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Sep. 23rd, 2008 01:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
polutropeSo this is what happens when I'm bored. A highschool AU, just to see if it could be done. Unfinished, and unlikely to be finished.
“Jon Arne killed Anna Glass’ father!” Nora Adams got the words out as fast as she could, not looking to see who had sat down next to her.
Ocativus Shield put his books on his desk slowly and sat down. He looked across the room at Jon, who was exuding the same arrogance as usual. Harey, his toady, might be a little jumpier than normal, Octavius thought.
“Are you sure?” he asked Nora.
“Oh, it’s you,” she said. Octavius, doomed from kindergarten by his name, which he used in full because the nicknames were worse, had never been popular, and Nora would never have been seen talking to him under normal circumstances. She pretended to study her Italian book intensely for almost half a minute, and then her desire to tell the great news to the only person in WAM High who hadn’t heard won out.
“OK. So, Violet Strauss says that she heard from Irene Stradella that Jon Arne was, like, outside Anna’s window last night –”
“He was trying to get in?” Octavius interrupted. A year ago, Anna had noticed him and stepped down from her pedestal to say, “Hey, you want to get coffee some time?” They had been dating ever since. It did no good for Octavius’ social standing: her friends, Nora included told her five times a day that she deserved someone better, someone cute, like Jon Arne, say.
“Well, obviously,” Nora snapped. “And I think she was probably helping him. I mean, who wouldn’t? So, anyway, her dad – you know he was like a commander in the Marines or something, but he retired ‘cause he was too old – saw him and got mad, and he went downstairs and told Jon that he was going to break every bone in his body. So then Jon said that he wasn’t afraid of him, and they were ready to fight. But then Jon pulled out a gun and shot him.” She stopped and took a sip of Snapple from the bottle on her desk. “I hear they’re going to set up a statue of him.”
“But why didn’t they call the police?”
“Anna has no proof, ‘cause Jon ran. And I think she was paralyzed. She just saw her father die in front of her, right?” She took another sip of Snapple, and went back to her Italian in a way that made it clear she didn’t want to talk, especially to him. He shrugged and opened his chemistry book, trying to focus on the lengths of double bonds.
Halfway through study hall the door opened. The class turned as one to look at it, since there was only one person missing. Anna Glass entered, ostentatiously wearing black.
“You’re half an hour late, Anna. What happened?” asked Ms. Solera.
“I’m really sorry, Ms. Solera,” Anna said sincerely. “After my father’s death, I just couldn’t get up this morning. I’m so sorry.”
Ms. Solera looked down at her desk and shuffled papers awkwardly. “I’m sorry, Anna, I hadn’t heard. Commander Glass was a great man, and he will be missed in the community. You are very strong for even coming to school.”
“Thank you, Ms. Solera,” she said, with a look of noble suffering. She sat down at the last free desk, at the front of the room, and started to do math homework.
Five minutes later, Nora distastefully dropped a note onto Octavius’ desk. He unfolded it, doing his best to be subtle and escape Ms. Solera’s wrath.
“Meet me after class. It’s very important. –Anna,” he read. He crumpled the note and put it in his pocket. Looking up, he tried to catch her eye, but she was resolutely focused on her work. Octavius tried to do the same.
After the bell rang, Octavius sat at his desk, taking a long time to put away his things. He waited at the back of the room while the others left, shuffling behind them.
Anna met him, her anxiety and misery clear on her face. “I need you to help me,” she said.
“I have to know who killed my father, and I want revenge. But the police think he just fell.”
“I’ve heard it was Jon Arne…”
“I know,” said Anna, “but I don’t want to think that. He likes me – us. You’re friends with him, Octavius! He wouldn’t try to get me to cheat on you.”
“No, I guess not.” Jon had befriended him, though not publically. And it wasn’t as though Jon were lacking in conquests – why would he need another?
“Help me find out, Octavius, and help me get revenge on him – however is necessary.” Anna’s eyes were strange, fey.
“I’ll help.”
“Will you swear? By the Book?”
“I swear it, Anna. Your father will have justice.”
* * *
It was a clear, crisp day in late October, when warmth was sacrificed to clarity, and each browning leaf on the trees in the park was outlined against the dark blue sky. A tall, dark-haired girl walked among the piles of leaves, not bothering to avoid those in her path. When she walked through a pile, the leaves jumped and were caught by the wind.
