Amelia looked over her shoulder, signalled and pulled out into the road. With her mind still on her argument with Jack from days ago, she asked, "Do you think I should talk to Jack before we go?"
"What would you say?" Ella settled back into the seat and just looked over at Amelia. It was clear, that Amelia was still worried about her relationship with Jack.
Amelia said nothing as she thought about. Would he listen? What could she say? "I don't know." She shrugged, and Ella could feel Amelia's anxiety. The reason they got on so well is the fact that they understood each other's reaction. Even when their reactions were contained in their own minds. "I really don't know." Every time Amelia thought about the situation she felt queasy. She shrugged again and kept her eyes on the road.
Puzzled by the tone of anxiety she picked up in Amelia's voice, Ella questioned softly, "Ames? What would you say?" Even just bring that up, reminded Ella about the issue with David. Back then, she had thought about their conversation, what she could say to David, but, back then, she couldn't work out how to approach him.
Amelia sighed loudly. "Just try to explain things." Just like me, back then, Ella filed that in her brain. "I guess, I just wanted to explain." Amelia sighed again, "I just want us to go back to our original relationship." Ella understood that. She has the same problem with David. Ella often wished she could go back to her late teens, rehash their meeting back then and then modify the situation. Actually, just one particular situation, said the voice in her head. Amelia was still talking, "We got on. You know. We hit it off. It was so easy to talk to him. Like we knew each other for ages. Our whole lives. We talked about anything. We just got on. Really well."
Ella's mind wandered off as Amelia's statements reminded her about her relationship with David. They got on. Really well, back then, thought Ella. She tried to focus back on Amelia's voice and tuned back into their conversation.
Amelia said matter of fact, "You know, we became friends. Me and Jack. We were good. I thought we understood each other. Now, I feel like the progress we made was just an illusion. I became his foe!"
"A foe?" Ella snorted.
"An adversary. An antagonist." Amelia mumbled, and as per normal. When she is stressed she tended to revert to her job and hobby. In her job she studied language. So she gave Ella synonyms.
"I know what a foe is!" Ella laughed. "And he isn't your foe, he is a fool!" Just like David! Indignation exploded in Ella's mind and she was sure her battle to contain it would be seen by Amelia. "Ames, Jack is a prize fool! Like his brother."
Amelia sighed. "You know the brothers are not fools, I assume you meant David, not Jack's other brothers! In any way, Jack was direct." It was so sad to watch all that she had established with Jack going up in a puff of smoke. Everything disappeared: embryonic camaraderie, open smiles, shared secret laughter. Amelia rolled her lips, licked her lips and said softly as she remember his tone and his words, "He was kind of, well, really direct."
"You mean rude? Like David was at the shop." Back to David, her mind remonstrated in her head: Why was she spending so much time thinking about David today? The last two years she had managed to keep David off her mind. It was deliberated. She knew he had girlfriends, gorgeous girlfriends, but she had never seen him with his girlfriends showing any public display of affection, not even holding hands. Ella had deliberated avoided any social events where David, and his girlfriend, might appear. But now, given Amelia fancied David's brother, and given that she is Amelia's best friend, Ella knew she would have to attend particular social events.
"That is not true, Ella!" Amelia corrected with a snort.
"It is! He took offence. His recommendations were rubbish! I just pointed that out to him! And he took umbrage."
"David was lovely back at the shop, he was helping me. You were terrible to him."
"He deserved it." Ella mumbled beneath her breath.
"Ella! He was trying to help me!"
"So was I!"
"I know. He went looking for stuff, based on your opinion, and he found stuff that suited me. But you kept yanking his chain!" Amelia looked across at Ella for a second before she returned her gaze back to the road. "Ella you need to stop taunting him!"
"I wasn't taunting the fool." Ella grumbled.
