Well, the bad news is CC is very poorly and I have been quarantined to the bedroom by my girlfriend. The good news is...she left me my laptop yay...so that means lots of chapters while I heal in isolation :o) I hope you enjoy, review and don't catch the flu x Cleo
(Hollyoaks own the speech in italics)
The Aftermath part 1- Tilly
'Twas a new feeling - something more
Than we had dared to own before,
Which then we hid not;
We saw it in each others eye,
And wished, in every half-breathed sigh,
To speak, but did not.
Thomas Moore - Did not
Tilly stands on the wooden bridge that rises above the murky water, her tickets in hand; she stares through them. Standing now in the same spot, where only days earlier, Jen had also stood with the same sinking realization; both contemplating a life without the other. Like the teacher, Tilly is interrupted by Neil's footsteps.
"Eh whats up?" Tilly looks towards him, sadness still etched across her face; she is not even strong enough to fake a façade. "Whoa...now that's a miserable face." he announces walking towards her. Tilly gazes back down into the dirty water below her, he smiles trying to shake her mood "You ok?" he attempts again.
"Oh yeah" she finally responds sarcastically, crossing her arms across her tummy in a subconscious move to protect her hurt from Neil. "...apart from the fact my dad is, Literally, going to string me up." she adds, preferring to concentrate on this issue rather than her heart ache; to stay strong she needs to play that element down.
"Why?" He asks, finally reaching his friends side. She blinks her eyes, feeling deflated. She did not really care so much about that part anyway, her dad killing her maybe a blessing; to end the agony Jen had just left behind.
"Never mind" she replies, not trying to be dismissive; she is just exhausted emotionally.
"Come on tills you know you can talk to me." Neil urges with compassion, he can see his friend is in pain. Tilly knows he has been so good to her over the past few week, she looks at him, pulling out of her morose trance, he deserves an explanation; it is obvious he cares.
"You know these tickets for the trip." She looks away ashamed of the confession, it is after all so out of character for her. Like when she was at Ky's, Jen admitted to a drastic character change, it is as obvious to her now, how much she had also transformed. She bites her lower lip and sighs, looking back out over the water "I stole the money from my education fund" she adds.
Neil tuts and turns his head away "Oh come on Tilly!" he states, not liking the impact this relationship is having on his friends character.
"I know, I know..." she interrupts, she knows how this all looks. "and now Jens' blown me off too...so it was all for nothing." she tries to say in as nonchalant a way as possible, however, saying it finally out loud makes her angry; her jaw clenches at the taste of the betrayal.
"Jen? why?" Neil asks back confused, Maybe the teacher had listened to him after all.
"Coz she's a selfish cow!" Tilly responds bitterly, still lost in the recent anger. The comment, however makes Neil laugh. "Yep she dumped me and the £2000 tickets...without a second thought." she adds, still looking ahead; Neil suddenly realising the price of the tickets.
"You stole £2000 from your dad!?" he announces in alarm.
"Borrowed" she defends herself, Neil shakes his head again in disbelieve; this is not the Tilly Evans he knew. "What am I going to do?" she continues, sighing as she wraps the sheet against the wooden post in frustration, walking off past Neil, not really sure of her direction; yet, moving seemed like the correct course of action.
"Tilly!" Neil calls after her. Huffing when she does not stop or answer; he follows after her anyway. He catches up with her and wraps his arm around her shoulder "Come on" he adds leading the way.
"Where we going?" she asks, however, glad that someone else had taken the lead; she is to demoralized to think logically or objectively.
"To the library...coz we need to sell this ting...and give you dad back his money Tills." he replies with a smile. Despite the fact he can see Tilly is in pain and maybe in serious trouble with her parents, Neil can see a huge positive development occurring. It is obvious his friend will now go back to study at the Sixth form college; her dad will enforce it anyway and an immediate lock down. With no Jen as a distraction and being grounded indefinitely, she will probably throw herself into her studies to avoid thinking; he concluded this could only be a good thing. 'Maybe Miss Gilmour is not such a selfish cow after all.' he thinks to himself. "So what did Miss Gilmour say?" Neil inquires, both in concern and for evidence to support his theory.
"She took the job...she is the new Hollyoaks Art teacher." Tilly replied. "She didn't even discuss it with me Neil...big things like that should be a joint discussion." she adds.
" What like...tickets around the world." he responds and squeezes her shoulder playfully. She understood his point, however, did not really agree with the comparison.
"Yeah I know but my silence was for a romantic surprise. Her silence was fear and well...selfishness. I mean do know how many times since she accepted the post we've..." She suddenly trails off realising she is giving too much information; plus she still has no wish to stop protecting Jen even after the relationships had ended; she is angry but not cruel.
"How many times you what?" Neil asks with a smirk and raising his eyebrows suggestively.
"Oh shut up..."she replies laughing and pushing him playfully. "Talked Neil...I meant to say talked since." she adds .
"Yeah sure you did!" he responds giggling "That the problem with you lesbians...too much talking not enough sex." he concludes, as the arrive at the library now both laughing.