“Yeah, so this town is tiny,” she said into a cell phone. She paused. “I know, not everywhere can be Chicago. But still…”
On the other side of the park, Jon Arne and Harey (whose first name was Sam, although hardly anyone knew, much less used it) were walking, Jon sulkily.
“I told you,” he said, I don’t want to talk about it.”
“But the police….”
“I don’t want to hear about the goddamn police.”
“But you --”
The girl’s voice carried across the park – she was making no effort to be quiet, and her voice was naturally piercing. “Oh, it’s H--.” She listened for a moment. “Yeah, it is where he’s from.”
“Shhh,” said Jon. “She sounds like she needs some consolation. Let’s hide behind this bench.” Wordlessly, Harey obeyed.
“He’s a jerk, though. I mean, he practically proposed at that summer program, then didn’t even give me his e-mail. … Did we --? Maybe. So what if we did? The point is, he didn’t have to be a bastard like that.” Pause. She walked through another pile of leaves, kicking it viciously this time. “I’m pretty sure there’s some guys who keep on with a girl after they ‘get what they want,’ Elissa. So what if this one didn’t. But if I find him –” Her course had brought her to Jon’s bench. He stood up.
“Do you want help finding him?” She turned to face him and nearly dropped the cell phone.
“Yeah, sorry, Liss, I’ll call you back,” she said hurriedly. She closed her phone with a sharp snap.
Getting a clear look at her face, Harey drew in a deep breath through gritted teeth. “Well, this should be interesting,” he said very quietly to Jon. Jon gave him a nasty look.
“You’ve been very helpful, Jon Arne.”
“Uh, sorry, Elvira. I really did mean to give you my phone number, but you know I had to leave early – I was just so rushed. Harey knows more about it that I do, he’ll tell you everything –”
She turned to the other boy. “Well? I’m listening.”
“He did have to leave early, and you know that in this world things are what they are, and a circle isn’t square, like we learned in Geometry…” He trailed off, as she tapped her foot and glared.
“You’re as bad as he is. And you –” She turned. He was gone. “Bastard.”
“Um, yeah.” Harey looked around to make sure Jon was really gone. “Yeah, he is, and he’s not worth your time. He’s been to almost every state, and he’s got at least three girls everywhere he’s been. Blondes, brunettes, redheads, fat girls, skinny girls. He even makes me keep a notebook of them…” He fumbled in his backpack. “Here is it.” It was a black Five-Star five-subject notebook, with a much-used look. “ And I’m almost done with this one. You’re Elvira?”
The girl smiled. “Yeah, Elvira Thomas. Don’t make Mistress of the Dark jokes, they weren’t funny after the first.”
“I wasn’t going to. Just don’t bother going after him.”
She shrugged. “I wasn’t going to.” She paused, stuck her hands in the pockets of her jeans, and took them out again. “Am I in… there?” she asked curiously.
“Yeah? I can find your page if you want,” Harey offered.
She shuddered. “No, that’s okay. We should get back to class anyway.”
* * *
It was close to the end of the day. The halls of WAM High were surprisingly crowded with students, considering the size of the town, which, although it wasn’t quite as tiny as Elvira had claimed, was not large by any measure. It was especially intimidating for the freshmen – the junior high school was a much newer building, with wide, well designed halls. The high school’s halls were narrow and high, and echoed terribly, so that each trip to class seemed a descent into the rivers of Hell.
Not that Lena or Matt, the two freshmen who wandered through those halls hand in hand, had analyzed the situation that much. All they knew, all they thought before the noise and crush eliminated thought, was that the halls were scary, like all of high school had proved to be, two months in. Matt was done for the day; Lena had to stay for tutoring in German. She was lost – this was her first session, and the sheet had not been clear on where the room was. As her boyfriend of two years, Matt had offered to help her get to class. Now they were lost, two immobile points in the river.
And then Lena felt a big hand on her shoulder. She jumped and turned to face its owner.
“Don’t worry so much –” The boy, a senior, looked questioningly at her.
“Lena. Lena Gluck,” she said, blushing.
“Well, then, don’t worry so much, Lena. Are you lost?” She looked up at him. It was a long way – she was not much over five feet, while he was at least six. He was handsome, too… she realized she was staring and looked down.
“Yes. I’m trying to get to room 218, and it looked like it was around here, but it’s not…” She was babbling, and forced herself to stop. “This is my boyfriend, Matt Tauber,” she said, stressing “boyfriend”.
