Chapter 6 - Reflecting

She felt she table fall almsot on top of her and suddenly felt herself becoming cold and wet . . . it had spilt all over her. She looked up, trying to wipe it off her face. But all she saw was Joey, trying to help her up, and thne another face . . . He had brown hair and was looking down at her in shock.

~*~*~

"I remember now!" Serenity cried, she was triyng to straighten otu ehr dress and hair. "Trist-an . . . Taylor?"

Tristan smiled, he was looking into her eyes, watchiong them sparkle in the beams of sunlight and trying to not loose himself in thier light . . . "Yeah, i . . . i'm sorry about that" he sighed finally.

"Oh, err . . . it'a ok" she smiled, she too was lookign into his eyes, there was something different abotu him. He was nto liek other boys . . .

Joey watched them with suspicion, he noticed the way they were lookign at each other, then eventually he dechided to jump in. "Serenity-" he said, "What are you doing here anyway?"

Serenity turned round suddenly, she had almost forgotten that he was there. "Err . . . i was just walking, i heard you guys" then she turned to Trsitan, wondering why he was here and why he was thrown otu of his home, she knew it was rude to ask . . . "Mr. Taylor-"

"Tristan, please" he smiled back at her.

"Oh ok, Erm . . . why are you here?" She asked, trying to stop herself. Joey looked up in shock, hwo rude was his sister being?! he was about to say something when Tristan interupted him.

"I'm ehre too see your brother, he's an old friend" Tristan said, he patted the shocked Joey on the back, even thoguh his gaze was still on Serenity. "But- it's also . . . good to see you too" he said with a slight sigh of satisfaction . . .

Serenity felt herself blush and she tried to look away.

Joey eyed them both, he knew where this was goign. Ever since Tristan had set his eyes upon his little sister, Hoey knew how he felt abotu her. But there were things stopping it from happening. Like the fact that Serenity is arranged to be married, or the fact that Tristan was thrown out of his home and left penniless . . . "C'mon sis, go play ro something, i want to talk to Tristan alone"

"But Joey . . . i don't know what else too do . . ." she said in a frail attempt to be able to stay.

"Oh, c'mon Jo, let her stay" Tristan sighed.

Joey didn't want too, he knew it would get worse, something might happen, but he knew if he made ehr go, they woyld both hate him. "ok, but not for long . . ." he sighed.

"Oh, thank you big brother" Serenity cried, she wanted to hug him, but then she would look stupid in front of his friend, whom she secretly had a sort of first-time crush on. Maybe she had finally found the one . . .

Joey pulled out a chair from a table near him and sat down on it, Tristan copied him btu Serenity stood there, looking at them both, "Aren't you gogint o take a seat?" Tristana sked.

"Oh . . . yes . . ." she said again, smiling, she pulled out a seat next to Joey and continued to eye Tristan, who put his elbow on the table and lent his head against it.

"So, Tristan, i don't think your telling the truth?" Joey said, running his finger round inc circles on the shining table surface.

"Huh?" came Tristan's reply, he had taken his gaze away from Serenity.

"About your old dad just going mental, it don't add up. C'mon, you can tell me, what did you do?"

Tristan opened his mouth to speak but then looked at Serenity as if too say 'but she might tell . . .' Joey looked down at his sister who was puzzled by the whole thing. "Don't tell anyone this, it's our secret OK?"

Serenity nodded, she was trying nto to look at Tristan as much as before.

"Promise?" she heard Joey say . . .

"I promise" She said, she wasn't really listening anyway, so she souldn't hear.

Tristan hung his head, then looked up again, eh didn't really want to mention anyting. "I, i . . . got involved ins oemthign big" he said, Joey looked at him in shock. Serenity did the same, now wanting to hear more. "I was set-up for helping in a robery . . . ut i didn't do it . . ." Then he looked down, hiding his face which had turned pale.

"Whao . . . amn!" Joey cried, leaning foreword. "That's big, are the police on your trail?"

Serentiy looked up at the mention of 'police'.

Tristan shrugged lightly and kept lookign down, watching the rays of sunlight reflect off the table. "I'm just living rough you know, i'll be OK though . . ."

Joey wasn;t too sure, of course, he couldn't tellhis perants, they would kill him for even talkign to Tristan, and Serenity would be in bug trouble too. He knew Tristan well, he walways foudn a way out, even thoguh it may sound cruel Joey didn't think he needed to help.

"Aww, that's awful!" Serenity cried finally, she knew how big the matter was, and unlike Joey, thoguh that they needed to help him.

"I'm fine, but thanks for the concern" Tristan sighed, smiling lightly at herr. She smiled back, all thoguh inside she felt ashamed for him.

Joey looked at his siter once more. "This is big Serenity, you can't tell anyone. Not even Téa"

"I knwo JHoey, i'm nto stupid!" she cried, she knew people thoguht less fo her because she was little and a girl. "And i would never tell Téa"

Tristan suddenly stood up, causing them both to look at him. He looked at the balcony and thne back at them. "I have to go" he said, with a certain sandess it his voice.

"Already?" Serenity stood up, shocked. She didn't want him to go . . .

"I'm sorry, i ahve too" He said, "But i hope too see you again"

"Oh, you will see me again, i'll be here for you mate" Joey said, also standing up.

"I meant Serenity" Tristan said, and that was as close he was goign to get to saying how much he fel tfor her. Joey looked at hsi sister who hid her smile. "but thank s Joey" he continued just as Joey was about to tell him that Serenity was getting married.

*~*~*

Serenity walked along the corridor after seeing Tristan leave and having a lecture from her brother about how she must not tell a soul nor get involved with Tristan. She reached the landing, where she looked down upon the great hall and there, stood ehr parents with a postman, looking cross and serious. She bent pover the railing so it was easy to hear them.

She saw ehr mother rip open a letter and scan it. "Oh my . . . dear, read this" she said, giving it too her father. He too scanned it and they looked at each other.

"I can't belive that . . ." He sighed. "I always thoguht Tristan was a decent young man"

"Well, " came hwe mother's voice, "You never know with these men, that's why i chose Duke for our little Serenity."