by Kate A. Fox
“Of course.” Bobby said gleefully and I felt happy tears begin to prick at the corners of my eyes.
***
The next day at school I was filled with anticipation. The thought of seeing Bobby again after so long left me in such a good mood, I don’t think even Lola could ruin it.
Luckily for me she seemed to be avoiding me and I didn’t see a single glimpse of her all day.
That was until school let out and I caught sight of her all over Peter, practically sucking his face off, as they leaned against the bonnet of his car in the car park.
Eww. Those two seriously needed to get a room.
Polly was stood off to the side looking awkward and trying not to look at them. She clutched her bookbag so tightly to her chest that I thought her books might pop right out of it.
Even when Lola was nowhere near me she still made me mad. Didn’t she have any common decency. I mean, sucking a guy’s face off right in front of his eleven year old sister, come on.
Against my better judgement I found myself strolling over to them. My hand reached for the pendant around my neck and I sucked in a deep breath to steady myself.
“Hey, Pol! Why don’t you ride with me again?” I called out to her and Lola whipped around so fast that her head looked like the girl’s in the exorcist. I know that movie is rated eighteen but teenagers will be teenagers and really, it’s not even that scary. At least, that’s what I tell myself. I did have nightmares for about a week after Peter forced me to watch it while we were babysitting Polly one night.
“She’s riding with us.” Lola snapped back at me as though she had any say in the matter.
I looked automatically at Peter but, as usual, he remained totally silent. The coward.
“I don’t have to ride with you if I don’t want to!” Polly yelled back at her and she moved closer to me as though she thought I might be able to protect her from Lola’s totally evil stare.
“She’s right. It’s a free country.” I pointed out. Yes, I know that’s not entirely true but it was a saying and it seemed to really piss Lola off.
“Peter, are you going to stand there and let them talk to me like that?” Lola demanded. She talked as if we had just called her all the names under the sun. Her voice was a whine that grated against my eardrums and made me want to slap her.
I ignored her and instead turned my full attention on Peter.
“Bobby is back this weekend.” I told him and Peter looked astonished.
That’s right. Bobby and Peter had a thing during the few years she was in London. I’m sure he never told Lola about that juicy little detail.
“Who’s Bobby?” Lola turned her obviously jealous glare on Peter.
“Nobody.” Peter said even as his cheeks began to flare bright crimson. He may have called her a nobody but I knew that his heart beat a little bit faster at the mention of her name. He really was a coward.
“Come on, let’s get going.” he added quickly as though he wanted well away from this conversation, “Polly, go with Bri if you want to but you know the rules.”
“Stay with her at all times and go straight home.” Polly rolled her eyes as though she needed no reminding of the rules that their parents had drilled into both of them over the years.
Lola offered me one final venom filled glare before she turned and stalked around the side of the car.
Peter opened up the car door for her like the perfect gentleman and she threw herself down into the seat like a spoiled brat.
The moment he slammed the door closed behind her, Peter turned back to me and said, “Say hey to Bobby for me.”
“You know you could say it to her yourself?” I pointed out, “She’s waiting at the gates for me.”
Peter’s face grew pale and he glanced at Lola through the windscreen. She had crossed her arms over her chest and was looking mightily pissed that he had stopped to talk to me again.
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” he shook his head.
I breathed out an exasperated sigh as he rounded the car to the driver’s side door.
“Are we still going to the party tomorrow?” I called after him and he paused with his hand on the door handle.
“I thought you might have decided not to go?” he phrased it as a question even though both of us knew I would rather not go to those stupid things.
“Well, Bobby will be here and you know she loves a good party.”
I saw the way his Adam's apple jumped as he took a deep gulp.
Yes, boy, you are in trouble now. Having the current girlfriend, the ex-fling and the female best friend at a party was probably going to be a right barrel of laughs. Not.
But I knew the moment I told Bobby about everything that was going on she would insist that we go. No doubt she’d already heard about the party from some of her other friends in London. There would be no stopping her.
“I guess we’ll see you there then.” Peter said and I knew that meant I was out and Lola was in.
He pulled the door open and slipped into the car before I even had the chance to open my mouth and remind him that he had asked me to go with him.
The door slammed like one final signal that I was losing my best friend.
I stood for a moment, feeling my heart aching at the knowledge, before I turned to Polly and said, “Come on. Let’s not keep Bobby waiting.”
Polly looked just as excited as I felt as we headed for the school gates where students were still waiting for the next bus.
“Why did Bobby have to move away? She was so much better than Lola.” Polly grunted as she basically ran to keep up with me.
“You know why.” I sighed.
I’d been the one to explain the entire thing to Polly when she had been a crying, snotting mess the day Peter told her that Bobby was moving away.
“Adults are stupid.” Polly spat the words.
Before I could reply that all adults weren’t so bad I heard the sound of my name being called.
I looked up to find Bobby rushing towards me, waving her hands as though she was hailing down a taxi.
