Rosaline Wood (A Violet Eden Follow-on Reboot)

Chapter Twenty-Two: Adulation and Alcoholisation

Hahaha. Nearly a whole year? Sorry about that. How to explain... I guess I could blame school. It's been a crazy and emotional year. Disputes, committee meetings, organising forms, teaching myself a foreign language, exams, functions. Not to mention a huge inspirational slump mid-yearish. (If anyone can prove the relation between not creatively writing and drops in marks please send me your research. I'd love to hear about it) Anyway, in light of reader comments I realised that I started this story so I sure as hell better finish it. I have to get my head around the fact that this copy will not be perfect and I just have to write the thing. Editing happens after the initial story is complete. Enough rambling. It's late here (and even later in my home town). Time to see what comes next.

. . .

Rose POV

The next morning we were all required again before the Assembly. I was questioned but there wasn't much to say. I relayed Phoenix's and Cameron's wounds, recounted my part of the stories connected to them and answered a few related questions. Thankfully no questions concerning Alec were asked. As far as the Assembly knew Cam had been attended to by Griffin and me which was partially true as we'd been stitching her up before Alec had gotten involved. Mum hadn't even been there when I'd recounted the story and I guess Dad hadn't told her and he was still by Griffin's bedside. It was over quickly and we were informed that a plane had been organised to take us out of New York the next day. I was however overwhelmed with a sense that the Assembly perhaps weren't dealing with things as competently as they should have been. In fact, all my dealings with them had so far been very rushed and hardly thought through. They seemed to be distracted by something else.

As we trooped out of the Assembly Chamber, Dean came up beside me and made as if to talk. In response I ignored him, instead grabbing a confused Cameron by the wrist and dragging her hurriedly to our room to pack. Yeah. Real mature but it was an instinctive reaction.

    "What was that all about?" my friend questioned as I slammed the door shut. I flung myself onto my bed and buried my head in the pillow.

    "Nothing," I groaned hoping, in vain, that she'd just let it drop. No such luck. I felt the bed dip a little as Cam threw her tiny frame onto the bed next to me. I felt a thin finger slowly make an indent in my cheek. She lay there, still poking me, whilst she whispered.

    "Spill it."

. . .

    "So you caught Dean and Alec on the roof," Cam revised, "And Dean had knocked Alec unconscious and was hitting him even then? And he was bleeding?" I nodded.

    "Badly."

    "To be honest," my friend spat in disbelief, "that's disgusting. I've only really known him a couple of days but I never would have thought he'd behave like that! And he didn't even give you a reason why!" I rolled my eyes and nodded again.

    "Tell me about it," I grumbled, "I've known him for eight years and the only person I've ever seen him hit was his sparing buddy. To see him like that . . . I realise just how little I really know him. Turns out he's not the gentleman I thought he was but a dirty, disrespectable, honourless, imbecilic, punch-happy, moronic asswipe of a jerk." Suddenly, the room had that really nasty sort of awkward silence.

    "Rose," Cam butted in quietly, "I don't know if now is really a good time but I think you should know."

    "Know what?" I fired my face crinkling in confusion. To quote an excellent franchise: 'I have a bad feeling about this'.

    "When I first met Dean," she replied setting the scene, "As in after the ... accident. When we officially met in my bedroom. Gee that sounds dodgy. Anyway, I got an info smack. You know how it is now." I nodded encouraging her on. My friend cleared her throat. "Well. I kinda discovered that he kinda . . . well . . . adulates you." I stared at her.