Chains
Before
Four months later
"Hey," Hal said, throwing himself down in the seat across from Bethany's. "How did the house-viewing go?"
Bethany exhaled sharply, slumping back in her own seat. "It was a complete nightmare," she said, pushing the hair out of her eyes. "Mom took one look at the kitchen and that was it."
"What?"
"She said she wasn't raising her children in a shit-hole," Bethany said bluntly, making Hal wince, "that she hadn't been brought that low yet."
"But there's nothing wrong with the place," Hal said in bewilderment. "Okay, the decor's a bit dated, but the house is in a nice area, and my uncle is prepared to rent it to your mom for a reasonable price. What's not to like?"
"Talking to my mom is like talking to a brick wall," Bethany said tiredly, "you should know that by now."
"Well, my mom doesn't have a raft of brothers she can call in favours from," Hal said pointedly. "She's only got the two, and only one has a house to rent out."
"I know, I know," Bethany snapped, getting to her feet, "you don't need to make me feel anymore obligated than I do already."
"Whoa," Hal exclaimed, grabbing her hand, making her freeze, "hold your horses, Beth."
She just stared at him, the colour flooding her face, his touch almost burning her. For a moment, Hal just stared back at her, their gazes locking, then holding, the silence drilling into their skulls. Then Bethany snatched her hand out of his, her cheeks still blazing like fire. "Goddamn give me a break, Hal," she spat, grabbing her backpack from the table, "since nobody else does."
"Bethany" -
But she was gone, her black braid swinging behind her, Hal thumping the table in frustration.
Bethany did a slow twirl in the full-length mirror, finally satisfied with her reflection. Prom-Night was a rite of passage, or so Anna had insisted, all but twisting her arm up behind her back to make her attend. She knew the real reason behind her mother's over enthusiasm, that she was trying to steer her away from Hal. For the past few months, Bethany had spent more time with the Masons than she'd done with her own family, Abigail fervently following her example, her mother's friendship with Rebecca Mason dying a quiet death.
She knew her mother secretly resented the way Rebecca had taken over, dragging the O'Hara family back from the brink, setting them on course again. But Bethany was grateful, more than grateful, completely crediting Rebecca with saving them. Her father and mother had only been concerned with hurting each other, not caring who became caught up in the crossfire, and Rebecca had become Bethany's shield, her eldest son even more so.
To the undiscerning observer, Hal and Bethany were almost like brother and sister, bickering and bantering. They hung out after school, sitting on the sidewalk outside Bethany's house, or on the swing-set in Hal's back-yard, talking about anything and everything, mercilessly slagging each other off. But this camaraderie came at a cost, and the price Bethany paid was to the amount of Rita, Bethany reluctantly allowing herself to be dragged into Rita's orbit, inhabiting the outer reaches of her friendship circle. She would sit at Rita's table at lunch, or trail after her on trips to the mall, always aware of Rita's relentless scrutiny, Rita waiting for Bethany to break rank and show her true feelings for Hal.
But Bethany kept her emotions cloaked and under control, purely for the reason she didn't want to lose Hal's friendship. It wasn't enough, but it was all she had of him. Yet as each day passed, the battle to keep her heart hidden became harder and harder. Her curiosity had become a crush, only for that to become something else altogether. She scoffed at the idea she was in love with Hal. In the grand scheme of things, she barely knew him, and how could she, so sarcastic and cold, always on the outside, love someone like Hal, jock extraordinaire, with his perfect teeth and bouffant black hair? But love him she did, against all rhyme and reason.
Unknown to her, Anna more than understood Bethany's struggle, seeing herself in her daughter, falling into the same trap of believing her first love would be her last. She hadn't been much older than Bethany when she'd first set eyes on Will O'Hara, forsaking all else for his sake. She'd given up her career for him, bearing his children, becoming his wife, sacrificing her dreams for his, so she could stay by his side. And now look where it had led her; to the edge of divorce, turning her into a single parent with forty looming threateningly on the horizon.
Sometimes Anna looked in the mirror and wondered where the years had went, time slowly taking back the beauty that fortune had bestowed upon her. Her beautiful eyes and hair were beginning to wrinkle and grey, the flawless face losing its usual impact, beginning to sag at the chin and cheekbones. If she could start over, she would keep her heart cold, focusing on a future where Will would never exist for her. But she couldn't begin again, and all she could do was try and save Bethany from making the mistakes she had made, loving a boy who would only leave her in the end.
