by Jason Vasha
Olta, however, saved him from her own question.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked. So fill me in on the power structure." She added in a lighter tone as she kept on writing.
Niall pretended to be pointing at things she had written as he explained the system. He started by explaining who the outcasts were and slowly made his way up the social ladder. He hadn't yet finished when Mrs. Anila came around to collect the papers. Glancing over Olta's writings she only nodded approvingly.
Niall quickly put his chair back and got his books.
"Come on, I'll give you that ride." He said walking Olta out of the class room.
Chapter Seven
Olta noticed Niall drove the same Mercedes as her mother. She remembered her mother saying that if she was to drive to work from now on she might as well pamper herself a bit. Olta didn't disagree with her there. Her mother deserved a lot of pampering after last years events.
"So Tirana, where to?" Niall asked as he pulled out the parking space.
"Prokop Myzeqari 31." Olta replied smiling at his nickname. She hadn't noticed she had given him her old address, in Albania.
"I don't think I can do that. Even if I understood it." Niall said smiling at her.
Olta looked at him realizing her foolish mistake. She felt yet another flush come to her cheeks. "Right, I mean 25 Froster Lane."
"25 Froster Lane?" He asked with surprise. Olta nodded. "Well that's funny, seeing as I live on 2 Froster Lane." He said driving out of the school car park.
"Another coincidence, albeit less cosmic than my new French teacher dating my brother." Olta said smiling faintly. Niall smiled at her before returning his eyes back to the road.
Olta rested her head against the seat and looked outside. Not only was Niall her designated guide and did he own the locker next to hers, now it turned out that they lived less than half a mile apart. There was no denying she liked Niall and most certainly didn't mind spending time with him. But she didn't want to give him the feeling she was forcing himself upon him; even if he didn't seem to mind her company. Besides, there was that sibling rivalry thing. Niall reluctance to answer her question earlier had only strengthened her in her suspicions.
She decided that she would give him his space. She glanced over at him and saw his bangs fall into his eyes as he intently was watching the road they were about to turn into. She wanted so much to touch his face and for him to touch hers again. She sighed deeply looking out of the windshield. Fuck, Niall had probably heard that.
"What is it?" Niall asked pulling into the road and up at her house in one movement. He cut off the engine and turned to face her.
Olta stared at her hands. "Look Niall, I understand if you've got better things to do with your time then having me on tow or spent your lunch breaks looking for me. So if you want out..." She let the sentence trail away. Meeting his eyes for a fraction of a second she smiled a small smile before getting her bag and opening the side door.
"Tirana, do you want me to keep my record?" Niall said in amused disbelieve. Olta turned to him. She hadn't really thought about that.
"No of course not." She answered quickly. "I mean why would Rume know?" She made her way out of the car.
Niall leaned over the passenger's seat and looked up at Olta through the passenger seat. "Tirana, we share practically all our classes and we live on the same street, so it really isn't a problem." He said smiling. Olta shrugged her shoulders and braved another smile.
"If you're sure. I'll see you tomorrow then, bye." And with that she turned a walked to her house.
As she opened the front door she could hear Niall drive off. She walked into the kitchen and poured herself some juice. She rested herself on the kitchen counter and suddenly she felt completely drained and spent. She put the glass down on the counter and made her way to her new bedroom.
Her mother had decided that not only she was entitled to some pampering, but her children as well. So Olta had been given this huge bedroom in this truly large house. Her bedroom was at least triple the size off her old one and she now had a twin bed instead of single and a walk-in closet and private bathroom. Her bed was the only thing on her mind however. Just a little nap until her mother and sister came home, she told herself. Then she'd tell them about her first day. But perhaps not everything, she thought. She threw herself on her bed and as soon as her head hit the pillow she was out.
As Olta headed to her house Niall murmured a soft goodbye. He flung himself back into his seat. He started the car and drove the short distance to his house. Even though this was a wealthy area his house was clearly the most prestigious around.
"Stupid, stupid stupid." He thought to himself as he drove up the driveway. No there was no denying it anymore. He liked a girl. He, who couldn't consciously remember actually liking a girl, any girl. Except perhaps for Alice. But that had been just a short spell when his hormones had first introduced themselves. Here he was, Mr. popular, going all gaga over the new girl. A girl who seemed so insecure the one moment and so confident the next; who hadn't joined him for lunch; who all but fled when his needs had gotten the better of him and who had just offered him a way out. As he parked his car he knocked his head on the steering wheel a couple of times. Was it possible that she didn't quite like him as much as he did her? Well, that would be refreshing and he smiled at the thought. He walked into the kitchen and was greeted by their live-in maid/butler/cook/counsellorMatilda.
