14. Winner
14
WINNER
W hen Van Bergen’s horn resounded across the playground, everyone stopped in the middle of their conversations. Soon, a cluster of students agglutinated past the front gate to observe the scene, their necks stretched and their mouths agape.
Since he was taller than most, Alberto could clearly see Mathias hovering above Kayvin. His own mouth fell open, and his cigarette tumbled to the ground. Was he kicking his bigoted ass? That’s what everyone around was suggesting, their voices full of hope. It seemed like there wasn’t anyone Kayvin hadn’t frightened or harassed in his three years at Colette. Alberto watched the scene unfold in quiet bewilderment until he heard a squeaky voice like a mouse near his elbow.
“Press! Press! Let me through! I’m press, merde ? 1 !”
Alberto recognised Elisa’s voice before she even slammed headfirst into him. She glanced up in exasperation — good God, did she look like her brother at times — and her expression turned to shock when she recognised him.
“Alfred!” She gripped his arm. “Is it really Mathias?”
Alberto nodded. She stretched on her toes to get a better look, to no avail. Alberto pointed at his own back.
“Do you want to…”
“Yes!” She didn’t hesitate, and she jumped on his back with no consideration for his clothes or his backpack, letting out a squeal of triumph upon discovering what the world looked like from his height.
Cutting an impressive figure, Van Bergen was towering over Mathias in the middle of the schoolyard, and yet, the latter pushed him away — going as far as baring his teeth at him — and yelled, “Eat shit!”
Mathias’s words had everyone gasping in horror — and awe. The colour drained from the headmaster’s face, causing Mathias’s expression to crumple as well. As Kayvin scrambled back to his feet with a wicked smile, Eric rushed toward Van Bergen, but the headmaster stopped him with a threatening glare.
Van Bergen seized Mathias by the neck and led him toward the building. When Mathias gave in, his arms falling limply at his sides, Alberto’s stomach churned, and he almost let out a helpless sound.
Elisa’s hand closed in a tight fist around his hair — that too, apparently, ran in the family. Using her other hand, she was filming the scene with her phone.
“What are you doing?” Alberto asked. Ignoring the burgeoning pain in his lower back, he readjusted her weight with a huff. “Taking pictures for the paper?”
“Nuh-uh. Personal archives.”
Alberto frowned. “Mathias won’t like being reminded of this.”
“Who says it’s for him?” Before Alberto could retort, Elisa added, “Let me down before I get murdered here.” She slipped down from her perch with great agility. “Your fan club’s watching, and they don’t take kindly to our great familiarity.”
Alberto glanced over her head and saw his three most resilient admirers. If looks could kill, Elisa would be in serious trouble right now.
“Oh, right.”
“If they can’t take this, wait until they find out about my brother,” she added, straightening her oversized military jacket.
Alberto graced her with a faint smile and got pulled into a yawn. “Sorry. I haven’t seen them in so long, I had almost forgotten about their existence.”
“You can thank me for that, too!” Elisa made her way toward the main building. “I told them to leave you alone after our little talk.”
“Why… Wait!” Alberto trotted after her. “Why would you do that? ”
Elisa gave him a pointed look. “You have every right to walk around in public spaces without being harassed. Did you expect me to do nothing? My principles could never allow it.” She briefly paused, then mumbled, “What sort of friend would I be otherwise…?”
Upon hearing that, Alberto almost collided nose-first with the door he was holding open for her.
“We’re… friends?”
Elisa sniggered at his clumsiness. “Of course we’re friends. Didn’t you say I was amazing the other day?”
Alberto took advantage of his height to open a path for them through the heaps of students making their way outside, some still commenting on the way Mathias got dragged into Van Bergen’s office. “Hum… I said you were nice. If I recall, I didn’t?—”
“Here we are!” Elisa stopped in front of the Colette Times ’s editor-in-chief’s office and watched him struggle against another yawn. “Again? I know it’s not my brother who’s keeping you awake at night. What’s up with that, by the way?”