Excitement took over me and I found myself rushing to meet her. Our arms were wrapped around each other so quickly that the breath was knocked right out of me.
A moment later I realised that Polly had joined me, wrapping her little arms around both of us and holding on as though she didn’t want to let go.
“I’ve missed you!” Bobby exclaimed.
“I’ve missed you too.”
“I’ve missed you as well!” Polly entered in as we all broke apart and began to laugh.
“I’ve missed you too, kid.” Bobby chuckled and ruffled Polly’s hair.
“Hey! Why does everybody do that to me?” Polly grunted and snapped her head away from Bobby’s hand. She continued to scowl up at us as though I’d had any part in it.
“Because you are so damned cute!” Bobby laughed and a giggle was forced from Polly as she whipped her up into her arms and spun her around.
When Bobby placed her back on the floor again it seemed to take Polly a few moments to correct her footing so not to fall over.
“So, tell me everything!” Bobby turned her attention to me, “What have I missed?”
“Peter has a new girlfriend.” Polly snarled before I had a chance to stop her and she wrinkled her entire face in disgust.
My heart stopped, worried that Bobby might be upset at the news.
Instead of giving any hint that she was, she laughed, “I take it you don’t like her?”
“How could anyone like the wicked witch of the west?” Polly scowled at her.
“We don’t like her.” I added.
“Do I know her?” Bobby asked.
“It’s Lola!” Polly spat out the name as though it tasted disgusting.
Bobby’s brown eyes grew wide and she turned her full attention on me.
“Really? How could you let him do something like that?” she gaped at me.
“You try telling Peter what t
o do.”
We both knew it was near impossible.
“It sounds as though I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.” Bobby sighed and brushed a strand of black hair back from her face, “How about we go for ice cream and you guys tell me everything?”
“I can’t. I’ve got to get Polly home.” I sighed although ice cream sounded amazing. It was mid-July and I was sweating so badly from the heat that I’d been checking my blue polo shirt for sweat marks all day.
“Couldn’t you call mum and see if she’s okay with it?” Polly asked, “I don’t want to go home and find Peter and Lola locking lips on the sofa.”
“Does that mean your parents are out?” I asked, trying to ignore the disgusted look on Bobby’s face.
Polly really had a way of telling it like it was. I really hoped that she hadn’t hurt Bobby’s feelings.
“Yeah and they don’t like Lola either. I’m sure they would much rather me be with you.” Polly’s eyes turned puppy-dog like, just as they always did whenever she was trying to get her own way.
I had to admit she was probably right.
“I’ll give them a call.” I promised her and reached for my phone, struggling yet again to get it out of my pocket.
“Hello? Mrs. Hanson?” I said as soon as her mother answered.
“Brianna, how many times do I have to tell you? Call me Barbara.”
“Sorry, Mrs...Barbara.”
“What can I do for you, Bri?”
“Well, I’m with Polly and Bobby and we were wondering if you would mind if Polly came for ice cream with us before she goes home.” I explained, my heart pounding. I hated calling other people’s parents but Polly was hard to say no to.
“I don’t see why not.” Barbara replied warmly before her voice turned strict, “Where is my son?”
There it was, the question which I had hoped wouldn’t come up.
“He’s riding home with Lola.” I replied, barely managing to stop myself from calling her ‘the hag’.
“That boy.” Barbara snapped, “I’m going to have to have words with him. This is the second night in a row that Polly’s refused to ride home with him.”
She didn’t need to tell me that.
“I really don’t mind her coming home with me.” I said in an attempt to smooth things over.
“It’s very kind of you Bri but Peter needs to learn some responsibility. That’s exactly why his father and I gave him his car in the first place. It was primarily to take himself and Polly to and from school.”
Well he’s been using it to make out with his girlfriend, go to unsanctioned parties, and drive his stupid football friends around while they smoke weed. I barely managed to stop myself from saying the words out loud.
“Thank you for calling me, Bri. At least one of you has some sense.” Barbara continued before I could come up with something to say, “You and Polly have fun. I’ll reimburse you for anything she has.”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” I said just as I heard another voice in the background.
“I have to go, Bri. Don’t let me forget to give you the money when you bring Polly home.”
With that the call ended and I turned to Polly who was just about bouncing out of her shoes with anticipation.
“Your mum said you can come.” I told her as I slipped my phone back into my pocket.
Peter was definitely going to get the scolding of his life when his parents got home. I knew how strict they were. I also couldn’t believe he was stupid enough to get on their bad side just because he had a new girlfriend.
“Let’s go to Frosty’s.” Bobby smirked at us and the thought of ice cream once again made my mouth water.
CHAPTER 6
FROSTY’S WAS A TINY SHOP ON ONE OF THE main streets in the centre of London. It was so small that you could barely fit five tables in the front of the shop. There was a serving shutter at the front of the building where several more benches were sat along the pavement.
Luckily for us one of the benches outside was still available and Polly hurried over to it as soon as we came into view of the shop. She threw her legs over the bench and slammed her bookbag down next to her as though she thought that someone might try to sit there.
