2: 2
Two months ago, my birth mother found me.
She lived in England now, and she'd been wanting to bring me over to study there.
But I couldn't bear to leave Maureen, so I'd never agreed, and never even got around to telling her about any of it.
Now, there was even less reason to.
I forced myself through the last lap, planning to go straight back to the dorm and rest.
But Maureen said everyone was heading to a restaurant to celebrate Merlin, and I had to come along.
My head was pounding, my stomach was off, and I wasn't even on the student council anymore. I meant to say no.
Maureen frowned.
"Merlin thinks of you as a brother. That's the only reason he wanted you there. Are you really going to fake being sick and ruin it for him? If you don't go, he'll be hurt."
"And that whole thing earlier was just people running their mouths. There's no need to take it to heart."
"Harrison, you bet and you lost. Don't make people think you're a sore loser. Go change, quick, don't keep everyone waiting."
In the end, she dragged me to the restaurant anyway.
Once the food was on the table, someone gave Maureen a knowing look. "Maureen, didn't you get Merlin a celebration gift? Come on, let's see it."
Maureen raised an eyebrow and pulled a jewelry box from her bag.
She opened it. Inside was a pair of elegant men's diamond cuff links.
Merlin clapped a hand over his mouth in delight, and the others shrieked.
"No way, aren't those from that little jewelry show recently? Those have to be, what, four hundred grand?"
"No wonder Maureen coughed up the money her family gave her for a car, and even sold that bracelet she just got. Merlin really does have it going on."
I froze, and my eyes went to Maureen's wrist.
Sure enough, it was bare.
Last year, Maureen had fallen for a designer bracelet.
Her family was comfortable enough, but not the kind of comfortable where they'd drop a hundred grand on a bracelet without blinking.
So I worked myself to the bone for a year and a half, and took a few small design jobs on the side.
Then I pulled part of it from the allowance my mother had started sending me, and finally gave it to her a few weeks ago for her birthday.
She'd hugged me then, so happy, saying she'd treasure it, that she'd keep it until she was eighty.
And now she'd sold it? For Merlin?
All at once, the nausea in my stomach was unbearable.
I shot to my feet, the chair screeching against the floor, and everyone turned to stare at me.
I didn't stop to explain. I rushed to the restroom outside and heaved until there was nothing left.
When I came back out, Maureen was standing at the door, her face ugly, and she started in on me at once.
"Harrison, how long are you going to keep sulking?"
"Do you have any idea what it looked like, you walking out like that in the middle of everything? It humiliated Merlin. He thinks you're still angry. His eyes went red."
"When you go back in, apologize to him."
I found it almost funny.
"You sold the thing I broke my back to buy you, to buy another guy a gift, and I'm not supposed to be angry?"
"Maureen, do you even remember today is our fifth anniversary?"
Maureen went still, her brow knotting tighter. "Can you stop being unreasonable? Who said I forgot?"
She shoved a folder against my chest.
"Weren't you planning to do jewelry design after graduation?"
"Here. These are photos I took for you at the show. Enough to keep you studying for a while."
Looking at the photos, I laughed.
"So Merlin gets diamond cuff links worth hundreds of thousands, and all I'm worth is a stack of pictures you snapped in passing?"
"Maureen, which one of us is actually your boyfriend?"
Irritation swept over her face.
"Everything's fine and you have to bring this up? Why?"
"We can celebrate the anniversary every single year, but today matters to Merlin. He's wanted those cuff links for ages. You're supposed to be his brother and you didn't do a thing, so shouldn't I at least show a friend some kindness on your behalf?"
"It's just an accessory. You're going to fight him over even this? Fine, once I'm working, I'll get you something better. Money, money, that's all you talk about. Harrison, we're not even out in the real world yet. Don't turn this materialistic!"
I just stared as she turned and stormed off, furious.
But this had nothing to do with the cuff links.
When I got back to the door of the private room, it was half open, and inside they were playing a spin-the-wheel game.
Merlin's spin landed on picking someone of the opposite sex to kiss for three minutes.
Refuse, and he'd have to drink a beer.
He caught sight of me out of the corner of his eye and made a show of it. "Ah, well, my stomach's a little off today... but I'll just drink."
He'd barely reached for it when Maureen snatched the glass away. "You're not feeling well and you still want to drink? Are you trying to kill yourself?"
Then she cupped the back of Merlin's head and kissed him.
