Generation Next (9 page)

“He's an idiot, my little brother,” Fran said, as if she'd read my mind. Then she stalked off to answer the door again, leaving Austin and me to our own devices.

I turned to Austin.

“I thought you said we were invited. That was mortifying.”

“Who cares,” he said. “You heard Fran, the guy's an idiot. Let's just get a drink and enjoy ourselves, shall we?”

He dropped the bag he was carrying at his feet and fished around in it, eventually pulling out a bottle. I glanced down at what he was holding and then looked back at him, appalled.

“Baileys. You've got to be kidding me, bloody
Baileys
? You stole the bottle of Baileys Irish Cream my mum had last Christmas? Like we can walk around drinking that. We're not a couple of sixty-year-old librarians, mate.”

“Well . . . I just grabbed the first things that came to hand. They had the dimmer switch down in the living room, didn't they?”

I wondered in that moment whether I was ever going to be cool in any given situation. It certainly didn't feel
like it. Just then, Austin produced another bottle from the bag.

“I got this one as well. Cider. Better than nothing, right?”

“Yeah, cider's OK, I guess,” I told him. “Let's go get a couple of glasses from the pool house and then circulate. It's time to party, Austin. Time to party.”

A couple of hours in and things were pretty sweet. It was one of those warm spring nights that makes you feel like summer has already begun. We'd managed a couple of laps of the event, not really spoken to anyone, but spotted some people who looked like they might be a good laugh had we spoken to them, plus a few hot girls who we decided we might come back to later if the mood took us. I have to be honest, nobody looked like they might be interested in hearing about a fantastic new website and video channel, but then again the night was still young. Typically, we'd found Sai and Ava sitting far from the action, way behind the pool in a quiet part of the garden under a tree. They were hanging out with a long-haired kid I recognized from school who was strumming a bright blue acoustic guitar and singing something that sounded a bit subdued compared to the rousing dance tracks the DJ was spinning. I noticed he had a pretty good voice, though, and the lyrics to his song, “One Moment,” were actually very cool. Ava was watching him in awe.

“This is Cooper,” she said. “He goes to our school. Have you guys met?”

I shook my head. I'd never spoken to him, just seen him around school a few times: usually on his own, just him and a guitar case. I sat down with them and Ava offered me a sip of her beer, then offered it to Sai, who put his hand out and shook his head.

“I don't do that,” he said. “Religious reasons.”

“Yeah, well if you're that religious, you wanna learn to clear your internet browsing history, mate,” Austin said, which brought laughter to the group and even caused a brief giggle from Cooper in the midst of his angst-ridden ballad.

“So do you fancy yourself as a bit of a singer, Ava?” I asked.

“Not me,” she said. “I appreciate music, but it's not my thing. Cooper's amazing, though. He's going to the Royal Academy of Music next year, right, Coop?”

Cooper nodded. “I hope so,” he said, putting his guitar down.

“So when did you two lovebirds get together?” Austin asked. “Is this a first date we're interrupting?”

Everyone sniggered and then Sai said, “You have to be kidding, right?”

Austin looked at me and shrugged.

“What am I missing?” he said.

“We met at the LGBT student mix and mingle at the start of term,” Ava said.

“Yeah, and?”

“We were
both
there,” Cooper went on.

Austin screwed up his forehead and I wondered if he had a clue what they were talking about. Austin was really smart but sometimes he could be really slow, if you know what I mean.

“Sorry, you lost me,” he said, confirming my speculation.

“He's gay, dude,” I said, then I looked at Ava in surprise. “And you too?”

A smile spread across her face.

“It looks that way, yeah,” she said.

Austin looked mortified.

“What the . . . ? You mean you're a lesbian and you didn't even think to tell me? I thought we were mates.”

“I'm sorry, I needed to sort it out in my own head before I told anyone. I was just waiting for the right moment,” Ava said.

“Oh, and sitting under a tree with Sam Smith here, strumming his guitar, was the right moment, was it?”

I wondered for a split second if Austin might have had a bit of a thing for Ava that he hadn't told me about, but then he started to laugh.

“You're a complete head case, Ava,” he said. “But of course it doesn't matter to me who you fancy.”

“Or me,” I said.

“Well thanks very much, boys,” Ava said. “Now, shall we go join all those rich idiots at the party? I feel like dancing.”

