Surrendering
Chapter
17: Sleepy Talk
(Un) Important babbling-notes from Cimmy: This is the conversation Fred and Cecilia had up by the lake. Hope you don’t get too confused... I was going to post them in the same chapter, but something... happened. Next chapter will be with the Ducks, I promise.
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Flashback to August 21st
“Why do you drink?” Cecilia asked him after a while. The conversation needed to get past that awkward silence.
“I don’t know, I guess everybody does it sometimes, don’t they?”
“I don’t. I have no reason for drinking.”
“You’re a girl,” he announced.
“Yeah, so? Girls drink too you know. Haven’t you ever been to town a Saturday night? Every girl is drunk there, right?”
“I guess. But why haven’t you... Why don’t you drink? Don’t you have problem at home?”
“Of course I do,” she said, a little offended by his question. “I still don’t drink. If I did, I’d be an alcoholic by now. Is that why you drink? You’re too young to drink anyway. You’re only thirteen!”
“I don’t wanna talk about it... Look, okay?”
Fred handed her his wallet. That was the only way he could prove how his problem always was with him.
Cecilia opened it. Money, of course, and lots of credit cards.
“Wow, you got a lot of credit cards! A hell of a lot. I only have one, and it’s for an emergency. Only one, my parents could only afford to pay for one emergency.”
“Credit cards are my worst enemy. I’ll never be able to leave them behind.”
“I see your problem, they have a lot of sharp edges and all. See why you’re scared...”
“Not the cards themselves, what they symbolize!” Fred explained, unaware that Cecilia had only been sarcastic. “They symbolize the money my Dad have filled them with. The money he’s trying to control me with.”
“You have parents-trouble too? Are your parents divorced?”
“Kinda, I guess. They have this on-off relationship. Been cheating on each other ever since I was little.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. But I never knew you were rich.”
“Rich as hell. You know Miller’s Corporation? My Dad is one of the owners; our family alone is worth billions. When I turn eighteen I inherit like five billion dollars or something.”
“Holy shit, I never knew that! Why tell hell are you living in Sweden? You could be kicking back in Jamaica or something.”
“Just because we’re rich, doesn’t mean we’re happy. I’m in Canada because my Dad sent me away. I really don’t have any idea why. That’s the reason why I didn’t wanna sign the contract at first.”
“You shouldn’t drink because of that,” she said. She was feeling guilty, because she’d just told him to do the exact opposite to what she’d done.
“I know. Are your parents divorced too?”
“Yeah, they don’t even speak to each other anymore.”
“My parents are the same. When Dad’s away at his business-trips, they are not married, but when he comes back, they get together again, just so they can break up some time later. I’m used to it, they’ve been doing it since I was two, but I feel bad for my younger brothers who have to go through it too. I don’t want them to grow up like I did.”
Their conversation was killed by the silence after Fred’s last statement.
“So, where are you from, Cecilia? I mean, you’re adopted, right? Which part of the world are you from? Africa?” he asked, breaking the silence again.
“Uhm, more like South America. I was only two months old when I got here. My brothers are from there too. Me and my brother Marcus are from the same city, David and my younger brother Fredrik are from a different town.”
“You have brothers named Fredrik and Marcus? Must be confusing.”
“Why?”
“My brother is also called Marcus. And my name is Fredrik, well you know that...”
“Yeah.”
“So, are you rich?” Fred asked after while.
“No,” she answered a little irritated. Her family’s money was none of his business, not when he had more money then God himself. “My mother makes a living on government subsidies.”
“Oh, so I guess you’re here on the real scholarship, huh?”
“You’re not?”
“Ahm, no, actually, I signed the contract too late, so my Dad had to pay to get me into the program again.”
“So, you have to start working for your Dad’s company when you get older? Good for you, at least you know what to do after school. I have no idea myself.”
“I do not wanna end up at MC,” Fred said bitterly.
“MC? Oh, Miller’s Corporation, that is? I’ve heard a lot of stuff about that company.”
“My Dad takes care of the business back in Europe, and his business partner, Harold Miller, handles the business here in the States. I’m SO not ready to run the family company, believe me.”
“Miller Corporation, I know who they are!” she said, jumping up from the grass. “They’re the biggest company in the world, basically. With oil, and stocks and stuff like that!”
“You see why I have like ten credit cards in my pocket? I’d give it up in a second for a normal life, though.”
“It’s not so fun to be without money either, you know.”
“All you need is to be happy, right?”
“That actually makes sense.”
