I grabbed his arm and whirled him around to face me. I had the material of his shirt twisted between my fingers. He looked down in shock and then back up at me.
“Yes you do John. Things are going to be different around here from now on. So why don’t you stop by being a cowardly bully for once in your life and tell me what I’ve done that was so bad you’ve made it your life’s work to make me feel worthless?”
We stared at each other for a while. I gritted my teeth together.
“Because you’re a constant reminder of him,” he barked, pushing my hand away. I hadn’t expected his answer. “I-you- what? You mean my real Dad?” “Yeah.” I shook my head. “You are kidding me right? You’ve got an alpha complex over my dead father?” He looked away from my intense gaze. “You don’t understand.”
“No I don’t. Mum is married to you. She has been for over sixteen years. How in the hell can you be jealous of a man she’s barely spoken about for all that time — it’s beyond pathetic!”
John stared past me out of the window. “She does talk about him. Every single night.”
I felt my mouth open. “What?”
Tears had formed in John’s eyes. “All I hear when she sleeps is the sound of her sobbing her heart out and repeating his name over and over. Like not having him rips her apart from the insides. She’s never mentioned it. Not once. I don’t think she remembers. I’ve lived with that for sixteen years. So don’t you dare tell me not to be jealous! Not when I’m reminded every bloody night that I can never be the man to her that he was.”
I didn’t know what to say. My mouth kept trying to form syllables, but then they slipped away. It all made sense now. After a minute I managed to ask, “b-but why haven’t you left her then?” “Because she’s everything to me.” He gingerly placed a hand on my arm, as if unsure that the movement would work. “I’m sorry Alex, I know you don’t deserve it. You’re a good kid. I…it’s just hard.” My head was spinning. “John- I’m sorry. I had no idea…”
He shook his head. “There’s nothing to say. Listen, I’ll try and go easier on you. But you have to promise me that you’ll keep this between us.” I stared dumbly at him. “Promise me.” I nodded my head.
“Good.” He wiped his eyes and then clapped me on the shoulder. “Smile, you’ve going to a ball with a super-hot date.” With that, he walked out of the lounge. “Elaine… hun, can you remember what the Sky pin is for the box office films?”
The doorbell rang. I looked out of the window. Agent Green was standing on the doorway, hopping from foot to foot as if it would help him avoid the rain which was falling in rods. A sleek stretch limo was purring just at the end of the driveway.
I shook away the million thoughts buzzing through my head and put on my game face. I found mum and kissed her on the cheek. John gave me a nod from the kitchen doorway. Shouting goodbye to Mikey, I grabbed the small box off the sideboard and popped it in my inside jacket pocket. I felt the other side to make sure Dad’s picture was there, then answered the door. Agent Green opened an umbrella and held it above my head. As the door closed I heard my mother shout ‘be sensible’. I rolled my eyes and headed for the limo.
We pulled up outside the front door to the Warren. Agent Green opened my door and handed me the umbrella. I took it and headed for the front door. Inside the lobby, I waited at the foot of the grand stairs. For some reason I felt nervous. I could feel my heart thrumming away in my chest. Iralia walked around the corner. A gash on the side of her face — a wound she’d received in the battle, was slowly healing.
“Why don’t you look dashing,” she smiled. “If you and Gabriella ever split, you know where to find me.”
I laughed. She gave a mischievous wink and headed up the stairs. “I’ll let her know you’re here.”
A minute or so later, Gabriella appeared at the top of the stairs. My jaw almost hit the floor. She looked breathtaking. Her hair was piled onto her head, held in place with jewelled pins. Long earrings sparkled in the light. She was wearing a black silk dress, which gathered at the knees and then flared out at the bottom. The dress was cut low, exposing her slender neckline. A matching clutch bag lay nestled between her arm and side. I swallowed hard, marvelling at her as she glided down the steps.
“You look- you…wow,” I stammered.
Gabriella laughed. “You look very handsome too.” She pulled me towards her and we shared a gentle kiss. I always loved it that afterwards, when I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the deep blue of hers. It was a sight I prayed I’d see every day for the rest of my life.
“I have something for you,” I said, pulling open my jacket and removing the small box.
“Oh, you shouldn’t have.” She used the tone that I’d seen in lots of movies. Where the girl says you shouldn’t have, but what they actually mean is, they’re glad you did. “Well, I needed to do something with all that extra money that keeps appearing in my bank account,” I teased. She opened the box, and gasped. The diamond studded pendant necklace winked at us from its lining. “Oh Alex, it’s…beautiful.” I looked up and saw that tears had formed in her eyes.
“You like it then?” I said, feeling myself grow a little embarrassed. “I went to loads of different shops. As soon as I saw this one, it just felt right, you know?”
“It’s perfect,” she smiled. Removing the necklace from its box, she gestured it towards me. “Could you?”
I took the pendant and stepped behind her. Slipped it around her neck and fastened the clasp at the back.
“Let’s see then.”
Gabriella twirled around and a felt a rush of emotion. It was perfect. Like it had been made just for her. “It looks incredible,” I said truthfully. Gabriella’s face lit up and she squealed, ploughing me with kisses. “Shall we go then?” “Definitely.”
As we made our way into the Hub, I saw Tim standing with Lucy Healy — one of the girls who’d insulted me all those weeks ago in the lunch queue. They were having their photo taken by a professional photographer. Tim noticed us and waved us over. I could see Lucy shrink the closer we got. Tim gave me a high five.
“Alex, wow it feels like forever since I’ve seen you. Looking good mate. And Gabriella, wow you look…wow.” He received an unsubtle elbow in the ribs from his date. “Oh yeah and you know Lucy right?’ he said gesturing towards her. “Yeah I do. Hi Lucy.” “Hi Alex, you look…handsome.” “Thanks.” “I love your dress,” added Gabriella with a genuine smile.
“It’s nothing compared to yours. It’s so stunning,” Lucy said with an awkward one. She turned to Tim. “Can we go in now? I need to get a drink.”
“Oh right- err ok,” Tim nodded, his mass of hair flopping about. “See you in there guys. Come find me in a bit Alex, we need to have a catch up.”
“Sure thing.”
The two walked off and entered into the main hall, where most of the party was taking place.
As soon as we opened the double doors, we were hit by Christmas. The whole room had been transformed into a winter wonderland. The usual wooden floor had been covered with a soft snow like substance. A machine mounted on the ceiling puffed out artificial snow in a gentle stream. The walls were covered in fairy lights, which flashed in a kaleidoscope of colours. A huge Christmas tree had been erected in the corner. Little red and blue orbs hung on its branches and even more fairy lights looped their way around it. A golden star was perched precariously on the top. A makeshift bar had been set up at the far end. Three barmen dressed as elves were serving eggnog and mulled wine to students with ID. Next to it was a cooking booth. The Chef- a man large and hairy enough to actually be Santa himself was serving fried chestnuts as well as the more common hotdogs and hamburgers. In a booth on the stage, DJ Clawz had his head buried in his decks. Music pumped out of speakers mounted on poles at each end of the raised platform.