“That’s too bad,” he said, smiling. “I’m Jon Arne.” A shorter boy, probably a junior, stepped out from behind him. “And this is Harey. He has a first name, but no one knows it.” He was quiet for a second, and they stood in an awkward quartet. “Hey,” he said, “you wanna go somewhere we can talk?” Without waiting for an answer, he opened the door of a nearby classroom. “After you,” he said, with a courtly gesture.
Jon set himself up on the desk, letting his long legs dangle over the side. “So, I’m having a Halloween party tonight. Costumes, of course. You guys ”-- he somehow excluded Matt from the collective noun – “wanna come?”
Lena glowed. “Of course!” Her glow dimmed. “But I really have to find room 218 now…”
“I’ll take you there. Harey, why don’t you and Matt go figure out what kind of food and stuff we want at the party?”
“I dunno,” said Matt. “I promised Lena I’d stay with her…”
“Why don’t we go figure out the menu,” said Harey.
Jon flexed his back slightly, and pushed back his sleeve to reveal his football muscles.
“I think that’s a great idea.”
Matt looked from Jon to Lena, noting her adoring gaze. He turned to Harey. “Let’s go, then,” he said in a surly tone. They left, and Matt took care to slam the door and glare at Jon and Lena as he exited the room.
“Well, he’s finally gone. How do you put up with him?” Jon asked. “I mean, he obviously doesn’t really appreciate you…”
“He does, and how would you know, you’ve only know me for fifteen minutes…”
“To see you is to appreciate you… for anyone of real taste. Why are you looking for room 218, anyway?” he asked, suddenly changing course.
“German tutoring,” she answered, glad of the distraction.
“Oh, that’s silly. Look, I’m averaging an A+ in German, and I’ll be better than anyone you’re assigned. Come on, let’s go to my house, and I’ll go over your work with you.”
“I don’t know what Matt would say. I mean, he gets jealous all the time…” She twisted a lock of her auburn hair between two fingers.
Jon laughed. “Of nothing, right? This is just tutoring, you know. Come on, let’s go. I bet I can raise your grade some.” He draped a long arm around her shoulders, stooping somewhat to reach them, and they walked out into the halls.
***
The weather in the in the park matched Elvira’s mood perfectly. It was late afternoon, and the sun barely dared to look out from behind its cover of clouds. A brisk breeze took the leaves from their piles and swirled them around the park.
Hearing footsteps behind her, Elvira turned, only to see Jon and Lena.
“Jon!” she said warmly. “You’re robbing cradles now?”
The pair stopped short. Jon gave Elvira a nasty look. “She’s a freshman. I’m showing her around.”
“You couldn’t fool anyone in your own class?”
Lena’s hand twirled her hair even faster than usual. “What does she mean, Jon?”
“She’s just a crazy ex. I met her this summer, and she thinks that means that we were going out.”
Elvira sighed dramatically. “What’s your name?” she asked.
“I’m Lena. Like he said, I’m a freshman…”
“Well, Lena, he’s a cheating, lying bastard. You don’t have much experience, so it’s pretty clear why you can’t tell – but he likes to trick people into thinking he’s worthwhile, and then leave them cold. And you wouldn’t believe what he does afterward…”
Jon buried his head in his hands.
“Why don’t we go to Starbucks, and I’ll tell you all about it.”
****
“God, why can’t anything go my way today?” Jon asked the sky. “For one thing, of all
the towns in the world, she had to transfer to this one. And then she makes it a personal crusade to keep me from getting laid. It’s not like I’m doing anything that anyone else doesn’t do…” Spotting Anna and Octavius, he broke off.
“Hey! What’re you guys doing here?”
“Looking for you, actually,” said Octavius. “I promised to help Anna find out who killed her father. And gossip –”
“You mean Nora Adams,” Jon interjected.
“Well yes. In any case, she says that you were there.”
Jon raised his eyebrows, trying to cultivate his customary supercilious expression. He didn’t, he supposed, do very well. “So? And why do you believe Nora, anyway?”
“He never said he did,” Anna said coldly. “I thought you might have a clue as to who it was. We really don’t think it was you, Jon. You’re our friend.”
“I wasn’t there, I promise. I’m sorry I can’t help you, but –”
“My god, Jon, do you have a quota or something?”
The three turned to see Elvira at the top of the small hill. The wind tugged her open jacket dramatically, and the sun hit her perfectly.
“You certainly have a sense of drama, don’t you?” said Jon.
“I see you know each other, then…” said Octavius.
