‘Haha, actually no. But I can tell. You have gorgeous lips.’
Lizzie’s face heated up even more.
‘Don’t worry,’ she continued. ‘You’ll find your guy.’
Lizzie looked away awkwardly.
‘Ah. Maybe you’ve already found him?’ she asked astutely.
‘Sort of. Not really.’
‘What’s his name?’
‘Brandon,’ she whispered.
She nodded knowingly.
‘The teacher.’
‘Gabe told you about him too?’
‘Only when I asked. I knew there had to be some reason you two broke up. I told him he was being silly when all you were guilty of was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.’
‘Yes, well. That’s true.’
‘But I take it something’s changed since then?’
She sighed. ‘Yeah, it doesn’t matter though.’
‘You should go talk to Brandon and see how he feels.’
‘I can’t.’
Gayle picked up an iPad sitting on the bedside cabinet and started typing something.
‘What are you doing?’ Lizzie asked.
‘Oh, this is perfect,’ she said, smiling at the screen.
‘What?’
Gayle held up the iPad, which was open to the TimeOut website’s gig page. ‘Orion’s Head is playing a show tonight.’
‘Let me guess. Gabe told you he was in a band as well.’
‘Yep.’ She looked at the screen again and studied the picture of Brandon and the guys. ‘Honey, you have excellent taste. I’m half tempted to sneak out and see them myself. And I would too if I wasn’t so worried about facing the wrath of Barbara and Colin Reiser.’ She looked back up at Lizzie. ‘I think you should get your little butt over there right now. I’ll live vicariously through you.’
‘But I came here with someone,’ she protested weakly.
‘I’m sure he’ll understand. Go ask him.’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Sweetie, you might not get a better opportunity. And from what I understand, he’s no longer your school teacher, so what’s the problem?’
‘There might be rules about that kind of thing even if he’s at another school,’ she pointed out. ‘Anyway, I don’t even know if he likes me.’
‘I bet you do. You’re just scared of making the first move.’
Lizzie hesitated. ‘But…’
‘No buts. Just do it. What’s the worst that could happen?’
‘I get to the gig and I hear him tell the audience about this stupid girl who stalked him at his school?’
‘He wouldn’t do that.’
‘Sting did. What about that song Don’t Stand So Close To Me?’
‘Ha! You weren’t even born when that song came out, which makes me like you even more. But I read somewhere that Sting wasn’t talking about someone who actually existed.’
Lizzie sighed. ‘OK. I guess I could always go overseas if it doesn’t work out. My dad has even promised me flights.’
‘There you go. But I doubt you’ll need to resort to such extreme measures.’
Lizzie nodded, now a bit more confident.
‘Alright. I’m going to do it.’
‘Good. You go girl!’
Lizzie walked determinedly out and went in search of Nick to tell him she was leaving. She decided that she wouldn’t go if he looked even a tiny bit disappointed. But then maybe she could just go for half an hour and come straight back. That would give her enough time to see Brandon, tell him how she felt, and then run away.
She saw that the line-up for the bathroom was still the same as before.
‘Is someone sick?’ she asked the girl at the front of the queue.
‘I don’t know, but if they don’t come out soon, I’m going in the pool,’ she said, her legs crossed over each other.
Lizzie pulled a face. ‘That’s gross. Look, there’s a bathroom in the ensuite, and actually, I think there’s one in the laundry too, so go use one of those.’
The girl smiled gratefully and hurried off. A few people behind her heard what Lizzie had said and split off to use the other bathrooms as well.
Lizzie knocked on the door. ‘Is everything OK in there?’
There was a muffled sound, followed by a ‘fuck off!’
‘Taylor? Is that you?’ Lizzie yelled.
It was quiet for a minute, and then she heard whispered cursing.
‘What are you doing in there?’ she persisted.
Taylor pulled the door open an inch and peered out.
‘What do you want?’
‘Are you alright?’
‘Yep. Fine.’
‘Are you sick?’
‘Nope.’
Then Lizzie realised Taylor’s cheeks were flushed and her lips were swollen.
‘Are you in there with someone?’ she demanded.
‘What makes you say that?’ she asked innocently.
Lizzie pushed the door open before Taylor could react.
‘Nick!’
Nick smiled. ‘It turns out you were right, Lizzie.’
‘About what?’ Lizzie’s head was spinning.
‘About just telling her how I felt.’
Lizzie looked from Taylor to Nick and back again.
‘This is crazy. Alright, well that makes it easier for me. Nick, I have to go. Are you going to be fine if I don’t get back until late? Or possibly at all?’
‘I think I’ll manage,’ he said, grinning.
‘You kids,’ she said, shaking her head. Then she whispered in Taylor’s ear. ‘Please be good to him. He’s a really nice guy. Don’t mess him around.’
‘I won’t,’ she promised. ‘But oh my God Lizzie, this guy makes Jason look like…’
‘Stop! I don’t want to know!’
She laughed. ‘OK.’
Then Lizzie remembered something, and grabbed the scarf out of her bag. ‘I have a present for you, Taylor. It’s Hermes.’
