Inevitable (3 page)

Christ Almighty, I think I
stopped breathing.

“
There you are. Blaine, this is Maddie!” Treacle enthused
with more eagerness than a Labrador puppy, making me blush like an
idiot. Blaine shrugged his broad shoulders and shot me a death
glare which dove into my heart like a defibrillator. I immediately
whipped my eyes away, embarrassed and certain I’d offended him with
my pathetic ogling.

At
that moment in time, I wanted to die.

“
And this is my old friend Annie.” Again Blaine shrugged and
made some kind of grunting noise.

“
I’m going to get changed,” he muttered, his voice husky and
compelling. Then he turned and left without waiting for a
response.

Dinner
was good. A little pretentious perhaps, with too many blades of
green crap sprinkled on it but it tasted nice – although it was no
Big Mac and fries. Turned out Clarabella was the Elwood’s housemaid
who came round for four hours a day to tend the house and cook
meals. Here was me thinking slavery was illegal. I mean seriously,
how could you let someone else wash your dirty knickers?

Blaine
never joined us again and I wondered if that was the reason behind
his father’s silence and stern expression. Blaine was the only
person I would know in a school full of rich kids and he was an
arrogant arsehole who quite obviously hated me.

Fantastic.

“
It was so good to see you, Annie. I’m so happy
you’re
both
sticking around.” Treacle wrapped herself around my mum who
stiffened at her touch. This whole reunion seemed so overwhelming
for her and I was eager to get her home before she cracked and made
a holy show of herself.

“
And, Maddie
… I can’t believe how grown up you are,” she said whilst
pulling me in for yet another over familiar embrace, and I swear I
heard her sniff my hair.
Weirdo.
“Blaine will pick you up for school in the
morning.”

No way.

“
No really, I can make my own way.”

“
Nonsense. We insist. It will be good to know somebody on your
first day.”

Even someone
who hates the sight of me?

“
Thanks,” I
said reluctantly.

“
Well, thanks for dinner, Trudy. It was fu- really amazing.”
My mum’s cheeks flushed redder than her lipstick when she almost
lowered the tone. I was sure I caught the back end of Mitch’s eyes
rolling as he looked at her like she was a lump of dog shit. Who
the fuck did the jumped-up bastard think he was? I glowered at him,
knowing he wasn’t looking my way. So he’d thrown some cash and a
few manicures his wife’s way and that made her better than my
mum?

Climbing into a taxi after my mum politely declined Mitch’s
offer to drive us
– or rather
Treacle’s
offer for Mitch to drive us - I flopped my head back
against the seat and exhaled for what seemed like the first time in
hours.

I want to go h
ome.

Blaine

‘
W
hat
the actual fuck?’ That’s what I thought when I saw Trudy’s friend
sitting at our dining table. She’d got to be nearing forty years
old and the woman had purple hair for Christ’s sake! Not to mention
the black dress which rode up so high I caught a glimpse of her
bright red panties. I swear it took all my inner strength not to
retch.

As for the daughter… she just stared at me like I had two
fucking heads. There’s no denying she’s a little cutie though. A
few loose brown curls framed her tiny face, resting
j
ust above
her plump little lips – the rest was pulled up into a bun. Her skin
was as pale as cream except on her cheeks which pinked when she saw
me. She had big brown eyes which looked odd intriguing – familiar
even. And the fact she was braless, teasing the world with a peek
of her perky little tits, didn’t go unnoticed either.

I didn’t hear her speak. She seemed nervous, innocent. But
they’re the one’s you can have the most fun with. I
bet
ted she
was a right dirty bitch underneath that shy smile.

Now I’d
been landed with being her personal chaperone. Like I
didn’t have better things to do with my time. She’d never fit in
with the girls at school. At least not if she turned up in that
yellow dress which looked like Walmart spewed all over it. Don’t
get me wrong that shit means nothing to me – in fact the way it
showed off those long milky legs of hers, I thought it looked
pretty hot – but those rich bitches at school know a designer when
they see one and they expect nothing less.

After
downing two espressos I threw on a black button-down shirt over my
blue jeans, grabbed the keys for my yellow Lambo and set off to
pick up the charity case. I’d overheard my dad and Trudy discussing
her tuition fees. What the hell was all that about? I’d never even
heard of this friend of Trudy’s three weeks ago and now my dad was
covering the cost of her daughter’s schooling! I had to tell myself
it was none of my business before I got seriously pissed and
punched something.

“
I’m sorry, baby,” I whispered
into my dash as I pulled up outside the
rusty trailer. My wheels shouldn’t have to suffer such humiliation.
I mean, what if it’d been seen by a fellow Lambo? How would it ever
look it in the headlamps again?

I beeped
my horn. She could fuck off if she thought I was getting out and
leaving my baby unattended round here. I saw the old-lady flowery
curtains twitch and then almost immediately she appeared at the
front door. She turned and called something into the house and then
flashed a hint of a smile when she neared my car. I fought against
the urge to roll my eyes, and smiled back. She was going to get
enough shit today wearing that dusky pink turtleneck in this heat
without me acting like a dick.

“
Hi,” she
practically whispered.

“
Hey.”

Desperate to get my car out of that shit hole I rammed my
foot hard onto the gas and sped off before she’d even fixed her
seatbelt. When I hit the main road she was staring at me. I could
feel her eyes boring into me like a laser.

“
See something you like?” I asked, intentionally trying to make
her feel uncomfortable because I was an ass like that.

