Eustace and Jill were best friends, there was no question about it, and as best friends, Jill told Eustace everything, and Eustace told Jill everything, or so she thought. But she learns she is mistaken. How, you may ask? It all started when Lucy and Edmund came to visit their cousin one summer day, and Jill decided to stop by.
"This is a suprise, Pole!" Eustace said when he greeted her at the door.
"Is it a bad timing? Because I can go - "
"No! No, my cousins are just visiting. C'mon in!" Eustace opened the door wider and let her inside. "Where's Alberta?" Jill asked him while taking off her coat. "Out of town with Harold for the evening." Eustace explained as he hung her coat up in the coat room. "Come this way." And he lead her to the sitting room. It was the same as always, only one bookshelf in the corner, two chairs, one sofa, a coffee table sitting nicely infront of it and their window was wide open, letting in the fresh air and sunshine. But there was one thing diffrent. Sitting on the two chairs was a boy and a girl, as Jill quickly recognized as Edmund and Lucy.
"Oh! Hello, Jill!" Lucy exclaimed standing up. They all shook hands and made small talk before sitting down again.
"What brings you here, Jill?" Edmund had asked her. Jill shrugged. "Just came to say 'hi'. What about you two?"
"Mum dropped us off, we needed some place to stay while she ran out for a couple hours." Edmund explained.
"She doesn't trust you two alone at the house?" Eustace asked raising an eyebrow. Lucy shook her head. "Not unless Peter or Susan are around."
"And they aren't around?" Jill asked.
"Well, Peter is at school, of course, and Susan's out with her boyfriend." Edmund said.
"Oh, speaking of school, Pole, did you finish that essay that's due by the end of the week?" Eustace asked her, but before Jill could answer, Lucy spoke up.
"Why do you call her 'Pole' Eustace? Isn't that her last name?"
"Yes, and she calls me 'Scrubb.' " Eustace explained.
"But it's queer, why do you do it?" Lucy asked.
Eustace and Jill exchanged looks. "Well, it's what our masters at school call us, and along with everybody else." Jill said.
"Everybody else? Really?" Lucy pressed on.
"Well...Mum and Dad call me 'Jill', and so do you two and the other Pevensies." Jill said after a moment. "What about you, Scrubb? What do your parents call you?"
Suddenly Eustace's face turned a bright red and Edmund couldn't help but snicker, because being his cousin he knew exactly what aunt Alberta called him.
Even Lucy let out a small giggle. But Jill was confused. "Well?"
This made Edmund and Lucy burst out laughing and Eustace's face was redder still. He cleared his throat. "None of yoir buisness, Pole."
"Fine then, Scrubb." Jill huffed.
Things were silent, until Jill spoke up again
"But why won't you just tell me?"
"Because you don't need to know!"
"Why is it such a big deal? Give me a hint!" Jill turned her attention towards Edmund. Edmund smiled. "They call him by his middle name."
Jill turned back to Eustace. "What's your middle name? I don't even know your middle name!"
"Yeah, I know, and I'd like to keep it that way." He said sternly.
Jill bit her lip, and before she could say anything else, Alberta returned home.
"Eustace? Eustace Clarence! I'm back! Are the Pevensies still with you?"
Lucy and Edmund burst out laughing.
Eustace was still red in the face. "Er...yes, Alberta, they are!"
"Well bring them outside why don't you? Instead of being cooped up in here all day!"
With them still snickering from behind, Eustace lead all three of them to the backyard.
"Well now you know, Jill about my middle name! Hope you're happy." He mumbled crossing his arms and looking down.
When there was no reply and Eustace looked up, Jill was smiling. He furrowed his brows. "What?"
"I don't think it's bad at all!"
"You're lying." He muttered.
"I am not, you want to know why?" Jill said.
"Why?"
"Because my middle name is Clarence aswell!" Jill said brightly.
If Eustace hadn't known her as well as he did, he would have thought she was lying, but it was true, he never did know her middle name and seeing the look on her face, he just knew she must be telling the truth. He felt relieved.
"It...really?" He just wanted to be sure. She nodded.
Edmund and Lucy's eyes were huge with amusement.
"Why haven't you told me?" Eustace asked her. Jill shrugged. "I was emberassed."
"You were emberassed? But Clarence is a name meant for girls! Not a boy like me."
"I know but...it just clashes: Jill Clarence Pole."
"Eustace Clarence Scrubb." Eustace said outloud. All four children laughed. "Well! That's ironic, isn't it!" Edmund exclaimed. Jill and Eustace nodded, smiling at eachother.
"Wouldn't it be better now, if you two called eachother by your first names?" Lucy piped in. Eustace shrugged with a smile. "We'll see."
"I'm sure it'll catch on." Lucy said with confidence.
As a matter of fract, Lucy was right. Later on it did catch on, and from time to time they would even call eachother "Clarence"
Well...what do you all think? ;) Reviews? Please?