The Icarus To Your Certainty

chapter three

Elaine passed the empty cup to Teddy, who handed her a lip tint in return. She dabbed the tint onto her lips, leaving a subtle reddish hue.

As Teddy blew threw the cups away , she finished adjusting the sleeves of her jumper. She wore a blue plaid skirt and her favourite loafers. Her jumper was a deep, almost-black grey, complemented by a silver chain belt borrowed from Aaron. The jumper revealed just the right amount of skin, accentuating her slim waist.

She glanced at Teddy who was wearing low-waisted cargo trousers and a long-sleeved blouse that revealed his shoulders. Over the past week, she had found a wonderful friend in Teddy. They understood each other's moods and shared interests. Quickly, she felt at ease around him, and it was a relief to have someone to talk to who didn't know her parents. Elaine didn't have many friends; in truth, she probably had more relatives than friends. But the few friends she did have knew her parents and now would always look at her with a heavy, sympathetic gaze, constantly reminding her that she was now an orphan.

Teddy was different. With him, everything felt new, from sharing stories about their lives to discovering each other's tastes. With Teddy, she could act like everything was fine and adapt to her new life back in London. Like a normal fucking person.

"I think we look quite fit," he joked with a smile. "Ready to antagonise your brother?"

Her brother had purposefully avoided telling him about a party because he was still irritated with Elaine for ignoring him over the whole illegal fight business. But just the day before, she had received an invitation from Vega on her phone, which Vega had probably hidden from Aaron.

She had to coax Teddy a bit to accompany her to the party. he mentioned that he usually went to the parties linked with the fight club but had been focusing more on his studies lately and hadn't been out much. When she said she wanted to go and wind up her brother, that's when he agreed to come along.

"Never been more ready," Elaine declared, her lips tinged red as a smile crept across her face.

They took a car to the flat where the party was taking place, in one of the student accommodations near the university campus. Elaine didn't know anyone there, and nobody knew her. This way, she could wander around the party a bit before inevitably bumping into her brother and drawing attention to herself.

"Alright," Teddy called her attention as they stopped in front of the door. The loud music sounded muffled, though he could recognise the beat of a popular song of the moment that he couldn't quite name. "This is George Humphrey's flat," he explained. "He's part of the fight -" he whispered, "club organisation. His brother, Mathew, fights and is part of the Pembroke's. But since George usually manages the invitations, tickets, and spots, his parties gather all the groups of fighters and, of course, all students who bet."

"Got it," Elaine said, opening the door as if she owned the place. Instantly, several faces turned towards her and Teddy.

"You're already familiar with Pembroke and Trinity-"

"My brother's in Pembroke and detests Trinity," Elaine nodded, "so I'm quite fond of Trinity now."

"Brilliant," he laughed, "that's the spirit." Teddy glanced around. "And we also have Hildas and Lincolns."

"Anything else?"

"Well," he glanced at her with a sidelong look, "maybe I should've mentioned that we might bump into my ex here, which is why I've been avoiding these things."

"Teddy," a tall redhead appeared in front of them. He had freckles across his pale face and a long neck. Elaine soon clocked him as the bloke who'd charged her entry when she'd followed her brother to Vegas' match. It was probably George, making an appearance to suss out the newcomers at his gaff. "Well, well, well, look who's turned up."