Not too keen on talking about that, Alberto steered the conversation back to his fan club. “How did you convince those girls to leave me alone?” He thought of Mathias with alarm. “You didn’t threaten to punch them in the face, did you?”
Elisa laughed as she opened the door. “My mentor—you know, the headmaster— does claim that the only way to deal with bullies is to punch them in the face.” She mimicked a boxer hitting someone with their fist.
“Hang on…” Alberto followed her inside. “Van Bergen’s your mentor?”
“He is!” She nodded excitedly. “He’s The Godfather, you know? And he’s so tall, he’s over half a meter taller than me. That’s like…” She interrupted herself, her expression turning thoughtful. “Oh, never mind. Of course I didn’t hurt those poor girls! Unlike my brother, I’m mostly nonviolent. On that note, Kayvin should watch out, or he’s gonna get it.”
Elisa elbowed her way past the piles of files, books, and magazines littering the already cramped space and dropped into the large swivel chair on the other side of an old desk. “No, I merely threatened to divulge their embarrassing secrets in my next paper. Mostly the nasty stuff they say behind each other’s backs. It worked like a charm.”
“Hm…” Alberto nodded absently. “You know… your brother real ly isn’t that violent.” He recalled it took a certain amount of convincing for Mathias to be rough enough with him. He was always worried about hurting him; it was quite endearing. Mathias was quite endearing. Alberto really couldn’t wait to feel his lips upon his skin again.
“I know that!” Elisa said. “But he got suspended from our former school for punching someone. Considering Kayvin’s behavior, it’s a miracle Mathias hasn’t lost his cool already.” She whirled around and pointed at a small Tassimo machine on a crooked shelf behind her. “Coffee? You really look like you could use some.”
Alberto waved the offer off. “I don’t touch that stuff anymore.” More importantly, he had seen Mathias keep his cool even as Kayvin pushed him into the pool. He wondered what could trigger him to show a little more… spirit. “Why did your brother punch that person?” he asked in an innocent tone.
“Oh, you know…” Elisa gestured him to sit down on a nearby rickety stool and flashed him a peace sign when he refused with a grimace. “Some dumb guy was making fun of Daphnée.”
“Daphnée?”
“Matt’s best friend, Daphnée, yes.”
“His girlfriend, you mean?”
Elisa’s face darkened. “Yeah, that one. Anyway, it wasn’t his first offense, so they suspended him. That’s part of the reason why my dad, who was teaching there at the time, even considered taking a position here. Mathias didn’t want to go to a private school either, but, you know, he was lucky enough to even be offered a second chance.”
Alberto felt a pang of jealousy at the thought of Mathias going to such lengths for Daphnée. “What happened the other time? Who did he punch?”
“There was this boy at school…” Elisa looked up and met his eyes with obvious reluctance. “He was the target of jokes. No one told me why, but it seems to me it was because he was gay. One day, Mathias was nearby when it happened, and he lost it.”
Now, Alberto felt even more jealous; his expression turned morose. Elisa misinterpreted and hastily stood up.
“He’s not usually like that! I mean… Mom was sick at the time, and he was on edge. And the second time, last summer, he had a lot on his mind… But he doesn’t hurt the people he loves. He’s not that type!”
Alberto cast his eyes down. Mathias was perfectly capable of hurting people… by abandoning them out of the blue. But of course, it was different: he didn’t love Alberto.
“What’s going to happen to Mathias?” he asked in a thin voice. “I heard Van Bergen literally suspends students from the ceiling.”
“He’ll be fine!” Elisa waved her hand dismissively. “Now leave, please, I have to proofread the Guide one more time. We will announce winners tomorrow.” She winked at him. “Be prepared, Alberto Gazza!”
