by Jason Vasha
Niall seemed to be a rather laid back guy. But there was definitely something going on and if Olta suspicions were correct it had everything to do with Daniel. She hadn't discussed Daniel or anything concerning him since Monday but she had continued to observe their behaviour. A blind person could see the loathing between the two. Even at the height of the Cold War there had been more warmth between the Russians and Americans than there ever was between the two brothers.
Niall only considered Alice, Peter and Bailey his friends. Anybody could come up and strike up a conversation but it seemed to be an unspoken understanding that these talks never lasted longer than five minutes. The four of them shared a table at lunch and nobody else would sit with them. Just like hallway encounters anybody could come up and chat but nobody would join them or hang around for long. Olta had been asked to join them but she figured that was just for the week's duration. On Tuesday she had insisted she would have lunch by herself again but even her promise to choose a more sensible spot was met with an adamant refusal. So Alice had accompanied her back to her locker for her lunch and then she had joined them in the cafeteria. It actually proved a good place to learn more about the student body and its inner workings.
As she had observed during the Tuesday morning ride it wasn't all that unlike from her old school. There were generally the same divides amongst the students. Her school had its jocks, preps, geeks, punks, skaters and so forth. The great difference was the rigidity of the divides. She was used to people mingling. Sure, people hang out with their own cliques but there was a common practice for different cliques to hang out together. Popularity was a rather non-existent concept. Here, it was clear, popularity was a commodity and DanielFoy was its most important broker.
During lunch he would sit at the table next to theirs and well, Olta could only say that he held court. His table would filled by everybody he deemed worthy. The fact that Niall and friends ate at a different table appeared to have nothing to do with their status. All four of them would readily talk and banter with Daniel's table but never with Daniel. Sarah and Alice were sure to include Olta in their conversations, much to the displeasure of any single girl in the vicinity, especially Altea and company. Olta wondered what the hell Sarah was doing with Daniel. When he was with SarahDaniel seemed a completely different person. He appeared congenial and pleasant. But Olta would still catch the glint in his eye and she could help not but admire his acting skills.
She shook her head to rid herself of Daniel. Niall readily took his place again. Oh God, what she gotten herself into. But those eyes and that mouth and just well, him. But it was not meant to be, surely it wasn't.
It wasn't as if Niall or Alice or Peter or Will seemed to mind her. They talked and joked with her and seemed genuinely interested in her, and always there too. Olta really liked them but she didn't kid herself. Altea, no matter how stupid she was, had been right about one thing. She had been shoved down Niall' throat by Rume and down his friends' throats by default. Though, for time being it was nice to think she had succeeded in making friends so quickly. But when they had invited her to tag along to some café or shop or whatever yesterday and the day before Olta had, of course, declined, only half-lying about homework. Her girlfriend Mortis had reprimanded her strongly for not going with them. And thank the Lord for the invention of the webcam, because Sarah had really needed the visual endorsement of the uttered words. Really she hadn't.
Essentially Mortis had screamed several distinctive profanities and assured Olta that they might actually like her, seeing as she was a very likeable person. Or did Olta think that Mortis and the guys had been pulling her leg all this time? And from what Olta told it sounded like that this Niall guy at very least liked her if not more. Had he not given her a nickname, had he not touched her, had he not saved her from his ogre of a brother? Olta's reminders that it was pretty much a given that if she liked a guy the feeling wasn't mutual her friend were literally waved away.
"Easy for you to say" Olta scoffed, kicking some none-existent pebble away, wrapping her arms around herself as the wind was picking up. "You always were the pretty and fun one." Olta kicked the air again and as if it was a starting start sign the rain came down, hard. Olta glanced at her watch. Five fifteen. Niall probably wasn't even home anymore. Usually people did things on Friday; even she herself was known to not come home until early Saturday morning. The wind was turning truly foul now and Olta knew that she wasn't going to last out here on this bench.
"Right, so now you're going to look like something the cat dragged in. Well you'll just sweep him of his feet." Olta said to herself as she ran up the street, clutching her bag against her chest and just hoping that somebody would be there.
As she came up to number 2 Olta recognized the house. It was the place Maggie and she had gawked over when they first arrived, not even two weeks ago. It was an abundantly decorated Victorian mansion with a driveway fit for two cars running up to it. Being thoroughly drenched by the hard rain Olta really didn't care for the driveway or the exterior of house right now. All she wanted was to be inside.
