When Storm Clouds Hover

41: Dom - After

Dom knew Em would make him grovel; he just wasn't certain he wanted to. He was feeling so conflicted. They'd arranged to meet at the fountain outside the school chapel, and she was late. He sat down on the ledge and opened his phone to his messaging history. He scrolled through all the messages he'd ever exchanged with Izzy, stopping, and starting to read and zoom. There weren't many. The last one he'd received from her over the holidays was a picture of him and Tal with Atilla at the beach. He pressed on the image and downloaded it, before locking his phone and returning it to his backpack.

It was clear Izzy was angry with him and fair enough too. He'd been cowardly. He'd wanted to make it up to her but when he'd seen her at recess talking with Zara and tried to join them, she'd removed herself from the conversation. It was frustrating. He'd asked Zara if it was a good idea to message Izzy, but she had given him such a blasting, he had no choice but to leave it alone.

The sun was bright, bouncing off the water in the fountain and he was starting to sweat. He took his school jumper off and put it in his bag. Absentmindedly, he dipped one hand into the cool water and pulled it back and forth, when Em showed up.

Without saying a word, Dom hopped off the ledge, reached out and casually took her bag off her shoulder slinging it across his back. She glanced briefly at him, and they ambled together side by side towards class. Em was staring at the floor as they walked and refused to meet his eyes.

'You alright?' Dom asked.

Em lifted her head and nodded.

Dom stepped closer, their shoulders almost touching as they walked. They passed the library and the music hall and when they neared the classroom block, he took her hand and she let him. They'd both agreed not to talk about what happened over the summer again, which Dom was relieved about. He wasn't completely blind to what needed to happen. He'd messed up and hurt both Em and Izzy. He understood that the only way to make it close to being alright again was to apologise to Em and hope she'd forgive them both. And so, he did; again, and again.

Unfortunately, this wasn't all that Em wanted. The terms of her forgiveness included the extraction of a promise from him, not to talk to Izzy. Dom reluctantly agreed; partly because he already knew that Izzy didn't want to speak with him in any case. He had no real intention of following through with this ridiculous notion though, not for Em's sake anyway. If Izzy could forgive him, he knew, he'd be powerless to resist her.

When they reached class, Dom let go of Em's hand and handed over her school bag.

'Let's go inside, eh?' he smiled at her.

Em cheered up. Moving past him, she took her seat up the front of the classroom and leaned back in her chair to face him before Ms. Zeiman arrived. Her mood was so instantly changeable that Dom wondered how she did it. One moment she was furious with him, the next she was back to being giggly and flirty. It was quite hard to follow.

Ms. Zeiman arrived to take the class and Em turned her chair around to face the front. It was a relief, now Dom could go back to thinking what to do next. In the short term, he figured that if he just gave Em what she wanted, she'd calm down and find a way to forgive Izzy too. This was what he wanted to happen. He was feeling worse about the rift he'd created between the two of them, than he anything else. He hadn't known at the time they kissed that Izzy's mum had cancer, but now he just felt horrible. He guessed she needed her best friend more than ever and he had been the one to take this support away from her. On top of that, everyone else was furious with him too. Even Tal and Cole, had been cold with him. He'd thought they might understand since they'd spent so much time together over the holidays, but they'd both told him he was out of line for hooking up with Izzy.

A voice interrupted Dom's daydream. 'Mr Hunter! I'm asking you a question.' It was Ms. Zeiman, sounding none too pleased.

'Sorry mam, I was somewhere else.' Dom responded, shaking his head.

There was a low rumble from the class.

'I can see that...' Ms. Zeiman said in her sternest voice. 'Can you join us, please?'

'Sorry, yes. Of course. What is it?'

'Never mind. Just focus,' Ms. Zeiman said, walking to open a window above Dom's head. 'I understand English is not a priority for someone of your particular interests Mr. Hunter, but you do need to pass it, you know.'

'Sorry mam. I'm back.' Dom said.

The class laughed. Em turned in her chair and smiled at him.

Ms. Zeiman frowned. 'Eyes forward, Ms Bukowski.'

Dom was shaken up. He didn't mean to get so lost in his thoughts. There wasn't much he could do about the situation with Izzy and Em now anyway; he couldn't go back in time. He vowed to himself to be better with Em and to pay attention in class! He'd promised his parents that since Lulu couldn't go to Watford, he would make the most of the opportunity and do well in his HSC. And he intended to keep that promise, that way, they would know their investment in him wasn't for nothing and Lulu would know that he cared about her sacrifice. Forgetting his school work on account of girl trouble now, wasn't an option for him.