Cassie immediately remembered who she was talking to. ‘Oh, it’s not that I don’t believe you,’ Cassie said. ‘But I mean, what would he be doing outside our crummy school?’
‘Apparently, he was looking for you,’ Kat said, looking at Rachel.
‘Me?’ Rachel replied.
‘Yep. So what’s it all about then, Rachel? Have you got some claim to fame you’re hiding from me?’ Kat said, with a poisonous smile.
‘I don’t know him. I wish I did, but I don’t. How do you know he was looking for me?’
‘Ask your friend over there,’ Kat said, pointing to Clive. ‘He was standing right next to him, see.’ She held up a shot on her mobile phone. The picture was a little blurred but sure enough there was Clive standing next to someone who looked a lot like Edward.
‘I asked Clive who he was but he said you knew him better.’
Everyone looked at Clive who had been trying to keep a low profile. Rachel threw him a furious look.
‘Clive, who is this?’ demanded Rachel. Clive walked over sheepishly.
‘That’s er … It’s Lewis.’
‘Lewis! You’re kidding me.’ said Rachel.
‘Yeah, he’s had a bit of an image change.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me he was looking for me?’
‘Er, dunno, slipped my mind.’
‘Really,’ said Kat, ‘and I suppose you forgot that half the school chased after him, thinking he was Robert Pattinson.’
Clive didn’t say anything. He just stood there like someone whose mum had found pornography under his bed.
‘It’s not important,’ said Kat, ‘What is important is my birthday next Saturday at Aruba’s. I’ve told everyone he’s going to be there, so you three just make sure he’s there looking like Mr Twilight, okay. Oh and you’re all invited. See ya.’
Once Kat had left with all her little wannabes, Clive and Cassie relaxed. Rachel didn’t. Her faced blushed with anger.
‘Clive, why didn’t you tell me? Didn’t you think it was important?
‘I suppose not,’ Clive replied.
‘Now I’ve got that witch, Katrina, on my back. You’ve really dropped me in it.’
‘That’s okay,’ said Cassie, acting as peacekeeper. ‘I’m sure Lewis will come along if you ask him.’
‘That’s not the point, Cassie. This means I’ll have to ask Lewis to the party. It’ll make me look like I’m chasing him. Plus, now I’m going to be Katrina’s little bitch.’
‘She’s only asked you to get Lewis to her party,’ said Clive.
‘Don’t be so naïve, Clive. This is how it starts with her. Then, before you know it you’re doing her homework. Thanks very much, Clive.’ Rachel grabbed her bag and left the form room, knocking into chairs as she went.
A storm of angry thoughts spun around inside her head, but at the centre of this maelstrom was a small sweet oasis of calm. It was an island of joy amongst a raging sea, and it made her feel warm and gooey inside. Even though she had been enlisted by Katrina as a flunky she was also intrigued by the image of Lewis. He had reinvented himself and it was entirely possible that she, Rachel, had been the catalyst.
The thought made her feel slightly pompous and bigheaded, so she tried to dismiss it. Getting her hopes up where Lewis was concerned was like playing Jenga, you built it up but it always collapsed in the end. It could just be that he’d become a big Twilight fan and wanted to look like his hero. But the idea that she might be the cause of his transformation kept coming back again and again, stronger each time no matter how much she pushed it away.
As the day wore on, she found herself getting drunk on the flattery of it all and she luxuriated in the feeling, hoping it was true. So, it wasn’t with any reluctance that she called him. When he answered the phone, Rachel spoke each word with a smile on her face, she couldn’t help it. The grin got even wider when he agreed to go to Kat’s party. He asked her if she wanted a lift, but Rachel managed to keep at least one foot on the ground and refuse the offer.
She agreed to meet him in town so they could walk together to Aruba. Rachel had to keep a lid on things. Even though she wanted to do cartwheels through the school she thought it best to hide her feelings but it wasn’t easy. Her mouth wanted to curve upwards every time she thought of him and the cloudy skies didn’t seem as cloudy as they were before. She realised she had been in this position before, only to have her hopes dashed at the last minute. This situation might go the same way. It could all be a big misunderstanding and Rachel kept telling herself the whole thing could dissolve quicker than a snowflake in the Sahara.
However, there was a difference this time, or at least the strong possibility of a difference. If he had made the change for her then it would put a completely new slant on things. Maybe, he did want to change his ways and this was his way of showing he was serious. It was a delicious thought.
A visit from Kat helped sober Rachel up. Her steely eyes remained emotionless when Rachel told her Lewis would be at the party. There was no smile, just the word ‘Cool,’ that forced its way past Kat’s thin lips. It seemed Kat was somewhat disappointed that Rachel had done as she’d asked. She was no longer in Katrina's debt. The school bitch now had no excuse to punish Rachel and start spreading malicious lies about her. Rachel was off the hook for the time being.