Alberto had no idea what she was talking about, but he took his leave, his heart full of worry for Mathias, but also bitterness. Since Mathias so readily defended other people, why wouldn’t he come to his rescue at Xavier’s? Not that Alberto thought he deserved that special treatment, but he’d been rewinding their time together during the Christmas holidays, and it seemed to him they were getting closer, and it seemed to him Mathias had no intention of leaving the bed that morning. Alberto shouldn’t have gotten up; when they came back, something had changed, for certain. Alberto believed — no, he was certain — they should have never left that bed.
Stasia was right: Alberto was too pathetic to keep a friend, never mind a lover like Mathias. But since she showed her true face the other day, he’d decided he would do everything in his power to get him back. He’d already resorted to drastic measures, so he hoped their break would be of short duration. Without Mathias to hold him tight enough to bruise his bones, Alberto was constantly worried about falling to pieces.
Alas, the next day, Mathias didn’t show up, and Alberto naturally grew so worried, he started picking at his fingernails, a habit he’d managed to lose years ago. In class, he was twitchy and unable to concentrate at all. If Mathias got himself expelled from Colette, it truly would be the end of the world.
Alberto left the history lesson with no recollection of what had happened in there. His mind poisoned with anxious thoughts, he didn’t notice the figure coming at him at full speed: Eric swooped down on him just as he was exiting the building.
“Hi!” Grinning as always — his smile was so bright, Alberto almost took out his sunglasses to escape the glare — Eric whipped out Alberto’s expired ID and held it before him. “Found this in class the other day. It’s yours, isn’t it? It has to be.”
“Yes…” Alberto gingerly took the card. How the hell did it end up in Eric’s hands, of all people? “My name’s on it, after all. ”
“Your middle name’s Gabriel!”
“Yes… it is.”
Though Alberto expected Eric to walk away, he stood there with a bizarre smile plastered on his face, filling him with an inexplicable sense of dread. What if he came to settle the debt after what he did for him the other day? I lied to your mother to cover your ass. Now, hand over the money, or the bunny gets it! Or something like that. Alberto hoped he’d ask for money. He had literally nothing else to give. But that made no sense! Though Eric dressed like a Playmobil, he was probably richer than Alberto; he didn’t need any money. So, what else could he possibly want?
“Anyway, now that I’ve got you…” Eric let out a quiet laugh, and Alberto held his breath. “Me and a few others, we’re to announce the winners and all, so I must inform you that, as a consecutive winner yourself, you have access to VIP stuff, including taking part in some bets. Some of them are really dumb, but you should still do it, it’s kinda fun.”
Completely at a loss, Alberto blinked at him. “What are you talking about?”
“The Colette Candy Guide ? The awards? The bets?”
“The what?”
Eric grew perplexed. “The Colette Candy Guide is an unofficial list published every year that rewards students for stuff like… Best Student , Brightest Future , et cetera…” He pulled a rolled-up booklet out of his pocket. “Like the Oscars, but dumb. You… you’re not even aware that you got an award?”
“No.”
“And last year?”
Alberto’s eyes widened. “I got an award last year?”
His ignorance seemed to amuse Eric. “Yes! One of the best ones! That’s why you’re a VIP, and you can place bets?—”
“Which award did I get?”
“ Best-Looking Guy .”
“Oh.”
"And..." Eric leaned in conspiratorially. “ Best-Looking Gal, too.”
“Right…” Alberto briefly pondered the absurdity of his existence. “What about you? Which one did you get?”
That idiot flushed up to his ears with glee. “ Best Personality .”
Of course that bisexual bastardo would end up with the real prize.
“I also got Best Body ,” Eric added smugly .
“ Best … Body ?” Alberto repeated, incredulous.
“Why are you making that face? You thought you would get Best Body ?” Eric’s eyes swept over him suspiciously, causing Alberto to wrap his coat tighter around him. “What are you hiding under your weird clothes, anyway?”
“I never said I should get Best Body .”
“But you made a face like I shouldn’t have gotten it!”
