A WAVERLY OWL APOLOGISES WHEN THEY HAVE WRONGED OTHERS.
Helga Dunderdorf tossed and turned in her bed, flinging her covers violently off the mattress as she slept fitfully, the same visions continually haunting her. Her masochistic mind zoomed in on every tender kiss she had witnessed Brandon place lovingly onto Callie. The girl he had sworn was 'ancient history'. With her Cinderella looks, fashionable attire and deceptively sweet disposition, Hellie hated how perfect Callie looked, she complimented Brandon's own beauty and finely made clothes. For the past month, her sister Gretchen had vowed to cheer her up, attempting to sidetrack her with numerous potential rebounds including her ex Tomas, a blonde Cadet with fantastically brilliant green eyes. Not even the gorgeous grounds in Gstaad could perk her up; the thing that hurt the most being that she had truly, stupidly thought Brandon was different, loyal and trustworthy. Which he was but only where Callie was concerned. She couldn't believe she had lost her virginity for him; the memory would now be forever tainted.
Exasperated with herself, she looked at the digital clock by her bedside, Gretchen had snuck out of their dorm to go on a date with Robbie, and so she had the room to herself where she could mope freely. The clock glowed red telling the time as three fifty in the morning. Dejectedly, she turned away resigning herself to another night of ruminating over her regrets.
Brandon exited the blue and white train car revelling in the sunny climate and admiring one of the most picturesque villages in Europe. The girls' campus which Brandon had visited only once before consisted of five, comfortably modern chalets, like Waverly classes were mixed but sleeping arrangements were strictly separate. Hellie shared a spacious room with her identical twin sister Gretchen in Chalet Anne.
Brandon breathed in the crisp Alpine air, admiring the view even in the current dark, the majestic mountains looked so spectacular he wished he had thought to bring his new Panasonic camera, as it were he snapped a few hasty pictures on his cell. The chalet in question was right before him, an imposing wooden building, with a heavy, gently sloping roof with wide, well-supported, eaves, set at right angles to the front of the house. Fresh snow coated the land as Brandon trudged towards it with his practical black suitcase, trying hard not to slip in his unsuitable loafers.
Luckily for him, everyone was asleep so there was nobody to question his presence as he quietly climbed the stairs, reaching the room he needed. Brett had been invaluably supportive yesterday in assisting him in choosing a gift. After much reflection, they had gone with Roberto Coin's Blue Topaz Teardrop necklace that cost just under a thousand dollars. The simplicity of the item suited Hellie to the tee, he hoped she would open the door, worriedly he wondered what he would do if she wasn't in. The entire trip would have gone completely to waste, at least he had pre-booked a room at the Grand Hotel Bellevue, where he planned on happily bankrupting his father buy drowning his sorrows in vintage scotch and ruining his lungs by smoking Cuban cigars. Although he admitted a tiny part of him was hoping he would have no need for the pricey accommodation as Hellie would greet him with open arms. The chances were unlikely to be sure, but he wouldn't know unless he tried, hence his indistinct knock which Hellie thought she had imagined until she a slightly louder one followed. Brandon grew in conviction each time, he was here now.
Grudgingly, Hellie's bare feet touched the annoyingly cheery yellow carpet as she padded toward the door, grumbling, "For god's sake Gretch, why do you need to knock?" she opened the door aggressively making the gold metal handle squeak under her temper. Her jaw dropped and she defensively crossed her arms, eyes narrowed testily, she lamented going to sleep in such little clothing, she was clad in just girl's boxer shorts and a lace black bra, slightly hot from the preposterously high heating, her skin was burning, even though the majority of it was bare. Brandon looked tired and ashamed, his eyes lowered to his slush-covered dark brown loafers, his hair was sticking up and his mouth kept opening and closing as he dismissed notions of what to say.
"What do you want?" her Swedish accent grew more pronounced as her anger mounted, her cheeks went a comely pink with surprise and still very raw hurt. Spotting his suitcase, inquisitiveness mildly distracted her until she remembered all that had happened. Did he really think he could just return and she'd let him stay like a simpering idiot. She went to slam the door in his contrite face, disbelieving of his audacity.
Brandon wedged his foot in the frame, rationalising his thoughts, he could tell she was losing patience and this was no time to get diverted by her tantalising lack of clothes, he wanted to kiss her milky white stomach and follow the trickle of sweat down her throat with his mouth. He had truthfully forgotten how enchantingly beautiful she was, she looked like the incarnate of the Swan Princess, the only book he remembered his mother reading to him before she died. Natalie Portman, watch out. "Wait," he pushed at the door so he could see her face at five foot four he was four inches taller than her, an advantage he didn't usually have with girls. "Look, I'm not here to . . . win you back, or confuse you, I just wanted a chance to make things right, to explain and tell you that I'm sorry. Which I am, really, truly sorry." He watched her relaxed while tension increased in his shoulders, it was imperative that he said the right thing, but in all honesty he wasn't sure why he had behaved like he did.
"You have about two minutes," she allowed generously, a little disappointed at his decisiveness in not wanting to win her back. She would have enjoyed watching him grovel and plead, showering her with compliments in that serious tone.
