The Echoes of Solitude

Chapter Eleven

"What was what?" I asked, putting my hands up in defense just like Noah had done a few seconds ago.

"That," Cora stated, a small frown forming on her face. She gestured to me and the space where her brother had just been standing, "You just accepted a date with my brother." She added as she sat back in her seat and folded her arms across her chest.

I could feel my mouth forming into an O shape. Did I?

She winked at my confused state, her frown turning into a smile, "You did. But that was some cute little flirting that was going on between the two of you. It was the cutest thing I had ever seen. You were both so adorably awkward with each other." She giggled and leaned forward placing her elbows on the table and resting her chin in her hands.

My eyebrow lifted as I met her gaze. "Wait, so he was just asking me? Not you?" I asked confused.

She face palmed herself. "Yes! You egg!" She answered, her tone exasperated. "Why would he be asking me on a date? I'm not into incest."

So he was asking me on a date? I thought to myself. My stomach fluttered, and I tried to hide the smile that was appearing on my face with my hand.

How do I even feel about that?

How does Cora feel about that?

Crap Cora,

"...And you're okay with it?" I asked hesitantly, biting my lower lip. "Uh-I, just, I mean, you just didn't, I just don't want you to think that..." I took a deep breath and began again, "Won't you find it weird that I'm your friend and he's your brother? I mean we aren't even a thing, not that I have thought about it or anything." I added flustered, I shifted in my seat unsure of her reaction.

She laughed and moved in her seat. "Yes, I'm okay with it. If you were anyone else, like Mandy Fay I would have a huge problem." I raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar name, but she carried on speaking before I could ask, "But, honestly I think you guys would be great together, you'll balance each other out."

"Mandy Fay?" I asked as I ran my hand through my hair.

"Oh yeah, you don't know her, do you?" She asked as she wriggled forward in her seat to rest her elbow on the table and her face in her palm.

I gently shook my head. "Should I?"

"Oh yes! She's only just the bane of my existence." She answered with a snort, "She's in our grade at school. She's like a baby prostitute, acts..."

"Who's a baby prostitute?" Noah asked as he approached our table, interrupting Cora mid-sentence and making me jump, I hadn't heard him approach the table. I could feel my face reddening at the thought that he could have heard us speaking about him and I just moments before. Noah placed our drinks in front of us on the table and folded his arms across his chest, a smirk on his face. "Wait let me guess," He said as Cora opened her mouth to speak, he beat her to it, "Mandy Fay."

"Yes," Cora huffed, as she grabbed her drink and took a sip, "I was just telling Ally about how she's not our favourite person at school...or in the universe."

"She's not that bad, is she?" Noah asked tentatively. Cora screwed her face up in response. "Okay, maybe she is." He added quickly.

"Who is she?" I asked still confused about who she was.

Cora raised her hand to silence her brother who had opened his mouth to speak and gave him a sharp look that said shut it. He huffed out loud and walked away, leaving us with our drinks.

I took a sip of my smoothie as Cora spoke. "You know the other day how I told you that I had a boyfriend, and my ex-best friend slept with him. Well, Mandy was Todd, my ex-boyfriend's twin sister. She convinced Tessa, my ex-best friend, to sleep with him."

"Oh, wow." I said shocked, "What a cow,"

"She's horrible, fortunately, for us, she's away for the rest of the month, she comes back just before school starts. She's currently in New York with her parents and Todd. So lucky for you, you won't have to interact with or even meet the she-devil or her evil spawn of a brother."

I chuckled internally at the names that she had given them. "Is there anyone else that I should be aware of?" I asked amused. I wanted to know what I needed to prepare myself for.

"With that group, you just need to be aware of Mandy and Tessa, Tessa's girlfriend Nina and Olivia, though Olivia will probably be civil towards you as you're new and have done nothing to piss her off. She's the nicer one of the four."

"Mandy, Tessa, Nina, and Olivia, got it." I repeated, "And Olivia is the nicer one of the four... wait, Tessa's girlfriend?"

"Yeah, her girlfriend. She's always had a thing for both genders, however, I never cared about that, it never made a difference to me, it was sleeping with my boyfriend that got to me." She stated angrily, her blue eyes beginning to glimmer with tears.

"When did this happen?" I asked gently. The way she was speaking made me think that this happened recently.

"Six months ago." She said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. She shook her head and squeezed her eyes closed. She took a deep breath and began to speak, "I'm over it, I promise."

I nodded slowly and chose to drop it. I knew from experience how it felt to talk about something that affected you deeply. I mean that's what most of my life has been like.

"What about other nice people? Nice people are good."

Cora smiled and let out a snort at the semi-subject change, "Yes, nice people are good. The majority of the people in our grade are lovely, we have a few weirdos and a couple of stoners but the rest are just normal. And no doubt you will meet my friends that I usually hang out with." She paused, took another sip of her drink, and then started to count on her fingers, "There's Kayo who we just call Kay, Darrell, Ebony, Mase, and Harper. You'll like them."

I smiled, believing her. "I'm sure I will."

"Actually, I just remembered, there is a bonfire down at the beach tonight, not too far from our houses. Did you want to come as well? The gang will be there, and I know that they want to meet you."

"I've never been to a bonfire before, so I would be keen to tag along. I'll have to check with Marie first, though."

"I'm sure she will be fine with it. She will be glad that you are experiencing things that you have never done before." She stood up and made my decision for me. She grabbed her jersey that was on the back of the seat, and with a huge smile she turned to me and said. "Come on, finish the last of your drink and we will head to the shops and buy a new outfit for tonight."

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