Into The Orchard

XIV

- There is no doubt that Aurelia is one of the most mean and unthinking people I have ever met in my life. - I said taking the glass of wine in my hand before Pyra had time to fill the vessel completely with liquor. - I swear she only did it to get me in trouble. I only wish she had thought of how this situation could turn out.

- Excuse me? - Aurelia said, gritting her teeth as if she were about to sink them into my carotid artery. - You meant to say that there's no doubt that you're a psycho. Who normally takes a gun to school?

- Good jokes. - I laughed right in the teenager's face. - Do you know what solidarity is? Actually a stupid question, sorry. You only think about yourself.

- You'll get your fucking head bashed in if you don't shut your fucking mouth. - She said while squirming in her chair as if she were just a wild and stupid animal.

- Oh I'm so scared. - I replied with the most mean-spirited grin I could wear on my face. - I'm waiting.

Well, despite even such "dramatic" events, Apolonia decided not to have a different form of dinner together than usual. The atmosphere was not tense. If the mood at the table were to be compared to something, it would be to such a theoretical situation:

I would start by saying that the volcano had just erupted with all possible force. Lava was gushing out of it like some kind of fucking fountain, and Aurelia and I were dueling with each other at the base of the mountain. We fought with whatever we could get our hands on, ignoring the fact that whatever we did, we would be incinerated by the stream of magma rushing towards us. Catleyn was the "sensible" one who saw the impending doom, so she tried at all costs to break up the fight between us - with mediocre results, of course. Gregory didn't know what was going on. On the one hand, he saw the lava coming, on the other hand, he had a feeling that only Apolonia could know the plan of escape, or rescue us all, so he waited for her orders. As you can guess, Apolonia in this situation behaved as if she had just laid out on a deck under an erupting volcano, put on sunglasses and sipped a drink while pretending that she does not care what is happening. Luna in all this was the only one who was already packed and ready to escape from the exploding lava mountain. Of course, before she got into the car, she had to smoke a cigarette and watch our epic battle while cheering or provoking an even more escalating conflict.

The volcano in this allegory was, of course, the matter of the gun, the unfulfilled threat of the schoolmaster, the ten thousand crowns spent by Gregory, or the revelation of a particle of Apollonia's past. Emotions were extremely heated and everything indicated that the conflict could only escalate. I had no desire to let this go to Aurelia, not this time. The teenager had gone a fucking step too far. For a moment she felt stupid, but only because she realized she'd almost plunged Bobbie. When she guessed that it was the new cook who had taken Apolonia's casket of Nazi weapons from her office, she decided not to involve him in any way in the ongoing discussion. Probably anyone in my position would be angry at the hyena for stealing that gun, however, I offered to help myself. It was my great idea to take the gun to school, so I have no right to be angry with the boy about anything. Besides, what he did at that moment mattered least. The fact that Aurelia reported to the school principal that I had a gun in my backpack was what mattered. Fuck, I hate that girl.

Our tirade continued at its best. There were no constructive arguments that could raise the level of this "discussion" even a little bit higher. I did not care about it. It was impossible to talk to Aurelia. She tried to humiliate me, insult me, or get me off balance. I'll admit that I was pretty fucking nervous at this point. However, the girl's words ricocheted off her. I watched with satisfaction as her face turned red with anger and her fur grew stiff. Her tail wagged and her teeth gleamed in the light of the evening dining room lamps.