“What do you fancy?” I asked Bobby, “My treat.”
“You don’t have to do that.” Bobby protested.
“Think of it as a welcome home treat.” I shrugged.
“In that case I’ll have a banoffee sundae.” Bobby chuckled when she saw my disgusted expression. Banoffee was one of the worst flavours I could possibly think of next to rum and raisin.
“Don’t look at me like that. It's amazing with all that toffee and cream!” Bobby laughed.
I simply rolled my eyes at her and looked over my shoulder at Polly, “What are you having?”
“I’ll have the same!”
Miscreants.
“See!” Bobby prodded me in the shoulder with a purple tipped finger. Unlike Lola, Bobby’s nails were all natural and she had a great talent for applying nail varnish. She called it her salvation and said it kept her sane on the long journeys she had to make with her family.
“Go and sit with the kid and I’ll order.” I scowled at her before turning to the serving window and the line that seemed to be growing by the minute.
If I didn’t hurry we’d be waiting an hour and our ice cream would be all melted and icky.
After waiting about five minutes I managed to order their banoffee sundaes (Yuck. I felt disgusting just saying it to the cashier) and my own cookie dough delight sundae.
I took the ticket the cashier gave me and headed over to the table to find that Bobby and Polly were already invested in an animated discussion.
“Polly says Lola has been giving you trouble.” Bobby turned a deep scowl on me, “Why do you let that hag get away with that crap?”
“I don’t.” I said defensively. I remembered all too well the incident in the showerroom the day before and how Lola had been thrown clear across the room. For a moment I thought of telling Bobby about it before I decided it probably wasn’t a good idea. She’d probably look at me as though I’d grown as second head or something.
“You’ve always been too soft.” Bobby insisted, “I bet she walks all over you.”
If only she knew. My lips twitched up with satisfaction as I thought of the terrified looks on both Lola and her bots faces. I seriously wish I’d had a camera on hand to take a picture. Maybe then Bobby would believe me if I told her.
“She stuck up for herself yesterday.” Polly insisted, “And she broke her…”
“I didn’t break anything!” I said all too loudly and I felt everyone in the vicinity turn to look at me with shock. It was as if they had never heard a teenager yelling. Of course, they most likely had. There were always heated discussions between friends going on at Frosty’s. It was, after all, the place where everyone came to hang out after school in the summer.
I was actually surprised that I hadn’t already seen someone I recognised. Of course, I didn’t know everybody in school. It was impossible to remember the name of every student when there were like a thousand of us.
“Yes you did!” Polly glared back at me as though she was not pleased to have been made to look like a liar.
“I broke my nail.” I said quickly, “It was nothing.”
Bobby’s brow furrowed as she looked from me to Polly and back again.
“What’s going on?” she asked as though she got the scent that something was seriously up.
How was I supposed to tell my friend that I’d broken my wrist and a strange woman had appeared to heal it with her freaky witch chanting?
Luckily for me, the server appeared then. She carried a heavy metal tray that carried our order on it and as soon as she called the number at the top of our ticket, I raised a hand to wave her over.
She was just crossing the pavement, juggling the tray, when a push bike seemed to speed out of nowhere.
I wasn’t s
ure whether it clipped her or whether the wind of it rushing past had simply knocked her off her feet but she stumbled forwards and time seemed to slow down.
In an instant I was up on my feet, rushing forwards to grab hold of the tray and steady her before she could face plant the floor.
“Thanks.” she gasped as I caught her elbow.
“You’re welcome.” I smiled at her, “I’ve got this.”
Lauren, the server who I recognised as being one of the sixth former’s at school, smiled gratefully and turned back to the door of Frosty’s, clearly eager to remove herself from the embarrassing situation.
When I turned back to the table with the tray in hand my friends were looking at me all bug eyed.
“What?” I scowled at them.
“How did you…” Bobby said breathlessly.
“Are you Wonder Woman or something?!” Polly gaped at me.
“What do you mean?” I continued to scowl even as I placed the tray on the bench table in front of them and began to hand out the bowls.
“You moved so fast it’s like you had a firecracker up your butt!” Bobby exclaimed. She’d always had a way with words.
“Yeah! That wasn’t human!” Polly insisted.
Perhaps they were right. Just before I’d moved I’d felt the familiar tingling sensation growing inside of me. Was Polly right? Was I Wonder Woman?
Don’t be stupid. I’m pretty sure I’d know if I was some super powerful Amazon from a comic book.
My cheeks flushed red hot as they continued to gawk at me. Unable to meet their eyes I found myself turning my head to look across the road.
That’s when I saw her. Stood in the shadows of the nearest alleyway on the opposite side of the street, I saw the oddly familiar, radiant face of the woman who had been at school the day before.
I almost instinctively raised my hand to wave her over. After all, I hadn’t had the opportunity to thank her for whatever it was she’d done to my wrist.
Just before I managed to raise my hand another push bike whipped past and suddenly she was gone.
***