“
Sorry. I was just surprised when my mum said I would be in
your year. You look a lot older than seventeen,” she replied,
seeming completely unfazed by the fact I’d caught her ogling
me.

“
It’s the fluff,” I replied, stroking the thick stubble on my
chin. It wasn’t the first time I’d been told how much it aged me.
I’d been shaving since I was twelve. Got me a lot of stick from the
boys at school at the time but I figured they were just jealous.
The girls love it – always have. Why would they want some puny
spotty kid when they could have a guy with full-on beard growing
potential and who’d been working out since he was eight years
old?

I
stole a glance Maddie’s way and she was staring longingly
out of the window, fidgeting with the hem of her sweater. She
looked lost and it set off an unfamiliar flutter in my
heart.

“
You nervous?” It would’ve been rude not to ask.

“
A little,” she replied coyly and I caught sight of her
cheeks turn a delectable shade of baby-pink. “I suppose I’ve just
got no idea what to expect,” she added in the sweetest most
fucked-up accent I’d ever heard.

“
What, did you not go to school back home?”
I asked
sarcastically, expecting – and sadistically kind of hoping – that
she’d blush.

“
You always such an arsehole?” she snapped. I think I seriously
felt the stirrings of an erection coming on. She was feisty. I
liked it.

“
Pretty much,” I answered. “So? Did you or didn’t you?” I was
genuinely interested at that point.

“
Yeah but it’s not like here. For a start I left when I was
fifteen. I started college but we moved around a lot so ended up
quitting. I’ve only agreed to go back into education for my mum’s
sake. This is our fresh start. I think she plans on me taking over
the world or something.”

Fresh start?
I started to wonder what she’d moved away from. Bizarrely
the thought of her having a hard time made my insides feel all
funny.
Weird.

“
Plus, this country… it’s all so different. I’ve read
through the prospectus Treacle sent me…”

“
Who
?”
I interrupted. That time she
did
blush and her face contorted into an expression which
screamed ‘oh shit’.

“
Oh, um… Trudy. I meant Trudy.” She bit her bottom lip as if
she was striving to find the next part of that sentence. “It’s just
a nickname my mum used to call her. Don’t tell her though… she
hates it.”

“
Don’t tell her what?”

“
Thanks,” she said, sighing as if she had just gotten away
with something. She… fascinated me.
Strange.

“
So… the prospectus?”

“
Right, well,
I don’t understand half of it. I mean, what the hell is
calculus?”

I
couldn’t help but laugh at her. She really had no idea what she was
doing.

“
Don’t worry, I got your back.
I’ll talk you through anything you don’t
understand.”

Shit, did I really just say that out loud?
Why did I give a
crap? “I’ll walk you to the main office to get your schedule… see
what classes we’ve got together.” There I went again. Ridiculous
words were just tumbling from my mouth without my
consent.

“
Thanks,” she said
and her cheeks burned into a vivid shade of red. I
pictured myself kissing them and feeling the warmth against my
lips.
What
the fuck?
I
shook my head and flipped my eyes back to the road.

“
Blaine?” she asked nervously. I swear the sound of my name on
her lips made my dick twitch.

“
Yeah?”

“
I actually thought y
ou kind of hated me,” she admitted and what I
thought was guilt coursed through my veins. Of course she did. I
behaved like an ass yesterday. Then again, I behave like an ass
every day.

“
I don’t know you well enough to hate you,” I said, cutting
the engine. She giggled but it was forced, nervous – a smile didn’t
reach her peachy lips. “
Lips”!
I screamed inside my head. ‘Lips’ would suffice…
there was no need for the peachy.

I step
ped out of the car and she followed, loitering nervously by
the passenger door. With ten minutes to kill before the first bell
I pulled out my smokes. I tipped the packet towards her, she looked
like she needed one, but it didn’t surprise me one bit when she
shook her head. I felt her eyes on me as I flipped my lighter then
I inhaled the calming nicotine slowly and angled my head to the
side to stop it blowing in her pretty little face.
Face! Just
face!

Sensing
her tension, I smoked less than half of my cigarette before
flicking it to the ground.

“
Come on, lish. Let’s get you inside.”

Maddie

Lish?
What the hell did that mean? He didn’t sound mad so I took
it as a term of endearment. The Blaine standing next to me today
was like a completely different boy from the ignorant arse at his
house yesterday. Maybe he didn’t hate me after all. And like he
said, he didn’t know me so why should he? I decided to put
yesterday down to a bad day on his part. We all had them - I knew
that better than anyone.

I
followed him towards the intimidating building. The school was
ginormous - light-brown bricks and beautifully manicured lawns
surrounded every side of me. I eyed up my fellow students and I
felt a ferocious fire ignite in my cheeks when I saw huddles of
perfect girls – all immaculately pruned and wearing designer
dresses – and equally stunning crowds of boys. Turned out Blaine’s
unnatural gorgeousness wasn’t a one off – I’d just walked onto the
set of High School Musical.

Keeping my head down and my fingers twisted tightly around
the strap of my purple rucksack, I follow
ed the trail of Blaine’s white
trainers.

“
Blaine!” a girl squealed
, sending a shooting pain through my
eardrum. I looked up and noticed a girl in a short white dress
swishing her blonde ponytail from side to side and letting her
tongue drape from her mouth. Okay, so I couldn’t actually see her
tongue but she was clearly drooling over Blaine.

“
Laila,” he acknowledged. He seemed
irritated with her and I had no idea
why that seemed to please me.

“
You’re coming to Wayne’s party a week Saturday,
right?”

“
Probably,” he answered
flatly.