Elvira descended the hill carefully, avoiding the slippery leaves adroitly.
“I’m Elvira Thomas – and don’t try to sneak away this time, Jon Arne!” she said, noticing him trying to do just that. “I met Jon at summer camp. We were councilors, and he… well, you don’t need to know that. In any case, he didn’t give me any way to contact him, and it’s only luck that brought me here. Don’t trust him – he’s a liar born.”
“She’s crazy,” Jon said persuasively. “Can’t you see the way she likes drama? The way she posed on the hill? Just leave me alone with her for a little.”
“I’m not going anywhere until I figure out what’s going on,” said Octavius.
“She doesn’t really seem to be the crazy ex type,” said Anna. “I mean, maybe we should…”
Jon looked over his shoulder. It would look really bad if I left now, wouldn’t it? Damn.
“I am going to tell the whole damn town about you, Jon! It’s bad enough that you left me without a word, but telling everyone that I’m crazy…!”
“Because plastering the town with posters of me would totally make you look less obsessed?”
Elvira clenched her fists. “Fine, I’m leaving. It was nice meeting you two.” She strode off in the direction of the school.
Jon sighed and arranged his handsome face into an expression of concern. “I should really follow her. I mean, I think she’s just overly dramatic, and she’s not actually going to hurt herself, but…” He shrugged and went after her.
Anna suddenly stiffened in Octavius’ arms. “It was him, Octavius!” she said. “I didn’t want to think so – I mean, he’s known both of us for so long – but when… that man… was going away from my window, he turned and shrugged exactly like that…”
“It can’t be… Why would he do something like that? Like you said, he’s our friend.” He looked down at her intensely. “Tell me all about what happened that night, if you can. Maybe there’ll be more clues.”
She closed her eyes and was silent, full of the painful memories. “Someone knocked on my window,” she said. “He woke me up, and maybe that’s why I thought it was you – even though you know better, you know how my father is – was – and you’d stay away. I came to the window to open it, and when I’d got it open, he tried to kiss me through the window. It wasn’t you, I knew that right away, and I shouted. That’s when Dad came out…”
“Did you hear his voice? I heard there were threats.”
“Oh god, Octavius, it was him! It was his voice, I’d swear it in court. We know now. Now you know who tried to, to rape me, and who killed my father. If you love me, if you’re not what my friends think you are, get Jon locked up forever. And if you ever think about letting him go, remember my tears, remember my father dead at my feet!” She collapsed weeping in his arms.
She’s still confused – and this won’t hold up in court. But just in case she’s right… I have to find out what really happened, thought Octavius. I have a responsibility to him and to her… To her! I love her, melodrama and all, and if she’s miserable I can’t be happy. I never knew how much her tears hurt me until now, but when she smiles, my life is complete. “Come on, Anna,” he said. “Let’s go home.”
***
Harey sat in Starbucks staring into a cup of black coffee as though it were beer and meditating on how eager he was for Jon Arne to graduate. Their lack of a separate identity would have been annoying even if he had liked Jon better; because he knew Jon only tolerated him because he was too cowardly not to obey him it was painful. And now he was the accessory to a murder and trapped into hoping that no one would find out who the murderer was.
He became aware of Jon’s hand waving in his face and emerged from his bitter reverie. “What?”
“I said,” said Jon, “everything’s going perfectly, Harey!”
“Oh Jon,” Harey said bitterly, “everything’s going terribly.”
“How could everything be going terribly?” asked Jon, rolling his eyes.
“Well, I went to your house, like you told me to, with that kid Matt and convinced him that you meant no harm –”
“Oh, well done!”
“And I got everything ready for your party. But then, just as we were leaving the house, you’ll never guess who came.”
Jon winced. “Lena?”
Harey nodded, with a certain measure of satisfaction. “And?”
Jon buried his head in his hands. “Elvira?”
He nodded again. “And she said all sorts of lovely things about you.”
“I’m sure she did!” Jon picked up Harey’s coffee and drank half of it at a gulp. “So what did you do?”
“Well, I walked with her and tried to get her to be quiet.”
“Well done! And then?”
“She didn’t. She kept saying nasty things about you. But then I walked her away from the house and got her lost, since she’s new to the town.”
“This is why I keep you around! Let me replace your coffee.” Jon made no move to actually do so. “But are you ready for this party? Invite all your friends! Invite the whole school! It’s going to be great. My parents are finally away, and the house is all ours. And there’ll be dancing and music and I’ll definitely have some additions to the List by morning!”
