By your window

32.

"What the hell where you thinking of doing?" hissed Five, materializing in the middle of the room with a crackle. As recently had become her habit, Marben jolted but otherwise showed no sign of surprise; her gaze was impassive when it shifted on the boy, and Five immediately knew she had been waiting for him.
"Oh, hello to you too, dear! You look good!".
"Cut the crap, Marben, and answer my question!". Marben turned her head slightly but kept her eyes fixed on him, in a gesture that Five had often seen her do when, if verbally attacked, she wanted her opponent to become doubtful of their own thoughts and words.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, without losing her composure.
"You know!" the boy hissed back.
"I saw it right, then, you want to talk about how your father humiliated a kid in front of the crowd, today, and how you did nothing to stop him from doing so". That was exactly what had happened but hearing Marben's voice load up with so much disapproval to phrase it, albeit calmly and without judgment, made the whole affair sound shameful, Five thought, his determination dimming a little. "To answer you question, my sweetest love, I was thinking what hasn't gone through your mind at all: that that boy was in serious trouble and needed someone to help him".
"Did you challenge my Father to teach me a lesson, then?".
"What the heck, exactly, do you have to do with it, if I challenge your father?".
"STOP PLAYING DUMB!" roared Five at that point. The girl's gaze turned icy, but he was too angry to feel guilty about screaming and went on. "That shitty old maniac, the very stuff of which your nightmares are made if I'm not mistaken, is gonna make you endure torture if you'll do something wrong in front of him. You think you're being smart, with your caustic glances and playing good samaritan?".
"Don't take it out on me, if you lack the guts to raise your head and do the right thing" Marben accused him, while everything about her remained motionless but her unnaturally calm voice and her wide eyes spoke of overwhelming anger. Her words hurt Five, but what hurt him most was to realize that she was right.
"Look. I'm sorry for disappointing you. Really" somberly said the boy then, "But now be reasonable and acknowledge you've been a fool, please". Marben choose instead to sneer at him.
"Why, because you say so?".
"BECAUSE IT'S EVIDENT!".
"YOU BET YOUR ARSE IT IS!" the girl came out with, finally losing her temper "And I know it by myself, so come down from your high horse, you've got nothing to teach me!".
"I'll ask again, then. Why the fuck did you feel the need to publicly point out that my Father is a jerk?".
"Because. It was right. To do. So" barked the girl, instilling in each word all the frustration Five's reticence to understand that very simple concept was causing her. "And I don't give a damn about your blasted father. Believe it or not, none of this consisted in doing him a wrong, I just wanted to help the boy".
"The old man's dangerous. You should continue keeping a low profile" complained her boyfriend which, by contrast, seemed to be getting increasingly anxious; he loosened his tie and started pacing back and forth in front of the window like a lost soul.
"And for how long, yet? I'm getting fed up".
"Only until the end of the school year". Marben laughed, bitterly so.
"Of course, how lucky I am! It's just gonna be another eight months!".
"It's for your own safety!" stressed Five, ceasing his wandering to look at her. As an answer, the blonde girl waved him off.
"I'll take care of my own safety like I've always done, thank you very much".
"I want to help!" Five hissed through clenched teeth.
"How? Like you did with that kid today?" bitingly replied Marben, dripping with scorn.
This time the accusation felt like a slap in the face, to Five: finding his girlfriend's bitter gaze unbearable he lowered his own, and when a desolating sense of defeat kicked in, his cheeks started to burn and his eyes to prickle. He realized he had been a real coward at the parade, and that Marben had not only been disappointed by him, but now even seemed to despise him. Five also understood that he deserved her contempt, that there was nothing he could do to make her change her mind, and that love was unfair because it was causing him pain even though he was sincerely repentant.
A new, searing wave of anger broke loose in his chest, right after his moment of self-pity, spreading fast along the rest of his body. He loathed himself for being a coward, he loathed himself for being so oppressed by Marben's displeasure. The truth was that there were no excuses for him, just like for his Father, and he hated that too.