Summer of Like // Farleigh Start x OC

5: He Said "I should gave stayed with him," and I Should Have Stayed Away

On the chessboard in front of us, Venetia's winning by a mile, which is how I know she isn't really paying attention. It's simply her way - whenever we've played games like this in the past, when she is focused on the board, she overthinks. When something else is on her mind, and she's operating on instinct, she dominates. So maybe today, the day that Felix's friend Oliver is supposed to arrive, was a bad day to challenge her to a chess match.

Head propped up on my hand, I move one of my knights to take her pawn. "Your move."

Venetia's eyes scan over the board, and she quickly moves one of her bishops, taking the knight that I just placed, and putting my king in danger. "Check."

I lean back in my chair and groan. I've only got a handful of pieces left on the board, and I've barely made a dent in her troop. Begrudgingly, I shift my king one space to the side.

Across the table, Venetia laughs.

"What, laughing at my misery already V?" I frown petulantly. "At least save it until you've actually won the game."

"No, no..." She giggles again. "Are you listening to Mum and Pamela?"

The room that we're sitting in - the globe room, Venetia said - is connected to the library through a small archway, letting the voices of the rest of the family's chatter drift over to us. I tune into the conversation as Venetia giggles again.

Elspeth's voice is casual. "Well, I mean, they probably don't have rehab in Liverpool."

"No, gosh, no." Pamela uses the same conversational tone to agree. "No, I can't imagine they do."

Venetia grins as I widen my eyes. The sheer absurdity of it - that in all of Liverpool, there couldn't possibly be one rehab center - and the fact that they're talking about it so casually, they can't be joking, both makes me want to laugh and roll my eyes. Just how rich are these people?

Elspeth sighs. "Everybody just goes to ruin, I suppose."

A moment of silence passes, and then Pamela's soft voice breaks through again. "Where is Liverpool?"

"What?!" I say, keeping my voice low enough that only Venetia will hear.

"I know," She says, leaning forward across the chess table. "I love Mum, I really do, but I swear she has a knack for befriending the most daft people on the fucking planet."

I laugh, and move my last remaining rook to take one of her knights. The fact that she's exempted her mother from that category just adds another layer of humor to the whole thing, and I don't bother fighting back my grin.

Venetia pores over the board for a minute before moving her other knight with deft fingers, knocking out one of my bishops. I sigh, resting my elbow back on the edge of the table to prop my head up in my hand again. There's no way I'm coming back from this.

From the library, Farleigh's voice catches my attention. "It's called Prescot."

"Oh, it'll be some awful slum." Pamela says, pity dripping from her voice.

"Mm." Elspeth agrees. "Some sort of hovel-ish squat. And both his parents were dealing. God, and his mother's a drunk. I mean, babies can be really affected. Traumatized."

"Oh, they come out drunk." Pamela adds, sounding grave.

"Is that right that he had to put his fingers down his mother's throat to make her sick?" Elspeth asks.

I don't catch the answer to her question, because I'm suddenly aware of a pair of eyes on me. I look up to see Venetia gazing out into the hall, a slow smile spreading over her face. She breathes out a laugh, and I turn my head to follow her eyes.