"Good afternoon young Niall." She said smiling handing him a glass of lemonade. Matilda was in the habit of having everything ready for him before he could ask for it or do it himself. Being trapped in a similar situation had forged a bond between them. It had taken ages for Niall to make her stop addressing him as 'young master'. Eventually she had dropped the master bit, but she had insisted on keeping some kind of formality between them. Finally Niall had simply given up.
"Good afternoon Matilda. Thanks" He said smiling broadly and overstating his greeting slightly. He took the drink from her and seated himself at the kitchen table and gulped it down. Matilda took a seat across from him sliding a plate of sandwiches towards him.
"So how was your day, you seem to be in high spirits." She said looking at him knowingly. She knew him well.
"I got to baby-sit a new girl today and..." he said taking a bite from the avocado tuna sandwich. "She is from Albania and she's witty and smart and pretty and she doesn't like Daniel and…" he swallowed the bite. Matilda's face had broken into a big grin.
"Has the great Niall finally found himself a girl, other than Miss Stone of course, who he actually likes?"
Niall looked her shocked at first but his look swiftly melted into a stupid grin. This woman really knew him too well. Matilda looked pryingly and Niall began to tell her about most of the days events.
And once he started he couldn't stop. His story was rather incoherent but Matilda listened patiently as she refilled his drinks and prepared dinner. It took him well over an hour before he had finished. Matilda smiled at him from behind the kitchen counter.
"I didn't know there're so many ways to incorporate someone's eyes and mouth into a story." She was smirking.
Then they heardDaniel's car pull up the driveway. Her smile faded instantly and Niall got up. As he was about to leave the kitchen Matilda caught his arm. She looked at him intently.
"I don't know whether she likes you or not, heck how could I. But she does sound like a very insecure girl who needs to find her way in a new country, so take it easy. Besides, he could complicate matters." She said nodding her head in the direction of the garages. Through the window he could see Daniel get out of his car. He had brought Sarah and Chris with him. Niall nodded smiling ever so slightly as he felt a sense of dread creeping up on him. He quickly left the kitchen and made his way to stairs. He could hear Daniel and company making their way to the television room.
"Matilda, sandwiches and drinks in here!" He heard Daniel yell through the hallway and he could only imagine the look Matil
da was given his brother from the kitchen and smirked at the thought.
He walked into his bedroom and picked out his notebook. He started on his homework only to find himself distracted. Flashes of Olta went through his head, accompanied by his brother icy voice calling after her. Was she really that insecure? Niall wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it in her eyes. On the other hand she had stood up to Daniel. Niall felt nauseas at the thought that Daniel would bring Olta up at some point during this evening. He tried to figure out what would be the best course of action. Denying any interest in her would mean that Daniel expected him to cut her loose after this week and that simply was not an option. Having Daniel know of his fledging feelings was also absolutely out of question. The hell with it, Niall thought, we'll just see how it plays out. The nausea increased and Niall realized that it probably had something to do with his bruises. He popped a couple aspirin back as he heard the dinner bell ring.
Niall made his way to the kitchen. His father was out of town so Matilda saw no use to for the dining room. As he entered Daniel and party were already seated.
"Hey Sarah." He gave the senior a small smile. She smiled back. He ignored his brother but gave Chris a small nod.
"Hey Niall, so what this I have been hearing about you showing some exchange student around?" she asked, true interest in her voice. "Altea wouldn't let it go; she seems to think she's after"her man"." Sarah smiled warily at him. Niall was glad that it was Sarah who broached the subject. It gave him some leeway.
"Maybe you could explain to her what being dumped means exactly. I can't really seem to get that through that thick skull of hers." He really was sorry about wasting a month of his life on that girl. That's where drunken parties would get you.
"I tried trust me. You know Alice has simply stopped talking to her altogether. But the girl just doesn't get it." Sarah shook her head in dismay. In a lighter tone she added. "But what of this exchange student?" Niall took a bite of his salad.
"What of her? Nothing to tell really. Only she has moved here, she's no exchange student." Niall said flatly matching his expression to his voice. Daniel was looking at him attentively and Niall slowly met his brother's eyes. They were full of amusement, but of course that was entirely superficial.
"Now, bro, sure there isn't more to that? I mean you guy's seemed to have a little bit of moment in the hallway during lunch and during Geography you really were practically sitting on her lap." A smile played on his lips. Niall's face didn't give anything away but he hoped his brother hadn't seen the flicker of surprise in his eyes. He had forgotten about the grapevine and the general buzz his actions generated, no matter how trivial.