Taylor shrieked. ‘Oh my God! Where did you get this?’
‘Ask Nick. I think it came directly from Paris.’
Taylor looked at Nick with even more desire.
Lizzie hoped he knew what he was letting himself in for.
She glanced out into the yard on her way to the door. The party was in full swing. Everyone was dancing around the pool and laughing like they didn’t have a care in the world. Lizzie wished she could feel like that, but she wouldn’t be able to relax until she’d spoken to Brandon.
Just as she was walking out the door, she heard a loud splash. When she turned to see what had happened, she saw that Heather and Cara had somehow ended up in the pool, fully clothed. And they did not look happy.
Lizzie chuckled. That helped a bit.
CHAPTER 24
Lizzie found herself back at The Den, this time as a legal customer. She lined up in the regular queue with everyone else, and prayed that they still had tickets available to buy inside.
She overheard two girls in front of her talking.
‘Who do you like better? Brandon or Jason?’
‘I think Jason. He seems like such a bad boy. I would totally let him take me home.’
Lizzie smiled. If only they knew he wanted to settle down with a big family. But then maybe that would make them like him even more.
She looked down at her outfit and belatedly realised she was slightly overdressed. Everyone else was in skinny jeans and miniskirts, while she was still wearing her floor length formal dress. She wished she had taken a change of clothes to the after-party.
She finally reached the head of the queue and the bouncer looked her up and down, smirking.
‘You just been to a wedding or something?’
‘A formal,’ she answered.
‘Oh, a school girl, huh? Show me your ID.’
Lizzie handed it over.
‘Is this real?’ he asked, checking her reaction.
‘Yes! I moved up from Melbourne as a kid, so I turned e
ighteen a couple of months ago.’
‘Alright. In you go, princess.’
Lizzie hastily went inside before he could tease her further. It sounded like the band had already started, and the outer area was fairly quiet. She kept on going to the other door, and found herself face to face with the same woman from January.
She looked at Lizzie and did a double take.
‘What’s with the dress?’
‘Don’t ask.’
‘Okaaay. Ticket please.’
‘Can I buy one? I didn’t get a chance to order one earlier.’
She sighed. ‘Fine. Come this way.’
The woman led her back to a counter near the door and processed the sale.
As she handed Lizzie the ticket, she stopped.
‘Do I know you from somewhere?’
Lizzie’s heart sped up.
‘I don’t think so.’
‘You haven’t been here before?’
‘Oh, you mean from here? I came to a gig a little while ago.’
The woman kept looking at her, and then shrugged.
‘Cool.’
She pointed towards the door, where Lizzie practically ran through and lost herself in the crowd. It was unlikely the woman would remember her from nine months ago, but she didn’t want to risk seeing her again in case it somehow jogged her memory.
The band were playing a heavy track called Mars Has Fallen, and the whole audience had their hands in the air, waving them backwards and forwards.
Lizzie stuck to the far wall and inched her way closer and closer to the front. She found the crowd so tightly packed in the front four rows that she had to make do with standing a few feet back.
But now what? It wasn’t like she could yell out to Brandon in between songs. It probably would have been smarter to wait outside until the set finished, and then try to find him as he left.
She looked over at Jason.
He spotted her and grinned. And then he raised a finger, indicating she should wait a minute.
She stood, mesmerised. Brandon was focused on singing the song, in between keeping an eye on the people in the front row who were lurching about quite aggressively.
The song ended with a loud guitar flourish, and Jason stepped up to the microphone.
‘This next one is new,’ he started. ‘We hope you’ll indulge us while we give it a spin.’
Brandon looked at him, confused. He whispered something in Jason’s ear, and Jason waved him away, saying something back that no one could hear. Brandon didn’t look pleased, but he quickly went and talked to Ethan, while Jason spoke to Alex.
Ethan started drumming a much slower beat than the previous song. Alex soon followed with a soft melody, and then Jason joined in with the accompanying bass.
Brandon stepped up to the microphone and cupped his hands over the mouthpiece.
My heart beat in time with that rhythm…
Jason checked for Lizzie’s reaction, and winked when he saw her make the connection.
Those blue eyes, that brown hair…
Lizzie was entranced. Was it really possible that the song was about her like Jason had said?
She sees past the one-dimensional…
Was that referring to the class discussion after reading 1984?
Soulmates who can’t sleep…
OK, that was pretty obvious. And did he just say soulmates?
Lizzie’s whole body started buzzing as she watched Brandon sing her song. Tonight he looked more beautiful than ever in a pair of dark jeans, a black t-shirt, and a long grey scarf tied around his neck. His hair had grown over the year, and he could now tie it back in a low ponytail. A lock came loose, so he tucked it behind his ear.
And that’s when he saw her.
This time he almost stopped singing right then and there. But he kept going, keeping his eyes on her the entire song.
She held her breath, feeling everything in hyper reality. The energy from his gaze charged her with such intensity that she thought she might explode.
As the final riff died out, the crowd cheered wildly.
Jason caught her attention and pointed to the backstage door.
