Chapter 38

�Torin, you are late!� M�elle Dupont said as Tor burst into the dance studio.

�Sorry miss, I uh, I was,� Giving my brother a blow job? No, he couldn�t say that, �I lost track of time,� he mumbled, going bright red.

�Well, we �ave not started yet. Take your place at the barre.�

Tor, still bright red kicked his shoes off and ran to his place beside Mara.

�Where were you?� Mara hissed under her breath as the music for their plies started.

�Sorry, Fergie was, uh, lonely?� he grinned

Mara sighed and rolled her eyes.

M�elle Dupont clapped her hands together to signal the end of the lesson. �Well done tout le monde, you worked very �ard today,� She smiled at them, �And especially our new students, tr�s biens,� She turned to Marcus, �M Walker-Brett, �ave you �ad dance training before?�

Marcus laughed, �No, but I�ve slept with a lot of dancers, you pick up tricks.�

Ash giggled, �I don�t think that was the sort of training she meant.�

Marcus grinned at him, �I like sleeping with dancers,� he said, deliberately loudly as he passed Mara and Tor.

Ash sighed, �Are you trying to bug everyone in this year, or is it just Tor.�

�Just Tor, I want to screw his brother, and I�m insanely jealous of him.� Marcus laughed, pretending to stare wistfully into the distance.

�Fergie? Well, I guess, he is rather�� Ash blushed, giggling slightly, �But you do know about him and Art don�t you?�

Marcus frowned, �I thought it was Seiji and Art.�

�It is, well, technically it is, but Fergie has the hugest crush ever on Art, he�ll never do anything with you, not if Art�s around.�

Marcus scowled at Seiji�s back, although he wasn�t quite sure why Seiji had to take the blame for that, but hell, Seiji would be fun to torment anyway. �That�s a pity.� He said, almost menacingly, �I don�t really like it when I don�t get my way.� He stopped, a flicker of a memory, a blast of d�j� vu, someone else had said that, and he knew exactly who. He brushed the thought away with a laugh, �Well, that�s what comes of being spoilt, isn�t it.� He turned back to Ash, �So when is prep?�

�Half four, I think�� Ash muttered, spooked by Marcus�s sudden change in character, he looked like such an angel, but after he�d seen him drinking vodka at seven o�clock in the morning, he wasn�t so sure anymore. �Marcus,� he said, trying to get to understand the new boy, �What was with the vodka this morning?�

�With it?� Marcus frowned, misunderstanding, �Nothing, it was just straight vodka.�

�No,� Ash giggled, �I mean, why did you do it?�

�Oh,� Marcus blushed slightly, �Sometimes there�s English phrases I don�t understand so well.�

�I think you�re really good at English.�

�Really?� Marcus�s face lit up, �Thanks, I don�t think anyone�s ever told me that before. I always get told off for my grammar.�

By the time they�d got to prep, Ash realised that Marcus had cleverly managed to avoid the question about the vodka.

For a while everyone sat silently at their desks, even Marcus was a little afraid of Miss Ellins. The lower sixth only had French prep, a translation passage, as Mr Crosswin had been too upset after the incident with Fergie in Maths, to set homework (this meant the entire year were actually rather grateful to Fergie.)

Marcus stared at the passage infront of him, Je pense qu'il est tr�s difficile soit aussi un ami - the first sentence, that wasn�t a problem, he could translate that no problem, Penso che sia molto difficile anche sia un amico. Ther next problem was translating it into English. Which was where he got stuck. He put his hand up, and Miss Ellins walked over,

�Um,� Marcus blushed slightly, �Do I really have to translate this into English?�

�It is a translation passage Mr Walker-Brett.�

Marcus frowned, he wasn�t Mr Walker-Brett, that was, well, that was someone else. �I meant, can I not translate it into Italian. Otherwise I�m doing double translation, and,� he looked up at her, making his big blue eyes fill with tears, �I just get so confused.�

Miss Ellins smiled warmly at him (quite a terrifying sight actually) I�m sorry Marcus, but if it�s not in English, we can�t mark it, can we?�

�Miss Ellins,� Toni put her hand up, �I could translate it into English from Italian for him, because I know he finds it so hard.�

�Actually,� Marcus muttered under his breath, �It�s because you want to find me hard.�

Ash started to giggle, but swiftly pretended he�d found something amusing in the passage he was translating, which made everyone else really confused.

