Chapter Twelve: Ten Quid and a Penny
February 13th - Gwen's POV
The bell rings and it takes all I have not to run out of my French class. I know I really should be using this free block to study for math, but if I don't finish teaching myself Brave by Sara Bareilles by the end of the day, I owe Jack ten quid. Which would suck.
"Someone's excited," Tosh teases me as I start heading for the stairs to the third floor.
"You'd be too, if you had to do some sort of fancy programming thing in two weeks or else pay ten quid," I retort.
"Oh, yeah, because it's so about the ten quid."
"It is!" I argue. "I have to go!"
I reach the music room to see that Jack's sitting at the piano and flipping through his music binder. Damn it! I'd forgotten he has a free block now. And I have a feeling going up to him and saying Hey Jack, can you please go so I can try to win our bet? wouldn't work. Ah well. Farewell, ten quid.
I'm about to go in and admit defeat when he starts playing. Sometimes I'm not quite sure what he's playing for a few measures, but this one's pretty obvious: Am I Wrong, by Niko and Vinz.
Did he just download that? I wonder. I pull up the app for our music site and sure enough, he's just downloaded it.
Not half-bad for having just downloaded it, I think, and I decide not to go inside. If I don't win the bet, at least I get to make fun of all the wrong notes I got to listen to him hit when he finds out I was standing outside the whole time.
I lean against the wall and close my eyes, listening. Damn he has a good voice, I think once he's started singing.
Good is perhaps an understatement. By the time he reaches the chorus, I have chills.
Am I wrong, for thinking we could be something for real? Am I wrong, for trying to reach the things that I can see?
Three minutes later…
"So." I turn in shock to see Ianto, who's of course materialized out of nowhere. "Is he?"
"What?"
He nods towards Jack. "Is he?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," I say. "Is he? What do you mean?"
"You were listening to him," he says casually. I look at him confusedly. "Is he wrong?"
"Is he-what? What do you mean, is he wrong?"
"Penny in the air…" He grins broadly as he pulls a coin from his pocket and tosses it up.
And then it hits me.
Am I wrong, for thinking we could be something for real?
Oh my god.
The coin hits the ground with a clink. "And the penny drops. So. Is he? And think very, very carefully before you answer that question, because you know I already know the truth."
We can't, says a little part of my head. You're taken, Gwen. Taken.
But I want to.
But you can't.
But I want to.
But you can't.
But I want to.
"What do I do?" I ask.
"Oh, Gwen," Ianto fake-sighs. "I can't say that, really. It's your choice. Completely, totally your choice. But… if I were you, if I were in your shoes right now…"
"Yeah?"
He grins. "I'd go to the next sleepover. After all… it did work out pretty damn well for Tosh and Owen, didn't it." It's not a question.
I don't answer.
I run.
"Did you get it?"
"Yeah, I got it," Clara says proudly, holding up Jack's green sketchbook. "7-5-3. Just like you said it would be."
"Poor hopeless romantic," Suzie laughs. "And you left the note?" Clara nods. "Well done."
"Suzie!" Melody comes running down the hall towards Suzie and Clara, shiny new iPhone 6s held aloft. "Look at this video."
Suzie takes the phone and plays the video. "Oh, this is just too, too perfect," she says as she watches the little exchange between Gwen and Ianto outside the music room. "He did say that he'd call it quits over a sleepover, didn't he?"
"That's right," Melody nods.
"Today's the day," Suzie says triumphantly. "The day before Valentine's Day, too."
Hey y'alls! On the plus side: Mutual understanding! Well, sort of. On the minus side: What the hell is Suzie up to?!
Easter egg challenge! I got the "penny in the air" thing from Doctor Who. Who says it, and in what episode? Remember to PM me or email me (unshakespearean at gmail dot com) to answer; DO NOT review!
A shoutout to the two fantastic people who beta'd this chapter for me: Seraphina, aka The Mad Traveler, and Ben, aka IchiBen! Couldn't have done it without you! :D
Make sure to checkout What the Fluff!
And, as always, love and ducks to the Lone Shippers, hugs to supporters, thanks to Eleonora, Noe, Hanul, and Kizzie, shoutouts to my chosen-sisters, and cookies for all!
Love,
Ofelia xxxx
UPDATE: Forgot to mention - congratulations to Meg (The JohnLocked Whovian) for catching last chapter's easter egg! The reference to Ianto's getting mad about reading stories to a kid is from "Tales from the Hub!"
UPDATE: Whoops! Meg's not The Mad Traveler - she's The JohnLocked Whovian! Sorry!
