Dismissed

by Kirsty McManus

  Her fellow students had all scrubbed up quite well. Most of the girls were in full-length gowns, but some of them had taken inspiration from a few of the more outrageous Bond Girl costumes.

  Taylor, while not wearing a bikini, had opted for a skin-tight gold bodysuit with knee high black PVC boots. Heather was wearing a one-piece black pants suit that flared at the bottom. She also had on cat ears, a choker and arm cuffs. When she turned around, Lizzie noticed that she also had a little tail.

  Cara was done up quite dramatically too in a white mini dress, white fur coat, white boots and a fluffy Russian hat.

  She didn’t see Zoe at first, but then she spotted her in a pale Grecian style gown. It was more sedate than the other girls’ outfits, probably to please her date, who Lizzie was only a little bit surprised to see was Gabe. So Zoe had been telling the truth about that bit.

  Nick observed her looking at the couple.

  ‘Are you OK? I can go beat him up if you like,’ he joked.

  ‘No, that won’t be necessary. But I appreciate the offer.’

  They continued into the ballroom and sat down at a table with their names on it. Lizzie immediately discovered that they’d been seated with all the nerds. Not that she minded. She knew Taylor would have thought it was the worst punishment possible, but she clearly didn’t realise Lizzie wasn’t that shallow.

  Dinner was actually more fun than she expected, and Nick turned out to have quite a witty sense of humour. He told Lizzie he was planning to go backpacking in Nepal before teaching English in Asia next year. He then regaled her with stories of his most recent trip to Europe with his parents, where he was legally allowed to drink in Amsterdam, while his parents got stoned in a coffee shop that sold cannabis.

  Lizzie, while she wasn’t particularly attracted to Nick, really enjoyed listening to him talk. For a while, she even forgot where she was.

  During dessert – which included a selection of cupcakes, truffles and macarons all in James Bond style – Mr Jenkins made a short speech.

  He coughed to get everyone’s attention.

  ‘Good evening everyone. I always feel a bit sad when I realise yet another year has passed, and another flock of my young people are leaving school to set off on their own.

  ‘Many of you will go on to further study, while others will travel. And then there are those who will go straight into the workforce.

  ‘Whatever you do, please make sure it’s something you are passionate about. Even if it’s studying obscure plant life in the Amazon jungle, or carving wooden figurines of nineteenth century poets, do it. Don’t worry if it’s not the coolest thing out there, or the best paying. Life is about challenging yourself, but at the same time doing the things you love.

  ‘So as you leave the classroom for the last time in a few weeks, I hope you all feel well equipped for what the future holds, and set out with optimism, dedication, and most of all, perseverance.’

  Lizzie looked around. She couldn’t believe that all of these people would soon be let loose in the real world.

  She wondered how someone like Taylor would cope. Would she find a rich husband and settle for the life of a Stepford wife? Or would she have some sort of realisation resulting in a desire to make it on her own?

  Lizzie hoped it would be the latter. Taylor was self-absorbed and materialistic, but one day she might come good.

  Mr Jenkins finished his speech and invited everyone onto the dance floor. Nick raised an eyebrow at Lizzie as if to ask whether she wanted to join him.

  She shrugged. ‘Sure.’

  The song Happy by Pharrell Williams came on, and everyone started bopping away.

  Lizzie suspected that nearly all of her fellow classmates had consumed at least some alcohol before coming to the formal, because they now threw themselves a little too energetically into the end portion of the evening.

  Nick and Lizzie found themselves welcomed into a circle of people all dancing together. The boys took it in turns to breakdance in the middle, and Lizzie even contributed with a bit of beatboxing when Thrift Shop came on.

  When the song finished, everyone cheered for her, just as they had back on the first day of school. It seemed as though her fellow classmates were feeling quite forgiving tonight. She glanced across the floor and saw Taylor looking at her, smiling sadly. She beckoned Lizzie over to the corner of the room near the now empty roulette table.

  ‘Hey,’ she said sheepishly.

  ‘Hi,’ Lizzie replied, still feeling upset by her friend’s betrayal.