�Alright Marcus, you can do that then. Thank you Antoinette.�

Marcus turned and flashed Toni a gorgeous smile, �Thanks Nettie, angel, I owe you one.� He mouthed, making Toni go bright red. He then turned around and rattled through the passage, he was actually very good at French, and English for that matter, he just couldn�t be bothered, there were more important things to do. He finished a good hour before the end of prep. He knew he was expected to sit there, and wait for it to finish, but he wanted to go and see Fergie. Fergie was alone in the dorm, and maybe Marcus could go and chat to him, so Fergie hated him less. He put his hand up, and grinned at Andi. She wandered over,

�Yes Marcus?�

Marcus smiled at her, gazing into her eyes, �I�ve finished and I wandered if I could go and do my piano practice.� He lied.

Andi frowned slightly, but felt herself giving in, �You�re not really meant to.�

Marcus grinned a wicked grin, �I know, but if I practise now, that means we have more time later, for other stuff.� Shit he silently cursed, that meant he would have to do Toni and Andi tonight, and he was absolutely shattered.

Andi sighed, but smiling, �Go on then.� She watched as Marcus stood up, and went and dropped his translation onto Toni�s desk, whispering something in her ear. She went bright pink. He picked up the remainder of his books, and sauntered out of the classroom.

As he wandered over to the boarding house, Marcus heard the faint sounds of a violin. �Must be Toni,� he muttered out loud to himself, before he realised that Toni was stuck in prep, doing his translation. He laughed to himself, that girl really would do anything for him.. He ran up the stairs, and silently opened the door to the dorm. There in front of him Fergie sat on the window sill, one leg dangling perilously outside, a cigarette in his mouth, fiddle in his arms, playing a gentle lullabye.

For a while Marcus stood there, just watching him. Jesus he was sexy. He watched the nimble fingers dance lazily over the strings, and eventually spoke. �Didn�t know you played.�

Fergie laughed, �Didn�t know you could be so silent.� He said,

�How long have you known I was here?� Marcus blushed.

Fergie turned slightly, and grinned at him, �I saw you coming.�

Marcus sniggered, �You wouldn�t be the first. Sorry.� He said abruptly, �Sometimes it�s hard not to be twisted.� He wandered over to look at Fergie, �You hold that really weirdly.�

�No, I�m left handed.�

Marcus laughed, �You don�t get left and right handed when you play instruments, you just all play them the same way.� He glanced a little closer, �Wait a moment, it�s strung backwards.�

Fergie grinned, and nodded, �Like I said, I�m left handed.�

�Wait there.� Marcus said, and disappeared for a moment.

Fergie leant back against the edge of the window, gazing out for a moment. Despite the fact that going home would mean going back to David, he felt really homesick, and he missed Rory. Not that going home would change that.

�Hey Caley, come here.� Rory smiled gently, holding out his arms.

Fergie rolled over and into his boyfriend�s arms, �What?� he muttered sleepily, �Can�t you let a fellow get some rest.�

Rory laughed softly, but his expression soon changed, �I need to talk to you. Seriously.�

Fergie gazed into the older boy�s dark green eyes, �What?� he said, his eyes sparkling, obviously not being serious.

�Caley please, be serious.�

�I am.� Fergie laughed,

�It�s about me going away. You know I said my uncle had found that course, at a college, for running hotels and bars and stuff. I really want to do it.�

Fergie smiled, reaching up to brush a strand of dark red hair out of Rory�s eyes, �Then do it then, I�m not the one to be stopping you.�

�That�s just it Fergie. It�s in Cork, where my uncle lives. And I am going, it�s just�.� He trailed off, not quite knowing how to put this.

