Lil Lily

Just like me, most people are getting really impatient. Usually people behave themselves during morning service since the rules are brutally strict but today everyone is so stirred up. People are whispering, smiling and giggling. Especially Oliver and his group of guys, and Victoria and her group of girls. But it's no surprise. Oliver has an inborn ability to always become the centre of attention which can sometimes, from a little sister's point of view, be quite irritating. He is always the one laughing out the loudest and he always has the funniest jokes. That, plus the fact that he is nice to everyone, is probably why people like him so much. His jokes are one of my favourite qualities about him and often we laugh till we cry. There's no person whom I can laugh with like him. We used to joke a lot about how it seems that Victoria is trying to live by the "How to be a Stereotypical, Rich, Hot, Popular, yet Mean-Spirited Bitch-Handbook" but lately he hasn't really responded to my jokes on that topic. 

Finally the pianist strikes the last chords on the organ and the doors to freedom are opened. People pour out almost as if they were thirsty wanderers in the desert who had suddenly caught sight of a mirage. Now Laura, Oliver and I just have to pick up our suitcases in our rooms and then we will be on our way home. As Laura and I pass through the door I grab her hand and we head towards our room.

"You didn't see the way Oliver was smiling at Victoria, did you?" I ask her almost thoughtfully as I let go of her hand.

"No, I was singing. What was it about the way that he smiled?"

"It just seemed really flirty. He had an almost desirous look in his eyes."

"But Oliver is smiling at everyone all the time. And everyone is smiling desirously at Victoria all the time. So I don't think it really means anything." Laura stated. "Do you?"

"I don't know. I hope not."

Laura pushes the door open to our room. Beside of her made bed, her classic vintage Louis Vuitton suitcases are standing packed and ready. My bed is still scattered with clothes, fashion-, music- and NBA magazines. After Laura and I have stuffed all of my things into my two bags we hurry down to the entrance hall where Oliver is standing among a crowd of his classmates waiting for us. As he sees us trying to drag our suitcases down the marble stairs he and his best friend Lucas hurries up to help us. 

"Are you coming to Nicklas' New Year's party?" Lucas asks me as I hand him one of my bags.

Nicklas is my ex-boyfriend and I've feared that question since we broke up three weeks ago. And now Lucas is asking it. 

 

"Well," I hesitate looking up into Lucas' bright blue eyes. "I'm considering it. I have another option and I haven't decided yet." I lie.

"Oh, but you should really come. Everyone's gonna be there. I'm sure it's gonna be awesome. We'll have a perfect view of the fireworks from his apartment."

"Yeah, I know. I'll think about." I say and smile.

 Jaguars, BMW's and Range Rovers are filling up the wide parking area in front of the school and right there, in between all of the other big, shining, flashy cars, Laura's mom is waving at us through the window of her pitch-black Mercedes. Richard, her driver, places our luggage in the trunk and we're on our way.

"What was up about the way you were constantly smiling and staring at Victoria during the service?" I ask Oliver as we're sitting in the back seat.

"What do you mean Lily?" He asks, with a slight touch of resentment in his voice.

"Come on, you were smiling at her like a child about to open his Christmas gift."

"Haha, I was?"

"Yeah, you were. Why?"

"I won't tell you, Lily."

"Tell it to me then." Laura joins in.

"Okay girls. Do you promise not to tell anyone about this?" Oliver says, looking seriously at both of us.

"You're some of the first persons I tell this to and I don't want you to get jealous but" he makes a rhetorical pause and lowers his voice, still keeping his gaze fixed at us "Victoria has been my secret lover during the past semester. She has been desperate to have an actual relationship with me and now that I'm ready to commit myself we're officially a couple."

Laura and I are speechless. Has my brother kept a secret like this for me for the past half year?

Then he cracks up. 

Thank god.

"Did you guys seriously believe that?" He giggles. Laura blushes and we can't help laughing along. For a second yeah, I actually, seriously believed it. Just then, Manhattan appears on the windshield and Laura grabs the remote and turns up the volume of Lil Wayne's "Let it Rock".