“Jon Arne killed Anna Glass’ father!” Nora Adams got the words out as fast as she could, not looking to see who had sat down next to her.
Ocativus Shield put his books on his desk slowly and sat down. He looked across the room at Jon, who was exuding the same arrogance as usual. Harey, his toady, might be a little jumpier than normal, Octavius thought.
“Are you sure?” he asked Nora.
“Oh, it’s you,” she said. Octavius, doomed from kindergarten by his name, which he used in full because the nicknames were worse, had never been popular, and Nora would never have been seen talking to him under normal circumstances. She pretended to study her Italian book intensely for almost half a minute, and then her desire to tell the great news to the only person in WAM High who hadn’t heard won out.
“OK. So, Violet Strauss says that she heard from Irene Stradella that Jon Arne was, like, outside Anna’s window last night –”
“He was trying to get in?” Octavius interrupted. A year ago, Anna had noticed him and stepped down from her pedestal to say, “Hey, you want to get coffee some time?” They had been dating ever since. It did no good for Octavius’ social standing: her friends, Nora included told her five times a day that she deserved someone better, someone cute, like Jon Arne, say.
“Well, obviously,” Nora snapped. “And I think she was probably helping him. I mean, who wouldn’t? So, anyway, her dad – you know he was like a commander in the Marines or something, but he retired ‘cause he was too old – saw him and got mad, and he went downstairs and told Jon that he was going to break every bone in his body. So then Jon said that he wasn’t afraid of him, and they were ready to fight. But then Jon pulled out a gun and shot him.” She stopped and took a sip of Snapple from the bottle on her desk. “I hear they’re going to set up a statue of him.”
“But why didn’t they call the police?”
“Anna has no proof, ‘cause Jon ran. And I think she was paralyzed. She just saw her father die in front of her, right?” She took another sip of Snapple, and went back to her Italian in a way that made it clear she didn’t want to talk, especially to him. He shrugged and opened his chemistry book, trying to focus on the lengths of double bonds.
Halfway through study hall the door opened. The class turned as one to look at it, since there was only one person missing. Anna Glass entered, ostentatiously wearing black.
“You’re half an hour late, Anna. What happened?” asked Ms. Solera.
“I’m really sorry, Ms. Solera,” Anna said sincerely. “After my father’s death, I just couldn’t get up this morning. I’m so sorry.”
Ms. Solera looked down at her desk and shuffled papers awkwardly. “I’m sorry, Anna, I hadn’t heard. Commander Glass was a great man, and he will be missed in the community. You are very strong for even coming to school.”
“Thank you, Ms. Solera,” she said, with a look of noble suffering. She sat down at the last free desk, at the front of the room, and started to do math homework.
Five minutes later, Nora distastefully dropped a note onto Octavius’ desk. He unfolded it, doing his best to be subtle and escape Ms. Solera’s wrath.
“Meet me after class. It’s very important. –Anna,” he read. He crumpled the note and put it in his pocket. Looking up, he tried to catch her eye, but she was resolutely focused on her work. Octavius tried to do the same.
After the bell rang, Octavius sat at his desk, taking a long time to put away his things. He waited at the back of the room while the others left, shuffling behind them.
Anna met him, her anxiety and misery clear on her face. “I need you to help me,” she said.
“I have to know who killed my father, and I want revenge. But the police think he just fell.”
“I’ve heard it was Jon Arne…”
“I know,” said Anna, “but I don’t want to think that. He likes me – us. You’re friends with him, Octavius! He wouldn’t try to get me to cheat on you.”
“No, I guess not.” Jon had befriended him, though not publically. And it wasn’t as though Jon were lacking in conquests – why would he need another?
“Help me find out, Octavius, and help me get revenge on him – however is necessary.” Anna’s eyes were strange, fey.
“I’ll help.”
“Will you swear? By the Book?”
“I swear it, Anna. Your father will have justice.”
* * *
It was a clear, crisp day in late October, when warmth was sacrificed to clarity, and each browning leaf on the trees in the park was outlined against the dark blue sky. A tall, dark-haired girl walked among the piles of leaves, not bothering to avoid those in her path. When she walked through a pile, the leaves jumped and were caught by the wind.
“Yeah, so this town is tiny,” she said into a cell phone. She paused. “I know, not everywhere can be Chicago. But still…”
On the other side of the park, Jon Arne and Harey (whose first name was Sam, although hardly anyone knew, much less used it) were walking, Jon sulkily.