�It�s just it�s miles away.� Fergie smiled at him, �That�s ok. I mean, we can write to each other, and stuff. Or phone. And you can come visit me in the holidays.� He grinned at Rory, �I�m going to boarding school anyway. So I wouldn�t be around all of the time.�

Rory shook his head, that hadn�t been what he�d meant. �Caley, you�re just sixteen, you can�t be living with a boyfriend who�s the other end of the country.�

This made Fergie scowl slightly, Rory always brought up his age when he wanted to get his way, �What on earth has being sixteen got to do with anything.�

�It�s just,� Rory let his hand gently stroke Fergie�s cheek, �It�s just I don�t think you should be so, attached, serious, at your age. I am going to Cork, but, I want a fresh start there. I sort of, I don�t want to be attached to Belfast anymore.�

Fergie stared dumbly at him, �So you�re breaking up with me?�

�Well, yes.� Rory noticed his own eyes starting to fill with tears, but he got no reaction from the younger boy. �I mean, in September, when we go away. I just, I think it would be easier if that was goodbye. For ever.�

Fergie nodded, �Ok.�

�Ok? You mean, you�re totally ok with that and everything?� Rory was amazed, he thought Fergie would burst into tears.

�Yeah.� Fergie just snuggled closer. �In September we say goodbye. But that�s half a month away. Lets just be us for the moment.�

It wasn�t until hours later, when he was finally at home, this time lying in bed with Tor, that he cried.

Marcus wandered back in, Toni�s violin in his hand, �Will you show me how you hold it?�

�Toni�s going to go mental, if she finds you with her violin.� Fergie�s eyes widened.

Marcus started to laugh again, �Surprisingly, girls who don�t let anyone touch their instruments, always seem to let me.� He sniggered.

�You have such a sick mind.� Fergie scolded. �Ok, here.� He swung his legs off the window sill, and pushed Marcus onto his bed. �You have to be relaxed, otherwise it just doesn�t work.�

Marcus went ever so slightly pink for the first time since Fergie had met him, �And I�m meant to be relaxed with a gorgeous guy like you pushing me onto my bed?�

Fergie laughed, �You�ll just have to deal with it. Sit up. No,� he giggled, �Not that much. Just lean back against�there, that�s it.�

Marcus picked up Toni�s violin, �I didn�t bring the shoulder rest, I�m guessing you don�t use one.�

�A what?�

�A shoulder rest,� Marcus grinned at Fergie�s confused expression, �Don�t worry.� He grinned, �Never mind.�

�Right�� Fergie said, looking very scared. �So, hold it like this, in the crook of your arm. And it�s just like playing a violin really, except, none of that wobbly stuff.�

Marcus started to laugh again, �Many a violinist would kill you for calling vibrato �that wobbly stuff�. Don�t let Nettie hear you say that.�

Fergie laughed as he sat down on Marcus�s bed, opposite the dark haired boy. �Now just play.� He instructed.

�No music?�

�Course there�s music.� Fergie laughed, �You make the music.�

Marcus let his tongue flicker across his top teeth, �So, we�re making music then.�

�If you�re going to be sick minded, I�m not going to play.�

�Alright, alright I�ll be good.� Marcus promised. �Is there no music to read from?�

Fergie laughed and shook his head, �It�s folk music, if it was written down it would stop being folk.� He picked up his fiddle, and let the bow dance lightly across an open string. �Oh and none of your random positions,� he said, making Marcus snigger again, �It�s just plain and simple playing.�

For a while, Marcus just sat and carried on watching Fergie play. Then, very softly at first, which surprised him, he wasn�t usually nervous about playing music, he started to play, adding harmonies to the gentle sounds.