"You're so gullible Lil' Lily" Oliver says smiling.  

Who the fuck it Lily Lucasily?

Finally. It is the last day before Christmas Break at St. Gabriel Boarding School. We're all gathered in the chapel for Christmas service. I'm sitting at one of the behind benches with my back against the wall and my arms around my skinny legs. My best friend Laura is sitting beside me. Her brown eyes are fixed on page 463 in the hymn book where my eyes are also supposed to be. But there is no way that I'm able to focus. In about 20 minutes, when this is all over, we will be released. Laura's mom will pick up Laura, me and my older brother Oliver and drive us back into freedom, back to Manhattan. 

    In stead of joining in the singing of "It came upon a midnight clear" I look around. 

Victoria is sitting a few benches ahead of me. She runs her perfectly manicured fingers trough her blonde, glossy and slightly wavy hair. She points discreetly towards the group of boys sitting opposite of her and whispers something to Gabrielle who giggles. Oliver is sitting in that group of boys. I'm not sure but it looks like he is smiling at Victoria. 

If I should mention two of my absolute favourite persons in the world it would be Laura and my brother. Laura has been my best friend since we met at the age of nine on a September's day in the park. I was playing basketball with Oliver when she and her French nanny passed by. They were walking Laura's birthday gift, an eight-weeks-old King Charles Spaniel. Back then I desperately wanted a puppy so the moment i saw them I passed on the ball to Oliver, ran towards Laura and asked her if I could say hello to her dog. Of course I could and Laura, Oliver, puppy Rose and I played in the park until Laura, Rose and her Nanny, who by the way is called Manon, had to go back home to Laura's park avenue apartment so she could get dressed for dinner before her parents came home. 

   Laura and I played around like this several afternoons in September and October but one day, when it was getting cold and the first leaves were falling off the trees, she asked me if I would like to see her room. Sure I would, so the park avenue princess followed me to her castle. Actually it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call Laura's penthouse apartment a castle. Her mom welcomed us with a smile as the doorman opened the door for us and we stepped inside, me in my trashed, red Converse and Laura in her little golden ballerina flats.

As the only child of one of New York's most successful business men Laura had, and still has, everything she could possibly dream of. Even though I've seen Laura's place a thousand times I'm still impressed by the classic elegantly decorated and always perfectly clean apartment. 

I often wonder how Laura can be so insecure and so modest when she has everything. Not only can she buy all the clothes, shoes and accessories she wants but she is also beautiful. She has long brown hair, pronounced cheekbones and beautiful brown eyes. Compared to me she is a little bit taller and slightly curvy. Her skin is pale and she always wears a little bit of pink blush but keeps her makeup natural. She is always well-dressed in clothes of high quality (and price) and her style is simple, clean and preppy. Often she wears ballerina flats and a cute and girly  yet simple dress, or a classic high-waisted skirt, mixed with Tifanny's jewellery her dad brings home from business trips around the world. 

What I love about her in particular is how caring she is. She always puts everyone else first, she always knows exactly what to say to make me feel better and she can always find a solution to every problem. She is very conscientious and sometimes it's a bit too much but I'm probably just saying that because I wish I had her willpower and commitment. 

I don't know whether it's Oliver or Laura who knows me best but it's obviously Oliver who has known me for the longest time. He has always been one of the people closest to me and he has always been protective in the way that older brothers are supposed to be. Especially after our mom died when I was seven and he was nine. If he heard me crying at night he would sneak into my room and lay down beside of me in my bed and silently we would cry together. Those days seem like forever ago now. He changed a lot as he became a teenager. Suddenly he became interested in other girls than his little sister. I felt a bit slighted but I had Laura so I was okay. Since then he has had too many girlfriends to count. He says that girls are all in love with his big brown eyes, his adorable smile and his slightly curly hair and he's probably right. Maybe Victoria is falling for it too. When we get out into the car I have to ask him about that..

Lily Lucasily