  ‘I need to apologise.’

  ‘Okaaay…’

  ‘I wasn’t very nice to you.’

  ‘Well, you did kind of ruin my birthday,’ Lizzie agreed.

  ‘Yeah, I know. That was pretty low.’

  ‘And Gabe broke up with me because of that photo. Which you took and then spread around knowing full well what it looked like. Not to mention it was because of you that I was even at Brandon and Jason’s in the first place.’

  ‘Yeah. I don’t blame you for hating me.’ She looked down at the floor and brushed away a couple of tears.

  ‘What do you want me to say? I don’t actually hate you, but I’m not sure we can be friends again. You didn’t even give me a chance to explain about the pregnancy thing either.’

  ‘I know. I talked to Jason the other day and he said he’d seen you. Brandon told him about that day when he snatched your phone during our phone conversation.’

  ‘It’s true. So are you still in touch with Jason?’

  ‘No. Well, not really. He’s quite persistent though.’

  ‘I can’t believe he wants to have kids.’

  ‘I know! But I’m just not ready for that level of commitment.’

  ‘Yeah, I’m not surprised. I wouldn’t be either.’

  Taylor noticed Nick going back to his table for a glass of water.

  ‘Sorry about seating you there too.’

  ‘That’s alright. It’s actually been a really good night.’

  ‘I did the seating chart when I was still mad at you, and by the time I really thought about it and realised how horrible I’d been, it was too late to change it.’

  ‘It doesn’t matter. I really didn’t mind.’

  ‘Hey, I heard that CC is Zoe. Can you believe it?’

  ‘I can’t believe she’s here with Gabe tonight, to be honest. I didn’t think he was really into her.’

  ‘I think he’s confused. He mostly asked her because his parents hassled him about it, but I think there’s a part of him that actually does like her. Plus he needed a date at short notice.’ She looked at Nick. ‘But it seems as though you bounced back OK. I now kind of see what you mean about redheads.’

  Lizzie laughed. ‘Riiight…’

  ‘He’s a bit cute, don’t you think?’ she asked.

  Lizzie couldn’t decide whether Taylor was just sucking up or not.

  ‘He’s a good guy,’ she agreed.

  ‘Do you two have plans after this?’

  ‘Not really. Nick is driving, so I guess I’ll go wherever he wants to go.’

  ‘Want to come to the after-party at Gabe’s house?’

  ‘Do you think that’s a good idea?’

  ‘Sure. I think he misses you. He wouldn’t mind you coming.’

  ‘I don’t know. He felt pretty betrayed after he found out about…’

  ‘Lizzie, can I ask you something?’

  ‘Maybe.’

  ‘How do you feel about Brandon?’

  Lizzie didn’t say anything.

  Taylor fixed her with a beady stare.

  ‘Come on Lizzie. It’s me you’re talking to.’

  Lizzie blushed.

  Taylor grinned. ‘I knew it!’

  ‘So what? It’s not like it means anything.’

  ‘Of course it does.’

  ‘No. Everything is weird because of what happened.’

  ‘But none of that will matter in a few weeks.’

  ‘It’s too late. Forge
t about it.’

  ‘It’s never too late.’

  ‘I think you’ve done enough where Brandon is concerned,’ Lizzie said gently.

  ‘Fair point. But you should listen to Sam Jenkins’ advice. Only do stuff you’re passionate about.’

  ‘I don’t think he meant I should be doing the English teacher.’

  ‘Well, no, but you know what I mean.’

  ‘I’m surprised you were even listening to his speech.’

  ‘I’m good at multi-tasking. Speaking of which, I need to go and sort out a few things before this after-party. See you there?’

  ‘I’ll think about it,’ Lizzie said noncommittally.

  Nick came over and looked at Lizzie questioningly.

  ‘Everything OK here?’

  ‘Yeah. Taylor invited us to the after-party if you’re up for it.’

  ‘I was kind of already invited,’ he admitted. ‘But I wasn’t going to go unless you were going.’

  ‘Do you want to go?’

  ‘I think so.’

  ‘Cool. Let’s do it then.’

