Edenham Comprehensive

Reuben nearly jumps out of bed when his phone rings, a few mornings later. Scrabbling around on his bedside table, he grabs it, praying for it to be Casey. His heart sinks when he reads the Caller ID.

“Hey Georgia,” he says glumly, crumpling back into bed.

“Good morning to you too,” she replies sarcastically. “Expecting someone else?”

“No, no,” he lies, “I’m just not used to being woken up at such an ungodly hour.”

“It’s nine o’clock, Reuben, it’s hardly an ungodly hour,” she says scathingly. “I’ve been up since seven.”

“Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me.” He can’t help but smile. “Did you want something?”

“Nah, just felt like getting you out of bed ‘cause I knew it would piss you off.” Her voice grows serious. “Actually, uh, there is something. I was just... it’s stupid but- I just need someone to talk to, someone who won’t judge me.”

Frowning, he sits up. “And you thought that someone would be me?”

“Well, yeah. I haven’t got all that many friends, none I could talk to about anything important.” She clears her throat nervously, as if scared of something.

“I see,” he says, though he doesn’t really. She’s a Grade 1; she should have it made.

“Look, if I have to beg, I will,” she continues in a small voice. “Please, Reuben?”

He’s not sure why he does what he does next. Maybe it’s temporary insanity. Maybe he’s too tired to argue at this hour. Or maybe it’s because he guesses Georgia doesn’t ask for help. Ever. Something bad has happened, he just knows it. And what kind of person would he be if he didn't try and help?

And that’s why he says, “Where are you?”

He can almost hear the relief in her voice. “Park next to school.”

He nods, though she can’t see, and starts getting out of bed. “Okay then. I’ll be there in about twenty minutes, yeah?”

“Okay. Oh, and Reuben?”

“Yeah?”

“Th- thanks for this,” she mutters, clearly uncomfortable.

He smiles. “You’re welcome.”

Hanging up the phone, he puts it back on the bedside table before surveying the mess that
is his room and digging out some clothes.

***

Georgia’s sitting on a bench in the park, pretending to be texting on her phone so she doesn’t look like a loner sitting by herself. Reuben smiles as he notices her and, shaking his head, trudges over to her and plonks himself down in the space beside her.

“Hey,” he greets her.

“Hey,” she echoes, sliding her phone shut.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.” He looks at her. “No.”

He smiles briefly. “So what is it, then?”

Tapping her phone against her leg, she looks up at him, more vulnerable-looking than he’s ever seen her. “It’s Tyler. He... Me and him... we’ve been...” She rakes her hands through her hair. “God, this is so embarrassing.”

“You were going out behind Nicole’s back,” Reuben finishes for her.

Her head shoots up, alarm filling her eyes. “How- how did you know?”

He shrugs. “I guessed. How long’s it been going on for?”

“Couple of months maybe...” She shrugs. “I lose track.” She smiles bitterly. “It doesn’t matter anyway; he broke it off with me last night. By text. I mean, who breaks up with someone by text? Arseholes, that’s who. Selfish cowards with no thought for anyone but themselves,” she says venomously, brandishing her phone in a way that has Reuben eyeing her nervously.

“That’s nasty,” he agrees. “He could've at least had the decency to tell you to your face.”

She snorts. “Tyler doesn’t have a decent bone in his body. I was just his bit on the side, he said, and he didn’t want to have to keep lying to Nicole. Bullshit. He couldn’t care less about her. He’s planning something. I just wish he wouldn't mess with people to do it.”

She swipes angrily at her eyes, and Reuben can tell she’s close to tears. He pats her arm awkwardly, unsure how to proceed.

“You know what the worst thing is?” she continues. “I still want him. When I’m with him, life just seems better. Like it means something. I know it’s rubbish, but I’ve never felt anything like that before.” She laughs nervously. “It probably doesn’t make any sense, but there you go.”

“Believe me,” he assures her, his thoughts wandering onto a certain dark-haired girl he’d rather not think about, “it makes perfect sense.”

“He makes me feel special,” she says slowly. “No one’s ever made me feel like that before.”

“No one ever made you feel anything before,” he says quietly, understanding perfectly.

She smiles bitterly. “I wasn’t always a cold-hearted bitch, you know. I used to be nice. Well. Nicer. But it’s too easy to get hurt when you’re nice. When you care. Everything hurts that little bit more when you let yourself care about it.”

He looks at her, frowning, like he’s seeing her for the first time. “You know... you’re not as much of a bitch as you pretend to be.”

She gives him a look. “Tell anyone and I will kill you.”

He holds up his hands in mock-surrender. “Your secret’s safe with me.” He clears his throat awkwardly. “You know, if you want to cry, you can have a good cry. I won’t, uh, I won’t stop you.”

She looks at him like he’s temporarily lost his sanity. “Reuben, no offence, but do I look like the kind of girl who cries over guys?”

He grins. “Well, actually, now you mention it, no. You don’t.”

