Chapter 51
FIFTY-ONE
THE WICKED WITCH IS IN… EDINBURGH?
“The fucker’s finally gone,” Callan cheers as he slides into the room, high-fiving Zach, who drops onto the couch with a bowl of popcorn. “Expelled and we don’t have to look at his face ever again! Woop woop!”
“He’s not dead, Callan,” Zach drawls around Callan’s rendition of “We Are The Champions.” “He may roll back around.”
“Not Poughkeepsie. Didn’t you hear? He’s moving to Edinburgh to be with Daddy.”
“Which one?” Pecan asks as I pump my fist in satisfaction.
“Huh?”
“The one in Canada or the UK?”
“Are you being serious?”
“It’s a genuine question! I’d prefer for him to be across the Atlantic!”
“How do you even know about New Edinburgh, Ontario?” Zach sputters.
“Hey, I read!”
Callan shoots him a disbelieving look. “Since when?”
“Since always.”
I narrow my eyes. “You only read sports journals.”
“I’m offended.”
“Well, I meant the UK,” Callan inserts.
I gag. “Poor Britain.”
“Anyway, my chaos title aside, we only got this to happen because of you, Denny.”
“Hardly,” I dismiss.
“No, Lex’s sister wouldn’t listen to her about reporting him but somehow, both of you made it happen. Then, when she came forward after Dyers was shredded by the press, so did some of his other victims. Too many for the college to cover up.
"Lex told me that her sis is reconsidering returning to Oakwood to be with her."
"That's awesome news!"
“Did he tell you the best part?”
I arch a brow at Zach. “Dyers's expulsion and Lex’s sister’s return to Oakwood aren’t the best part?”
“Well...”
"Of course they are," Callan chirrups. "But this is the icing on the cake."
“Hit me with it,” I say around a yawn because it’s 3 AM here and I’m pooped, but the puck’s about to drop in the Stars vs. Bulldogs game and I need to know the outcome before my 8 AM class.
“He didn’t bring a Lambo to school.”
“What did he bring then?”
“A Ferrari,” Pecan chimes in.
“A now, shall we say, distressed Ferrari,” Chaos Puppy comments, pumping his fist for the nth time.
Honestly, he’s earned it because I had nothing to do with that particular act of vandalism.
When a knock sounds on the door, Pecan waves at me. “See ya later, D. I’ll grab the door then head out. Bye, dudes.”
After he disappears, I ask, “Have he and Hailey gotten back together?”
Zach rolls his eyes at the camera on Pecan’s way out. “No.”
“Where’s he going?”
“Party.”
“He’s not watching the Bulldogs?!” I gasp. “Holy fuck, how broken is he?”
“Very. He’s approaching the point where it’s going to affect him even being able to play on the team! He’s flunking computer science, and I’m good at tutoring, but I cannot rescue a dead rat,” Callan complains.
“Wow, that’s some imagery,” a new voice drawls.
Callan immediately freezes as Lex takes a seat beside him.
His eyes beg me to 'send help.'
Smirking at him, I sit back in bed. “How are things, Lex?”
“Awesome now that I don’t have to serve that bastard breakfast anymore.”
“Did you hear the news?” Victoria cheers but damn, she sounds and looks exhausted.
“Edinburgh, baby! I brought Champagne,” Shay declares from the hallway.
“No fair! I’m not there to drink any!”
“We can have another party when you’re back,” Victoria tells me with a smile. “How’s Madrid?”
“Beautiful,” I breathe around a yawn. “And alive. And just awesome.”
“I loved Madrid,” Shay concurs. “Mom and I traveled a lot before she got back together with my dad. She’s kind of a…a nomad, so we went all over and I saw a lot of stuff.
"You need to go to the crystal palace. I know it’ll be kinda barren at this time of year, but it’s in this awesome park.
El Retiro. I collected so many conkers from there when I was a kid and we sneaked them back with us in our suitcases and they rotted.
” Shay pouts. “Mom didn’t prepare me. Said, ‘It was a part and parcel of life. Accepting that things don’t last forever. ’”
“Aunt Aela and her words of wisdom,” Victoria tacks on while I open my notes app and log 'crystal palace' into my to-visit list.
“I’m not even sure what conkers are,” Callan admits.
“The nuts of horse chestnut trees. There’s this weird game in the UK. They punch a hole into them and then put them on a string and you try to hit the other person’s conker with yours. It hurts if they rap your knuckles.” He laughs. “Good times.”
“I’ll visit and take pictures,” I promise him, flicking a look at Victoria then mouthing to Shay, “She okay?”
He shoots me a grimace but waggles his hand from side to side.
“Puck’s about to drop,” Callan warns.
I set up my TV and rock back into my pillows.
Spain’s great. It is. I love Madrid’s vibe and how old it is, and maybe Zach was right about wanting to come back here as adults, but… the time zone difference sucks and it’s not as good as home.
And that’s what I’m looking at.
It’s what I’m missing.
He is what I’m missing.
As well as the rest of the peeps camped out in my living room.
When Donnghal takes the puck, passes to Lewis, and then breaks away into the Stars' O-zone, I forget about homesickness.
I'm too busy roaring when the Stars score eight seconds into the game.
Even if a part of me was hoping for a loss…
That Cartier ring is temptation incarnate.