For a while, Sai and me stood watching Austin, Cooper and Ava strut their stuff on the patio, making total fools of themselves as far as I was concerned, but then my eyes began to wander around the rest of the guests at the party. There were people dancing wildly in their swim gear, still wet from the pool, and others who had paired off and were wrapped around one another, kissing. Over in a far corner I spotted Hunter, swigging from a bottle of Bud. His face was lit by the flicker of a lantern, which made him look mysterious and slightly sinister, it has to be said. He was smiling but looked a bit lost somehow, and I wondered if, deep down, he knew all the kids at the party were just there because he had shedloads of dough and a lifestyle so many of them aspired to. Surely that was the only reason he was one of the elusive populars, right?

Seconds later, I was startled by the sight of someone else moving through the crowd. It was Ella. My heart literally somersaulted at the sight of her. Yes. Yes.
Now
we were talking. Now the evening was going to pick up. I looked around to see Sai's dark eyes burning at me, his mouth half open as if he had something important to say.

“What's up, Sai?”

“You really like her, don't you?” he said.

“Who?”

“Taylor Swift . . . Who do you think I mean? Ella,” he laughed.

“Oh, is she here?” I said, with as much innocence as I could muster.

“Don't give me that, man, you were practically foaming at the mouth when she crossed that patio,” Sai said.

I began to laugh and then told him that I was going to get one quick drink before going over to speak to her. Dutch courage.

“Just be cool,” he said, “and be careful.”

That struck me as weird at the time, but I brushed it off.

“I'm Mr. Careful,” I told him. “I'm Professor Careful.”

For a while I lost sight of Ella, so I scanned the party for the unmistakable blue dress I'd seen her float past in, my eyes darting around the crowd. She was nowhere to be found and for a few minutes I lost hope—maybe she'd been on her way out when I saw her. Then in the distance I spotted a blue and gold smudge blurred by disco lights and I knew it was her. I took a deep breath and pushed through the crowd, which seemed to be getting bigger as the night went on, crossing the patio where most of the revelers were dancing, weaving in and out of sweaty arms and wet clothes and trying not to spill my drink. Finally, Ella spotted me and flashed a massive smile. Result. She was pleased I was there; in fact she looked very happy indeed.

“I had no idea you were coming, Jack,” she said as I reached her.

She was leaning against one of the white Roman-style pillars that flanked one side of the pool and she looked like a total goddess.

“Well I haven't really seen you much to tell you, have I?” I was trying not to sound resentful. “I thought you might have been abducted by aliens.”

She looked down at the floor, slightly embarrassed.

“I know, I know,” she said. “I have been a bit distracted the last couple of weeks and I apologize for that. Trust me, though, I'm so into GenNext and I'll be back on form from next week, ready for the launch.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely! Now give me a sip of your drink, Jack Penman,” she said. “What is it, anyway?”

“I'm not actually sure,” I warned her. “It came out of a big bowl and it's a funny brown color, but it tastes nice enough.”

Ella sipped from my glass, then licked her lips and smiled. I didn't know if it was the alcohol I'd had earlier, but I definitely felt light-headed.

“Sweet,” she said.

“What?”

“Very sweet,” she whispered, her lips almost brushing my ear.

“I . . . I . . .”

“The drink, I mean,” Ella said. Then she threw her head back in a laugh, just as Ava, Sai and Austin rocked up behind me, being annoyingly lairy. This was
obviously not the right time, but the evil look I gave the three of them clearly hadn't conveyed that, because they stayed put right where they were.

For the next hour or so, the five of us hung out on the patio, watching the chef-in-Speedos flip burgers and somehow manage to skillfully avoid the hot cooking oil spitting or spilling over any delicate areas. We laughed, we danced a bit and we all got slightly tipsy. Then there was the moment when I decided it was now or never. I mean, how much longer could I leave it before I made my move and told Ella how I felt? What was stopping me? That was an easy one: it was the thought of her knocking me back or telling me she wanted to be “just mates.” Still, if I didn't have the courage to do it then, after a couple of drinks, when the hell would I? I walked over toward Sai, who was doing his best to hit the top notes of Sia's “Chandelier,” which was blaring out of a giant speaker to our left.

“I'm going in,” I said.

“What?” He stopped singing. “Going in where?”