  A cover of Wicked Game came on and everyone started to slow dance.

  Lizzie could see that Nick was indecisive about whether to ask her onto the floor again.

  ‘Shall we?’ she offered.

  ‘Yes!’ he said, relieved.

  They walked back over, and Nick awkwardly put his arms around her. She pulled him in closer and readjusted his hands so they were more comfortably positioned.

  ‘So are there any ladies you have your eye on?’ she asked him teasingly.

  ‘Uh, I don’t know. Maybe.’

  ‘Ooh. Who?’

  ‘I don’t want to say.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘Because there’s no way she would like me back, and I don’t want to make a fool of myself.’

  ‘If she’s nice, she’ll give you a chance.’

  ‘See, if I didn’t know you already had stuff going on with Gabe and…’ he trailed off.

  ‘Brandon?’ she finished for him.

  ‘Well, I wasn’t really sure what was going on there. I try not to listen to rumours, but I didn’t even consider you as a possibility because I didn’t know...’

  ‘Nick, I think you’re really awesome, and I’m sorry I’m not in the right head space to give you what you want. But I assume you’re talking about someone else right now?’

  ‘It doesn’t matter. I think maybe tonight I’m best avoiding all girls.’

  ‘You can’t do that! Especially at the after-party. It will be the perfect opportunity to chat up a little hottie.’

  ‘I’ll just wait and see what happens.’

  Lizzie glanced around, trying to guess who Nick might like. But then she saw Gabe dancing with Zoe. Zoe was facing the other way, and Gabe met Lizzie’s gaze, holding the connection for a few seconds. She couldn’t read his expression, but it seemed like it might be a combination of longing and sadness.

  She gave him a small, regretful smile and went back to dancing with her date.

  The song ended, and the lights went up. Everyone started trickling out.

  ‘Wanna go party?’ Lizzie asked Nick.

  ‘Yeah. I think we should go party,’ he confirmed.

  CHAPTER 23

  Gabe had a circular driveway, and it quickly filled up with cars and taxis dropping kids off for the after-party.

  Lizzie had tied the Hermes scarf back on her head for the ride over, but was still mindful of giving it back at the end of the night. She tucked it into her purse and reminded herself not to forget about it.

  The house looked even cooler than usual. Gabe, or at least the girls, had filled up the backyard with dozens of candles. Even the pool contained a few handfuls of floating tea-lights that Lizzie watched gently drifting over the surface of the water.

  Fairy lights were strung from the trees, and incense smoke wafted through the yard, creating an almost ethereal atmosphere.

  Gabe had programmed in quite a varied selection of classic rock, pop and alternative tunes. The current song was Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars.

  Lizzie slowly made her way through the growing crowds of people, feeling strange at being back at Gabe’s, but not as his girlfriend.

  ‘I’m just going to go to the bathroom,’ Nick said, and disappeared. Lizzie stood alone, wondering if she’d made a mistake in coming here.

  ‘Hey Dizzy,’ a soft voice whispered in her ear.

  She turned. Gabe was standing right behind her.

  ‘Hey. Taylor said you wouldn’t mind if I was here, but I suppose I should have checked with you first,’ she said in a rush.

  He smiled. ‘Of course I don’t mind having you here. I don’t hate you.’

  Lizzie smiled sadly.

  ‘I’m sorry I wasn’t honest with you.’

  ‘It’s OK. I kind of understand where you were coming from. You were just trying to protect me, in a way. A bit like how I didn’t want to tell you about Zoe.’

  ‘Yeah, so what’s happening there?’

  ‘Oh, um…’ he looked a bit shamefaced.

  ‘Do you like her?’

  ‘I kind of do. I mean, I don’t think it was right how she pretended to be your friend to get to me. Which didn’t work, by the way. But she can be quite sweet when she’s not being totally possessive.’

  ‘Did you ever wonder why she was being so possessive after you spent that first night together?’

  He looked at her blankly, and then realisation dawned.

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘Well, it’s still early days. And hanging out with her gets Mum and Dad off my back.’

  ‘Do they still want you to study overseas next year?’

