Molly seemed to be becoming annoyed with the conversation, “Well, Oliver's always been a weird one, hasn't he? Maybe he enjoys the novelty,” She glanced at me again and then back to Peggy just as quickly, “But she is pretty, isn’t she? And you have to hand it to her, she’s quite clever. Maybe she helps him with his coursework. My guess, though, is that it’s her chest. Men love women with large breasts.”
“She’s got those!” Peggy looked down at her own, which weren't much to speak of, “Do you think hers are real?”
“They're real,” Molly sighed, “I saw her in her bra once.”
It hurt my feelings to hear them contemplate how great a mystery it was that Oliver could even consider me as an option to love. But that's the way it was with girls like Molly and Peggy. They didn't have any real concept of what people were about. All they saw was where people came from, what people had, and what they could gain from them. Everything sought was for an advantage or to increase their position. They'd been raised in privilege, in giant houses and been driven around in big cars. They'd been born with a sense of entitlement to the best things in life. The world was theirs for the taking. Well, everything but Oliver Dickinson, which made them all bitchcakes because he should have chosen one of them. They were simply better than the filth that was allowed in on scholarship. It was the first time in their lives they'd been denied. And I’d been the one to deny them.
Yes, their attitude was hurtful, but it made it all the more enjoyable to watch them chew on the fact that I had what they never would.
So I let them talk. It's not like I could have stopped them anyway. The rumour mill at Bennington never rested, but unlike the year before I was used to the chatter. I was more interested in overseeing my little sister into a smooth transition. I found out shortly that it was not just me doing it, but Alexander and Oliver as well had set about pointing Lucy out to people and telling them all to give her a hand up. Because of that, Lucy Cotton was being treated just short of royalty by the upperclassmen while she found her place in the social hierarchy of the first years.
I had never seen Lucy interact with people. We were very different indeed. Where I had always been the quiet, studious type, my sister was a chatter hound who dreaded to touch a book. Until I met Oliver and was thrust into the limelight, I had been a wallflower. But not Lucy. No, Lucy was in the middle of it all, in charge and being the boss. She commanded a certain authority without effort, it seemed, and it was not a long time before it became obvious that my little sister no longer needed my assistance at her new school. I was free to look after my own business, except for when she would show up and talk non-stop while I was trying to study.
“I don’t know what the problem is with Michelle,” She followed me into the library, “We used to be friends and now all she does is try to get me into trouble! She’s angry because of Trevor! I don’t even like Trevor! I can’t help it that he likes me! Trevor is just my friend, Silvia! But she goes and tells everyone that I like him and I don’t!”
I tried to listen to her sympathetically, “Lucy, shush. You can’t speak so loudly in here. Missus Cronin is very strict.”
That was true, but the other truth was that I didn’t want to deal with Missus Cronin because she held a grudge against me from the year before. What had happened had not actually had a thing to do with me, but with Oliver and Alexander, who had both gotten detention for having a row that got out of hand in the library. They then spent that extra time collaborating on drawing a very nasty, but hilariously funny depiction of Missus Cronin wearing fur lined boots under her floral dress with a crown on her head and a fur stole. Brandishing a giant pen like a double-sided axe over her head and sporting a murderous snarl, the caption below her read, “Cronin the Librarian”.
Anyone who had seen the film “Conan the Barbarian” laughed until their sides ached. Unfortunately, on his way out of his German class, the drawing fell out of Oliver’s notebook and was retrieved by the professor. It ended up on Headmistress Pennyweather’s desk and she had no choice but to haul the both of them in and set them up with a series of painful detentions where they did things like clean toilets and scrub the floors of the hospital wing. That was not enough punishment for Missus Cronin, who was obviously not impressed with their artistic genius. Since then she not only hated the twins, but me, Lance, Merlyn and Sandra as an extension.
My sister lowered her voice, but she didn’t stop going on about Michelle and Trevor and Alicia and Bonnie and Laurie -- oh how I wanted to tell her to shut up! I did my best to block out her noise while I found the books I needed for a research paper on Chaucer.
“Oh!” She took a step backward and hid behind a shelf, “It’s Brandon Reese!”
“Who?” I looked over to see a tall blonde haired boy walk down our isle and move over to the next.
“Brandon Reese!” She hissed, moving very close to me so that I could hear her, “He’s disgusting. He and his friends are always saying things to girls. Horrible things, Sil.”
“Like what?”
“Like things! Nasty things about their bodies and things! I hate him! He makes me ill!”