“I told you,” he said, I don’t want to talk about it.”
“But the police….”
“I don’t want to hear about the goddamn police.”
“But you --”
The girl’s voice carried across the park – she was making no effort to be quiet, and her voice was naturally piercing. “Oh, it’s H--.” She listened for a moment. “Yeah, it is where he’s from.”
“Shhh,” said Jon. “She sounds like she needs some consolation. Let’s hide behind this bench.” Wordlessly, Harey obeyed.
“He’s a jerk, though. I mean, he practically proposed at that summer program, then didn’t even give me his e-mail. … Did we --? Maybe. So what if we did? The point is, he didn’t have to be a bastard like that.” Pause. She walked through another pile of leaves, kicking it viciously this time. “I’m pretty sure there’s some guys who keep on with a girl after they ‘get what they want,’ Elissa. So what if this one didn’t. But if I find him –” Her course had brought her to Jon’s bench. He stood up.
“Do you want help finding him?” She turned to face him and nearly dropped the cell phone.
“Yeah, sorry, Liss, I’ll call you back,” she said hurriedly. She closed her phone with a sharp snap.
Getting a clear look at her face, Harey drew in a deep breath through gritted teeth. “Well, this should be interesting,” he said very quietly to Jon. Jon gave him a nasty look.
“You’ve been very helpful, Jon Arne.”
“Uh, sorry, Elvira. I really did mean to give you my phone number, but you know I had to leave early – I was just so rushed. Harey knows more about it that I do, he’ll tell you everything –”
She turned to the other boy. “Well? I’m listening.”
“He did have to leave early, and you know that in this world things are what they are, and a circle isn’t square, like we learned in Geometry…” He trailed off, as she tapped her foot and glared.
“You’re as bad as he is. And you –” She turned. He was gone. “Bastard.”
“Um, yeah.” Harey looked around to make sure Jon was really gone. “Yeah, he is, and he’s not worth your time. He’s been to almost every state, and he’s got at least three girls everywhere he’s been. Blondes, brunettes, redheads, fat girls, skinny girls. He even makes me keep a notebook of them…” He fumbled in his backpack. “Here is it.” It was a black Five-Star five-subject notebook, with a much-used look. “ And I’m almost done with this one. You’re Elvira?”
The girl smiled. “Yeah, Elvira Thomas. Don’t make Mistress of the Dark jokes, they weren’t funny after the first.”
“I wasn’t going to. Just don’t bother going after him.”
She shrugged. “I wasn’t going to.” She paused, stuck her hands in the pockets of her jeans, and took them out again. “Am I in… there?” she asked curiously.
“Yeah? I can find your page if you want,” Harey offered.
She shuddered. “No, that’s okay. We should get back to class anyway.”
* * *
It was close to the end of the day. The halls of WAM High were surprisingly crowded with students, considering the size of the town, which, although it wasn’t quite as tiny as Elvira had claimed, was not large by any measure. It was especially intimidating for the freshmen – the junior high school was a much newer building, with wide, well designed halls. The high school’s halls were narrow and high, and echoed terribly, so that each trip to class seemed a descent into the rivers of Hell.
Not that Lena or Matt, the two freshmen who wandered through those halls hand in hand, had analyzed the situation that much. All they knew, all they thought before the noise and crush eliminated thought, was that the halls were scary, like all of high school had proved to be, two months in. Matt was done for the day; Lena had to stay for tutoring in German. She was lost – this was her first session, and the sheet had not been clear on where the room was. As her boyfriend of two years, Matt had offered to help her get to class. Now they were lost, two immobile points in the river.
And then Lena felt a big hand on her shoulder. She jumped and turned to face its owner.
“Don’t worry so much –” The boy, a senior, looked questioningly at her.
“Lena. Lena Gluck,” she said, blushing.
“Well, then, don’t worry so much, Lena. Are you lost?” She looked up at him. It was a long way – she was not much over five feet, while he was at least six. He was handsome, too… she realized she was staring and looked down.
“Yes. I’m trying to get to room 218, and it looked like it was around here, but it’s not…” She was babbling, and forced herself to stop. “This is my boyfriend, Matt Tauber,” she said, stressing “boyfriend”.