Yet Bethany wasn't one who could be so easily saved. Knowing her mother's aversion to Hal, she'd lied about Tom giving her and Hal a ride to the school, telling Anna instead that Rita was hiring a limo to take Bethany and the rest of her 'home girls' to Prom, giving them an entrance to remember. However, her cover would be blown as soon as Tom drew up outside the house, but she figured she would deal with the fall-out later. She smoothed down the front of her vintage Sixties mini-dress, before flicking her long black hair over her shoulder, only to falter, realising the gesture was one she'd unconsciously picked up from Rita, the knowledge making her grimace.
Rita had everything Bethany didn't; Hal, looks, money, a secure and loving home. But Bethany possessed what Rita could never buy; style, presence and character. Rita's impact on the world faded, whilst Bethany's remained. She didn't share her mother's beauty, but she'd inherited her charisma. Bethany acknowledged her reflection one last time, raising her chin, her tip-tilted green eyes accepting the challenge the mirror offered, to accept herself for who she was.
"Beth?"
She turned around, instantly on the offensive at the sight of her mother standing in the doorway, face disapproving.
"That dress is inappropriate," Anna said, coming into the room. "What happened to that A-Line bateau chiffon number, the one with the princess high-neck collar that we picked out at Lord & Taylor?"
"What I wear is none of your business," Bethany said coldly.
"Tom's running late," Anna said abruptly.
Bethany stared at her.
"Yeah, he phoned up to say Hal was having a corsage crisis," Anna said, crossing her arms over her chest, "and that they'd be here as soon as possible."
Bethany cast her gaze to the ground.
"Why did you lie to me, Bethany?" Anna said, her voice cracking. "What else are you lying about?"
"I only lied because you're always on my back about Hal," Bethany snapped. "What's your problem with him, Mom? He's never done anything to you" -
- "But he will to you," Anna said, tears springing to her eyes. "He'll hurt you, just like your father hurt me."
Again, Bethany just stared at her. "It's not like that" -
- "You're in love with that boy," Anna said, shaking her head. "I've seen the way you look at him. I used to look at your father in the exact same way."
"I'm not you, Mom," Bethany spat, "and I'm not going to screw up like you either. So back off, okay?"
"I'm your mother and I love you but Hal, he's just not good enough" -
- "Leave me alone," Bethany said, snatching up her bag. "Just - just leave me alone." And with that, she stalked out of the room, Anna watching her go.
As soon as Tom's people-carrier drew up in front of the house, Bethany all but flew down the porch-steps, Hal coming up the crazy paving path to greet her, looking almost unrecognizable. Bethany slowed down to a stop; taking in his slicked back hair and dinner jacket, the buttons of his shirt left unbuttoned at the neck. Hal appraised her in turn, raising his eyebrows in exaggerated appreciation, his dark eyes gleaming with a glint they never had before. Bethany did a twirl, her long black hair fanning out behind her, green eyes framed with kohl, making her look decidedly feline.
"Like it?" Bethany taunted, knowing full well he did.
"No, I hate it," Hal teased, offering her his arm.
She took it with a toss of her head, Hal glancing at her with that glint again, setting off her heart like a tripwire. He'll hurt you, just like your father hurt me. Bethany dismissed her mother's words from her memory, only focusing on the future, her grip on Hal's arm unconsciously tightening, holding onto all she had left. As Hal led her towards the car, Tom did a double-take, his brow furrowing in confusion.
"Bethany?" he said, looking taken aback at her exotic appearance.
"Guilty as charged," Bethany said smartly, instantly making Tom's face darken.
"That dress is inappropriate," he said, echoing her mother's admonishment.
"You're not my goddamn dad," Bethany flared up, "so stop acting like you are." Ever since Will had done his disappearing act, only appearing out of the blue when it suited him, and usually to only end up insulting Anna, Tom had nervously taken on all dad duties for the O'Hara girls, the sheer amount of pink involved almost paralysing him. He could be found hiding in the back row of Abigail's ballet recitals, or watching The Little Mermaid on a loop with Ellie, always with a terrified look on his face. As for Bethany, he'd become her personal bodyguard-slash-chauffeur, keeping a weather eye on all of her comings and goings.
