I can't tell you how sorry I am for this huge delay. I'll never promise a chapter again, since I'm not completely sure about the future. Just say that school exams + college applications + vacations + moving to a new country + adapting to college and new country took a tool on me. I'm taking advantage of this little vacation-weekend to edit and upload. You guys see, instead of enjoying Amsterdam, I'm more concerned about you :).

I hope you like it!

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Chapter 10 – Glad you moved

"Who has olives?"

Jack, Rachel and Camille move themselves in order to give Renan what he asked for. It's a weird habit we have, exchange food we don't like, but it works and there's nothing wrong with it. In a normal day, Mark would ask Renan to share with him or he would ask for the mushrooms but today he's just quietly eating, looking at the television.

After he left his bedroom and answered the door, it was impossible to get him alone again. He got 'busy' with the food and the arrangements for the dinner and I think he was avoiding it too. Annie noticed and just asked me if everything was ok, but I don't really know, do I? Mark is the only person who can answer that.

On the other hand, I think Hermione is having a good time. Maybe Annie and Rachel scared her a little with their questions and I can tell that they were surprised that Hermione didn't know any Backstreet Boys songs, but fortunately, Camille has the same 'problem' and came to her defense. Right now, they are siting next to each other and Camille is explaining to Hermione the rules of the tv-show we're watching while Rachel is more focused about a certain contestant who looks like an 'animal with all that hair in his arms'.

"Hey Luke, you're going to the pub with us, right?" Jack asks.

Since I have my mouth full of pizza, I just shrug my shoulders, like I usually do when they ask me something obvious.

"Good, well need another pair of fists if we're going with all this girls!" Annie retorts instantly and gives him a kick, just to prove her point.

I look at Hermione, trying to see if she wants to ask me anything about the matter, because she never mentioned being in a pub before or something like that, but she's just staring at Mark. I can't really tell for sure, but it looks like she's expecting him to say something.

One hour later, we are outside Mark's house waiting for him to check if everything is ok before leaving. Jack, Renan and Rachel are discussing if we should visit the local pub or visit a new one, which just opened.

"If it's new, it must be crowded tonight." Renan says.

"And what's the problem with that?"

"Rachel, no one cares if you're in 'hunting season'." Jack replies using air quotes "Besides, I'm not really in the mood to wait a lot of time for a simple pint."

"And at least we are used to Joe's darts. And he has a special set for us." Renan points out.

"Well, if I was you, I'd be really careful with those darts tonight." Rachel says while turning around to call Mark for the fourth time.

In ten minutes we are at the pub and fortunately we survived Rachel's bad mood, Mark's apathy or abstractedness and Jack's and Renan usual bets about who would drink the most. One day I joined them and after that, I promised to myself I'd never do it again because they can really handle a lot of alcohol. It's almost disturbing.

Just when Hermione is about to enter, right next to Camille, I decide to stop her.

"Camille, we'll be right back, ok?"

Looking between the two of us, she nods and follows the others.

Hermione stares at me oddly and I just smile at her. Then, I guide her to the other side of the street, where the local park starts. I start to check for a good spot for us to talk, trying to avoid the ones near bushes, which usually have people behind smoking, drinking or whatever. Finally I find an excellent place, just beside the path that leads to the playground area. I sit, lean on the tree and pat the place next to me, inviting Hermione to do the same. The night is clear and there isn't a lot of movement in this side of the town. Maybe everyone decided to check the new pub after all.

"So ..." I start, while she tries to find a confortable position on the ground. Finally she crosses her legs and I find myself jealous of the way she does it. I always look like a retarded when I do it. "… are they scary or not?"

"What?"

"You know…" I chuckle, "… you saw the way they behave. An unusual troupe, I tell you. "

"Oh, I don't think so! At least they weren't worried about behaving normally because of me." She said, looking at her hands. I chuckle.

"Are your friends like this?" There's a question I've never had a good answer. I think I could find a lot more about her friends from her father than from her. At least I know she has friends. But every time I tried to find out more, she managed to turn the conversation to myself.

"Sometimes… yes."

I waited for more but it never came. She just staring to the grass on ground and I noticed that she had her lips pursed. She didn't want to tell me more. Again. So I decided to ask something safer.

