alanna. Can I join?” I turn around and spot a smiling Brit looking down at me. At least I’ll have company. Good, company.

“Yeah sure.”

“How are you doing by the way? Especially now that tomorrow’s the reve-“

“Can you please not say that word?” I chuckle lightly while her eyes light up in amusement too.

“I know, they’re quite the Elizabethan fans.”

“Thank you. Exactly.”

Brit and I seem to share agreement with the word and it’s untimely use in this century. She seems to be so cheerful and her smile is too energetic.

She is beautiful. Her eyes shine so bright as she talks. It makes me wonder what could have gone wrong, that day at the brunch.

“Brit, if you don’t mind me asking, what exactly happened that day at brunch?”

Call me curious. Or in this case, intrusive. Her eyes immediately dart downwards as the smile leaves her face, pallor overtaking.

“I mean it’s okay if you don-“

“I broke up with Dan that day.” Okay, I might have guessed it was guy trouble, but quite never pushed it.

“Oh, I’m sor-“

“Please. Don’t be. I’m really glad I did it. It was about time.”

“You weren’t happy with him?”

“Not even close. We had been together since almost kindergarten, and that day, I almost questioned myself if I even knew the guy by half, if at all.”

I shudder as I think to myself, is the man I knew. Or worse, did I not know him at all?

I gulp and shake my head with a frown.

“What happened? Parents? Cheati-“ She looks up to me in the eye, which I notice to be moistened. I reach for her hand and clasp it gently.

“I don’t really know. He was all good in the beginning and then it was like he got bored, you know. And he really got too aggressive when he was angry. He would even hurt me a couple of times, when I tried to calm him down.”

Tears roll down her cheeks and I get up to sit beside her, holding her as she continued to speak.

“I was s-cared to talk to him. Always worrying, what if I say something and he gets an-gry. My friends had been urging me since a long time, to e-nd it. But I couldn’t, considering all I f-elt, and the time we had been together.”

I rub my hand against her back as I sense her voice cracking. God, she has been troubled.

“That day at the br-unch, I was thinking of apologizing to him. He had been in a brawl with some guy at the mansion, and he had sl-apped me for trying to make him stop.”

By now she has broken all into tears as I hug her tightly, trying to comfort her, my own face a shocked mess.

“Why didn’t you report it, Brit? He can’t do this.”

“I di-dn’t want more drama. I was jus-t tired and d-one. I ended ever-ything the next day.” I silently listen as she lets out all her restrained pain. Heaven knows how long she had been keeping that in for.

“Hey, it’s alright, okay? It’s all over. You’re good. Who else knows?”

“Just Amanda. She’s a friend. And Laura, she’s the caretaker in my house.” She sniffs lightly and wipes out her tears, now sitting straight back up.

“And your family?”

“No.”

“Brit, how can you not tell them something like this? This is serious. They deserve to know. They know better.”

“No, they don’t. All they know is giving birth to kids and then leaving them to rot in whichever hell they have left them in. All they care about is themselves. They don’t have any rights to know about anything in my life, which they certainly have not even a minute to look into.”

I sit blankly as I watch Brit’s sadness suddenly turning into unmatchable hatred and anger. Why would a child so dislike her family?

“Brit, I obviously don’t know what might have happened with you and your family, but I still think that you should try to-“

“You clearly don’t, Alanna . And I opened up to you because I thought you would understand me, and I could trust you.”

“You can-”

“Then you can talk of anything but my family. Please.” I stare at her, blinking in hanging confusion yet I respect her trusting me, which is why I don’t enquire further.

“So, okay. I think we got ourselves enough seriousness for today. Why don’t you tell me something about yourself? I barely know you.”

“I think I could say the same about you.” I notice a small smile escaping her lips and I let myself go with it.

“Twenty questions then; over another divine scoop of chocolate?” I smile out my full happy, cheerful smile at her, hoping to infect her vibe and fortunately it does.

“Perfect.”

*

I hurriedly rummage around my things as I make my way down the hallway. Why does it have to be so many papers! I can’t find my impending assignment and I have to complete it before the next class.

I continue my battle when I run into someone and just happen to save my papers form being scattered. That’s when I look up.

“Uh, hey.”

“Hi.”

“Uh, you left early. So I didn’t really get a chance to talk, so-“

“Yeah I know.”

“I’m really sorry, Lily. I didn’t-, I shouldn’t have said that. I didn’t mean all of that.”

“I know.”

“Yeah, so…”

“So tomorrow’s the revealing.”

“Yes. I had no idea that they named it that.”

“Seems we’re at some Shakespearean drama premiere.”

“Macbeth. At least that’s what I thought of.” We both laugh lightly and I hope this to be our little white flag. We’re so good together and I really don’t want to fight with Lily, of all people.

This is a weird situation. I don’t know if we’re cool, or what I should say next. Because I definitely don’t want to ruin it.

“I’m happy Lily, I really am. Now that you’re here.” Which is completely true. I really missed her and her banter, even though it has been just a few hours.

“And I will be, always. Even tomorrow.”

“Um, tomorrow?”

“Yeah. The revealing, remember?” I stand there with my mouth open, unable to form words. Does she still think-

“Lily, do you still think I’m going to contest?”

“Yeah, I mean tomorrow is the reve-“

“I can’t believe this. I thought this was supposed to mean that things are okay between us.”

“And they will be, Dello , if you jus-“

“If I just what? Oh my god, you’re not going to give in are you? This is unbelievable. Listen I’m getting late, I’ll see you later.”

I storm off in the opposite direction in full speed. Lily has totally lost it. I almost thought that everything would be okay. I just don’t get why she’s making such a big issue out of thi-

“What the hell!”

“Fuck!”

Author's note:

Any Shakespearean fans, though? I hated calling it THE REVEALING. Alanna did too.

Views on Brit? Something’s not right, it feels.

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