“Ella,” I said. “I'm going to ask her out, or kiss her or something. I haven't quite worked it out yet, but I've got to take action.”

Sai looked slightly anxious, panicky even.

“Mate, there's something I've been meaning to tell—”

“Can you just hang on a minute, Sai. I need to think.”

I took a slug of whatever it was in the glass I was holding, then spun around to face Ella, who was standing
about ten feet away from me, her eyes closed, swaying to the music. God, she looked amazing: lightly tanned skin, soft lips, the gold of her hair floating around her bare shoulders . . . but hang on a minute, what was this? Suddenly an arm slid around her waist from behind, then another arm, coming out of the night like a snake, wrapping itself around her body, the glint of a gold watch caught in the pulsing lights—a guy's watch. What? Ella's head tilted back, and she smiled as the face behind her emerged from the darkness, just about visible as their mouths moved closer together.

I didn't notice that I'd let go of the glass I'd been holding until I heard it smash on the floor at my feet. Everyone turned to look at me as I tried to get a grip on exactly what I was seeing, and then it hit me. Like some Stephen Spielberg push-pull camera effect, everything came suddenly and terribly into focus. Ella was in the throes of a deeply passionate kiss . . . with Hunter.

“I was going to tell you, mate,” Sai said. “I even tried to up on the roof the other day. I wasn't sure, though, you know what I mean?”

I was sitting on what seemed to be a large inflatable dice, a few feet away from the pool. The music, which had sounded so amazing an hour ago, now sounded like a muffled banging in my head, the buzz of the bass distorted and ugly. Ava, Sai and Austin were standing around me looking suitably sympathetic and my head was still spinning, although I wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or the shock that was making it happen.

“Tell me what, Sai?” I snapped at him. “How the hell did you know that was going to happen? How could you have . . . Wait, no. Don't tell me this is an ongoing thing. That was a one-off, right? She's not actually . . .”

“Their parents have known one another for years,” Sai said. “They've been on family holidays together and
they're always at one another's houses. I went to the same primary school, so . . .”

“They were like childhood sweethearts or something equally revolting,” Ava said softly. “Then since Ella came back from Hong Kong it's been this sort of on-and-off type of thing, but I had no idea it was back on. I mean, we've become pretty good mates but she never said a word to me.”

“It's only been back on over the last couple of weeks,” Sai said sheepishly. “I only know because Hunter owed me money for some coursework I'd done for him and when I went round to collect it, Ella was there. It was kind of obvious. I should have said something, Jack, but I didn't know what to do for the best. I hoped it might go away, you know?”

Ah, the last couple of weeks. Of course. That explained pretty much everything as far as I was concerned.

“Well I wish you
had
said something, Sai,” I said. “I feel like such an idiot.”

“To be honest, I totally thought it was all in the past, so why bring it up?” Austin said. “I thought you might freak out if you knew. I'm sorry, mate.”

“Yeah, it's not like they've been all loved-up at school or anything,” Sai added. “They sort of keep it under the radar. I mean, I've got no idea if they've had sex or done anything or—”

I stood up quickly and put my hands up; I really didn't want to hear any more.

“You know what, guys, I think I just want to hang out on my own for a while.”

Austin put his hand on my shoulder.

“Come on, mate, don't be a drama queen. It's a party.”

I glared at him like I might kill him, and he nodded as he clocked that I really meant it before turning around to face Ava and Sai.

“Let's go, guys,” he said. “This party's had it.”

Finally alone, I sat back down on the giant dice. I've no idea know how long I stayed there, but the party began to disintegrate around me, with more and more people either leaving or falling down on the soft grass, unable to stand the pace any longer. The pounding house music set had gradually morphed into a blissed-out break beat selection, softer and easier on the ears at whatever time of the morning it was. There were several people still floating around in the pool on inflatables and a fair few couples kissing in dark corners or on the sunloungers scattered around the patio. I wondered where Ella and Hunter might have gone, and then a picture of them climbing that fantastic staircase in search of an empty bedroom flashed violently through my mind, making me cringe and shake my head to banish the thought. I wondered if she'd seen my look of horror as she locked lips with that idiot, or whether she was too wrapped up in what she was doing to even care what I thought. I didn't know, and right then I didn't care. And yeah, I know I sound like I was wallowing in self-pity and milking the
drama, but come on! Think about how you'd feel in my shoes. It wasn't pretty in my head, I'll tell you that. Sure, I fought valiantly against the sharp stinging behind my eyes, and tried desperately to unravel the knot that was twisting tight around my stomach, but it was no good. I was heartbroken.

