CHAPTER XIII – BUSTER JENKINS REVISITED
On Monday Lily went to her first class for the new term. It was with Professor Bravery. The whole group of second-years were delighted to see Lily Lemonpie. She entered the greenhouse in trepidation, apprehensive of the large community gathered inside. The night before she was welcomed just by Professor Bravery and the Headmaster at the station and they took her directly to the hospital wind where she spent the night. Gloria, the nurse, and Dr. Ottero questioned her in details, took all kinds of measures and did various tests. The doctor pronounced her OK, yet he recommended she spend the night there and join her fellow-students in the morning after breakfast.
Professor Bravery stopped the hail of questions the students had for Lily.
"Come, come! You'll have enough time during breaks. Let's focus on our lesson today." The students were not happy about it and two or three yet tried to talk to Lily. Then the teacher said, "Well, what about your homework assignments? Have you all got them ready for me?"
Classes went in this or similar manner till lunch. Lily was surprised by Violet's startled look. As if Violet was trying to avoid Lily's gaze. She sat next to Erin. Curiously, though, Erin and Simona appeared to be quite busy with some project they had done together. Even though they apologized with it, Lily sensed they were apprehensive of something. Yet, because she had missed so much of the lessons, Lily decided to leave that communication issue till later and focus on the class. And so, the whole morning Lily moved from room to room, and from class to class with other second-years, among which many came to her to ask her various things and to offer condolences and friendship. She never met Buster. She could not meet Violet's eyes, either. Nor for that matter Erin's or Simona's. Wondering what was going on, on her way to the dining room, Lily bumped into Veronica who was hanging in the corridor leading there.
"I am waiting for you, Lily. Welcome back!" Veronica hugged Lily warmly and tightly and held her for some time, not speaking. "I'm so happy to see you again." She pulled Lily back by the shoulders to take a better look at her. "You look great. I mean it. Yes, especially under the circumstances. How are you doing, in fact?" They walked hand in hand, for Veronica refused to let Lily go. "I will walk with you. Don't let go my hand." she said softly.
"So?" Veronica started. "Tell me."
"Why are the girls so strange?"shot Lily directly.
"Aw, the girls." Veronica mulled over her words, apparently not sure how to proceed. She then turned sharply back and called, "Erin, where is Violet?"
Erin shuddered visibly. Lily saw a guilty look in her eyes.
"Erin," said Lily, "what's the matter? Simona, look at me? You have been avoiding me the whole morning. You must tell me." And, since the two girls only became more sullen, and did not say anything, Lily insisted, "You used to be my best friends."
Erin sighed and said, "Buster has been dating Violet for some time."
"What?" Lily stammered. Her face got pale, and she got short of breath. She felt her eyelids grow very heavy. Veronica did not let Lily's hand go and further supported her to lean against the wall. Lily felt "flashed", and she thought she could see many people look at her, in curiosity and disdain. Yet, she dared look around, her eyes groping for an anchor.
Erin and Simona blinked in embarrassment. "Lily, I'm sorry. I didn't know how to tell you." said Erin.
"It was not your piece of news to announce." said Lily quietly. Veronica eyed her worried. "Lily, are you OK?" she asked.
"Just as fine as you'd expect. Under the circumstances." grinned Lily. She smiled to Erin and said, "I don't see why you two behaved like that? You left me very disturbed."
The two girls looked down. Simona finally said, "I guess that was stupid. Yet, we were at a loss."
"How long has it been like that? Were they dating when you sent me that letter?"
"Not really. At least, it was not official. He was still after her." Erin rushed to explain feeling the burden getting off her back. "You have to know, Violet did her best to hold him off. We were all surprised how energetic he was." Here Simona interjected, "Right, he followed her night and day. It was sheer torture."
Lily raised her eyebrows in mock surprise, "Oh, my God! Poor Violet! She was being tortured. So, her best was to yield? Brave, for sure." She felt anger rising in her and noticed the girls' disturbed looks. They were afraid. "Of what?" Lily thought. "Weren't they bold and brazen? What has happened to them?" Then she said, "Girls, if it was YOU, how would you react?"
Simona closed her eyes and almost sobbed, "Lily, stop it, please. It is not our fault. If it had happened to me, I wouldn't have accepted it. Is that what you want to hear? Don't think we're chickens, just because we are standing here like this, trembling with anxiety, apprehensive of your reaction. Of course we are anxious – you lost your parents, you were absent for two months, your boyfriend acts weird and one of your best friends followed suit in that weirdness. What do you expect us to do? We have never expected such complications. We are trying to be as natural as possible, but the truth is we DO care for you and what you think. Last night I, for one, didn't shut an eyelid to worry. Same with Erin here. And you know very well that Erin has issues of her own. So, stop looking at us with such accusation and disappointment! We are sorry that happened. We are sorry about a lot of things. But, then, which one of those things really depended on us?"
Simona was right, and Lily knew it. Still, in her stomach she could feel the gurgle of infuriation. Lily closed her eyes and twisted her hand free of Veronica's. Making fists, she clenched her teeth and shivered. Her three friends just looked on. Now, really – was there anything they could do?
Violet and Buster walked towards them along the corridor. Seeing them, Buster puffed up his chest and put on an arrogant look on his face. Violet, quite the contrary, shrank and Lily thought she would disappear, if she could. "Well, she can't." thought Lily with delight. Of course, Violet could sense people's minds, but that did not worry Lily. Oh, she rather hoped Violet would do her trick on her. Lily, however, was confident Violet would not dare do such a thing.
When they approached, Lily did something surprising to all. "Buster," she said, "my love, you are here. I was expecting a letter from you. I lost my parents, my sister got injured, and I went sick. A letter would have done me a great deal of good then. By the way, I was rather hoping you would welcome me at the station." Lily's eyes were mere slits of coal-fire.
"Oh, yeah? Were you now?" was Buster's cool response. "Why, I was expecting a letter from you, as well. You know, I really wanted to come to the station; I only didn't have any idea you were coming back. At all. Not that I didn't check the post every single day, you know."
Lily froze. The scene froze outside the boundaries of time. Then everybody there heard Lily say, "Well, that must have been a gross disappointment for you." You could see Lily was shattered to pieces. Yet, the courage with which she faced Buster's statement, was amazing.
He said curtly, "It was." And taking Violet firmly by the hand, Buster marched by Lily towards the dining room.