Love-in-Idleness (15 page)

 
                   The park was quiet in the dark night, except for the slight chirp of crickets. As Puck scanned the area, he became aware of a familiar shape sitting on a bench and leaning forward, head in his hands. Cam appeared to have given up the chase, something Puck would never do. Puck couldn’t imagine why Cam didn’t just tackle Grace, but the non-magical brother always was one to use a gentler approach. Watching Cam and seeing his predicament stirred the resentment in Puck’s soul. Scanning the ground, his eyes settled on a baseball-sized stone, round enough to be easy to throw with some precision. He would have one chance to make contact, so he focused all of his energy on Cam’s temple. The goal was just to stun him, not to do permanent damage. He had one hand on the bottle of powder in his pocket. He used the other to spin the stone perfectly toward its mark. Cam would only be out for a moment, but a moment was all he needed. He could have just frozen him again, put him in a state of stasis, but this was so much more fun. As the stone made impact and Cam crumpled, Puck approached and released a generous portion of purple powder under Cam’s nose.

 
                   Approaching footsteps, clearly the clicking of absurdly high heels, caught Puck’s attention and sent him back into hiding. He was pleased to see that Chloe was still ahead of Ryder by several paces, though he was quickly closing the gap. As Chloe got nearer to where Cam lay, Ryder was almost close enough to reach out and grab her.

 
                   “Where are you going? Cam isn’t out here.” Ryder sounded jealous. “Please tell me he’s gone off with Grace and left you here for me.”

 
                   “I’m lost, you moron, and I ended up in this ridiculous park running away from you. I can’t find my way out. Why are you chasing me? You’re Grace’s boyfriend, remember?” Chloe turned to face Ryder and leaned down toward him. It was the first time that Puck realized that Chloe was taller than Ryder. She spoke slowly and loudly, as if she were addressing a small child.  “Cam’s trying to steal your girlfriend.”

 
                   “I’m Grace’s boyfriend? No, not since I’ve seen you. The only good thing about knowing her is that she led me to you. I hate her. Now I love you.”

 
                   Chloe marched away from him, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she had moved off the path. With her heels sinking into the grass and her hands over her ears, she screeched back at Ryder. “I can’t hear any more of this. What did I do to deserve this day? Do you all think I’m an idiot?” She stopped to look directly into Ryder’s eyes. “Do us all a favor. Keep Grace busy and away from places she doesn’t belong. She loves you, she’ll be happy to leave us alone.”

 
                   Ryder’s eyes lowered as Chloe chided him, but within moments, he lifted them again and began to move toward her. “I don’t care if I ever see Grace again. You are everything she isn’t. You are sophisticated and graceful. She’s just a girl.”

“Why are you doing this?”

                    “She told me about you earlier tonight. She told me how beautiful you are, and how sad. I didn’t realize until I saw you that I was wrong to ever tell Grace that I loved her. I was supposed to be with you all along.”

 
           Chloe’s face turned dark with rage. “Sad? She said I was sad? That little bitch. She doesn’t know me. The last thing I am is sad, but if that’s what she’s saying, then no wonder you all think you can torture me. I’m not some kid who falls for everyone who flatters her. Everyone flatters me. I’m Chloe, for God’s sake. I’m what men want and what every girl wants to be. Saying it out loud a hundred times doesn’t make it any more or less true.”

 
                   It was at that moment that Chloe looked down to see her Chanel boots sinking into the damp, dirty ground. Grumbling under her breath, she clomped awkwardly toward the bench where Cam was lying, as if walking in this way would prevent further wardrobe damage.  For a moment Puck wondered if Chloe was going to sit on Cam, but at the last moment, she spotted him and jumped back a little. He was slumped sideways, with a small cut on his temple. In the dark, the small drops of blood that had emerged from his wound seemed black as ink. Careful to avoid the blood, Chloe poked Cam once on the chin to try to wake him.