  He looked at the ground. ‘Uh, yeah. But I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and I’ve decided it might not be such a bad thing after all. Zoe’s parents want to send her over there too, so at least I’ll know someone.’

  ‘Wow. So it could end up being serious between you two?’

  ‘I don’t know. We’re still young. I don’t want to settle down yet.’

  ‘Well, I hope it works out for you both,’ she said genuinely.

  ‘Thanks Lizzie.’ He ruffled her hair.

  ‘Hey, watch it. This hairdo was expensive.’

  ‘You look really pretty tonight.’

  ‘Thanks.’ She opened her purse. ‘Oh, before I forget, I think you should have these back.’ She took out the diamond earrings and held them out.

  ‘No. Please keep them. They were a gift. Sell them if you want, or do whatever you like, but they’re yours.’

  She closed her hand back around them. ‘That’s very generous.’ She was quiet for a second, contemplating whether to ask the next question. ‘Look, I’m not sure if I want to know the answer to this, but did you talk with Zoe on my birthday after you couldn’t get in touch with me?’

  He frowned. ‘Only for a couple of minutes. She phoned me to ask if I was going to some brunch our parents had planned on the Sunday, but obviously I didn’t go because I wanted to see you.’

  Lizzie, nodded, satisfied. She now just felt a bit sorry for Zoe.

  A smashing sound caught Gabe’s attention.

  ‘I better go and investigate,’ he said, rolling his eyes.

  ‘Have a good night. And I hope next year goes well.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  Lizzie found herself alone again. And then she realised she had to use the bathroom now. She hoped Nick was done. But when she reached the door, there was a huge line-up. She wondered if it was her date in there, or someone else causing the congestion. She knew Gabe’s parents had an ensuite in their bedroom though, so she headed for that instead.

  She started in surprise when she saw a woman lounging on the bed in the main bedroom. She was watching a talk show on a big flat-screen on the wall.

  ‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ Lizzie said hurriedly, and went to close the door again.

  ‘No, it’s OK. Can I help
you, love?’

  ‘I didn’t know anyone was in here. I was just going to quickly use the bathroom.’

  ‘Go ahead. Don’t mind me.’

  ‘It’s alright. I’ll just wait with everyone else.’ She turned to leave.

  The woman squinted at her.

  ‘Are you Lizzie?’

  Lizzie spun around in surprise.

  ‘Yes. How did you know?’

  ‘So this is the famous Lizzie White. It’s a shame we’re only just meeting now. Here, let me get a good look at you.’ She sat up and beckoned her over.

  Lizzie self-consciously did as she was asked.

  ‘You have beautiful hair. And eyes. Gabe was silly for letting you go so easily. I heard a lot about you.’

  Lizzie gaped. ‘But he said you wanted him to end up with Zoe.’

  ‘He what?’ she laughed in disbelief. ‘I would never meddle in his private life…’ Then a look of recognition crossed her face.

  ‘Ah. You must be thinking of Gabe’s mum.

  Lizzie stared at her, confused.

  ‘Um, aren’t you her?’

  ‘No, I’m his Aunt Gayle.’

  ‘Oh right. Gabe has actually mentioned you a couple of times. So what are you…’

  ‘Doing here? Gabe begged his parents to go out for the evening, but they wouldn’t agree unless another adult stayed behind. So he called his aunt.’

  Lizzie smiled. ‘Well, it’s lovely to meet you finally.’

  ‘Gabe is my favourite little nephew. I like to think I add some normality to his life. That ridiculous brother of mine and his wife have no idea how to raise children to be responsible adults. They treat them like toddlers who require constant parenting. That’s no way to teach them how to be independent.’

  ‘I agree,’ Lizzie said, smiling.

  ‘I can’t believe Gabe ditched you for her,’ she said, tilting her head at the door. ‘From what I’ve seen and heard so far, I’m not impressed at all.’

  ‘That’s sweet of you to say, but Zoe’s not that bad.’

  ‘I heard you can cook, beatbox and kiss pretty well.’

  ‘Gabe said I could kiss well?’ Lizzie asked, her face warming up.