Welcome to New Haven (33 page)

“I can’t let him get away with that, Hol.
 
Did you ‘ear what he said? Cheeky get.”
 
Em was clearly annoyed with Nick.
 

“I did but I think we’ve had enough for one day Em.
 
Take me home…now.” Holly was getting angry.

As Em pulled away, she looked at Nick who blew her a kiss and winked.
 
He laughed when she returned the gesture with her middle finger.

“What’s up?” Em asked when Holly just glared at her.
 
“What?” she asked again.
 

“I don’t believe you!” Holly said as she rolled her eyes and shook her head.
 

“What have
I
done?”
 
Em asked.
 

“You made a show of me! You carried on attacking Ryan, when I asked you not to and then, you argue with his brother…
in the street
!”
 
Holly scrubbed her face with her hand. She was so pissed off with her sister; she could punch something.
 

“I was sticking up for you!” replied Em.
 

“I
know
that.” Said Holly.
 
“But you went a bit too far, Em.
 
Going off on Ryan, I see your point, but Nick too?
 
He only came to pick him up, and you practically jumped down his throat!”
 

“He started it.” Em sulked.
 

“Oh my God, you’re such a child.” Said Holly.
 

“He called you a ‘pretty little girl’, what was I supposed to do?” Em exclaimed.
 

“I’m seventeen so, compared to him, I
am
a little girl.
 
Also, what does it matter if he called me pretty? Would you rather he called me an ugly bint?”
 

“Well, no, but what he said to me after that…”
 

“Was what made things better for him.” Explained Holly.
 
“He saw how you reacted, at first, and then pushed further.
 
Who do you think Ryan learned his tricks from?”
 

Em let out a long breath.
 

“Ok, so I might have overreacted…a little.”
 

“
A little
?” Holly raised an eyebrow.
 

“Ok…a lot.
 
But it was for you.”
 

“I know and I appreciate it but just…dial it down Em.
 
I’m a big girl now.”
 
Holly said, gently.
 

“I know you are, babe.
 
I don’t have to like it though.”
 

They both looked at each other and started laughing.
 

“Nick’s face was a picture though.” Said Holly.
 

“Yeah it was.” Laughed Em.

H: Hi Dev.
 
Just got home.

Holly sent to Dev.
 
They’d gotten through the front door and waked into the kitchen.

D: RUOK? We were so worried.

H: I’m fine.
 
Just needed to go.

D: Riss said there was drama with Nick?

H: You could say that. I’ll call you later and tell you. X

D: ok. X

Kim was at home and Em had wanted to tell her what had happened.
 

“Don’t you dare!” seethed Holly.
 
“She’ll hunt him down.
 
Just leave it now, Em.
 
He didn’t know, and I should’ve said something or just not gone at all.
 
He was messing around.”
 

“He should’ve still stopped when you told him.” Said Em.
 

“If I wasn’t phobic, it would’ve been funny…” Holly said “…and he was sorry.
 
Did you see his face?
 
Ryan wouldn’t have hurt me.
 
He may be an arse sometimes, but he wouldn’t have done it intentionally.”
 

Em blew out a breath of resignation.
 

“Ok fine. I won’t tell.”
 

“Be nice to Ryan, Em.” Em raised her eyebrows. “I mean it.” Holly warned.
 

“Fine!” Said Em, rolling her eyes.
 

“Wow, sometimes I wonder who’s this bigger sister.” Said Holly.

Em just stuck out her tongue.

“I’m going into the garden.” Holly said as she looked out of the window.
 

“I miss him too.” Em said as she placed her hand on Holly’s cheek.
 

“I know. I’m going to change first.” She didn’t want to get any pollen or soil stains on Alex’s T-shirt.

She could still smell him on it.
 
His scent hitting her nostrils every time she moved.
 
She went up to her room, put her wet clothes into her hamper and took off his shirt.
 
She held it to her face and took a deep breath.
 

“Aww, how sweet.” Said a voice from behind her.
 

Holly spun around.
 

“Em! What the hell?!”
 

“I just came to ask if you wanted a brew, and your door was open.” Em was grinning.
 

“Why not just shout, like you normally do?”
 

“Because,
normally
your door is closed and you don’t hear me.” Em said, her grin somehow getting wider.
 

Holly knew Em was smiling over catching Holly inhaling Alex’s shirt. She wasn’t looking forward to the ribbing and questions that were sure to follow.
 

“Wanna talk about it?” Em said, nodding towards the shirt Holly was still clutching.
 

“Not right now.” Holly said as she threw his shirt on her bed.
 
“I’d love a coffee, please.” She said, hoping Em would leave her room.
 

“Coming up” Em winked before turning and going down to the kitchen.
 

Holly blew out a breath in relief and shut her door.
 
She picked up Alex’s shirt again…and breathed him in.

When the coffee was made, Holly took hers out into the garden.
 

“Hi Daddy.” She said as she sat in the seat next to the rockery she had made for her Dad, James.

His ashes were in an urn, locked in a weatherproof container, underneath the largest rock. He loved being outdoors, and Holly didn’t want to keep his urn tucked away indoors.
 
This way, she could keep her Dad close, and outdoors, surrounded by the things they loved.

Holly always went out to see him when things were getting difficult, and she knew her Dad was watching over her.
 
She could tell him everything.
 

“I’ve had a bit of a bad day today…” she began. “…But then it got better.” She smiled.

Holly laughed and cried as she told her Dad about what had happened at Riss’s pool.
 
Even going so far as being embarrassed and holding her hands to her hot face.
 