“I’m already behaving like a right sissy,” she mutters, crossing her arms. “You must think I'm really pathetic getting all worked up about this.”

“Of course not,” he assures her. “It’s kind of a relief, actually.”

She looks at him strangely. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I used to think you were a bit like a robot, really, without feelings and stuff. But this just proves it. You’re human just like everybody else.”

She stares at him for a few seconds, then shakes her head. “You’re crazy, you know that?”

He cracks a grin. “All the best people are.”

They sit there in amiable silence for a few seconds, just enjoying the simplicity of being in each others’ company.

“So,” Georgia says, breaking the silence, “how’s life with you? Is your relationship as screwed up as mine?”

Reuben grimaces. “Me and Casey had a fight. She’s not speaking to me. I tried calling her and she’s not answering.”

“Right,” Georgia nods. “Was this argument about anything in particular?”

“Well, um, it was about you,” he admits, shifting uncomfortably. “And Nicole. But mostly you. She was pissed that I let you come to the meeting and we had a big argument about it afterwards. Now she thinks I'm taking your side against hers and I'm not. It’s just really stupid.”

“Look, Reuben, I know she’s your girlfriend and everything-”

“You don’t have to say it,” he interrupts her. “I know you don’t like each other.”

“Yeah,” she mutters. “Understatement of the year right there.”

“Why don’t you like her, exactly?” he asks curiously. “Is there a specific reason or do you just not like her?”

“I just don’t like her, to be honest,” she replies. “Do I have to have a reason?”

“I guess not,” he mutters, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Why do you like her, exactly?” she asks, smiling mischievously. “Is there a specific reason or do you just like her?”

“I, well, she’s...” he trails off, shifting uncomfortably. “I don’t know. I just really like her. She’s a great girl, when she’s not pissed off at you.”

She scrutinises him closely, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Your relationship,” she says slowly, “it’s not real, is it?”

His eyes threaten to pop out of his skull. “What- how did you- how did you know?”

She shrugs. “I guessed. Perfect way to piss Tyler off, by the way. He’s so in love with Casey it’s pathetic.” The scorn in her voice is almost tangible, but then so is the longing.

“Well, that was kind of the idea,” he admits. “Part of the plan, see.”

She nods, understanding. “Just out of curiosity, though, was falling for her part of the plan?”

He gives a start. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, I think you do. Reuben, I've seen the way you look at her when you think no one’s watching. It’s so obvious it’s almost painful.” She smiles briefly. “I wish someone would look at me like that, sometimes. Like I was the only person in the world. The only person they cared about.”

On impulse, he puts his arm around her and gives her an awkward sideways hug. Georgia chuckles, then pulls him into a proper hug.

“If you’re going to hug me, you might as well do it properly,” she mutters, resting her chin on his shoulder. “Though if anyone asks, you forced me into it.”

“Thanks,” he says sarcastically. “Am I that disgusting?”

“No.” She smiles. “Not at all.”

Casey chooses that particular moment to walk past the park where Reuben and Georgia are. She’s not exactly sure how she ended up there exactly; she was looking for Reuben to try and make it up to him, and she decided to try the school since she couldn't find him anywhere else. He’s not there either, unsurprisingly, so resignedly, she decides to head home.

She glances at the park as she passes, but what she sees makes her collide to a halt where she stands. All of a sudden there’s a lump in her throat the size of a golf ball and tears welling up behind her eyes and a gnawing empty pit in her stomach.

Her feet become unstuck and she starts striding away. She breaks into a run when she’s out of sight of the park, her soles slapping on the pavement like the sound of drums, and doesn’t stop until she reaches Kenilworth Estate.

Reuben pulls away from Georgia, oblivious. She gives him a nervous smile, and he rubs her arm reassuringly.

“You won’t... tell anyone about this, will you?”

He shakes his head. “Nope. You won’t tell anyone about me and Casey, will you?”

She just smiles. “Your secret’s safe with me too. Now go on. Go make it up with her.”

“I’d rather hang out with you, to be honest,” he mutters.

“As flattered as I am by that,” she says dryly, “you really should go. It gets harder the longer you leave it.”

He nods reluctantly. “I suppose. See you at school?”

“Yeah. See ya.”

He gives her a brief smile before turning and heading back to the estate.

***

Casey glares at the television screen as if all her problems are somehow the perky blonde newsreader’s fault. Her eyes narrowed, she jabs down on the remote, changing the channel. It doesn’t interest her either, and she keeps jabbing until the poor button’s on the verge of breaking. Turning her glare to the remote, she tosses it aside and places her head in her hands, rocking gently backwards and forwards.

She half-wishes her mum was here. Then she’d have someone to take her anger out on. But she went out with Ian ages ago, and she doesn’t appear to be coming back any time soon.

The doorbell rings, permeating through her misery. Frowning, she gets to her feet and stomps over to the door before flinging it open.

“Reuben,” she says coolly, and promptly moves to shut the door again. Before she can, he wedges his foot in between as a door stop and jams his body into the gap.

