Page 138 of Save You

10

Lydia

James and I have to go back to school on the first Monday of term after the Christmas holidays.Dad says that after nearly a month, it’s time to get back to normal.But the situation at home is anything but normal.Without Mum, who used to keep building bridges between us, dinners with Dad are absolute torture.And things are still tense between James and me.We’re hardly talking and avoid each other most of the time.When normally, he’s the person I feel most comfortable with.

Now we’re both staring silently out the window as Percy drives us to Maxton Hall.Having to go back there feels like a massive waste of time to me.After all, I already know I’m not going to get to uni, even if I’m still able to do my A levels.So what’s the point?

Once Percy’s pulled up outside the entrance, he rolls down the screen and turns toward us.“Is everything OK?”

I nod without a word and try to smile.I sometimes wonder if my smile still looks the same as before.Before all this happened.

“If you need anything,” he says in his deep, calm voice, “youonly have to give me a call.And if any journalists turn up, let the head know about them.He’s well aware of the situation and will make sure they don’t bother you.”

His words sound almost like he’d learned them by heart.

I’ve long suspected that Percy is finding Mum dying harder than he’s letting on.After all, they’d known each other for more than twenty years.He rarely makes jokes now, and sometimes, when he doesn’t think anyone’s looking, there’s such a sad, forlorn expression on his face that my own heart aches for him.

“All right,” I say, tapping two fingers to my forehead in salute.

At least that makes Percy give me a weary smile before he turns to James.“You take care of your sister, Mr.Beaufort.”

James blinks and looks around.His face turns to stone the moment he realizes we’re outside the school already.Without a word, he picks up his bag and opens the door.I glance apologetically at Percy before following James out.He’s halfway across the parking lot before I catch up with him.Cyril, Alistair, Kesh, and Wren are waiting on the front steps.

“Beaufort!”Wren grins broadly, holding out his fist.“About time you put in an appearance around here.”

James pulls the corners of his lips up a fraction and bumps his fist against Wren’s.

“It’s not the same without you,” Kesh adds, taking James’s face in both hands.He gives him a friendly slap on the cheek.

Meanwhile, Cyril comes to give me a hug.“Lydia,” he murmurs into my hair.I gulp.He smells so familiar that I wish I could spend the whole school day standing like this with him.But that’s not an option, so I cautiously pull away.

“Good morning,” I say tiredly.

Cyril’s ice-blue gaze roams inquiringly over my face.Then heputs an arm around my shoulders and we go up the stairs with the others and through the huge double doors into Maxton Hall.

Our friends have lined up around us in an odd formation, presumably to shield us from people’s questions, but there’s no need.Nobody will speak to us.James looks back at me over his shoulder and we both respond the same way.We straighten our backs and stride through the school the way we’ve always done.

Assembly drags on forever, same as ever, and eventually, my neck starts to ache from staring fixedly straight ahead.We’re sitting in the back row, and not a minute goes past without someone turning round to us and then whispering to the person sitting next to them.I ignore them all.I can’t breathe properly until Lexie declares the assembly over and we can file out of Boyd Hall.

“Did you hear?”Alistair asks as we go up the stairs in the main block.“George crashed his car the day after his eighteenth.”

“George who?”I ask.

“Evans,” Wren and Alistair answer at the same time.“You know, the football captain?”

“Oh.Is he OK?”

“Just a scratch on his forehead.More luck than brains, that guy.”

“Oh, and Jessalyn got off with Henry at Cyril’s party.Apparently, he fell asleep mid-shag,” Wren says, determined to fill us in on all the gossip.

“Can’t have been exactly amazing sex, then,” James says drily.

Everyone looks at him in surprise.That was exactly his old tone—bored, with a touch of arrogance.Almost the old James.

“Well, to be honest,” Cyril breaks the silence.“I nearly fell asleep once myself.”

“Cyril.”I pull a face.I might have ended up in bed with himmore than once in the past, but I really don’t want to think about that.“Too much information.”