When she’d finished, she kissed her fingertips and place them on the name plate, before going back inside.

That night, Holly had called Dev and told her all about the ‘spat’ between Em and Nick.
 
Dev had told her that Alex had been quiet after she’d left.
 
The whole hangout had lost its appeal and about an hour later, everybody went home.
 

“Yeah, it kinda dwindled” Dev said. “Riss felt bad, Alex was pissed and we were all so worried about you. I guess that’s really why you do track at school, huh?”
 

“Yes. Don’t tell anybody though. Can you ask the others to keep it to themselves too?” Holly was scared that the other students would find out, especially Stacey and that they would make fun of her, or worse, try to throw her into the school pool. It was bigger than Riss’ and deeper too.
 

“Oh, God! Nobody will tell.
 
We’ve already said that.” Said Dev.
 

“Phew thanks…Um…Is Alex ok?” Holly asked nervously.
 

“Yeah, but he’s super pissed at Ryan. If you hadn't had told Em to leave him alone, Alex would’ve torn him apart!” Said Dev.
 

“Really?”
 

“Oh…Yeah!” Said Dev, blowing out a breath that said ‘definitely’.
 

“You should’ve seen him, Hol.
 
I’ve never seen him like that before.
I
was actually scared.” Dev chuckled.
 

“Didn’t you see when you came out of the changing room?”
 

“I did.
 
I saw that he was mad, but I didn’t hear what was said.”
 
Holly had seen other things too.

Alex with his hard muscles all tense.
 
The light from the water reflecting off of his washboards abs…”
 

“He gave you his shirt.” Dev said.
 
A statement rather than a question,
 
breaking Holly out of her fog.
 

Holly looked down to her hands.
 
She was holding onto it.
 

“Oh, yeah, I’ll wash it and give it back at school.”
 

“Um…Ok.
 
I thought you might wanna keep it.”
 
Said Dev.
 

“Well I borrowed it, so I need to give it back.
 
Besides, if I kept it, he’d know.” Holly said with a little sadness.
 

She did want to keep it, but then not only would Alex know she had feelings for him, but the others would too.
 

“The way you looked at him earlier…I’d say he has an idea.”

Just great!

Holly groaned.
 

“I still don’t want you to say anything, though, Dev.”
 

“Fine.
 
But why?”
 

Holly knew her nerves couldn’t take it if Alex knew the truth.
 
Firstly, she needed to get over the embarrassment of today and also, she needed to get over the fact that Alex had seen through her T-shirt…to her bra!
 
He’d been a gentleman and covered her up but, of course, he’d noticed it first.
 

“I can’t deal with that right now, Dev.
 
Not after today.”
 

“I understand.” Dev replied.
 
“Ryan was beating himself up over it.”
 

Holly was glad that Dev had misunderstood what she’d meant.
 

“That must’ve been terrifying.
 
We really had no idea.”
 

“I know.”
 
Holly decided to tell Dev about her phobia.
 

She had hydrophobia. A fear of water. Holly’s was the fear of swimming pools and the ocean.
 
She was scared because she couldn’t swim, and she couldn’t swim because she was scared.
 
It had started when she’d fallen into the deep end of a swimming pool, when she was very young and had been scared ever since.
 
Holly told Dev that it had taken a few years, with some coaxing from Em, to get into the shallow end of a pool.
 
As long as she stayed still, and had the side to hold on to, she was fine.
 
Holly was scared of slipping and going under.
 
If the water went past her waist height, then she would panic.
 

“That’s horrible! You poor thing!”
 
said Dev.
 
“No more pool parties.”
 

“Yes there will.” Said Holly. "It’ll just take a bit of time.”

What a day!
Holly thought after she’d finished her conversation with Dev, but she smiled as she remembered Alex coming to her rescue.
 
In just his shorts, his naked torso pressing into her, his strong arms holding her tight…

Chapter 12

Monday morning finally came around, and Alex sat in A.Eng, waiting for Holly to show up.

He was tired. He’d not slept very well since he’d gotten Holly out of the pool, and he just wanted to know that she was Ok. It had killed him not to be able to talk to her, to see how she was.
 
He’d almost called her, even typed out a message to send, but then she’d want to know how he’d gotten her number. He wasn’t about to freak her out any more than she already had been.

As time went by, and Holly didn’t show up; he got a little anxious.
 
He got out his phone and sent a text to Dev.

A: No Holly?

D: Airport with Em.

What the fuck?! Where’s she going? Is she leaving and going back to England?!
 

Alex needed to find out before he had a panic attack of his own.

A: She’s leaving?

D: Em leaves today.
 
Holly’s driving her. :D

A: Oh

D: Panicking much?

A: A little. :/

D: Haha! XD

A: Not funny. :(

Dev was smiling mischievously at Alex, when they went to their next class.
 
Alex scowled.
 

“That wasn’t funny, Dev.” He said seriously.
 

“I wasn’t trying to be.
 
You misunderstood my text.
 
Not my fault.” She grinned.
 

“You could’ve been clearer.”

“I didn’t know she was driving Em. I completely forgot. I only remembered when Holly didn’t show up for homeroom.”
 

That couldn’t have been good.
 
Alex knew that Dev would have been worried when Holly never showed too.
 

“Will she be here for lunch?” He was hopeful that Em’s flight was early enough that she would be back in school.
 

“No.” Said Dev and Alex felt his heart sink.
 
“Em’s getting there for twelve-thirty.
 
By the time Hol gets back, after seeing Em off and traffic…she won’t get home until two-thirty. There’ll be no point in coming in.” Dev explained.