No, he shouldn’t have. Who the hell decided which award went to whom? Not only was Mathias built like a machine, but he was as powerful as one. People might not know much about him here other than his position as goalkeeper, but outside of school, Mathias was a rigorous boxer, lifter, jogger, and an insanely good fuck. Just thinking of his lean, hard muscles made Alberto’s legs go weak. But was there any way Alberto could tell Eric how he felt about this gross error in judgment without betraying himself? No. He’d better ask Elisa the next time he came across her. After all, she was at least partly responsible for this debacle.
Eric, oblivious to Alberto’s torment, was all flushed from anguish. “Who is it, then? Who’s better than me? Is it Kayvin? No, it’s Xavier, isn’t it? I know you have this weird relationship going on…”
“Nothing like that,” Alberto said, inwardly rolling his eyes. “It’s all in your head.”
“Then…?”
Alberto couldn’t help feeling amused. He had never seen Eric like this. For once, he held power over him; he wasn’t about to relinquish it just yet. “I just don’t think you should have gotten Best Body , that’s all. And judging from your reaction just now, I can’t believe you got Best Personality either.”
“Huh?” Eric suddenly looked like he’d been switched off. He gazed down at his booklet with a frown, letting an odd silence settle between them. “You know what? You’re right. Maybe I shouldn’t have gotten it after all.”
Uncomfortable as he was, Alberto couldn’t help using Eric’s confusion to ask about Mathias. He lightly cleared his throat. “What happened to your friend yesterday?”
Eric looked up abruptly. “My friend?”
“The one who Van Bergen took away by the scruff of his neck?” Alberto haughtily jerked his head. “Did he get murdered by him or what?”
“Oh…” Eric gave his booklet a last glimpse, then rolled it back up an d put it back in his pocket. “He injured himself, so he’s staying home. He’ll be back on Monday.”
“He injured himself?” Alberto madly stepped forward and was about to seize Eric’s arm, but he stopped himself at the last second. “He— What happened?”
“He flung his fist through a window.”
Alberto’s heart dropped to his stomach. “Is he… is he okay?”
“He’s better than the window,” Eric said, his eyes narrowing.
He wasn’t as idiotic as he appeared. Soon, he would become suspicious. Alberto had better revert to his usual persona, as well as change the subject.
“Did… did Zak get an award?”
That was enough to make Eric’s eyes glimmer again. “Of course he did! He got Cutest Couple .”
“Ah. With me?”
Eric’s jaw dropped. “You bastard...” He abruptly seized Alberto by the lapels of his coat. “With me!”
Alberto feigned surprise. “Oh?”
“ We are cute. You were not cute. You were not cute at all!”
Take that , Best Body , Alberto thought with mischief. “I know, I know,” he said. Enough with the games. At least Eric didn’t appear suspicious anymore. “Could you please stop shaking me? Or I’ll have a…” — Eric released him with a gasp of horror — “… headache.”
“Sorry, sorry!” Eric even smoothed Alberto’s coat, who feared he was about to hug him. “I kinda lost it there. Really, forgive me, I’m under a lot of pressure, I?—”
“That’s fine, no harm done,” Alberto said truthfully. “Thanks for returning my card and for… I don’t know why you did that, but thanks for covering for me the other day.”
Eric laughed. “Of course! You looked like you definitely needed a way out! Who hasn’t lied to their parents before? I can sympathize…” He checked the time on his phone and started. “I have to get to practice, so I’m gonna go, but I’ll see you tonight?”
Alberto furrowed his brow. “Tonight?”
“Yes. Party at Neuilly?”
For the first time ever, Alberto didn’t get invited to one of Xavier’s parties. He schooled his expression to pretend he naturally did.
“You better come,” Eric said, “or Xavier will whine all night.” He turned around to leave before stopping in his tracks. “ My friend Mathias will probably be there, so you can ask him about… about his hand. ”
Alberto watched him walk away with a racing heart. Now that his mind was clear of the usual fog, it wasn’t too difficult to put two and two together: the invitation to Zak’s birthday party, the forced kindness, his rescue the other day…
It became clear to Alberto that Eric knew about them. And even more shocking, he seemed to be on their side.