‘We’ll be right back,’ Brandon said, already walking off.
Lizzie managed to push her way through the dedicated mass of fans and stopped near the backstage door to wait. A security guard eyed her warily.
Brandon flung open the door and dragged Lizzie inside. He closed the door and stared at her.
‘What are you doing here?’
His tone wasn’t harsh, just curious. And possibly hopeful. But then Lizzie might have been imagining that bit.
‘I wanted to see you play.’
‘Aren’t you supposed to be at the formal? Or the after-party?’
‘I was, but I left,’ she explained.
He continued to look at her, seemingly unsure what to say next.
‘How’s your new school?’ she asked, feeling kind of lame for coming all this way and asking such a generic question. But she couldn’t exactly come right out with a declaration of love.
‘Good.’
‘Just good?’
‘It’s a job. It earns me money. I like to inspire people and motivate them to ask questions. And unless I can make more money from music, I have to do something else to pay the bills.’
‘I miss you,’ she said softly.
He looked at her sadly, but didn’t say anything back.
‘Was that song about me?’ she prodded.
‘I can’t answer that.’
Lizzie could tell from his response that he wanted to tell her it was, but was unable to.
‘Why won’t you be honest with me?’ she asked, exasperated.
‘Because I could lose my job!’ he said, frustrated. ‘It doesn’t matter that I’m at another school now. I’m not allowed to date a student, full-stop.’
‘That sucks.’
‘It does,’ he agreed.
‘What are the rules about dating an ex-student?’
‘I can’t look like I had any sort of relationship with you while you were still at school.’
‘So that whole stupid fake scandal has basically fucked things up for us?’
‘Pretty much.’
‘So what now?’
‘You should go. Finish school, and then do whatever you feel is best for your future. Study… travel…’
‘But what about us?’
‘There can’t be an us. I’m sorry.’
Lizzie’s eyes welled with tears.
‘I don’t want this to be it.’
Brandon looked like he might be about to cry too.
‘I have to go.’
He turned and went back to the stage.
Lizzie stood there for a minute, before running out.
It seemed she’d gotten her answer. It was just a shame it was the opposite of what she’d been hoping for.
***
Graduation soon rolled around. Lizzie wandered through it all in a daze. She just couldn’t get excited about anything, knowing that she would never be with Brandon. It seemed so unfair. How could it be that a teacher could never date a student ever? Shouldn’t there be some sort of time limit?
When she researched the fact, she found that it was a bit of a grey area. A teacher could not be seen to have ‘groomed’ a student while they were still in their care, but Lizzie wondered if several years had passed, whether it would still matter.
Except the idea of waiting years to be with Brandon felt just as bad as never seeing him again. He was twenty-three. He’d probably meet someone else in that time. He could even get married in that time!
One positive thing that came out of the year was Lizzie’s grades. Without the distraction of a social life for half the year, she had been able to focus on her classes, and study uninterrupted. As a result, she got almost top marks in everything. She’d even managed to get the VHA in English that Brandon had alluded to.
After her final scores were calculated, Lizzie
found herself the proud recipient of an OP1, the best score someone could hope for.
Her dad was especially pleased.
‘You certainly deserve this,’ he said, handing over a cheque to pay for flights of Lizzie’s choosing.
In the end, she was inspired by Nick’s plans to teach English in Asia, and decided to go to Japan for a month. She figured it would be a great country to visit safely on her own. Not to mention the amazing food and culture. And by not going for too long, she would be back in time for her first semester at uni. She’d been so excited by the course she’d chosen to do that she didn’t want to wait until the middle of the year to start.
‘Are you really sure you want to study music when you return?’ he asked her.
‘Yes.’ While Lizzie could have had her pick of courses, she’d settled on a Bachelor of Music Technology at the Conservatorium. ‘Mr Jenkins said to do what you love, and I think this is something I will love.’
‘OK, then. I trust you to make the right decision for you.’
Lizzie noticed that her dad was looking more polished than usual.
‘Hey, what’s going on here? Have you got product in your hair?’
He smiled nervously. ‘I was uh, actually going to maybe have coffee with a woman I met at the gym. Is that OK? How do I look?’
Lizzie beamed. ‘Of course it’s OK! And you look awesome! This is so cool! So is she the reason you’ve been so dedicated with your exercise on Friday nights this year?’
He looked away guiltily. ‘Maybe. So are you sure you’re fine with this?’
‘Yes! Go! Have fun with your lady friend! But remember, you need to be back before midnight, or you’ll have to stay out until morning!’
He came over and squeezed her arm. ‘Hey, Ms Cheeky Pants. I’m still the one in charge around here.’
She watched her dad leave the house, looking more carefree than she’d ever seen him. She momentarily forgot about her own troubles. Her dad was going to be OK.
Now she just had to get herself back on track.
CHAPTER 25
Lizzie loved Japan so much that she very nearly looked into staying permanently. She flew into Tokyo and spent a week wandering around the city. It was winter over there, so it was snowing a lot of the time, but that just made it more exciting for Lizzie. She had never spent much time in really cold weather.
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