“That’s too bad,” he said, smiling. “I’m Jon Arne.” A shorter boy, probably a junior, stepped out from behind him. “And this is Harey. He has a first name, but no one knows it.” He was quiet for a second, and they stood in an awkward quartet. “Hey,” he said, “you wanna go somewhere we can talk?” Without waiting for an answer, he opened the door of a nearby classroom. “After you,” he said, with a courtly gesture.
Jon set himself up on the desk, letting his long legs dangle over the side. “So, I’m having a Halloween party tonight. Costumes, of course. You guys ”-- he somehow excluded Matt from the collective noun – “wanna come?”
Lena glowed. “Of course!” Her glow dimmed. “But I really have to find room 218 now…”
“I’ll take you there. Harey, why don’t you and Matt go figure out what kind of food and stuff we want at the party?”
“I dunno,” said Matt. “I promised Lena I’d stay with her…”
“Why don’t we go figure out the menu,” said Harey.
Jon flexed his back slightly, and pushed back his sleeve to reveal his football muscles.
“I think that’s a great idea.”
Matt looked from Jon to Lena, noting her adoring gaze. He turned to Harey. “Let’s go, then,” he said in a surly tone. They left, and Matt took care to slam the door and glare at Jon and Lena as he exited the room.
“Well, he’s finally gone. How do you put up with him?” Jon asked. “I mean, he obviously doesn’t really appreciate you…”
“He does, and how would you know, you’ve only know me for fifteen minutes…”
“To see you is to appreciate you… for anyone of real taste. Why are you looking for room 218, anyway?” he asked, suddenly changing course.
“German tutoring,” she answered, glad of the distraction.
“Oh, that’s silly. Look, I’m averaging an A+ in German, and I’ll be better than anyone you’re assigned. Come on, let’s go to my house, and I’ll go over your work with you.”
“I don’t know what Matt would say. I mean, he gets jealous all the time…” She twisted a lock of her auburn hair between two fingers.
Jon laughed. “Of nothing, right? This is just tutoring, you know. Come on, let’s go. I bet I can raise your grade some.” He draped a long arm around her shoulders, stooping somewhat to reach them, and they walked out into the halls.
***
The weather in the in the park matched Elvira’s mood perfectly. It was late afternoon, and the sun barely dared to look out from behind its cover of clouds. A brisk breeze took the leaves from their piles and swirled them around the park.
Hearing footsteps behind her, Elvira turned, only to see Jon and Lena.
“Jon!” she said warmly. “You’re robbing cradles now?”
The pair stopped short. Jon gave Elvira a nasty look. “She’s a freshman. I’m showing her around.”
“You couldn’t fool anyone in your own class?”
Lena’s hand twirled her hair even faster than usual. “What does she mean, Jon?”
“She’s just a crazy ex. I met her this summer, and she thinks that means that we were going out.”
Elvira sighed dramatically. “What’s your name?” she asked.
“I’m Lena. Like he said, I’m a freshman…”
“Well, Lena, he’s a cheating, lying bastard. You don’t have much experience, so it’s pretty clear why you can’t tell – but he likes to trick people into thinking he’s worthwhile, and then leave them cold. And you wouldn’t believe what he does afterward…”
Jon buried his head in his hands.
“Why don’t we go to Starbucks, and I’ll tell you all about it.”
****
“God, why can’t anything go my way today?” Jon asked the sky. “For one thing, of all
the towns in the world, she had to transfer to this one. And then she makes it a personal crusade to keep me from getting laid. It’s not like I’m doing anything that anyone else doesn’t do…” Spotting Anna and Octavius, he broke off.
“Hey! What’re you guys doing here?”
“Looking for you, actually,” said Octavius. “I promised to help Anna find out who killed her father. And gossip –”
“You mean Nora Adams,” Jon interjected.
“Well yes. In any case, she says that you were there.”
Jon raised his eyebrows, trying to cultivate his customary supercilious expression. He didn’t, he supposed, do very well. “So? And why do you believe Nora, anyway?”
“He never said he did,” Anna said coldly. “I thought you might have a clue as to who it was. We really don’t think it was you, Jon. You’re our friend.”
“I wasn’t there, I promise. I’m sorry I can’t help you, but –”
“My god, Jon, do you have a quota or something?”
The three turned to see Elvira at the top of the small hill. The wind tugged her open jacket dramatically, and the sun hit her perfectly.
“You certainly have a sense of drama, don’t you?” said Jon.
“I see you know each other, then…” said Octavius.
Elvira descended the hill carefully, avoiding the slippery leaves adroitly.