"Dad, lighten up," Hal interjected, his gaze lingering on Bethany's long legs, "it's not the Dark Ages anymore."
"Just get in," Tom snapped, not liking the way Hal was looking at Bethany. Rebecca had dropped a few warning hints about Hal and Bethany's increasing closeness, hints Tom had chosen to ignore, thinking her theories were wide off the mark. His dismissal had been backed up by Bethany's dead-pan remarks about being a fully paid up member of Hal's Harem; the way she mocked Hal over everything from his taste in sneakers to his ridiculous love of Pringles. Yet now Tom realised too late that Rebecca was right and he'd been wrong, Hal looking at Bethany like he'd just won a million dollars.
"Yes, sir," Hal said sulkily. He helped Bethany into the car, glancing at her legs again, before looking away, guiltily remembering Rita. Hal might have been as different from Tom as night was to day, but when it came to women, they were exactly alike, falling in love for hopefully life, both one-woman men. Hal loved Rita, but ever since he'd set eyes on Bethany, things had started to change, his relationship with Rita slowly unraveling against his will.
Hal had lived a charmed life, sheltered and spoiled, knowing no will but his own. It was only his mother's influence that held him back from becoming obnoxious, stopping his naturally sunny nature from being soured by indulgence. His mother was his confidant and ally, the one he turned to as Tom turned away from him, unable to understand his son. Tom was bookish and shy, whilst Hal was a complete extrovert, ruling the sporting field as he did the social scene. Rita dictated and dominated Hal, but in the end, she always gave way to him like the rest of the world.
But with Bethany it was different; she challenged him, forcing him to sit up and pay attention. From the very first moment, she'd intrigued him, her stony silences and narrowed green eyes drawing him to her, much to his own detriment. For all his plastic popularity, Hal didn't subscribe to the social strata of geeks and jocks, but he knew his place as well as Bethany's, that he fitted in and she didn't. But this wasn't what bothered him; it was his interest in her that disquieted him, and so he shunned her, pretending she didn't exist, even when he was well aware that she did.
Now she was part of his life, he thought things would change, and they had, but not for the better. Hal had come to crave Bethany's company, even as he craved Rita's flesh, his desires disastrously colliding with one another. He wanted Bethany but not in the way he wanted Rita, and none of it made any sense. But tonight, something had shifted in the balance, Hal finally seeing Bethany for who she really was, what his heart had recognized from the very beginning.
"How's your mom?" Bethany asked him, ripping him out his reverie. The last time she'd been round at his house, Rebecca had been too ill to see her, Tom keeping her at the door, Hal not at home.
"She's holding up," Hal said uneasily, her question stirring up a past he'd rather forget. It wasn't that, which was making his mother so ill, it couldn't be - it wasn't. He fought the truth with denial, averment almost winning the war, his eye catching Tom's in the car mirror, his father hastily looking away, making Hal's heart stop in his chest.
"When are you getting Mylo fixed?" Bethany then asked, tucking a lock of ebony hair behind her ear, unaware of Hal's anguish.
"What?"
"Mylo?" Bethany prompted, brow furrowing.
"I'm going to the garage tomorrow," Hal said hastily, recovering himself. In a mocking moment, Bethany had named his beloved car, Mylo. Why, Hal didn't know, but the nick-name had stuck. However, he'd totalled his car several days before, Rita running her own vehicle off the road, forcing them to rely on their respective parents to ferry them to the prom, Rita deriding hiring a limo as tacky, Tom refusing outright to foot the bill for one, since he already was paying for Hal's car repairs.
"Tomorrow is another day," Bethany sing-songed, nudging Hal in the side.
"Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn," Hal repeated from memory, automatically elbowing her in return.
"Keep telling yourself that, dear," Bethany said, rolling her eyes. "You do give a damn."
Too much, Hal thought to himself, glancing out of the window. Too much.
With her wine-stained lips, yeah, she's nothing but trouble
Cold to the touch but she's warm as a devil
I gave her my heart but she wanted my soul
She takes until I break and I can't get moreā¦
