Chapter Four
The rest of the week had been much the same. Mr. Langley decided that three lessons a week was a suitable amount and I wasn't going to dispute it. He'd been slightly less abrasive in our lessons after my outburst, but he hadn't been welcoming and he certainly hadn't apologised.
I didn't let it concern me. He was only my teacher, anyway, and he was a darn good one at that. My entire body was begging for my bed twenty-four-seven, but my satisfaction at knowing I was getting betterâeven if only marginally at this pointâkept me going.
Right now I was welcoming the release of hanging with Liliana and her friends for a while. It was a freezing September morning, so I had no idea why they decided to gather outside, but I'd wrapped up warm; it wasn't that much of a big deal.
Liliana was nice, I'd decided. We chatted plenty before and after the couple of lessonsâthough never during themâand had plenty of things to laugh about. She was somehow down to Earth despite her upbringing and it was a refreshing change.
I had no idea about her friends, though, and that was why I threaded my hands together as I walked towards our meeting place. I didn't want her friends to hate me and for that to put a stop to the budding friendship we had going on.
Just as I was about to leave the cement path to explore edges of the Briarwood's grounds, where Liliana said they'd be, someone stopped me. Amber's boyfriend, though I couldn't for the life of me remember his name, shot me a wide smile as he walked in my direction. He stuck out his hand.
I shook it. Shaking hands with people my own age was a bizarre thing that I wasn't going to get used to any time soon. If I did this to people at my old school they would have laughed in my face.
"I'm Leon."
"Right, that's it. Amber's always talking about you. I'm Carly."
"Yes, I think everyone knows who you are." He chuckled and my cheeks flamed. "Sorry, I didn't mean it in a bad way. Just, you know, it's been different you being here."
"I'm sure there isn't always such hilarious entertainment on hand like this," I deadpanned, crossing my arms.
His laughter died and he ran a hand through the short blonde hair on his head. "I really didn't meant to be a dick about it. I just, I don't know, I'm sorry."
I opened my mouth and shut it again, feeling guilty for a second. "It's fine. I'm a bit uptight about the whole thing." Had Amber sent him out here to try and earn my trust so it could blow up in my face? It seemed plausible.
"Yes, of course," he scratched his chin, though there was no hair there. "Headed anywhere nice? It's a bit chilly for walks, as I've just found out."
"Erm," I hesitated in telling him the truth, for some reason. "Just going to meet a friend."
Leon whistled, firing me a cheeky grin. "In the bushes? That was quick."
"That your assumption because you've just been getting some?" I gave his appearance a one over, even though it was spotless.
Leon snorted. "Meeting someone from ballet?"
"Nah, Liliana. We have maths together." I guessed everyone in the year knew each other.
When his eyebrows raised I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. If Amber's boyfriend had a problem with her then she was probably the perfect friend. "She's been in some trouble before," he offered by way of explanation. My face was far more expressive than the average person's and I had no idea how to reel it in. "I was just thinking of your scholarship, not trying to pass judgement. Anyway, I have to get off. Let me know if you need any help with school stuff. I'm always around."
"Oh, thanks," I followed his figure as it strode off with knitted eyebrows. "Definitely a plan by Amber," I muttered, continuing my way towards where Liliana said she'd be.
Autumn was my favourite season. It had been beautiful in Newcastle, with the odd tree lining the street and orange leaves on the floor, but here was something else entirely. The grounds of Briarwood Academy were extensive, just grass and trees with various statues, buildings and fountains scattered around, and I didn't blame Leon if he really was just strolling around to admire it.
Liliana and her friends were sitting on an old stone wall beside a fountain. The fountain should have been a centrepiece, stood right in front of the school with its impressive three-tiers and cherub, and I had no idea why it was hidden in the corner of the grounds where hardly anyone must be able to see it.
Liliana budged up and patted the seat between her and a guy. The fact she only had two friends with her calmed my nerves. I'd been ready for a large group that would have been far too intimidating. "This is Carly," she introduced with a smile. "Dean and Callum." She pointed to them in turn. When I looked properly, I realised they were identical twins. If it weren't for the different haircuts I'd have been in a world of hurt.
I was also grateful they didn't feel the need to shake my hand.
"So," Dean began, his Scottish accent a welcome relief. "When's your birthday?"
"Not until the end of November."
"Thank God," Callum drawled, taking his cigarette out of his mouth to speak. The smoke was almost a comforting smell. I didn't smoke myself, but my friends at home were all chimneys. "We all have birthdays after Christmas and the first semester parties are always severely lacking. Welcome to the crew."
