The Misunderstanding of Fate

Chapter 26 - Finally

My eyebrows raise at her questions. On my stomach, I feel George's fingers begin to draw patterns on my top. Despite their being a barrier between our skin, the area beneath warms. To my surprise, Lewis and Elliot begin to laugh. My head snaps in their direction, wondering what on earth is funny right now. Wasn't that severely insulting? The intention behind her words? I watch George's closest friends laugh, a feeling of anger building, until I clock their eyes. Ooh. They're not laughing with her, they're laughing at her. In an instant, my lips quirk upwards. It's mean, I know, but maybe I don't always have to be kind.

"What's funny?" Kate's voice cuts through the room.

I expect George to respond first. I mean, she had asked him a question. However, that's not the voice I hear, "He's got his hands, mind, and attention wrapped around Luna and you're... still trying."

Lewis nudges Elliot after he says that, "That is funny."

Kate's eyes return to where George and I stand. The attention makes me want to step away from George and our current position but I fight against it. This is exactly where I want to be.

"So what? His hands have been wrapped around other girls and that never meant anything. Luna isn't different, she isn't special, so why shouldn't I shoot my shot?"

George sounds bored when he replies, "You can shoot as many shots as you want, my answer is never going to change."

Her arms fold over her chest as she leans against the doorframe, "That seems a little dramatic."

I feel a hand on my arm, pulling me softly. Looking up, I see Lewis motioning towards the boat race. Perhaps it was best I left them to this conversation. I didn't need to be involved. Giving George a pat on his hands, I step out of his embrace and walk over to the alcohol.

"Okay, you know the rules: First one to finish gets to choose what kind of shot the loser does."

Soon, I'm in the middle of the race. A little liquid spills over on to my chin as I attempt to zone out of the conversation happening behind us. By the time I reach the final cup, I can see Lewis has already started. Okay, he definitely wasn't going easy on me. I watch, still focusing on finishing my cup, as he places his empty one on the table and smiles at me. When I finally finish, the boys are stood in front of me with a large shot and large grins. Again, I focus on doing the shot and ignore the instinct to turn and see what's going on. I can hear his voice, steady and hard, but not exactly what he's saying.

"You can drink, sweetheart."

"Don't call her that."

I turn to see George is still in the same position, Kate is also still at the door, but he's momentarily glaring at Elliot who mumbles an apology. When George and I catch each other's eyes, I offer him a small smile to help with his tense body language.

"Oh, for fuck sake," I hear Kate, "So, what? You're in fucking love now? You've fucked anything and anyone for years and now Little Miss Loner is holding you back?"

I cannot stop the way my eyes widen and mouth falls open a little at her comment. While George replies, I properly take in what she's just said.

"Get fucked, Kate. I don't know you, I don't owe you anything, and I don't have to explain any of my decisions to you."

She takes a step forward, "If you let me walk out of this room, I'll never give you another chance. When you realise how boring she is, how childish those little skirts are, you're going to want this and I won't be so welcoming."