An hour later the rest of the year returned to the dorm. Fergie and Marcus were still sat on Marcus�s bed, and hadn�t spoken. They just sat there playing a gentle lullabye, Fergie turned slightly away, looking out of the window, Marcus, not even glancing at his fingers but staring intently at Fergie.

�Oh,� Fergie looked up, �Hey guys.�

Marcus turned around; he hadn�t noticed them come in. �Nettie,� he grinned and grabbed her hand, �Thank you so much,� he smiled, standing up, �Whatever would I do without you.�

Toni said nothing, but giggled in reply.

�Let�s leave that question unanswered, and think about what I�ll do with you.� Marcus grinned, �Come on. I�ll put your violin away, and then we�ll go.�

�That�s Toni�s?� J asked, �But,� she turned to Toni, �I thought you said it was too precious, no-one was allowed to touch it.�

Marcus just laughed. �Yes, it�s a very beautiful violin, and so is only allowed to be played by beautiful people like me and Nettie.�

�Nettie and I.� She corrected him,

�Yes, that too.� Marcus, still holding her hand, pulled her out the door.

�So,� Tor scowled at Fergie, �Have fun with music boy?�

�Now, now Torin,� Fergie stood up, walking over to his brother and slipping his arms around Tor�s waist, �Not jealous are we.�

�He�s a bastard.�

Fergie grinned, �Don�t worry,� he gently kissed his brother on the cheek, �It�s not going anywhere.�

�Pity that,� Said Marcus from the doorway, making Fergie and Tor both go bright red, drawing away from each other. Marcus laughed and walked over to Fergie, �Thank you gorgeous,� he smiled, kissing the boy very softly on the cheek. He turned to go, and then paused, whispering something in Fergie�s ear, before he finally left.

�What did he say?� Tor asked suspiciously,

Fergie half shrugged, �Nothing much, just said I looked sexy when I played.�

�Mmm,� Tor whispered, muttering into his brother�s neck, �You do.�

Fergie laughed, �And you wonder why your girlfriend slept with him.� He said in Irish.

Tor laughed slightly, �If she can�t deal with us being us, the she isn�t worth it.� He said, before switching back into English, and turning to Mara, �You ok today?� He asked. Wrapping his arms around her, �You worked hard in dance.�

Mara blushed slightly, she wasn�t used to getting compliments from Tor, [Jees, he�s gotta be the worst boyfriend EVER]. �You�re so sweet.�

Tor grinned, �That�s cause I�ve got the cutest girlfriend in the world.�

It would have been a romantic and soppy moment, if it hadn�t been interrupted by Fergie going, �You know that�s a contradiction, don�t you?�

�Is it?� Tor frowned at his brother, Fergie could be really odd at times.

�Yeah, cute and girl, they don�t go together.� Fergie laughed as he picked up his packet of cigarettes off the bed.

At ten o�clock, when it was time for lights out, Art said nothing about the fact that Marcus wasn�t there, he could be wherever he wanted for all Art cared.

Determined to see if the new boy actually slept in his own dorm at all, Ash stayed awake, until two in the morning, when Marcus walked through the door. He watched as the boy, not knowing Ash was watching, stripped down to his boxers, pulling on a pair of old, grey pajama trousers. He saw Marcus drop to his knees beside his bed, and nearly gasped, thinking the boy was hurt, but Marcus stayed there, for a few minutes, head bowed, hands clasped around something, lips moving silently. In the moonlight he caught a faint glimpse of the rosary as Marcus tucked it back under his pillow. He also saw the moonlight glint off the vodka bottle, as Marcus unscrewed the cap, taking a quick swig. Then he watched as the boy lay down on his bed, getting out a pad of paper, and a pen. After a few hours of watching Marcus write, Ash fell asleep.

Marcus lay there, all night, scribbling down, words, music, pictures, what ever he thought of, taking the occasional swig of vodka, just to keep himself awake, he couldn�t fall asleep, he mustn�t fall asleep, because sleep meant