“If you get upset every time some disgusting boy says something nasty to you, you’ll find yourself upset quite often,” I told her and bravely walked to the desk with my books to be taken out. I did my best to smile at Missus Cronin. She looked at me as if I were invisible and stamped a date on a card for each book, and then shoved them back at me. I went back to a normal voice as Lucy and I left the library, “He’ll get caught sooner or later and I promise Headmistress Pennyweather won’t tolerate…”
“Hey, Red, are you red all over? Got a fire crotch?”
I stopped dead bang and turned. Two first year boys were sitting on the rail, laughing at the blonde boy from the library.
“Pardon me?” I demanded.
“I asked,” The little sot said bravely, “If your hair is red all over,” He sneered, “Do you have a fire crotch?”
I had it in mind to walk up and thump the little brat in the face when I saw Alexander come over and around the stairwell. In one movement, he swept the two sideways off the rail on to the floor and lifted Brandon by the shirt. He whirled with him and slammed him hard into the stone wall, “Do you know who I am?” He demanded.
Brandon didn’t answer. He just stammered, his legs dangling uselessly, his face white with fear.
“That’s my woman and she’s more beautiful than any troll you’ll ever drag out from under a bridge, so admire her all you want, but keep your filthy gob in your mouth, got it?” Alexander shook the terrified boy again.“And if I ever--EVER,“ He was snarling, “Hear any of you or your foul mouthed friends say another unsavoury word to ANY girl ANYWHERE on the grounds I’ll tear your ugly heads off! Do you understand me?”
Brandon stammered again. No words escaped.
Alexander gave him another good shake, “I asked you if you understood me!”
“Y…yes…”
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, S-s-sir.”
“Tell my girlfriend you’re sorry.”
“S-s-s-“
“Look at her!”
He turned his face toward me. I swear his lips were white. “S-s-sorry, Miss. I’m terribly sorry…”
“Tell her you’re a fuck wit,” Alexander banged Brandon’s head against the wall.
“I’m a fuck wit!” He was practically in tears. “I’m sorry!”
“Will this happen again?”
“N-no, Sir!”
“Good answer!” Alexander started to set the boy on to his feet and then thought better of it. Instead, he picked him up from under his arms and threw him in the direction of his friends, who looked almost as terrified as he did. Brandon hit the concrete with his bottom, but rolled and skidded across it on his belly. He was on his feet before he even stopped. The three of them immediately began to run in the opposite direction.
“Yeah, run!” Alexander muttered. He turned slowly to Lucy and me, ??
?Are you two all right?”
“Yes, thank you, Oliver,” Lucy said. Her eyes were wide like saucers.
Alexander gave her an odd look as if it surprised him that she couldn’t tell the difference between him and his brother, “No worries,” He replied.
I didn’t ask him why he didn’t tell her.
Thinking he was Oliver and not wanting to be a tagalong, Lucy explained that she was going to go and tell her friends what had happened.
“Wow, Alex,” I said after she left, “I’m stunned! You’re my hero! Why did you say you were Oliver?”
“I wanted to scare him more,” He said simply, then gave me a crooked smile, “If I said I was your boyfriend’s brother, who cares, right? No claim to authority. But your boyfriend…well, that just gives me the right to wipe the tile with his greasy little arse.” He glanced in the direction the boys had run, “I think I gave them a good enough scare to stop them. It helps that there’s two of us walking around. They won’t know which is which. We can be in more than one place at a time, really keep them straight.” He shook his jacket straight, “Talking to girls like that! The little dirt bags tick me off.”
We began to walk together, “Thank you.”
Alexander shrugged, “I know just about every girl in this school. Mind I’ve dated most of the older ones. There’s no one like you, Sil. Sometimes I wonder if I’d hit you with that ball if it’d have been me you went for instead. My brother’s the lucky one. But still,” He eyed me head to foot, “You have a bloody fine body. Blimey, it’s hard not to look at the way you bounce and sway-like.” He stopped before he said more, wiped his forehead with his sleeve, and looked straight ahead, still walking, “But you do belong with Oliver and, mind, I’ll not have some little tosser talking about you like you’re an object to covet. You’re not just practically my sister, after all. You’re a lady and you’ll be treated like one if I’ve anything to say about it. Lucy, too.”
I had never known how Alexander felt about me before that, other than he was fond of me. It was quite pleasing to have him compliment my looks, every girl wants to hear that, but best to know where my place was in his heart. After a moment of recovery, I pulled him down by the shoulder and kissed him on the cheek, “I love you, too, Xan,” I told him, “I always wanted a brother and you’re the best one ever!”
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’a
m. 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?”