 
                   “Cam,” she barked. “Wake up. I want to get out of here.” She poked his chin again and checked her finger for stray blood splatters.

 
                   Cam stirred quietly and sat up on one elbow. He leaned close to Chloe’s face. “What happened to your head?” she asked.

 
                   Cam didn’t say anything. He just reached up to stroke her cheek with the back of his hand. “Oh, Chloe,” he whispered. “I’ve made a terrible mistake.” With that, he kissed her, full on the mouth. Chloe seemed to be enjoying it for a second, but then she pulled away from him sharply, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Oh, hell! What is wrong with both of you? Especially you.” She stood up and gave Cam a little frustrated kick in the leg. “You liked me yesterday, you hated me today, and now you love me? That doesn’t even make sense.”

                    Ryder approached Cam, seeing him for the first time. “You’re Cameron Oberon? Why are you here? And why are you tormenting Chloe? Grace told me that you are in love with her, so go be with her and leave Chloe to me.”

 
                   Chloe sat down on the bench, slumping in a most unglamorous way. “I don’t even think this is a joke anymore. You’re all insane,” she moaned.

 
                   Cam slid closer to Chloe on the bench and tried to subtly slip his arm around her shoulders. Chloe looked at him sideways and reached up to brush his arm away. “Ryder, Grace is yours. She’s always been yours. You belong with her and Chloe belongs with me.”

 
                   Ryder gasped, “Chloe, he’s wrong.”

 
                    “No, you are. Grace doesn’t fit in with us. She belongs here with you, Ryder. She and I have nothing in common. Every time I took her somewhere, I’d end up apologizing because for my friends. Every conversation they have is about things she can’t afford. It’s all so far above her reach. With you, she fits right in. Chloe and I have the same friends and the same experiences, most of which you could never understand. You’ve just met her, and you claim to love her? That’s insulting to her.”

 
                   At that moment, Puck heard quick footsteps in the grass. The others heard them as well and turned to find Grace, tired and disheveled, rushing toward them.

 
                   “Ryder, I’ve been looking everywhere. Where have you been? Why did you leave me?” she asked.

 
                   Ryder scoffed in her direction. “Why would I stay, when my love was walking out the door?”

 
                   “What love? What could make you run off like that?” Grace’s befuddled state delighted Puck to no end.

 
                   Ryder looked at Chloe longingly. “I had to follow her before she disappeared. If I lost sight of her, she could be gone forever.”

 
                   “Chloe? That’s ridiculous. She wouldn’t be hard to find. She’s twelve feet tall and that outfit is reflecting every lamp in the park. Anyway, why do you care? You don’t even know her,” Grace pointed out.

 
                   Chloe stood up abruptly. “Where the hell did you come from?” she yelled at Grace. “My life was great, and then you showed up and everyone went insane. Cam dumps me after all the months I spent chasing him finally paid off. Everyone knows that he’s supposed to be with me. Now you and your crazy boyfriend team up with him for some bizarre practical joke. What is the point of this? What did I do to you?”

 
                   Grace’s eyes were wide as she absorbed the impact of Chloe’s aggression. “I’m so confused,” she whispered. Looking to Ryder for assistance, she said, “Help me out here. What’s going on?” But Ryder didn’t have a chance to answer before Chloe continued.

 
                   “Come on, admit it. You’re starting St. Helen’s, and you know that I’m the queen. Cam or his stupid brother must have told you that you could come in at the top if you took me down.”

 
                   Puck made a mental note to do something really terrible to Chloe when this was all over. This was fun, but Chloe deserved much worse.

 
                   “You are completely delusional.” Grace shook her head.

 
                   Chloe moved toward Grace. “No, you are the one who’s delusional. Do you really think that taking Cam from me and tormenting me with your idiot Brooklyn boy will bring me down?” Chloe stretched out her arms and spun in a circle, as if indicating that Grace should observe the entire park. “No one is here. We’re on the other side of the bridge. No one who matters would be caught dead here. I’ll go back to school and no one will know about this ridiculous stunt.”

