Author's note -
Thank you so much to everyone who has read/followed/reviewed/favourited this collection so far! I really love to hear from you - please do keep telling me what you think. :)
It's been a while since I updated, so I hope you enjoy this fic, which was written in response to a 'school reunion' prompt on Tumblr from zip-goes-a-million. (Thank you!)
She will be loved
Sybil's hand rested on the wooden frame of the door. About to push it open, she stopped herself as painful memories flooded into her mind...
"Teacher's pet, teacher's pet!"
Cruel chanting filled the air as a group of girls barred Sybil's exit from the classroom.
"Does milady want to cry?" A blonde's mouth curved into a smile as her shot hit its mark.
Sybil pushed past her and ran to the bathroom in floods of tears...
Head held high, she walked into the school hall and was immediately swept up in the arms of her friend Anna.
"Sybil, it's you – I'm so glad you made it! Can you believe it's been ten years! Wow, you look gorgeous! Doesn't she, Gwen?"
"Stunning. How do you do it? Come on, let's dance!"
Gwen grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the dance floor. Soon, they were jumping around together, singing the well-remembered lyrics along with everyone else.
"My baby don't mess around me
'Cause she loves me so
And this I know for sure..."
Maybe it won't be such a bad night after all!
Turning her head a little later to hear Anna's comment over the music, Sybil caught a glimpse of a familiar face and felt her stomach fall to the floor. She's here, don't let her get to you...
Edna Braithwaite was walking towards her, followed by Sarah O'Brien. Her chief tormentor from the last years of school, along with her faithful acolyte. For a moment, Edna pretended not to see her, then she playacted a double take, walking towards her with a fake smile on her face.
"Sybil, is that you? My apologies – Lady Sybil? I hardly recognised you."
Sybil forced herself to meet Edna's eyes, silently cursing her tendency to flush under stress.
"I'm sorry, I can't quite..."
Edna saw through that ploy immediately, as shown by her knowing grin.
"Edna, don't you remember? From Mr Carson's class?"
"Of course, how could I forget? And you must be Sarah."
The three of them exchanged tense smiles. As if on cue, a song that made Sybil think of bad days she'd had at the hands of these two and their friends came blaring through the speakers.
"Wake me up inside
Wake me up inside
Call my name and save me from the dark..."
"I wasn't sure if you'd come tonight, Sybil. So glad you did, of course." Edna's voice dripped with insincerity. "What have you been up to since we left school?"
"I'm a doctor, actually – working at St Barts in London. How about you?"
Edna's eyes narrowed, clearly calculating what she could say to try and top Sybil's success. Before she could speak again, Anna chimed in, making Sybil smile gratefully at her friend.
When Gwen got back with the drinks, she found them talking about the boys they had known at school.
"Do you remember that guy a few years above us – the Irish one? Now he was hot, wasn't he?" Gwen flapped her hands in front of her face jokingly.
"Tom Branson, you mean? Oh yes, he was super hot." Edna smirked in a way that may have been cute a decade before but which seemed out of place now. "He kissed me once, did you know that?"
"When did that happen?" Anna sounded disbelieving.
"It was at a school dance. I was standing right over there," she pointed towards the edge of the dance floor, "and he came towards me. He grabbed my hand and kissed me in front of everyone."
"You're kidding! What happened then?"
"Well, nothing, unfortunately, because it was the end of the night and my Dad was waiting outside, and he left school after that. But I'm pretty sure he had a crush on me, I could tell by the way he looked at me." Edna looked smug as only she could.
"I heard that too, Thomas Barrow told me. You know he always had the latest gossip in those days," Sarah added loyally. "Is Thomas here tonight, do you know?"
"I haven't seen him. Probably over by the bar, if he's anywhere," suggested Gwen. "Come on Sybil, let's go and say hello to Mr Carson."
"See you later." Edna tossed her head, already losing interest.
Not if I see you first! Somehow, the juvenile response made Sybil feel better.
At the end of the night, Sybil came outside, shivering in the cool air. She felt strong arms wrapping around her from behind and warm lips pressing a kiss to the back of her neck.
"How was your night, sweetheart? Had a good time?"
She turned around, smiling. "More than I thought I would. I ran into Anna and Gwen, they're great, remember I told you about them? We must all go out together one night."
"Sure, that sounds like fun." She put a hand on his cheek as he leaned forward to kiss her.
When they broke apart, she opened her eyes, to find someone else's surprised gaze on her. "Edna – come and meet my husband, Tom Branson. Oh wait, you two already know each other, don't you?"
Now it was Edna's turn to blush as she and Tom shook hands. "Your... husband, did you say?"
"Sorry, I'm not sure if I recall..." Tom looked confused.
"It's been a long time. Well, I have to go, don't want to miss the last train, nice seeing you again!" Edna couldn't get away fast enough, almost running down the street.
Sybil turned to Tom. "Edna told me you kissed her at a school dance. According to her, you had a crush on her. Do you really not remember?"
She saw recognition dawn on his face. "Hmm, if she told you I kissed her... well, let's just say I remember it quite differently."
"What do you mean?"
"I was coming off the dance floor and suddenly this girl I'd never seen before threw herself at me. I tried to avoid her but she grabbed my hand and her lips did kind of brush over my cheek. That was it, believe me."
"And the crush?"
He grinned at her – "Sybil, darling, the only person I ever had a crush on at school was you."
"You had a crush on me? But I..."
"You what?"
"Tom, I had the most massive crush on you! Surely you knew that?"
"I had no idea, I thought you didn't want to know me, you'd never even look at me."
"That's because I was too shy! Miss Goody-Two-Shoes couldn't meet anyone's eye back then, let alone yours."
He pulled her closer. "It's just as well I ended up in casualty at St Barts' that night, isn't it? I might never have found you again."
"I can't believe we never talked about this before! So, you had a crush on me, did you?" She flicked her hair over her shoulder, putting her hand on his arm as she fluttered her eyelashes at him. "What would have happened if I'd tried this on you back then?"
He didn't answer, not directly. Instead, he growled, bending her backwards and kissing her deeply enough to make her head spin and her knees buckle.
"Good move, Branson. I might just have fallen for you at school if you'd done that!" She laughed up at him, trying to regain her self-possession, when he let her go.
"I wonder if you've still got your school uniform at home somewhere. Shall we have a look?" He winked, running his hand down her side to tickle her and making her giggle. Then, they wrapped their arms around each other and walked towards the car, with the last song of the night still playing through the open doorway.
"Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile
And she will be loved
And she will be loved..."
Author's note -
Rather than using my own music collection as inspiration this time, I've been looking back through the list of songs that were popular a decade ago in the UK to imagine what a playlist for Sybil's 10 year school reunion might sound like. :)
The lyrics quoted come from the following songs (in order): "Hey Ya!" by Outkast, "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence, and "She Will Be Loved" by Maroon 5, which also gave me the story title. (They can all be found on youtube if you want to remind yourself!)