He was sitting off to the side, Julia wasn't obviously with him, but his faithful dogs Burke and Harry were.Thomas looked at them.Ethan was sitting between them, telling something, drinking some alcohol and holding a thin cigarette between his fingers.Harry was giggling and tossing back his hair, which was quite long, about shoulder length.Burke was laughing too, and obviously he was drunk from the way he was swaying back and forth.
"We have an exam tomorrow, what are they doing here" Thomas suddenly said, turning from the door.
John grabbed his arm.
"Come on, don't go near him, Thomas, we don't want to make a fuss".
Thomas pulled his hand away and tasted a bitter taste in his mouth.
"You didn't listen to me when I asked you to stay away from him, when he split your lip," Thomas poked his friend in the chest "why are you stopping me now? "
"He's not alone..."
"I'm just saying hello".
Thomas walked over to the table where Ethan was sitting. He smiled at him, John was standing behind him.
"Hi, Thomas" Ethan said "come sit at the table and have a drink with us".
"McRane, I won't sit at the same table with you" And then Thomas felt someone come up behind him and force him into a chair. Ethan handed him a glass of something caustic and Thomas knocked it over.
He grimaced and grabbed a piece of meat from the table and took a bite.
"See, you refused" Ethan smiled sarcastically. He sucked in the smoke and slowly let it out without coughing (which was often the case with Thomas), while Burke and Harry (who was obviously drunk as well) watched.
Ethan held out the cigarettes to Thomas, but Thomas waved them away and they flew to the floor somewhere.Harry immediately picked them up.Ethan was dressed in a shirt and pants (Thomas couldn't even imagine how many suits he had), his expensive watch still gleaming on his hand.
He didn't smoke the same kind of cigarettes or drink the same kind of alcohol as Thomas and John, he was a superior man, and now that Thomas looked at him he understood why Julia loved him, he was really good looking and stylish, and not only did he have everything, he gave her expensive things.Thomas felt disgusted and staggered to his feet.
-Where are you going, I'm taking you, Ethan said calmly.
-"Bastard," Thomas said quietly and Harry grabbed his collar, but Ethan told him to let go.
-"You're just like that fool Durkins, at first I thought you were smarter than him.
-John said as he walked over to Ethan.
-"So you two are here," Ethan smiled wryly, for some reason I had assumed so.
-What are you doing here McNair, is it proper for you to go to such cheap taverns, John asked nervously clenching his fists.
-"I don't care for the look of this dump, but I do like the alcohol here," he smiled and raised the glass to his lips. "There's expensive alcohol here, besides the cheap stuff you drink, didn't you know it's not really available to people like you?" he snorted, and Burke and Harry laughed.
-"It's your father's fault, without him you'd be left with a bare ass," John said and Thomas smiled.
Ethan suddenly stood up.
-"Listen to me, both of you, if you ever come near me or Julia again," he said, glancing at Thomas, "I will destroy you.
His calmness was gone and now anger was building inside him, and Thomas knew that he had started it, because if he hadn't come here, Ethan wouldn't have even known they were in the tavern, but Thomas didn't stop.
-Julia was asking me if I was seeing anyone," he suddenly said. John glared at Thomas, but he ignored him.
Ethan was still standing there, only the table separated them.
-"I told her it was none of her business, because she should be interested in you, shouldn't she?
-"Get out of here," Ethan said and sat down.
-"So you're not going to say anything about it," Thomas shouted indignantly.
-"I don't care, Touchfile, she's already mine and has been for a long time.
-"She's not a thing.
-I don't care if she's about money or love, I just bought her, you know?
-What do you mean?
-Julia's not as saintly as you think, Thomas, because I bought her a bracelet and some other gold jewelry, she agreed to sleep with me.
John stared at Ethan, dumbfounded.
-"Well, she's going to be with me late, whether she wants to or not, and I think she does.
-"She agreed to go to bed with a scumbag like you," Thomas said, hating them both.
-"She also said she liked it," Ethan smiled and lit the cigarette Burke handed him.
-"You're lying," John yelled.
-Jesus Christ, Durkins, shut your mouth and don't get me started again.
-You made her do it, McNair, you...
-Ethan grumbled.
John suddenly grabbed Thomas's arm and led him to the door.
-"What are you doing let go.
"Lets go from there" John said and pushed the door open.
Thomas felt the hatred in John and went out after him.
It was so cold that he shivered. It was dark outside only street lamps lit up the neighborhood.
John kept walking, but Thomas caught up with him and grabbed his elbow.
John reluctantly turned to him.
"What's wrong with you?" Thomas asked.
"I asked you not to go near him, not to talk to him"
John angrily brought his face closer to Thomas's.
"Forget about that fool, are you afraid he's going to hurt you?"
Suddenly it began to rain. John's anger gradually began to fade.
He stepped back.
"You stink of fumes and alcohol"
John grumbled vaguely.
Thomas suddenly smiled.
"But why didn't you tell me what she really wanted from you" John asked as they walked home together.
"What do you mean" Thomas said, sobering up a bit.
"Then in the dining room, Julia stopped you to ask if you were dating someone. You told me she was bragging about a bracelet Ethan bought her.
"I didn't want to upset you, John, I knew you liked her".
John suddenly frowned.
"So did you".
"How do you know?" -Thomas suddenly became indignant.
"Do you remember the ball when Julia asked you to dance, you were so
happy then".
"Really?"Thomas snorted "you just made it up" John snorted.
"I don't really care about either of them anymore, I just feel like that there's no turning back now, that he's not going to give her back, or that she's going to, he'll get tired of her".
Thomas shrugged his shoulders.
"So why did you decide to go there in the first place, Thomas, you never told me what happened".
Thomas's chest suddenly tightened at the thought of Carol, and he staggered and stumbled and almost fell.
"I didn't want you to go near Ethan because I thought he'd make us both laugh again like he's so cool and we're just worthless trash and he did.
"Jesus, forget about Ethan. I disturbed him, that's all."
They walked along for a while, not saying anything, until he noticed the poster on the fence.
He didn't notice it at first, but when he got close to it, he was almost terrified. It said "A girl of 15 years old is wanted She lived in a house belonging to the Tachfull family, if you find her be sure to call the police at the number... " But Thomas didn't pay to the number.