“Yeah right, like I make sense? Get a grip.”
“You do! Why don’t you think you’re smart?”
“My Dad tells me that I’m not. He lost his faith in me when I was five or something. He believes that I’m not smart enough to take over the business after him. Everything I do is wrong, and the rest isn’t good enough. I’m kinda alone in this world.”
“And I’m not? I wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for you. I have one friend, and I won’t see her again for three years.”
“I’ll be your friend, Cecilia.”
“Yeah, right. You wouldn’t say that if the others were here. I’m just this crazy girl you hang out with when the others aren’t busy.”
“No, that’s not true! I like hanging out with you, and I like talking to you. You’re not like any other girl I’ve ever met. You’re different, you’re not as fake as other girls are.”
“Are you thinking of anyone special? Anyone I know? Anyone from our class, maybe?”
They both laughed, realizing they were thinking the same thing.
“You’re special,” he continued. “First of all, you play hockey. Never met girl that does that. Well, except for this once. Never mind. Second of all, you talk really fast, most girls don’t.”
“I don’t talk fast!”
“Yes, you do, especially when you’re nervous. Most people have nothing to say, but you do.”
Cecilia felt her cheeks get warm. Why was he giving her compliments?
“I talk fast, that’s something I do. My brothers taught me. They taught me everything I needed to know about how to not be a girly girl. God, the fights we used to have.”
“I fight with my brothers to, but I never hit them or anything. How old are your brothers?”
“Marcus’s one year older the me, and David’s three years older.”
“And your younger brother?”
“Four years younger. We don’t have a good relation to each other. He’s horrible and I can’t stand him. He picks fights with everyone, even my parents, and destroys our family with his lies.”
“I like you too,” he said a little unexpected. “You’re so easy to talk to.”
“I like talking to you too.”
Fred reached for her hand again and lay down on the ground, looking up at the stars. Cecilia followed his example.
“At least now I know why you keep calling me Fred all the time,” he laughed. “Because you dislike your own brother.”
“Sorry about that.”
“No, it’s okay, I like it. You can call me that, I don’t mind. Let’s just stay here until the world ends, I wouldn’t care less.”
“Me neither.”
Cecilia sighed happily, and felt his fingers against her hand. My God, she loved this guy so much... It couldn’t get any better, could it?
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Cecilia woke up, freezing and shaking. She didn’t know where
she was until she turned over and sat up. She didn’t realize that she was still
by the lake, next to Fred, until she accidentally put her hand on his stomach.
He woke up and jumped from the abrupt awakening, scaring Cecilia.
“Oh my God,” she screamed. “What the hell are you doing
here? And what the hell am I doing here?”
“Take it easy! Calm down, for crying out loud! Don’t scream,
damn it. My head is about to explode at any second.”
“What time is it? Oh my God, what time is it?”
“Jeez, Cecilia, calm down, it’s not that bad. Stop
screaming! It’s nine o’ clock.”
“In the morning?!” she yelled even louder. They’d been there
all night? She was in so much trouble!
“Goddammit, it’s so cold, I’m gonna freeze my ass off. We
should be home by now.”
“Yes, we should,” she said, a bit calmer. “I’m freezing
too.”
“You can have my jacket. What are we doing here?”
Too stunned to say
anything, she wrapped his jacket around herself.
“You don’t remember? You don’t remember anything about last
night?” she asked, a little disappointed.
“No, but I was with you, right? God, I was so drunk. I’m
never drinking again, believe me.” Somehow, she didn’t really take his word for
it.
“No, I guess you won’t,” she mumbled. He didn’t remember
what she’d told him, he didn’t remember anything. Somehow, her plan didn’t turn
out to be quite so good as she thought it would be in the first place.
“I guess we talked a lot yesterday, huh? About our parents? I
remember that.”
Of course he remembered THAT!
“You told me about your brothers and where you came from.
Some country in South America, right?”
“Yeah,” she muttered, mad at him for his bad memory.
“I do remember that. And you said I was a good friend too,
right?”
“I guess, yeah.”
“You’re too. Who else would stay out here all night with me,
if she wasn’t a good friend too?”
“A friend who fell asleep maybe?” she said, laughing a
little. He laughed too. He grabbed her arm and helped her over the fallen tree
in front of her.
“Let’s get back. They have to be worried by now, right?”
“Yes,” she sighed and followed him back to the house.
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Author’s Note: I’m not totally satisfied with this chapter, but I
have to get on with the story somehow.
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