"Is it true that you were friends with Mike?"

She chuckles.

"I never said that we were friends. We were just classmates for a long time."

"Hmmm" I say back. "I've to be honest. When he stared at you, it was really strange is reaction. In the beginning I thought that you were one of his ex-girlfriends…"

"Well, I can surely tell you that I'm not. I haven't seen Mike for a long time and when he were classmates we were too young to date anyway." She says with a chuckle.

"Well, that's good to know." I say and instantly notice what I just said and start blushing. "Still, that doesn't explain why he behaves with so much… how can I say it… caution? Yeah, caution, when he is around you. For someone who used to be your classmate he was the one who talked the least to you tonight."

"Maybe he just wasn't in the mood to make conversation."

Not likely. I start to wonder if it has something to do with their common past.

"Or maybe you reminded him of something that happened in your school years! Is there some dirty secret about Mark that you know and we don't?" I say chuckling and kind of pleased. It can be truth. Mark is a very proud person and wouldn't like to be associated with something embarrassing.

She looks quickly at me with open eyes and I stop laughing.

"Well, he knows that you're gifted. Did you embarrass him in front of the class or something?"

She takes a deep breath.

"Actually, it was the other way around."

Really? Mark embarrassed her in front of the class? He is not that intelligent. Wait, maybe it wasn't in academics…

"He used to make fun of you?" I ask.

"He wasn't the only one." She says with a sad smile.

I can't believe that he used to be a bully. Mark can be a git and joke a lot but he doesn't approve of bullying. I remember the countless times that he got in trouble because of that, sticking up for kids who couldn't protect themselves.

"They made fun of you just because you were gifted?"

She throws her head back and releases a bitter laugh.

" I wish! I can't judge them; I had a lot of flaws. Big hair, buckteeth and later I started to be a little haughty, to cover my flaws. But that only backfired and aggravated the situation."

"And Mark was one of your bullies?"

"Luke, that was years ago. I'm certain that it wouldn't happen if we were older. You know how kids are."

"Yes, I know. But I can't imagine. It must have been horrible."

"It wasn't. A lot of things are worse than being made fun of." She said, her somber voice giving me a little shudder.

What can be worse than being made fun of? No kid or even teenager want to go through that. Not even an adult. Even if we try to ignore, it still hurts. Is it possible that she went through worse in her special school? I don't know much about gifted people but I truly believe that they have a lot more to do than discuss physical aspects in someone and make fun of it. But it's not even about that, is it? What could have happen in her school that it's worse than being made fun of?

The thing her father isn't allowed to tell me.

"Maybe we should go back to the pub. They must be wondering what we are doing…" She says, waken me from my thoughts. She is already up and cleaning the dirt off of her clothes.

"Yeah, we should." I join her and we start to walk back to the pub. When we enter, I easily spot my friends, seated in our usual round table. Jack and Renan already have some empty cups in front of them and Mark decided to drink something stronger today. Camille has a pint in front of her and I'm not surprised when I see that it looks untouched. But somehow, she ends up drinking it all. The three girls are talking quietly when they spot us.

"Hey, Luke!" Annie shouts, to get our attention. When we approach the table, Hermione quickly sits next to Camille. "Sorry we didn't get anything for both of you, we didn't know how long you'd take." She says, winking.

I feel their eyes looking between Hermione and me. The only one who isn't suspicious about anything is Camille.

"It's alright." I say to Annie, ignoring her smirk. "Hermione, let's get something for you to drink."

Hermione stands up and when we start to head to the bar counter, I can hear Renan whispering, "He doesn't look flushed…" and I roll my eyes. At the counter, I ask for a coke and Hermione asks for a pint. When I ask her why, she says that Camille recommended.

"Do you even like it?" I ask.

"Well," she says looking uncomfortable "I don't know. I've tried alcohol but not this."

"Really?" I ask and she nods, still uncomfortable. "Then maybe you should try it first in here. In case you don't like it, we get another drink and they don't need to know." I say to her assuredly.

"Ok. Let's go." She says to herself and starts to direct the cup to her lips. I see that she decided to be brave and took a big gulp of beer. When she stops drinking, she is squinting her face and shaking her head.

