The Hopeful, The Hardheaded and the Homework

Chapter Twenty-Seven : New Year's, New Feelings : Enoch

           

Enoch sighed and rolled his eyes as he stood on the Apiston's doorstep again for the second time in the holidays. He could hear the music through the door, and already his guard was way up. He knew very well this was supposed to be a proper New Years Party, Hugh had made it pretty clear in the invitation that there would be a whole lot of people from school. Olive was the only reason he'd agreed to come.

He didn't bother to ring the bell and just let himself inside where a frown immediately set itself in place. A few curious heads had to turned automatically to see who had just arrived to the party in time with an annoyingly inconveniently timed break in the music between songs. One or two people performed a double take which might have been comical had it not been at Enoch's expense. He might not like any of them, or even know their names for the most part, but they probably knew Enoch by reputation. A reputation which was certainly not for being social and being invited to parties. He could practically feel people staring which in itself did not concern him, he was used to that. He barely recognised any of the first dozen or so people he saw, except for Hugh who had craned his neck to see who had come in. Hugh grinned and waved, a gesture which Enoch did not respond to at all apart from starting to pick his way through the crowd towards them.

Then a girl in an R2D2 patterned dress cut out in front of him and Enoch had to take a full step back to avoid walking straight into her. "Uh..."

"So is it true?"

"...'oo the 'ell are you?" He snapped and glared in annoyance at the girl who he only vaguely remembered seeing around school. She might have been in his History Class, or Biology or something, he didn't pay enough attention to remember.

"About you and Olive, is it true?"

Her grin was slightly unnerving and a little too excited that it only made Enoch scowl harder and try and shoulder his way past her. To his intense distaste, she hopped right along beside him and then there were two. Another girl whom he didn't recognise at all appeared on his right.

"Are you together? You're together aren't you! That picture was real!"

"Nick off!" Enoch snapped and none too gently shoved away from them. Behind his back he heard one of them squeal and the other, through the hum of conversation and music, say a little too loudly to her friend,

"He totally confirmed it, Sketch!"

"Woah-ho...what was that all about?" Hugh grinned as Enoch finally shook himself free and sulkily made it over to them. 
Enoch just rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, stepping back to stand by a wall instead. "Do I look like I know any'a these people? Whateva."

"Oh you know a few. Not that you're likely to, you know, actually have a conversation with anyone. At least you made it!"

Enoch just started at him completely unamused by anything that was going on and cast a critical eye around the crowded rooms. "Wh-"

"She's somewhere over there with Fiona, I just saw them a minute ago. Olive and Emma got here about twenty minutes ago." Hugh turned and pointed off into the next room in which the tap of pool cues and billiard balls could be heard. "Try not to brood in a corner until midnight, will you, mate? Have a little fun."

"Not my idea of fun." Enoch just glared and turned to peer through the doorway to try and catch sight of a head of red hair.

It took a minute but he found her near the window in conversation with Fiona. Her back was to him so when she turned he could only see her face in profile. He took a step forward and stopped when Fiona seemed to notice him and whisper something to Olive. She turned around and smiled and Enoch looked away and backed up back into the considerably less crowded corner.