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Niall was slouching in the television room. Friday afternoon was the only time of the week nobody was home and he enjoyed it. It was usually the quiet for the storm but he did savour it so. On Friday both his father and Matilda were out for the evening. Father would be with his mistress and Matilda would visit her sister. This meant that there was no adult supervision. For Niall, however,this meant that he usually went out before seven, which was when Daniel would return from basketball practice. After basketball practice Daniel liked to indulge in some dancing with Niall and Niall begrudgingly had to admit that he was the lesser dancer of the two. Whether it was because Daniel was two months older or better genes or his overall better fitness, Niall didn't know. All Niall knew was that Daniel always had the upper hand. That was why he was the King. Tonight, however, Niall intended to dance a little. Daniel's behaviour was still very disconcerting. Nothing remarkable had happened over the last couple of days, neither at home or at school but Niall noticed his brother's eye wander to Olta continuously.Niall feared that she was indeed a 'special case' and that would only mean trouble. He needed to know what his brother was up to.
In school Niall had made sure that Olta didn't leave his sight. And Alice had taken it upon herself to escort her to the ladies room to make sure that the other menace didn't get chance to scratch Olta's eyes out. From what Alice had heard that seemed a true possibility.
If Niall had thought that he liked Olta on Tuesday morning, he hadbeen sadly mistaken. The last week he spent by either looking at, thinking about or dreaming of Olta. He had it bad and the worst of it was that he didn't seem capable to do anything about it. It seemed that he been rendered totally incapable of even the most basic conversational skills let alone any prowess of seduction. Alice, Peter and Bailey hadn't missed this change in their friend and they were having a field day with it. Being the butt of their collective joke was not what he wanted to be. Bailey held that position and was comfortable there. Niall, he knew now, was not.
As far as he and his friends were concerned their quartet had become quintet, regardless of the fact that Olta seemed hell bent on spending as little time as possible with them. They had invited her along to hang with them yesterday and the day before and she had simply declined, saying she needed to do her homework. "Tirana doesn't take kindly to invitations." Niall thought with a wry smile.
He wondered why though. Didn't she like them, did she really not like him or were Alice and Matilda right. Was it a case of truly severe insecurity? Alice seemed convinced that Olta thought that they just tolerated her because she was Niall' job.
"Haven't you noticed how she excuses herself all the time. How she doesn't know how to handle a compliment. How she doesn't really share anything.And come on, homework? That's just the lamest excuse." Alice had said on Wednesday afternoon, drinking one of those frui
ty mixes she always drank.
"I just figured she doesn't like us, me enough." Niall had muttered. Alice had snorted in very un- lady manner and followed it up with loud laughter. Niall had glared at her, people from neighbouring tables had looked at them and from their spot at pool table Peter and Bailey had looked up in surprise. Alice had put her hand on his shoulder, her laughter slowly ebbing away.
"Gods, who would thought. Niall, you're positively endearing when you like a girl. It's just too funny." And that was when he became the butt of their jokes.
"Anyways, Olta is a walking and talking insecurity complex. I think she's trying her hardest not to get attached to us, so she won't get hurt when your job is done. So just be careful with her." Niall had arched an eyebrow at this. Alice echoing Matilda. Creepy.
"I'd like her be our friend and that won't happen if you fuck up, so don't." Niall had merely nodded mulling over Alice's words.
Still Niall was convinced that Olta couldn't be completely unaware of the fact that they truly liked her company. Someone who had proved herself very perceptive on more than one occasion could not be that blind. She couldn't be that insecure. That was simply impossible. On the other hand, until Monday he had thought it impossible for him to become an utter fool.
The ring of the doorbell pulled Niall out of his musings.
"Tirana?" he said in surprise as he opened the door. A thoroughly drenched Olta looked up to him. Expect for her front where she was clutching her bag every inch of her was soaking wet.
"I'm really sorry, but I've forgotten my keys. Maggie is at a friends' place and my mom is having drinks with friends and…." He heard her speak but couldn't honestly he was listening. Her bottom lip was quivering and her eyes were shining with residue droplets in her eyelashes. She looked absolutely mesmerizing and it was Friday afternoon and nobody was home and she really needed to get out of those wet clothes. He slapped himself mentally and shook himself out of his reverie.
"Well don't just stand there." He said, swallowing hard and shifting his position slightly. Olta stepped inside taking baby steps looking at him apologetically. She looked down at her feet and Niall followed her gaze.Slowly but surely there was a small puddle forming on the parquet flooring.
"Right, yes, well Matilda is going to kill me for that. Come up to my room. You can dry up there and I'll have some clothing for you." He said quickly beckoning her forward. Silently they made their way to his bedroom. Niall tried out several questions in his mind but none of them actually made it out of his mouth. Instead he walked two paces in front of her. He unlocked his bedroom door and showed Olta in. As he locked the door he heard Olta putting her bag down.
"Daniel?" she asked tentatively.
Ah yes Daniel, Niall vaguely remembered him. "Fuck" he thought to himself. Daniel would be back in an hour and a half. Niall couldn't have Olta around when he would be back. Nobody knew of his dancing sessions and he'd be damned if Olta found out. And he'd be damned to have Daniel find her here.