 
                   Puck grinned. Only Chloe would think this was all a conspiracy to undermine her social standing. To be honest, Puck wasn’t sure what a normal person would think of all this, but he was pretty sure they wouldn’t go straight to social sabotage as an explanation.

 
                   “She’s right, I don’t matter at all.” Ryder stated quietly. “But I will work harder to matter. I will try to be worthy if it will make Chloe love me.”

 
                   “Oh my God!” Cam bellowed. “Listen to yourself, you fool. You’re babbling.  Just stop. You don’t know her. You couldn’t possibly love her. Go home.”

 
                   “What do I have to do, Chloe? He can’t bully me out of loving you. Grace can’t persuade me by begging. Tell me how to prove myself.” Ryder sounded pathetic.

 
                   “Please,” Cam yelled in Chloe’s direction. “Will you please just tell this idiot to shut up so we can go home?”

 
                   With all eyes focused on Cam, no one noticed Ryder speeding toward Cam. He burst forward, with one fist cocked, and took a swing that clipped Cam right in the perfect blue eye. Cam backed up, temporarily shamed, and collected himself. “Is that what you want, Brooklyn boy?”

 
                   “Yeah,” Ryder barked back. “That’s exactly what I want, you Upper East Side pansy. You wouldn’t last five minutes. There are no servants to clean up after you down here.”

 
                   “Ryder!” Grace gasped. “What is wrong with you? Why are you doing all of this?” She grabbed Ryder’s arm in an attempt to pull him away from Cam.

“Stay out of it!” Ryder commanded bso loudly that Grace recoiled as if she had been slapped.

As Ryder tried to pull away from Grace, Cam hurried to his side. “Listen, you don’t have to fight with me. Just say you’re going to follow me and then sneak home. You’re not a fighter. Get out of this while you can.”

 
                   Ryder snapped his arms out of Grace’s clutches. “Let go of me!”  He shouted and stared intently into her eyes until she shuddered.

 
                   Grace glared back at him. “What’s happened to you? Did you hit your head on something?”

 
                  Chloe jumped in. “He must have. He’s a complete lunatic.”

 
                  “He’s about to hit his head on my fist,” Cam muttered.

 
               “Fine, let’s go.” Ryder started to walk toward the grassy field.

 
              “Where are you going, coward?” Cam yelled after him.

 
               Ryder turned back. “We can’t fight on the path. It’s too hard.”

 
               Cam gave the cement a good long look and nodded. “Good point.”

 
               Grace and Chloe both threw their arms up in disbelief. In his hiding place, Puck had to bite his lip from laughing out loud. No one in his right mind would believe that either of those two knew anything about fighting. As Ryder and Cam walked toward the field, Grace turned toward Chloe. “What did you do? How did you manage this? I know you were pissed about Cam, but how did you get Ryder to completely go insane? Did you drug him or something?”

 
               Chloe’s face darkened as she looked down at Grace. “Listen, I don’t need to drug guys. Do you, little girl?”

 
               “Little girl?” Grace retorted. “Little girl? I’m not too short to claw your frickin’ eyes out.”

 
               “Let’s see about that.” Chloe pulled herself to her full height and called out toward the field. “Cam! Brooklyn Boy! She’s threatening me! I may be bigger, but she’s much meaner.”

 
               Grace snarled. “Again with the size thing? What is your problem?”

 
               The boys turned, their fight aborted by Chloe’s cry for help.

    As they approached, Chloe leaned in and said in a slow hiss, “You would be so much better off if you’d never started this.”
 As Ryder and Cam moved into hearing range, she stood up tall and spoke to them. “She’s so incredibly hateful. I’ve never done anything to her, but she showed up and started running around with Cameron, who was still mine. Now she’s threatening me.” Chloe turned to Grace with mock sincerity. “I did tell Cam that you were coming here, but only to show him that I’m the one who really loves him. He abused me all the way here, and wanted me gone. “