“Look, I know you’re pissed off at me but we need to talk,” he informs her, a serious edge to his voice.

“What’s there to talk about?” she barks, still trying to slam the door on his foot.

“Plenty,” he says grimly. “Now could you please let me in? My foot’s dying here.”

She hesitates, and that moment is all Reuben needs to force the door open and stumble inside.

“Come in, why don’t you?” she mutters, stomping back over to the sofa. She picks up the remote to turn the TV back on, but he grabs it out of her hands and tosses it aside. She turns her glare back to him. “What the hell was that for?” she demands, folding her arms across her chest.

“Casey, I just want to talk to you,” he beseeches her. “Can’t you just hear me out? Please?”

“Fine,” she says ungraciously. “Talk.”

He sighs heavily, rubbing the back of his neck. “I know you’re angry with me, and I can kind of understand why. But Case, you have to admit you’re being unreasonable. So you don’t like them. Why can’t you just put that aside and get on with things like adults?”

She glares at him. “Reuben, you just don’t get it, do you? I don’t just not like them. I hate them, and they hate me.”

“But why-”

“Because they hurt me!” she screams. “Nicole betrayed me! Georgia takes every opportunity she can get to make my life a misery!”

She sinks into the sofa, clutching her head with sharp fingernails. He squeezes next to her, glancing around uncomfortably, and waits for her to calm down.

Breathing heavily, she looks up and fixes her clear grey eyes on his brown ones. “It hurt, Reuben. By God it hurt to see you take their side over mine.”

“I wasn’t taking anyone’s side-”

“That’s what it felt like.” Her eyes are burning with fury and loathing and humiliation. “And then I saw you with Georgia and that was just the icing on the cake.”

He frowns, not sure what she’s on about, but then realisation dawns. “You saw us in the park, didn’t you?” he says softly.

“Yup,” she replies grimly. “So you can say whatever you like about not taking sides but it seems to me that you like her a lot more than you like me so why are you even here, eh?”

“No, you don’t understand,” he protests, shaking his head vigorously. “Georgia was telling me about her and Tyler. She was really upset.”

Casey laughs harshly. “Oh, I bet she was.”

Reuben narrows his eyes as the redness starts to cloud his vision. “You’re so quick to believe the worst of people, that’s your problem. Georgia isn’t a bad person, she’s just made some bad choices. Everyone makes mistakes, Casey, even you. If you’re going to hold her past against her then maybe you’re not who I thought you were.”

He rises to his feet, keeping his breathing steady to keep his anger under control.

“Fine,” she says bitterly. “Go. Go back to your precious Georgia. Doubtless she’s that girl you’re really interested in.”

He just looks at her, shaking his head in disbelief.

“What?” she demands. “What?”

“You,” he replies simply. “You’re- you’re unbelievable.”

She narrows her eyes. “What the hell are you on about?”

“It’s not Georgia I was talking about,” he enunciates. “It never was.”

“But you said-” Her forehead crinkles with confusion. “You said she was a different Grade-”

“Actually, I didn’t,” he reminds her. “You just assumed.”

“So who is it, then?” she demands.

He gapes at her. “You really don’t have a clue, do you?”

“Evidently. So if you’d be so kind as to illuminate me-”

“You, Casey!” he bellows. “It was you!”

The silence that follows his outburst is like a big black hole, swallowing everything in the room. Casey just stares at him like she doesn’t even see him.

“But... but... I don’t understand,” she murmurs, her whole body quivering.

“Do I really have to spell it out for you?” Her confused expression is all the answer he needs. “I’m in love with you, Case.”

She blinks. “What?”

“I love you,” he repeats, and this time his voice cracks with the effort of his confession.

She stares at him, her glassy eyes wide with incomprehension and disbelief.

“Say something,” he whispers, “please.”

“Like what?” she says heavily, turning away from him.

He catches her by the arm, circling his fingers round her wrist. She doesn’t even struggle, she just goes limp in his grip.

“Casey,” he murmurs, her name like acid and syrup in his mouth, “just tell me you don’t feel anything for me. Tell me you just want to be friends and... and...” He takes a deep breath, steadying himself, and continues, “and I’ll forget all about it.”

She closes her eyes tightly, then opens them again. “Reuben,” she murmurs, sighing out his name.

She doesn’t need to say anything else. The look in her eyes is enough. His mouth opens, tries to form words, then closes again. Something inside him splinters, shakes and shatters into a million pieces.

“I should go,” he mutters, hoping she can’t hear how upset he is in the weakness of his voice. He lets her wrist drop and whirls around, covering his face with his hands.

“Reuben, I’m sorry,” she whispers, but he shakes his head fiercely.

“No, no, it’s fine,” he says in a dead tone. “I’ll see you around.”

He turns and strides towards the door. She watches him go with something even she doesn’t understand. He pauses at the door, and looks back at her like he might say something, but then he only turns away and walks out.