I was still sitting there trying to work up the energy to get up and head home when a voice startled me out of my thoughts.

“Hey, mister. All on your lonesome? Where're your playmates?”

I looked up to see Hunter's sister, Fran. Still no shoes, still smoking, still gorgeous.

“Could you possibly be any more patronizing?” I said, laughing. “My mates have all gone home.”

“Not you, though?” she said, blowing out perfect rings of smoke as she exhaled. “You're the hardcore one of the group, are you?”

“Not exactly. I . . .”

“I was going to go to bed, but I have to make sure everyone leaves and nobody nicks the family silver,” she said.

“Family silver?”

“So I thought I'd go for a dip in the pool instead. Fancy joining me?”

I realized suddenly that somewhere along the line I'd lost the bag that had my board shorts and towel in.

“I haven't got any . . . I mean, I've lost my swim stuff.”

“Just take your shoes off like me,” she smiled.

“What, jump in with all my clothes on?”

“Or take them off, whatever. It's a lovely night and the pool's heated.” she said. “I double-dare you.”

She looked straight at me, and in one mad, determined moment I kicked off my trainers, took my phone out of my pocket and jumped up, standing by her side and holding her hand. As we walked toward the pool's edge, she turned to me and grinned.

“After three. One . . . two . . .”

The water felt incredible, but I hadn't bargained on the pool being quite as deep as it was, and because I was mid-yell when I hit it, my mouth filled with water as my head disappeared under the surface and I came up coughing and spluttering, with a mini-fountain of chlorine-infused water shooting out of my nose. Yeah, I know, really attractive. After I'd pushed my hair out of my eyes and composed myself, Fran swam toward me, laughing.

“I can't believe you jumped in the bloody pool with all your clothes on,” she said, moving up close to me.

“Well, it's been that kind of night,” I said. If you want the God's honest truth, I couldn't believe I'd jumped in the bloody pool with all my clothes on either.

“Oh really?” she said, wrapping her arms around my neck. “And what kind of evening is that?”

“Unusual,” I said.

Then she leaned in and kissed me.

We stayed there for what seemed like ages but was probably only a few seconds: kissing and treading water. I tried to take in the moment—God, I really tried—but it wasn't as easy as you might think. I mean, there I was kissing an incredibly sexy older woman in a swimming pool in the middle of the night, and yes, it was all pretty awesome. Trouble was, all the time it was happening, there was this nagging thought at the back of my mind—as if a tiny little bloke was standing on my shoulder hammering at my head with a tiny little hammer—and I kept wondering what this moment would feel like if it was with someone I had feelings for. What would it feel like if it was with Ella?

Once Fran had stopped kissing me, she sighed and shook her head, smiling.

“So pretty, but so young,” she said, touching my nose with the tip of her finger.

“I'm not that much younger than you, am I?”

She shrugged and then let her head fall back to float on the water, staring up at the stars.

“Shall we get out?” she said after a while. “It's not as warm as I thought it would be.”

“I'm going to give it another minute,” I said. I was probably blushing like a tomato with teeth.

Fran kissed me, very lightly, on the lips, then swam to the edge of the pool, pushing herself up on her arms, her wet clothes clinging to her body as she clambered out. Yeah, that was all very . . . nice.

Back on dry land, it occurred to me that I hadn't really thought it through, plunging into the water with all my clothes on. No minicab was going to take me home soaking wet, and I certainly didn't feel like walking. Luckily, on the way out, I spotted my bag sitting under one of the sunloungers, so I grabbed the towel from it, dried myself, and changed into my dry board shorts. Then I wrapped the towel around me and called a local cab service.

It had been an epic night, but now I was knackered, and as I left, quietly stepping over sleeping teenagers as I went, I wondered how I'd got it so wrong with Ella. I felt angry and stupid, not to mention hurt. Then my mind slipped back to the last thirty minutes with Fran, and that at least raised a smile. Although I couldn't say for sure that Hunter's older sister had completely salvaged my evening, she had most definitely repaired a little piece of the damage.