"He's out." Niall said quickly. Olta stood a few feet away from him and she smiled shyly and nodded. She was shivering all over and her bottom lip was still quivering.
"Do you have a towel or something?" she asked quietly.
"Of course. Wait, why don't I get you some clothing and you can change in my bathroom. Of course if you want you could take a shower. Maybe catch a movie or something. What do you think?" Yes, his most basic conversational skills were gone and rambling had taken its place. He rummaged through his closet until he found an old pair of sweat pants and an old t-shirt. It might just fit her. He turned back to Olta, who hadn't moved from her spot but was busy admiring the décor.
"Yes, that sounds like a plan. Thanks." She said, not meeting his eyes as she gingerly took the offered clothing from him. He noticed the blush on her cheeks.
"This is the bathroom. Fresh towels are over there." He said quickly. Olta nodded, still smiling her small smile and she walked into the bathroom. As she closed the door behind her Niall sat down on his bed staring at the bathroom door. The girl who had turned him into a sucker was presently in his bathroom changing into his clothing. Admittedly, it had been preceded by a thunderous rainstorm instead of more pleasurable activities but still she was in there doing that. He slumped back on the bed and thought of Daniel. That was one sure mood killer.
Chapter Ten
Olta sat down on the edge of the bathtub and started to undo her shoes. Why again had this been a good idea?
Not that this situation in itself was all that novel. She did have male friends. Or rather Mortis had male friends but they didn't mind Olta tagging along. But still it wasn't the first time she would change into a guy's clothing after being soaked by the rain. She seemed to have a thing for being caught in the rain.
Actually, the last time she had been doing this was a little over three weeks ago. She had been invited to Dean's place for an impromptu goodbye celebration. But on the way over she had been caught by a sudden downpour. The situation had been similar to this one with the great exception that there hadn't been any guys she had been crushing on and that had not felt self-conscious or nervous, only stupid.
As she put the sweat pants on she contemplated whether it was possible to stay in this bathroom, preferably forever or at least until her clothes had dried. She rolled the waistband down a couple of times and put the t-shirt on. Dark green and red, well at least the colours suited her. But there was no way in hell she was going to go out in public dressed like this. Again the thought of just staying in the bathroom was ever so appealing. Looking into the mirror over the sink she noticed her cheeks were tinged red but thankfully her mascara proved truly waterproof. That was something at least.
"Just keep breathing." Olta said silently as she opened the bathroom door.
Niall was sitting on the edge of his bed as Olta walked into her room. He just looked at her but Olta thought she saw something like a smirk starting around his lips. She braved a smile and walked a little into his room.
"Hey, these are your clothes. They're not supposed to look good on me." Olta said trying to cut off the snide remarks and jokes she knew he was considering.
Niall smirk grew wide as he rested his elbows on his knees and cupped his face. He looked her over intently for a good second and Olta felt her blush deepening. It was as if he was checking her out.
"From where I'm sitting they look just fine." He said teasingly, his smirk firm in place.
The smirk and his tone made his intention clear and Olta glared at him turning the left side of her mouth up in a mock grin. She saw the smirk fade from his face. He kept looking at her though and their eyes locked for a couple of seconds. Why was he looking at her like that. She didn't look that bad, did she?
"Do you want me to throw your things in the dryer or something?" Niall suddenly leaped up. He ran a hand through his hair. Olta let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.
"Yes, that would be great." She said, quickly walking back into the bathroom. She had haphazardly thrown her clothes over the edge of the bath in order for them to dry. As she heard Niall following her, Olta realized how she had claimed Niall' bathroom by her actions. She quickly grabbed everything and looked up at him apologetically.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to ..." She let her sentence trail off, unsure of what else to say. Oh, how interesting the wall was right now.
"Nothing to be sorry for. I'll just go and throw these into the machine." Niall said as he took her clothes from her and walked out of the bathroom. Olta sat down on the edge of the bath, again. She heard Niall unlock his bedroom door and locking it behind him.
"Thanks." Olta murmured.
Sighing she got up and walked back into the bedroom. Unsure of what to do she simply took a stand in the middle of the room and looked around her; appraising the room for the first time. It was roughly the same size as hers and if it wasn't for the posters on the wall and some books and notebooks strewn around his desk and the bookcase nobody could have t
old it was teenager's bedroom. It could be a very nicely decorated guest room, with its dark blue and white colours.
A framed picture in the book case caught Olta's eye. It was the only picture around. She picked it up, rather gingerly she noticed. Somehow she felt she was invading Niall's privacy. It was a picture of two beautiful women hugging each other and laughing happily. They looked alike, sisters perhaps. The women on the left had undefined brownish hair like Niall and sparkling hazel eyes, also like Niall's. His mother, Olta realized. She wondered if she or his father were actually home at the moment, if they were around at all.
