[A/N. Another chapter which has taken me ages to post. But now I am back at
Uni properly it's a little harder to find the time. And this is also a bit
shorter than usual, but that's all right I think.]
SIXTEEN:
As we continued to dance she leant her head on my shoulder in a gesture of familiarity which kind of freaked me out a bit. To all the world we could pass for a couple- something we were not. She looked up at me, with a big smile on her face and her eyes gleaming. "I didn't think this wedding was going to be much fun you know, but I'm glad to have been proven wrong."
I didn't know what to say to that, so I said nothing wondering how I was going to get myself out of this one. Not only with Chantelle, but if any of the gang had seen her kiss me. And then of course there was Mandy..
"Pony?" Chantelle was saying. "Are you there Pony?" She waved a hand across in front of my face.
"Sorry, what?" I asked.
"The dance is over. We can go back to our seats now." Chantelle replied with a shake of her head. "Your head must have been somewhere else."
'Somewhere else?' I thought wryly as she grasped my hand and pulled me back towards our seat. 'Try back at college with my girlfriend, who will kill me if she finds out I just kissed another girl.'
We sat down and I immediately picked up my glass of beer and downed almost the whole thing. My god, how was I going to explain this one? Darry and Helen came over then both laughing about something. "Nice dancing Pon," Darry said to me as he sat down. "I guess Mandy hasn't taught you to dance yet?"
"No." I admitted.
"Whose Mandy?" Chantelle asked, after Darry and Helen began talking to someone else.
"My girlfriend." I replied wishing there was more beer in my glass.
Chantelle bit her lip and looked away. Then she looked back. "I didn't know you had a girlfriend." She accused.
"Well you never asked me as such." I said. "But remember you asked about the lucky girl I'd marry?"
"Why didn't you say yeah, and her name is Mandy?" Chantelle demanded her eyes flashing. "Honestly, you're just like every other man."
I wished she'd keep her voice down. "Chantelle you never gave me a chance to tell you. And to be honest I didn't know I had to tell you."
"What?" she asked her voice dangerous and low.
"Well I don't bring up my girlfriend to every person I meet." I tried to explain.
She took it the wrong way. "Do you bring her up to every person you kiss?" She asked with a frown.
"The way I remember it you were the one who kissed me." I argued, getting a bit annoyed now. She was beginning to get on my nerves. As the waiter came past I grabbed another beer off his tray, and Chantelle got another wine.
"And you didn't stop me!" Chantelle said angrily. "You could have pulled away."
"And then you would have been offended.." I said, although I knew it was a lame excuse. Later on I was going to have to do some serious thinking about why I hadn't pulled away, about why I had kissed her back.
"Wouldn't it have been better for me to be offended than for me to be upset and angry?" Chantelle asked.
Before I could answer Helen's Dad stood up and was calling for our attention. "Now before we send these two newlyweds off on their wedding night-" there were catcalls from the back where Soda was now sitting with Two-Bit, Steve and a few girls. "-I thought I'd like to say a few words. I've always been protective of my little girl and I never really thought any of the men she dated were good enough for her, but when I met Darry he impressed me with his honesty, his integrity, and above all his love for Helen. I hope that the two of them are going to be very happy together and I wish them all the best for the future."
Everyone clapped dutifully and then Darry stood up. "I don't want to make this long because I'm not really one for speeches-" "Unless they're lectures!" Soda yelled from the back. "-So I just want to thank everyone for coming. I especially want to thank Helen's parents for their help with this lovely ceremony, and also my brothers Soda and Pony for being here on this important day. In particular Pony who had to come back from college for this when he should probably have been studying. It's also a pity his lovely girlfriend Mandy wasn't able to make it. We're taking bets between us all and we're pretty sure they'll be next. If this is the case I only hope they're as happy as Helen and I are. Thank you."
"Next huh?" Chantelle muttered, and then without any prior warning she picked up her wine glass and emptied it on my head. "I hope you two are very happy together." She said, and she turned and hurried from the room.
The entire room were staring at me in shock. A few laughs went around but mostly they were surprised. "And.um.on that note..we should probably see the lovely couple off." Helen's Dad said looking a bit shocked. One of Helen's bridesmaids hurried after Chantelle and Helen shot me a dirty look. I frowned wondering how this was all my fault?
We were told to form a circle, and the bride and groom went around thanking everyone and saying goodbye. When Darry got to me his first words were "What did you do?"
"Nothing." I protested, feeling like a little kid. "She didn't know I had a girlfriend and for some reason that pissed her off."
Darry looked like he would have said something else, but he didn't have the time. I stood there uncomfortably and then Helen reached me. "I hope you're happy." She muttered. "You could have ruined my wedding with that little stunt."
"I didn't do anything." I protested again, feeling even smaller than before if that was possible.
"Whatever." She said and she went on to the next person. Soda made his way over to me as the circle broke up.
"One minute you're pashing her- the next she's tipping wine over you. Talk about blowing hot and cold Pony." He said dryly.
"She's nuts." I replied, trying to act tough. "I don't even know what sparked her off."
Two-Bit and Steve arrived then. "Great show Pony." Two-Bit told me proudly. "You made the night more interesting.I was thinking you should have thrown your beer at her, but then I decided that would have been a waste of good beer. Women hey?"
Steve was looking at me thoughtfully, but he didn't say anything.
Darry and Helen left, and then we got in a taxi and went back home. I didn't really join in the conversation on the way home. I was a bit embarrassed about what had happened, as well as annoyed. As far as I could see I had never given Chantelle the impression that there was anything going on between us, nor that anything could go on between us, so her passionate reaction shocked me. But in the back of my mind was a more pressing concern: did I tell Mandy about this? And how?