"So? As you stated in History she is kinda hot. She might be fun." He idly played with the food on his plate as if to underscore blandness of his remark. His eyes were still locked on his brothers.
"You have fun with her then, bro." Daniel said neutrally. Even his usual malice didn't ring through. His eyes didn't seem to convey anything either. Daniel broke the eye contact as he leant into Sarah to give her a small peck on her cheek. Niall was relieved for it. He was unnerved by his brother's reaction and it concerned him that he was unnerved. It had a while since he had been unable to read his brother.
"Do think you could give me hand with my Calculus later on Niall?" Chris asked.
Niall had forgotten about Chris being there. Chris wasn't too bad a guy. He was one of the old pack. There had been a time when Niall considered him a friend and it was out of respect for this friendship that he occasionally or rather regularly helped him out with calculus homework. Chris never had been the brightest, due to some kind of oxygen lack at birth.
"Sure." Niall said and with that a silence settled over the kitchen table as they finished their dinners. As promised Niall helped Chris out. It was shortly after ten when they had finished. Chris apparently had been saving up for a while.
Niall was lying on bed lazily zapping through television while actually thinking about Olta. Daniel bounced on his door. Niall leaped up; thankfully he had long ago learned the advantages of keeping his room locked.
"Niall, out now!" Daniel called in his icy cruel voice from the other side.
"What do you want?" Niall called back forcing his voice to be lighter than he actually felt. Niall decided he didn't feel like dancing tonight and he fell back on his bed.
"I want to talk to you, now" The volume had gone down but the cold malevolence was still there.
"How about, no!" Niall called back. He knew he was going to regret this but right now he didn't want anything to do with his brother. Then it occurred to him however that it might have something to with Olta and he decided to swallow his pride.
Niall opened his door. He knew Daniel would be waiting in the hallway. They had been through this before. And surely enough Daniel was there leaning comfortably against the opposite wall. Niall matched his pose.
"And I didn't even have to call again. You do know you're a spineless bastard, don't you?" Daniel smirked without amusement, shaking his head. Niall was unfazed by his words; it was all part of the dance.
"I've heard it before. You had something you wanted to say to me?" He said nonchalantly.
"Yeah, I'd really like for you to never ever speak of my judgments on other women when Sarah or any other future significant others are present." Daniel didn't move. His eyes said it all. They held same look as when he had checked Olta out in Geography. But then again Niall of course was and always had been his brother's 'special case'.
"Sure, whatever." Niall shrugged and turned back into his room. He closed the door quite leisurely but locked it quickly. As he readied himself for bed his mind was on Olta again and unfortunately his brother too. His behaviour really did disconcert him. As he pulled the covers over himself he realized he hadn't even offered Olta a ride for the next morning. If he showed up at eight he could catch her by surprise. Smiling at the thought of her surprised face he slowly drifted to sleep.
Chapter Eight
Walking down the stairs Olta could hear her mother and sister chatting merrily in the kitchen. Olta didn't feel that merrily. She felt like she had major hang over. When her alarm clock had so crudely awoken her it slowly dawned on her that she was dressed in her t-shirt and underwear from the day before. She had figured her mother had undressed her but she no memory of it.
In the shower she had had flashbacks of her dreams. It had been some weird and unsettling jumble of almost everyone she knew and events she hoped wouldn't relive anymore. She had been back in Tirana and her father, Niall, her brother, Daniel and some old friends had been there, and it been all felt so suffocating, so inescapable. She had washed her body vigorously, trying to wash away the images and the anxiety they left behind. Slowly the images had faded but the anxiety remained. Olta had steadied her breathing and the feeling had subsided. Only to return full force as she was applying her mascara and she thought of seeing Niall again.
"Hopeless." She had muttered at her reflection. "You're hopeless, babe." She tried to smile bravely at her reflection but it didn't feel convincing. She decided she'd keep out Niall's way as much as possible and most certainly stay clear of Daniel. She really didn't feel delighted to be going to school.
"Good morning Sunshine." Her mother sang as she walked into the kitchen. Olta kept her wavering smile as she sat behind the kitchen counter next to Maggie. Maggie leant over and gave her a peck on the cheek.
"What was that for?" She asked her sister. Her sister just shrugged. As annoying as thirteen year old sisters can be Maggie really did have her good moments. Her mother handed her a cup of tea and a bowl of cereal.
"So, the jet-lag finally caught up with you? I don't think a round of cannon fire could have awoken you and trust Maggie tried her best." Her mother looked at her youngest in mock anger. Then she turned back to Olta and her look changed from playful to worry.
Olta was surprised to hear her mother inquire after her well-being in Dutch. She just nodded warily and he
r mother gave her a kiss on her forehead.
