The Deal

Chapter 12 - Tangled

{I can make you hurt - I can take you down so low and then you'll know that maybe - you'd be better off when I'm not around.

Hurt, Darren Hayes}

Chapter 12 - Tangled

I was still standing in the middle of my lawn by the time Lucy rolled round. She brought with her a wicker basket and a sour expression.

"You!" she cried upon seeing me, barrelling up the driveway with an accusing finger pointed at my chest. "You have a lot of explaining to do!"

"Lucy," I began tiredly, rubbing my eyes. "Not now."

My words fell on deaf ears as she skipped past me and into the house.

"I'm making tea," she called from inside, her tone deceptively light and friendly. "Do you want spicy chai?"

I groaned before trailing after her, casting a final glance down the street in the direction Damon had left.

I found Lucy in the kitchen, halfway through filling the kettle while the contents of her basket lay spread across the benchtop.

"Don't get me wrong," she started as I pulled up a seat, eying me accusingly as she plugged in the kettle and gathered two mugs. "I am not happy with you. I mean, how could you do this Anna?"

I reached distractedly for a line of Cadbury.

"Luce, please..."

She slapped my hand away.

"I get that you might be feeling a bit confused-" she started.

"I am."

"But that is still no excuse not to talk to me about it. Me. Your best friend. You are in a whole load of trouble, do you hear? And not to mention poor Warren."

"Hey," I defended. "Don't go pitying him until you know what you're talking about."

"Am I wrong in thinking that Warren's not to blame?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. I blanched.

"I don't know."

"Well, let's find out," she replied, handing me a tea-filled mug before producing several DVD's from her carrier. "Now, do you want to watch An Affair to Remember, or Fatal Attraction?"

I rolled my eyes.

**

Several hours later and I lay back on my bed, exhausted.

"I can't believe it," Lucy said, shaking her head in bewilderment. "These past few weeks you've been running around town with Damon bloody Smith, and not a soul cottoned on."

"Until now," I murmured. Lucy frowned.

"I still don't understand how you of all people managed to get caught up with him?"

"What do you mean, 'you of all people'?" I asked defensively. She rolled her eyes.

"Look at us, An, we're not exactly hanging high on the social ladder. Damon's known in circles we haven't even heard of. What made him forgo the socialites and pick on you?"

I shrugged, not knowing what to say.

"You can come across as a bit reserved, I suppose," she mused after a moment. "Perhaps he thought he wouldn't have to worry about you blabbing because you don't really mingle."

"Rude," I sniffed, glaring at Lucy as she came to sit next to me on the bed. I watched absently as the days light flickered across the ceiling. "I'm sure he just figured it wouldn't matter either way."

"That, or he thought you were so far beneath him that you'd never dare spill about his little hobby."

I gaped at her, insulted.

"Are you trying to completely shatter my self-confidence?"

Lucy patted my arm comfortingly.

"I don't think you're beneath anyone," she soothed. "In fact, you're pretty high up on my list of favourite people."

"Aw, I wish I could say the same," I teased, laughing as Lucy shoved me off of the bed. "Careful! This is your favourite person you're harming!"

"I take back anything nice I ever said about you," she muttered. I climbed back under the covers and nestled into the pillows, my smile fading as I thought back on the problem at hand.

"What about Warren?" I asked quietly. Lucy glanced across at me.

"He's hurt, Anna. And he has a good reason to be. It wouldn't be wise to try and contact him any time soon. Just give him a chance to deal with all this before trying to explain anything."

"And what about me?" I asked, my chest constricting at the thought of everything familiar in my life changing so suddenly. "Where do I stand now?"

Lucy cocked her head to the side thoughtfully.

"At school or with Damon?"

I hesitated.

"Both."