Liliana chuckled. "We're loners most of the time, but none of us are impartial to a good party every now and then. People always talk to us when I explain that I can smuggle us beer in, anyway."
I held my knees to my chest to keep the warmth in and grinned. A party. Now that was something I could get behind. Even if I wasn't eighteen yet, house parties had been a regular occurrence and we'd always had someone to buy the vodka for us. Getting drunk made everything far easier and it was exactly what I wanted for my birthday. "Sounds good to me."
"It's a shame we're so far out in the middle of nowhere, really," Dean lamented. "Our birthdays are last and we wanted to go clubbing, but there aren't any within a forty-five minute radius."
"It's not all it's cracked up to be," I assured him. "You're more likely to get punched than anything else. Well," I backtracked. "This is Newcastle I'm talking about. Your little country-style club that's near here might not be quite so violent."
Liliana raised an eyebrow. "You've been out?"
"There was a club for a while that didn't check anyone's IDs. We used to go when I was sixteen, it was pretty funny. Honestly, house parties are better though. Or, dorm room parties, or whatever."
"Huh, interesting. But yeah, they might be a bit more docile around here. Oh, guys, did you see that article in The Times today?"
"Nah, I didn't," Callum flicked his cigarette onto the ground. Dean shook his head in concurrence.
"There has been another oil spill in the Atlantic." The way Liliana's face transformed was a little bit scary. Her jaw tightened and with her narrow face it made her cheeks look hollow. I was certainly glad I hadn't caused another oil spill. "All those poor animals."
"Disgusting," Callum agreed, taking a swig of his bottle of water then spitting on the ground. He really didn't strike me as the kind of person that Liliana would be friends with, or would even be at this school. "I just wish someone would do something about it."
"Where's the company based?"
"America."
"Hm, another fine that they'll end up not paying, then," Callum shook his head and pulled out another smoke. "Did the forums say anything?"
"Just the usual stuff," Liliana lamented.
"Just a load of circlejerking that's never going to come true, I guess." Callum was tapping his foot in an aggravated manner. "Not that we're much better."
"Some of them have actually have the resources to sort this shit out, though," Dean intervened, running an angry hand through his hair. The twins must have been in the opposite politics class to me, because they were obviously just as invested in it as Liliana. "We're just students. They're people with jobs and power."
Liliana was listening with a large scowl, her mouth twitching in irritation every few seconds. "It all just makes me so angry."
I was completely out of place when it came to this kind of discussion. I was easily swayed when it came to politicsâtheir arguments sounded perfectly reasonable to me now, but if someone with the opposing view attempted to sway me I'd probably not take much convincing. I just didn't know enough about the subject or care enough to form a solid opinion and stick it.
Instead, I nodded along and hoped the majority of their conversations weren't all about this kind of thing. I was a typical teenager who preferred gossip.
"I guess we can start another petition," Dean suggested. "Not that it'll do much good. And I'll give a good chunk to the charities involved in clean up."
"Hah, good for you. I can't think of an excuse for my parents to give me enough money to make a difference."
"Your parents are against you giving to charity?" I asked with a raised brow. If she wanted to give extortionate amounts I supposed I could understand it, but when you were paying ten grand a year to send your daughter to school what even qualified as extortionate?
Liliana scoffed. "I hope you never have to meet my parents. They own a chemical plant giving off all the pollution in the world. Surprisingly enough, they don't support my efforts to donate to green charities."
"Oh, right. That sucks." They couldn't have the most stellar of relationships, then.
"Yes, it definitely does. As soon as I'm financially independent I'm turning my back on them and never coming back. They are the first people I'll be looking to shut down."
That was perhaps a bit too personal for me to get involved in when I'd only known Liliana less than a week, and I wracked my brains for something non-committal but satisfying to say. "Yeah," was what I settled on. I might have been good with the snark when it was me controlling the situation, but I was positively rubbish at dealing with awkwardness.
"Anyway," Liliana took a deep breath and forced out a smile. "Onto some refreshing gossip. What have you two got for me? I need something to laugh at so I don't burst a vein."
The conversation was much more smooth sailing after that. I didn't even know half the people they talked about, but it was nice to just sit back and take in the funny stories. When I reciprocated with some of my tales of the Toon, we were dissolved into giggles in no time.
I was sure Liliana was horrified by the way I'd lived before coming to Briarwood.
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