"Do you want to order something else?" I ask not containing my chuckle. The face she made told me everything I needed to know about her opinion about this drink.

"No." She says, after recovering. "It's different but I can handle it."

"Are you sure, Hermione?"

"Yes, Luke, I am." She says, smiling and turning around. I hope she's not offended but I don't want to return a drunk Hermione to Mr. Granger…

"Camille, please! It has been months since the last time!" Renan shouts suddenly.

We stop in our tracks, look at each other and decide to approach the others quickly.

"I don't care. We settled the last time that IT would be the last time…" Camille says, blushing. Hermione sits beside her, looking worried.

"Renan, we don't need games to drink…." Rachel sighs.

"But it's always fun, and we need to break Hermione's ice!"

"Pffff" Jack spills his drink on the table, getting a scowl from Rachel. "Oh God, that's not an expression Renan! You've been living here for years now." Jack's says laughing. Renan just rolls his eyes.

"Yeah yeah, Jack. Thanks!" and takes the pint to his lips. Silence descends upon our group when I hear Hermione clearing her throat.

"I don't think that my 'ice' needs to be broken but if you're curious about something, go ahead Renan."

"NO!" Everyone shouts, even Mark, and we get some strange looks from the group of people beside our table. Hermione has her brows furrowed and Annie leans over the table and starts explaining.

"Never, but never, give Renan full permission to ask you anything he wants. Do never give him that kind of freedom. He can be really inappropriate!"

"And 'he' is right here, Annie." He says, poking her back.

"But I understand if -"

"No Hermione." I say and my voice sounds deeper than intended. Renan and Mark look at me: the first looks disappointed, as if I just spoiled his fun and the latter gives me a subtle nod, of concordance.

"Fine." Renan says clapping his hands after drinking his pint to the end. "Jack, should we get the darts?"

Jack, who until the moment had his head leaning on the wall behind him, almost sleeping, drinks his whole pint and stands up. "Let's go!"

"I hope he is not mad…" Hermione says looking at both of them.

"He is never mad, believe me." Annie says with a smile. "But, if you want us to ask you questions, we can do it. " She says hopefully, exchanging looks with me for a second.

Annie isn't as dangerous as Renan but the type of reservations Hermione has been having with me since I met her make me a little uneasy.

"I can be the first." says Mark suddenly. His eyes look different because of his drink and he's leaning with one arm behind Rachel. We all exchange looks but no one says nothing against it. Honestly, I'm curious to hear what Mark has to ask her.

"Where's the school you went to for the last 7 years? Is very far away from here?"

I look at Hermione, waiting for her answer and I notice her sizing him up. Then she sighs.

"It's in Scotland."

"Did you like it?"

"Yes."

"Hm. I guess the subjects were different, isn't that true?"

"Yes, they were."

"But the right ones, right? Just what you needed to improve…" he says.

"Of course."

"Were you top of the class, as always?"

"You know me." Hermione answered slightly smiling.

"But… they were like you, weren't they?

She gave him a penetrating look, which made Mark swallow.

"They are."

"Then I'm glad you moved." Mark says, directing the cup to his mouth.

"Harsh! What a hell, Mark?" Annie says.

"Calm down, I mean it in a good way." He holds Hermione gaze. "Our school wasn't what Hermione needed."

"I guess not." she says.

"Well, I'm glad you moved too, I guess" Camille says looking uncertain.

"Ok, ok. I want to ask something." Anna interrupts. "Mark, you just lost your time a couple questions ago so just shut up." Annie says. "Are you going to university, Hermione?"

I notice Hermione's body relax a little and she takes a sip of her drink before answering.

"I don't think so. I still have one year to make at my school and I don't know if I'll attend a mug- I mean, university. My parents want me to but at the moment I just don't know…"

"What about a gap year?" Rachel proposes.

The girls start talking about the pros and cons of a gap year and I decide to approach Mark. He is ignoring me, observing the darts game between Jack and Renan. The questions he threw at Hermione confirmed my suspicions: he knows something, and that something would give me a lot of answers about her behaviour and most important, about Mr. Granger's secret.

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