SIXTEEN:
As we continued to dance she leant her head on my shoulder in a gesture of familiarity which kind of freaked me out a bit. To all the world we could pass for a couple- something we were not. She looked up at me, with a big smile on her face and her eyes gleaming. "I didn't think this wedding was going to be much fun you know, but I'm glad to have been proven wrong."
I didn't know what to say to that, so I said nothing wondering how I was going to get myself out of this one. Not only with Chantelle, but if any of the gang had seen her kiss me. And then of course there was Mandy..
"Pony?" Chantelle was saying. "Are you there Pony?" She waved a hand across in front of my face.
"Sorry, what?" I asked.
"The dance is over. We can go back to our seats now." Chantelle replied with a shake of her head. "Your head must have been somewhere else."
'Somewhere else?' I thought wryly as she grasped my hand and pulled me back towards our seat. 'Try back at college with my girlfriend, who will kill me if she finds out I just kissed another girl.'
We sat down and I immediately picked up my glass of beer and downed almost the whole thing. My god, how was I going to explain this one? Darry and Helen came over then both laughing about something. "Nice dancing Pon," Darry said to me as he sat down. "I guess Mandy hasn't taught you to dance yet?"
"No." I admitted.
"Whose Mandy?" Chantelle asked, after Darry and Helen began talking to someone else.
"My girlfriend." I replied wishing there was more beer in my glass.
Chantelle bit her lip and looked away. Then she looked back. "I didn't know you had a girlfriend." She accused.
"Well you never asked me as such." I said. "But remember you asked about the lucky girl I'd marry?"
"Why didn't you say yeah, and her name is Mandy?" Chantelle demanded her eyes flashing. "Honestly, you're just like every other man."
I wished she'd keep her voice down. "Chantelle you never gave me a chance to tell you. And to be honest I didn't know I had to tell you."
"What?" she asked her voice dangerous and low.
"Well I don't bring up my girlfriend to every person I meet." I tried to explain.
She took it the wrong way. "Do you bring her up to every person you kiss?" She asked with a frown.
"The way I remember it you were the one who kissed me." I argued, getting a bit annoyed now. She was beginning to get on my nerves. As the waiter came past I grabbed another beer off his tray, and Chantelle got another wine.
"And you didn't stop me!" Chantelle said angrily. "You could have pulled away."
"And then you would have been offended.." I said, although I knew it was a lame excuse. Later on I was going to have to do some serious thinking about why I hadn't pulled away, about why I had kissed her back.
"Wouldn't it have been better for me to be offended than for me to be upset and angry?" Chantelle asked.
Before I could answer Helen's Dad stood up and was calling for our attention. "Now before we send these two newlyweds off on their wedding night-" there were catcalls from the back where Soda was now sitting with Two-Bit, Steve and a few girls. "-I thought I'd like to say a few words. I've always been protective of my little girl and I never really thought any of the men she dated were good enough for her, but when I met Darry he impressed me with his honesty, his integrity, and above all his love for Helen. I hope that the two of them are going to be very happy together and I wish them all the best for the future."
Everyone clapped dutifully and then Darry stood up. "I don't want to make this long because I'm not really one for speeches-" "Unless they're lectures!" Soda yelled from the back. "-So I just want to thank everyone for coming. I especially want to thank Helen's parents for their help with this lovely ceremony, and also my brothers Soda and Pony for being here on this important day. In particular Pony who had to come back from college for this when he should probably have been studying. It's also a pity his lovely girlfriend Mandy wasn't able to make it. We're taking bets between us all and we're pretty sure they'll be next. If this is the case I only hope they're as happy as Helen and I are. Thank you."
"Next huh?" Chantelle muttered, and then without any prior warning she picked up her wine glass and emptied it on my head. "I hope you two are very happy together." She said, and she turned and hurried from the room.
The entire room were staring at me in shock. A few laughs went around but mostly they were surprised. "And.um.on that note..we should probably see the lovely couple off." Helen's Dad said looking a bit shocked. One of Helen's bridesmaids hurried after Chantelle and Helen shot me a dirty look. I frowned wondering how this was all my fault?
We were told to form a circle, and the bride and groom went around thanking everyone and saying goodbye. When Darry got to me his first words were "What did you do?"
"Nothing." I protested, feeling like a little kid. "She didn't know I had a girlfriend and for some reason that pissed her off."
Darry looked like he would have said something else, but he didn't have the time. I stood there uncomfortably and then Helen reached me. "I hope you're happy." She muttered. "You could have ruined my wedding with that little stunt."
"I didn't do anything." I protested again, feeling even smaller than before if that was possible.
"Whatever." She said and she went on to the next person. Soda made his way over to me as the circle broke up.
"One minute you're pashing her- the next she's tipping wine over you. Talk about blowing hot and cold Pony." He said dryly.
"She's nuts." I replied, trying to act tough. "I don't even know what sparked her off."
Two-Bit and Steve arrived then. "Great show Pony." Two-Bit told me proudly. "You made the night more interesting.I was thinking you should have thrown your beer at her, but then I decided that would have been a waste of good beer. Women hey?"
Steve was looking at me thoughtfully, but he didn't say anything.
Darry and Helen left, and then we got in a taxi and went back home. I didn't really join in the conversation on the way home. I was a bit embarrassed about what had happened, as well as annoyed. As far as I could see I had never given Chantelle the impression that there was anything going on between us, nor that anything could go on between us, so her passionate reaction shocked me. But in the back of my mind was a more pressing concern: did I tell Mandy about this? And how?