The Secret Legacy of Pan - English Translation

Chapter Five

THE NEW GUY

Mum was luckily already at the pub and Mrs Collins had informed me about a beer delivery. As if I did not know that we got a beer delivery every Tuesday. I made some pasta with sauce, ironed a couple of clothes, and got ready for my French course, which I had twice a week in the evening.

Two pub-free evenings every week. Although mum and Mrs Collins viewed it in a different light. I knew that mum wished I would take over the pub some day and was already constantly helping her out. My plans for the future looked different, however. I wanted to become a teacher. I wanted to work with kids. In no way did I want to stand behind a counter night after night, talk to drunkards and barely have enough money for a meal.

I packed my bag and went back to college. My Walk To Canossa, because my French course looked exactly like my English class: I was alone with a few members of the Star Club.

When I entered the classroom, I saw that my isolation had also come to an end here, just like in English class: Lee was already sitting by my desk. However, Cynthia sat beside him, Ava on the desk, and Felicity in his lap.

Something in my pocket started vibrating. Since I had five minutes before class started, I pulled out my phone and took the call. "Hi Feli, are you free after your French course? Jayden wants to make up for the movie night."

"Sounds good, although there already is an interesting film playing out in front of me." Phyllis was all ears. "Lee is here. Surrounded by the sirens of the Star Club. Felicity is sitting on his lap and I'm wondering if she's going to stand up for Monsieur Darbot."

I could hear Phyllis giggling. "Could you take a picture with your phone? Then we have something to laugh about later."

I would have loved to, but my phone was a dinosaur: big button without any special functions. Phyllis could sense my dilemma. She reminded me to come to Jayden's later, they would wait for me there. We hung up and I was faced with an entirely different problem: where would I sit? My usually empty desk was occupied by three yearning Barbie dolls and a Ken. I quickly sat down in Felicity and friends' seat.

It was a pretty good move. Of course Felicity had chosen the best seat for herself, because she had been crushing on the French tutor until two days ago. Monsieur Darbot was an untypical Frenchman: he was tall, slim, had dark hair and eyes, and absolutely no ambition to give into the seduction of an eighteen-year-old, love-crazed student. If you asked me, Lee could join every class from now on. I took out my pencil case, notebook, and the French book.

"Ladies, I think we drove off Felicity", I heard Lee say in that moment.

"But I'm here", Felicity purred. Her hand wandered from his nape into his thick locks. Lee held her hand still.

"I meant Felicity Morgan. Normally, this is her spot, right?"

"Who cares where the city sits?", Cynthia asked and fluttered her eyes.

"Come on, pretty girl, you shouldn't be that nasty", Lee scolded with a dazzling smile. He removed Felicity gently, but determinedly, from his lap. "Now, be good and go to your seats."

The three of them stood up. "My goodness, isn't he cute? A man with pity." Ava was downright melting away. I thought the same, but with repugnance.

"Come on, City, go to your patron", Ava said when they reached my desk. The melting tone had transformed into a hiss.

Shit. I would have rather stayed here. Why had he even taken notice to me in the first place? Were three pretty girls not enough of a distraction? He smiled benevolently at me. Did he expect me to be thankful now, like the dog who gets a piece of meat thrown to him from the dinner table?