On The Stage

VI

Once Elizabeth and Randal had said their goodbyes and left I was left alone with Rayan. I was still irritated by his behavior, so I thought it would be best if I just called Buck to come get me. As I pulled my phone out of my pocket I started going through my contact list, which the doberman immediately noticed.

- Don't you think we should talk? - He spoke up in a very serious tone.

Instinctively, the first thing that popped into my mouth was the answer "no". I knew, however, that we should actually talk. So I put out my phone and put it in my pants pocket.

- Here?

- No. - He answered briefly. - We'll take a ride and then I'll drive you home.

I only nodded affirmatively in response. I could only guess what Rayan wanted to talk about. It was probably about the pepper spray. In fact, what else could he be talking about? So I got into Rayan's car and buckled up. The Doberman immediately put music on his radio. He turned the volume up, probably just to drown out our possible first exchange of words. From the speakers we could immediately hear swearing of some rap musician. As the boy started the car, I started reminiscing about my conversation with the school principal Robert Rell. It filled me with pride that I had so effectively defeated this man in this argumentative fencing. Actually, it wasn't even fencing. Robert Rell started stabbing me with a stick and I practically immediately dropped a nuclear bomb on him. I still felt immense anger at the way he tried to treat me. How he tried to take away my ability to pursue my dreams. If all goes well, I'll tell Rayan about how I put out the school principal.

As we drove, I began to wonder about this dance competition. I knew that once I got back to the Von Rostov house, I would have to check the rules of the finals carefully. From what I could tell, you had to choose two or three songs by the end of that week. The competition was to be held in June, so there wasn't much time to prepare. Just a little over a month. I knew that I would definitely have to decipher the steps to the dance that Apolonia had left me in the ballet room. I thought that if she gave me precise instructions then I should master the steps without too much trouble.

As I was contemplating my plans for the next few days, Rayan stopped his car. I realized he was parked in a place I knew. We had been here before, by the lake next to a boulder lying just above the blue water. The boy turned off the car and got out of the car. I did the same and followed him. The young man immediately sat down on the rock, the same one we had been sitting on not so long ago, and the first thing he did was to light a cigarette. Then he looked straight at me with a studied look. A very strange look.

- Tell me what happened at home when you returned after those days of absence. - He instructed, without taking his eyes off me. - And about why you stayed so long in the headmaster's office.

These words frankly surprised me. So I immediately opened my mouth:

- I thought you were going to talk to me about the fight with Kevin.

- That's later. - He replied, taking a drag on his cigarette and carelessly letting the smoke out of his lungs.

- Why do you want to talk about it? - I'm upset. - Maybe we better talk about why you said to Rebecca that we...

- GOD DAMN IT MAX! - He growled at me immediately very aggressively and very loudly. - I want to fucking find out what's going on with you. Ever since your encounter with Kevin at the inn you've had some kind of fucking insanity in your eyes. After the car accident, you looked like you wanted to rip everybody to shreds. And today was no fucking better either. You've been clearly pissed off since school this morning, and after your visit with the principal, you've got the look of a lunatic. - The young man continued to growl at me so that I reflexively took a step back. – What's wrong with you?