"You're not happy here, are you?"
"Did I say that?"
"You've been so quiet lately."
"Emily hates me. Razzy has been nice to me again since Tom and her broke up… again, but I don't know what to do about that. I love Marcus, but now that everyone knows… Am I really a slut?"
Joe stared at her across the table. "Say WHAT?"
"Well, that's what everyone's saying… bitch on heat." Beth sniffed and looked away. Joe looked furious.
"That's not true, and people know that! Besides, I know for a fact it's just jealous girls saying that."
"Because they want me?"
"There you go," Joe said gently. "You're getting your sense of humour back. So what are you doing in library, hmm?"
"Doing what I do best… studying."
"I think Marcus would have a different opinion of what you do best…" He ducked out of mauling reach as Beth stared at him in amused shock.
"Oh, that was not nice!"
"But you still love me, right?"
Beth gritted her teeth. "Only because I have to."
"Uhoh, look who it is."
Beth swung around in her seat to see Razzy heading towards them, a weird look on her face. She looked hard at Beth and she winced. Beth recognised that look. Razzy walked up to her and leant down.
"Marcus is a good kisser, isn't he?"
Beth stared up at her, confused. "What?"
"I know. We kissed the other day."
"… what?"
Razzy sneered. "You didn't really think you could take him from me, did you? He kissed me the other day, damn, it was good."
Beth shook her head. Twice?? Razzy was supposed to be a friend… but then again, she hadn't known a few days ago. Which meant… Beth leant back in her chair, the horrified look on her face making Razzy smile wider. Joe was frowning; he couldn't hear what was being said. Razzy stood up straight.
"Bye," she said cheerfully, grinning triumphantly as she swept from the library.
"Beth..?" Joe asked softly behind her. Beth just scooped up her books.
"I'll talk to you later."
Leecie collided with Beth around the corner of the library.
"Beth! Whoa, you look like someone just jammed a quill up your nose, what's up?"
"Marcus kissed Razzy…" she blurted. "Dammit, why did I just say that?"
"I'll kill him. Stupid boys, I'll shred him with my nails."
Beth couldn't help but smile weakly at Alicia's impeccable sense of humour. She was so envious of the way Leece could turn any moment into a funny one.
"Come on." Leecie was taller than Beth, although, considering Beth's slight figure, that wasn't hard. Alicia had the looks and personality of an attractive person, someone who could draw people to her with her fast talking, sense of humour and bright smile. She was trendy, there was no other word for it. And the boys loved her. Marcus, even though he constantly insulted and teased her, loved his little sister madly. She wrapped her arm around Beth's shoulder.
"I know for certain that my brother is nuts about you. You know, he never shuts up when you come into the conversation? No offence, Beth, but when you're discussed twenty-four hours a day it gets slightly irritating. Don't get me wrong, I still think you're a wicked friend, but the boy is crazy. Now, you're going to go and stay warm in the common room because you're freezing, and I'm going to go find my miscreant brother and scream at him a little."
Marcus crept into the common room later to find Beth standing at the window.
"Beth? I'm sorry, it was stupid."
She frowned. "How long ago?"
"A week." Beth nodded. "It was stupid, just a peck, nothing more."
Beth looked over her shoulder in surprise. Razzy had made it seem like something terrible, but if that's all it was… She sighed. "Forget it. Just… don't do it again?"
Marcus smiled. "Leece yelled at me for ages."
"She kept her promise, then."
"She certainly did."
Beth sat down on the floor, relaxed, and curled up on the rug. "Come on, sit and talk with me."
He grinned and sat opposite her in a chair. "Let's swap sex stories!"
"Can't swap them," Beth said with a grin. "Tell me yours."
"Ok!"
"No!" She sat upright. "I was kidding, I don't want to know!" Beth laughed.
"Don't you want to hear about my first time?"
Beth groaned. "Alright, tell, if it will shut you up."
"Ok! Well it happened many years ago…"
"When you was two!"
"Not that many. I was fourteen, maybe fifteen."
"Continue."
"The girl was Jenny, she was sixteen."
"Ooh, older girl!"
"Nice girl, she was."
"Not as nice as me."
"I don't know…"
Beth rolled her eyes, keeping her face serious. She loved it when they had crazy conversations like these. "Keep going… although, something's telling me listening to this isn't good."
"Well, she was the year above me and we were going out."
"Tell the story, stop telling it in pieces."
He grinned. "It adds to the effect."
"Which one? Because I'm torn between curiosity and the urge to yak."
"Anyway," he said, ignoring her, "after three months was the day when I lost my innocence."
"Did you ever have any?"
"Nah, not really."
The two of them burst into laughter, the sombre mood broken. The conversation went on and turned into a war of languages. Using magic, of course.
"Regard! J'ai trouvé un charme de traducteur qui travaille!"
"Don't speak French at me, Marcus!"
"I can even speak a little French by myself."
"Really?"
"Chen."
"Dog."
"Chien."
"Bitch."
"That's the one!"