Gilded Cage

Chapter Six

Alexi had made a habit of sliding invitations under my door. This time, it was a birthday party invitation. His birthday party. He turned twenty-two. We were the same age. The card was a rectangular piece of thick cream paper; in his usual perfect handwriting, he asked me to join him in the Common Room of the English department that evening to celebrate. When I arrived at eight, dressed in my best clothes, the room was already packed with people I didn't know and Alexi was nowhere to be found. Everyone was already drunk and dancing to some music coming from a record player. The light was dim, and the air smelled like weed. I grabbed a drink, something brownish in a plastic cup, and tried to find a familiar face. As soon as I spotted Christian, I launched myself towards him. He was talking to a blonde boy I had never seen.

"Hey," I said.

"Oh, hello." Christian seemed spooked like I caught him doing something he shouldn't have. His cheeks were a light shade of pink, and I didn't know if it was because of the alcohol or if he was simply embarrassed. "You came."

"Yeah. I had to finish reading something for history first."

"History?" the stranger asked.

"Theatre history." I offered my hand. "Benjamin."

"Henry. Henry McGee," he said, with a strong Glaswegian accent. "I'm the captain of the rugby team."

Oh. So, we do have a rugby team.

Henry was taller than me, maybe even taller than Alexi, with a big nose and dark eyes. He was wearing a white jumper that said Rugby St. Joshua in black over his heart, and grey trousers. He didn't look too muscular, but he was definitely bigger than any other boy I had seen around. His hold on my hand was strong and confident, as expected from someone who carried the school's reputation on his shoulders. People in Britain were weirdly obsessed with rugby, maybe just as much as they were with football. I wasn't, and I didn't think Christian was either, but he was definitely interested in Henry.

"How do you know each other?" I inquired.

The smile on Henry's face wavered. "We don't. We were just talking."

Christian was looking at the floor, twisting the cup in his hands.

"How do you know each other?" Henry asked, getting closer to me. I had a sniff of his cologne, a pungent scent of liquorice that made me gag.

"I'm in Folklore with him." I tried to take a step back, but Henry followed me. Christian was now looking at us with a desolate expression.

"Folklore? Isn't it the one with that lunatic? Rober-something."

I raised an eyebrow. "Jamie is not a lunatic."

"If you say so." Henry shrugged, putting one of his big hands on my shoulder. "You look normal enough."

"Hen, stop." Christian's voice was so sudden that startled both of us.

"Who the fuck you think you are to tell me what to do?" Henry slouched. Only now I realised he was clearly intoxicated. When he reached for Christian, I grabbed his arm and pushed him away.

"Don't touch him." I put myself between the two of them. I felt Christian shifting behind me.

"Oh. I see. Little girl here got a boyfriend, huh? Isn't that right, Cristina?"

I was about to punch the arsehole in the face before another voice interfered. "I suggest you to leave." Alexi was glaring at Henry with an expression that would have frozen a desert. Thomas was behind him, chewing on a sandwich with an amused look on his face.

"The dark prince has arrived. What an honour."

"I don't remember inviting you. Leave. I'm not repeating myself a third time."