Chapter 14
*
Olivia was bored. Being a little rich girl was great but sometimes she ran out of things to do. Midweek was the worst - all her friends were at school, uni or work, which made her feel like a fifth wheel. It was depressing and the guilt was unbearable. She was contributing nothing and taking everything. To appease her conscience she worked part-time in a local charity shop. It raised money for cancer and was staffed by older ladies with a habit of speaking over each other. They loved having a pretty young girl around the place who listened to their silly stories and meandering anecdotes, mostly about bus passes and bunions. Olivia would make them tea by the gallon and treat them to cream cakes, which they would refuse at first and then devour like lions.
She called them to see if they needed any help, but unfortunately the shop had more volunteers than customers. Olivia resigned herself to wandering around the empty house trying to find something to occupy her day.
Usually around this time she’d make a pot of coffee and sit and read Twilight, but she’d finished the last book yesterday. It had left a huge hole in her life and she could see why people got obsessed with it. She desperately missed all the characters and expected to bump into them either around town or on the beach. Reading Twilight had made her want to live in their world and be friends with them. This feeling made her understand why Lewis had changed his image. She still didn’t think it was healthy or right, but at least she could see where he was coming from.
Olivia needed another Twilight hit but she didn’t want to start reading the books again just yet – it was far too soon. So she decided instead to watch the movies again. She made herself a large latte, grabbed a generous wedge of her mum’s homemade carrot cake and walked down to the cinema. She put the DVD into the machine and slouched into a seat. That was when she noticed there were several sheets of typed paper held together with a staple lying on the chair next to her. She picked them up and took a closer look. The title read: A Love Like Blood by Clive Richardson.
Curiosity got the better of her and she began to read the first few lines just to see what it was about. By the third sentence she was hooked and forgot about watching the film. Half an hour later, Olivia heard the front door open. She climbed the stairs to see Lewis standing in the hallway, rubbing his eyes. Olivia still had Clive’s story in her hands.
‘Hi, Lewis,’ she said. ‘Do you know where this came from?’
‘Er, let me see,’ Lewis said, squinting at the words printed on the front. ‘Oh, that fell out of Rachel’s bag. I think it’s one of her essays.’
‘But why has it got Clive Richardson written on it?’
‘Dunno, she
’s got an odd friend called Clive. Maybe it’s his.’
‘Have you read it? The story’s really good -’ Olivia stopped mid sentence as she caught a glimpse of his eyes. Lewis instantly turned away. ‘Lewis, what the hell’s wrong with your eyes?’
‘Nothing.’
‘Let me see,’ Olivia said, spinning him around. ‘Oh no.’
The pupils of Lewis’ eyes, which were normally a glacial blue, had become honey coloured and around the outside they were sore and bloodshot. Tears ran down his cheeks like his face had sprung a leak.
‘You’re wearing coloured contact lenses,’ Olivia said.
Lewis immediately turned away. ‘Yeah, so what?’
‘So what? You’ve become an Edward clone and this time, I don’t care what you think, it is creepy.’
‘I told you, it’s for Rachel.’
‘Really? What does she think of this new image? I bet she doesn’t think it’s normal.’
‘She hasn’t seen it yet, but I’m meeting her on Saturday. We’re going to Aruba’s. Wanna come?’
‘Not with you looking like that. You’re like one of those sad people you see on daytime TV.’ As Olivia turned to go she caught a glimpse of something shiny and silver parked outside on the drive.
‘Oh my God, Lewis, what is that?’
‘That’s a Volvo C30. Like it?’
‘No I don’t. I liked your van. What happened to it?’
‘I traded it in. Did you know, this is exactly like the one Edward drives.’
‘I was afraid you were going to say that. Lewis, listen to me, you have to stop this. You look ridiculous. You’re freaking me out. It’s like you’re possessed or something.’
‘You’re overreacting.’
‘Overreacting? Lewis you need help. This isn’t natural. You’re turning into a weirdo.’
‘Well I haven’t got a problem with it. You’re the one who needs to deal with it.’
‘Fine, you go and be a laughing stock, I don’t care. But this is only going to end badly and don’t say I didn’t warn you.’
*
Standing at the tills in Books ‘n’ Beans, Clive found himself daydreaming. Ginster was saying something about time travel and how UFOs weren’t aliens but in fact advanced humans from the future who had travelled back in time to study the past. This was why governments covered up their existence because it would disrupt the space/time continuum or some nonsense like that.
Ginster sincerely believed what he was saying and was banging on like some religious fanatic, but Clive had tuned out ages ago. His mind had floated off and was hovering in front of an image of Rachel. This made him hurt inside. After his little attempt at writing his way into her heart had failed, Clive was all out of ideas about how to get close to her. Worse still, he was beginning to think that Ginster was at least right about one thing: guys like him don’t get girls like her, and he certainly wasn’t any nearer to getting a six pack either. He felt his tummy, there was no six pack there, just a slight bulge that dug into the metal buckle of his belt. I bet Lewis has a six pack, thought Clive.