“I’m Elvira Thomas – and don’t try to sneak away this time, Jon Arne!” she said, noticing him trying to do just that. “I met Jon at summer camp. We were councilors, and he… well, you don’t need to know that. In any case, he didn’t give me any way to contact him, and it’s only luck that brought me here. Don’t trust him – he’s a liar born.”
“She’s crazy,” Jon said persuasively. “Can’t you see the way she likes drama? The way she posed on the hill? Just leave me alone with her for a little.”
“I’m not going anywhere until I figure out what’s going on,” said Octavius.
“She doesn’t really seem to be the crazy ex type,” said Anna. “I mean, maybe we should…”
Jon looked over his shoulder. It would look really bad if I left now, wouldn’t it? Damn.
“I am going to tell the whole damn town about you, Jon! It’s bad enough that you left me without a word, but telling everyone that I’m crazy…!”
“Because plastering the town with posters of me would totally make you look less obsessed?”
Elvira clenched her fists. “Fine, I’m leaving. It was nice meeting you two.” She strode off in the direction of the school.
Jon sighed and arranged his handsome face into an expression of concern. “I should really follow her. I mean, I think she’s just overly dramatic, and she’s not actually going to hurt herself, but…” He shrugged and went after her.
Anna suddenly stiffened in Octavius’ arms. “It was him, Octavius!” she said. “I didn’t want to think so – I mean, he’s known both of us for so long – but when… that man… was going away from my window, he turned and shrugged exactly like that…”
“It can’t be… Why would he do something like that? Like you said, he’s our friend.” He looked down at her intensely. “Tell me all about what happened that night, if you can. Maybe there’ll be more clues.”
She closed her eyes and was silent, full of the painful memories. “Someone knocked on my window,” she said. “He woke me up, and maybe that’s why I thought it was you – even though you know better, you know how my father is – was – and you’d stay away. I came to the window to open it, and when I’d got it open, he tried to kiss me through the window. It wasn’t you, I knew that right away, and I shouted. That’s when Dad came out…”
“Did you hear his voice? I heard there were threats.”
“Oh god, Octavius, it was him! It was his voice, I’d swear it in court. We know now. Now you know who tried to, to rape me, and who killed my father. If you love me, if you’re not what my friends think you are, get Jon locked up forever. And if you ever think about letting him go, remember my tears, remember my father dead at my feet!” She collapsed weeping in his arms.
She’s still confused – and this won’t hold up in court. But just in case she’s right… I have to find out what really happened, thought Octavius. I have a responsibility to him and to her… To her! I love her, melodrama and all, and if she’s miserable I can’t be happy. I never knew how much her tears hurt me until now, but when she smiles, my life is complete. “Come on, Anna,” he said. “Let’s go home.”
***
Harey sat in Starbucks staring into a cup of black coffee as though it were beer and meditating on how eager he was for Jon Arne to graduate. Their lack of a separate identity would have been annoying even if he had liked Jon better; because he knew Jon only tolerated him because he was too cowardly not to obey him it was painful. And now he was the accessory to a murder and trapped into hoping that no one would find out who the murderer was.
He became aware of Jon’s hand waving in his face and emerged from his bitter reverie. “What?”
“I said,” said Jon, “everything’s going perfectly, Harey!”
“Oh Jon,” Harey said bitterly, “everything’s going terribly.”
“How could everything be going terribly?” asked Jon, rolling his eyes.
“Well, I went to your house, like you told me to, with that kid Matt and convinced him that you meant no harm –”
“Oh, well done!”
“And I got everything ready for your party. But then, just as we were leaving the house, you’ll never guess who came.”
Jon winced. “Lena?”
Harey nodded, with a certain measure of satisfaction. “And?”
Jon buried his head in his hands. “Elvira?”
He nodded again. “And she said all sorts of lovely things about you.”
“I’m sure she did!” Jon picked up Harey’s coffee and drank half of it at a gulp. “So what did you do?”
“Well, I walked with her and tried to get her to be quiet.”
“Well done! And then?”
“She didn’t. She kept saying nasty things about you. But then I walked her away from the house and got her lost, since she’s new to the town.”
“This is why I keep you around! Let me replace your coffee.” Jon made no move to actually do so. “But are you ready for this party? Invite all your friends! Invite the whole school! It’s going to be great. My parents are finally away, and the house is all ours. And there’ll be dancing and music and I’ll definitely have some additions to the List by morning!”