"You were! Especially when he tried to help me! He knew what I needed for the trip and you knew the style that suits me! From my position, that makes you two a perfect team!" Ella spluttered. Amelia ignored Ella's snort and carried on, "But no, you and him had to have that stand-off. Usual, I guess. Why could you both just work together? Even for a few seconds back there. Without the constant taunts albeit with that veneer of good manners!" Amelia said as her frustrations rose to the top.
Ella recognised everything in Amelia's statements. It was the usual stand-off, wrapped in social etiquettes, albeit with goading loaded at the front of their interchange; Trade-off insults within social discourse protocols.
Ella kept silent.
"Sorry." Amelia said quietly. "I just felt like I was walking over eggshells." Amelia looked over, and said softly, "Sorry." She repeated. Then carried on, "I don't know what the issue is between you and David. And of course, it is not my business. I understand that." Ran the tip of her tongue over her lips before she continued,
"But, perhaps you and David should sit down together, soon, and review this thing." This is why Amelia and Ella got on so well, because they were upfront, even though Amelia, until recently, was self-effacing and demure and Ella was confident and bold.
"Maybe." Ella mumbled, as she conceded in her mind. Yes, she will have to talk to David if Amelia and Jack do eventually go out.
Seconds passed. Eventually, Ella said quietly as she returned them back to the main point of their original conversation, "Ok, so back to Jack. What did he say to you, Ames?"
Amelia tone went from challenging to sad, "He said, he and Dave, decide who comes on the trip." Amelia grimaced. "Then he thanked me."
"For what?" This is the problem, dealing with alpha men. Jack and David might not be biology-brothers, but they have the same attitudes, reliability.
"For the sponsorship deal."
"You've got sponsors?" Ella's eyes widened in surprise. "You got sponsors? You didn't tell me."
"Not exactly." Amelia shook and nodded her head and the same time. "Apparently my status as a geek...."
"Amelia...!"
Amelia shrugged and changed that word before Ella took offence on behalf of Amelia and explained the situation, " My reputation, brought sponsorship money, it was given to David and Jack for the whole group." Amelia said matter of fact. She lowered her voice and carried on, "I guess a geek-professor with no outdoors-skill is good PR." She did her best not to burst into tears.
"The world is full of idiots." Ella muttered loudly. "Why didn't you ask David about this mess about Jack and you and Jane, that idiot woman, and perhaps David could have a word with Jack?"
Ella squared her shoulders and said, "What? Just ask David why Jack told me that I don't have the control of this trip." Her lips trembled. "That, Jane is on the trip. Jack said Jane has more outdoor experience than me." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "And then he suggested I withdraw! I don't want to hear that again from another chap, like David."
"They are both idiots. In fact I need to see those two idiots." Ella stiffened instantly seeing Amelia's face. Amelia was distraught. That was obvious. Ella ordered, "Turn around, right now, Ames! We need to go back to the shop. I insist on seeing that idiot."
"He is not there, remember." Amelia looked over at Ella as they waited at the lights.
"I meant David!" Ella mumbled. "In any case, I don't care. I will leave Jack a terse note, and when I see him again, I will..."
Amelia interrupted, her voice practically in pieces "He said I am a snooty nosed, starched, blue stocking, know it all, professor!" She ran a finger beneath her nose, and did her best not to sob and waited for the lights to change. His words reverberated in her mind, again. After all these weeks, getting ready for the cycle trip, that's what he thought of her? A know-it all. Snooty-know-it-all. Thankfully, the lights changed, and that forced Amelia to concentrate on the traffic.
Hearing the tone in Amelia's voice, Ella thought it sounded as if the words were branded into Amelia's mind. "Jack is a real idiot! Past idiot stage. You are not a snooty nosed starched blue stocking. You are an amazing professor. You are really clever, so humble and kind. What is the problem with this man! I guess his brother has given him tips on how to rattle people." Mumbled Ella.
"Back to David?" Amelia said and her eyebrows rose as she looked over at Ella.
"Well, he is an idiot, I know from experience!"
"Really?" She glanced around hoping to see more information on Ella's face. But Ella was looking out of the car window. Which was odd, given this route was familiar, and nothing special to see.