"Right," he nodded, "I cheated on you with Callie, as you know," he began shoddily, unable to collect his thought when she looked so unbearably appetising, he wondered whether she had replaced him with another boy yet, a thought that made his forehead crease and stomach throb in a way that Callie and Easy's recently renewed relationship hadn't. For a moment, he experienced euphoria, he was officially over her, he beamed winningly at Hellie.
"Are you on the drugs, what do you Americans call it?" she groped for the right word, "Smack, crack, junk, skunk do you shoot up?" she gestured injecting herself, slightly worried at Brandon's maniac smile that made his eyes glow sexily in the dark.
"No, no," he chuckled, "I'm not, I'm not a junkie, I promise. Look, Hellie," he lightly brushed her arm making her scowl, "what you saw that day, meant nothing."
"It didn't look like it," she retorted confrontationally, still feeling conspicuously naked next to Brandon's fully clothed form, his biceps flexed as he adjusted the heavy carry case in his hands.
"It was something I had to do and I don't expect you to understand, you know everyone always says that your first love is always the hardest to get over and Callie's mine. We've just always had this thing-"
"Well I hope you'll be very happy together," she spat; he had come all this way just to kick her when she was down.
"Would you just let me finish?" an amused gleam entered his eyes, "What I'm trying to say is that I don't love her anymore and going out with her again taught me that, she didn't make me as happy as you did even though you were halfway around the world. I'm not going to lie to you; she did dump me for Easy. Again. But I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry, I thought Callie and I would always be forever and it seems I have finally learnt my lesson.
Hellie was touched by his honesty, but she had more pride than to accept him so easily, "So?"
"Err, that's it," he said, momentarily forgetting her present.
"Well, where does that leave me? You were my first love, I really loved you and you threw me away like . . . like," she floundered, still not up to date with her similes and metaphors.
"Like last year's wardrobe?" Brandon supplied, unable to keep the smile from forming on his handsome face.
"Right," she said, embarrassed by her outburst, "I never thought you were a cheater."
"I'm not, not really," he protested," I just went a little mad temporarily, Hellie, I don't expect you to forgive me, to be honest I just wanted to see you again. I missed you," he affectionately touched her rose gold hair as memories of the first night they spent together and the ones that followed assailed them both. "You look really good," his gaze dipped to her chest, flat stomach and long legs. "Oh, I almost forgot, I brought you a present," he smiled, his good mood irrepressible. Callie was formally part of his long forgotten past.
Hellie's spirits rose, Brandon was great with presents, a little extravagant at times but that just made them extra special, she was surprised to find that she had more or less totally thawed towards him, maybe it was because he seemed so genuine or that he still looked at her with palpable adoration, which created feelings in her similar to eating a deserved heap of Ben and Jerry's Cookie Dough ice cream. She watched him draw out a black velvet box, juggling his belongings until he finally extracted a dazzling decadent necklace that looked visibly expensive and gloriously blue. The blue topaz teardrop pendant in a prong setting was held carefully in Brandon's hands as he held it up for her viewing pleasure. Her delight etched onto her face, she had honestly never seen anything more beautiful, "I love it," she breathed, his infidelity forgotten for now.
"Here, let me put it on," she turned around and he swept up her silky blonde hair, fastening the clasp around her neck. Turning around, he smiled at how perfect it looked on her, like it was made for her alone. A single blue topaz teardrop suspended from the fluid chain, nestling in the cleavage formed by her lacy bra calling attention to the sparkling jewels of her eyes. She touched it obsequiously, her pale pinks nails running over the facets.
"So . . .?" Brandon made to leave, unwillingly, there was nothing left to say except, "Oh, I love you," he added as an afterthought.
Hellie hadn't felt this jubilant in a long time and though she still held her reservations she wasn't about to let this opportunity go to waste. The boy she was crazy about was right in front of her in touching distance and bravely professing his love, her room was empty, devoid of annoying twins or nosy friends. She crushed his lips to his, suddenly glad there wasn't much clothes for her to take off. She couldn't get close enough to him, tearing at his thick sweater, nibbling his chest and kneeling to nibble his abs. They were still in her doorway and Hellie was acting entirely on impulse, Brandon shocked tried to make her stand, entirely taken aback when she jumped in his arms, smooth legs around his topless upper body as she pasted doting kisses on his face. "I love you, I love you, I love you," she repeated like a mantra as Brandon shutting the door, chivalrously carried her over to the bed.
"I love you too," he kissed her languidly; inhaling the scent of her berry tea extracts Herbal Essences shampoo and conditioner. He hoped she had contraception because Brandon had thought that the chances of this were impossible. She did. That would teach him to be so pessimistic.
Sunday afternoon, after two whole days spent getting reacquainted with each other, Brandon kissed Hellie still lying naked next to each other on the bed, fully aware that soon he would be expected to leave and return to his own boarding school. "I've got to go soon," he whispered into her pretty, soft hair.
"Don't say that," she kissed his mouth, stretching her exerted body, the weekend had been completely amazing, she couldn't think past the present.
"Well, it's true," Brandon gently reminded, skimming a hand down her slim, beautiful side, kissing her sexy shoulder blade with the tiny tattoo.
Brandon enveloped her in a hug, his mind overwhelmed with the love he felt for his gorgeous girl, "I have to leave in an hour," he said a lump in his throat.
"Well, that's plenty of time," she smiled wickedly, knowing a sure-fire way to cheer him up before he left her life again for an unknown amount of time, she slipped into his lap.