‘So where would you go, if you could travel back in time?’ asked Ginster.
‘What?’ said Clive.
‘Time travel.’
‘What about it?’
‘Have you been listening?’ said Ginster, clicking his fingers in front of Clive's face.
Clive blinked several times. ‘Sorry,’ he said.
‘What period of time would you visit?’
‘Can I go forward in time?’
‘Yeah, I suppose so.’
‘Then I’d go to a time where technology is so advanced they can change your body and personality for a better one.’
‘Why would you do that?’
‘Because the one I’ve got now is rubbish.’ Clive hung his head like a dog that had been smacked.
‘Hey, don’t talk like that, man. That sort of chat isn’t good for your soul. All you need is a bit of confidence. Are you still after that girl, Rachel? Is that what’s bothering you?’
‘Yeah, it’s all gone wrong. I hate to say it but I think you were right. She is out of my league.’
‘Sorry, man. I’m just keeping it real. What about Lynn? She likes you.’
Clive looked over at Lynn who was helping a tiny old lady reach something on a high shelf. Lynn looked like an elongated version of Velma from Scooby Doo. She was very sweet, which was a good thing in Clive’s mind. He couldn’t ever imagine having arguments with her like he did with Rachel. But he didn’t exactly fancy her, there wasn’t that spark like there was with Rachel. Maybe he could grow to like her. It wasn’t the best basis for a relationship, but he had heard a lot of people grew to love each other. He supposed not everyone couple could have that lightning-bolt moment. Plus, Lynn was definitely in his league. He knew that already and he wouldn’t have to do all that ridiculous chasing.
The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. It would be nice to have a girlfriend. He’d never really had a proper one before.
‘You know what, Ginster? I’m going to ask her out right now.’
‘That’s the way, take control. You the man, buddy,’ Ginster said, slapping Clive on the back.
Ginster watched as Clive made a ruler-straight line for Lynn. The little old lady had gone and Lynn was trying to straighten a line of books that kept toppling like dominoes. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Clive approached her. Smiling nervously she pushed her glasses higher onto her nose with her index finger. Clive said something to her and she instantly looked away as if trying to search for an answer. Then she looked back at Clive with sad eyes. Ginster wished he could hear what the two were saying. Maybe Clive had bottled out and was asking her something mundane like if she’d seen the pricing guns.
Suddenly Clive was back at the tills.
‘What did she say?’ asked Ginster.
‘That’s the last time I ever listen to you, Ginster, you idiot,’ growled Clive. His face was red and he wouldn’t look at him.
‘What’s the matter? What did she say?’ said Ginster.
‘She said no, you git.’
‘I don’t understand. That was a dead cert.’
‘Ginster, you know less than nothing about women, and that’s being generous.’
‘Sorry, dude.’
‘Yeah, so am I. I'm going to lunch.’ Clive walked towards the store entrance.
‘But it's only 11 o'clock,’ Ginster called after him.
Clive turned and faced him. ‘Well, I need to get as far away from you as possible. And thanks for building up my confidence and then kicking me in the nuts. Why don’t you give me a paper cut as well?’
*
Lewis had arranged to meet Rachel at the entrance to Bournemouth Gardens. The Gardens ran all the way through the town like a green sleeve, bisecting it in two. It was full of grassy areas, flowerbeds and trees. It also had a small stream that curled its way down to the sea, where Aruba’s sat like guardian above the beach.
During the day, The Gardens were a breathing space in the midst of the hustle and bustle of shops, restaurants, traffic and department stores. At lunchtime they filled with 9 to 5 office workers who sat scoffing deli sandwiches and dreaming of going on holiday. But when the sun went down it was a different story. Night-time revellers would descend on the town and continually criss-cross the Gardens on their way to the town’s bars and clubs.
Lewis waited on a bench and watched the strange sight of clubbers, pub crawlers and stag nights filtering through the greenery. A group of six hoodies sat on a bench opposite him. They looked too young to get into any of the pubs and too old to stay at home with mum and dad, so they just hung out, like hundreds of other teenagers hoping for something to happen on a Saturday night. They were just what Lewis was looking for.
He stood up and walked over to them. They were all skinny and bounced around with boyish excitement like their limbs were made from elastic bands. Each one was identically dressed w
ith a cap perched on their heads and a hood pulled over the top of it. They eyed Lewis carefully as he walked over. It wasn’t uncommon for vicious fights to break out in The Gardens.
‘Hi,’ said Lewis.
None of them replied.
‘Want to make some money?’ said Lewis.
‘You gay or something?’ said the shortest one. He had the early signs of stubble on his chin. ‘You want to bum us for cash, homo?’
The others laughed dopily. Lewis laughed too.
‘You little pricks have got it wrong,’ Lewis said, whipping out a wad of £50 notes. ‘There’s one of these for each of you if you play a little joke on my friend.’
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