Bianca raises an eyebrow. ‘Just how pleasurable?’
‘He is quite the conversationalist!’ Alexandra exclaims, as she pulls two plastic boxes from the cupboard. ‘We discuss art, literature... Did you know your world creates those amazing moving-pictures based on the works of your scribes?!’
‘Authors...’ Bianca says, absently, as she clears up her bowl.
‘He is wonderful company. I feel myself so privileged to have become his friend!’ Alexandra claps her hands together and Bianca glowers darkly at her.
‘I do hope you ladies are talking about me,’ Scotty says, entering through the back door and taking a seat at the table, already reaching for the nearest food stuff and giving Bianca a goofy grin.
‘No; Cory, actually,’ Bianca says. She pushes the jug of milk towards her friend to go with the cereal he nicked and stands up to clear away her own plate and glass. She joins Alexandra in the kitchen, turning on the tap and running the plate under the flow of water. Alexandra smiles at her as she spreads lunch meat across the bread she fetched from the bread bin, already making lunch for herself and Bianca. Bianca smiles back because not so many days before, Alexandra would stare in wonder at the tap and ask many a question as to how such a miraculous thing could work.
‘Cory wonderful company?’ Scotty says. ‘Now I’ve heard it all!’
‘He is quite the polite fellow and has a wide range of interests we discuss during lunch.’ Alexandra smiles across at Scotty. ‘Good morning, by the way.’ She stumbles over the last three words, as though still trying to grow accustomed to normal speech and Scotty grins at her.
‘Morning.’
The door to the hall opens and Julia enters, scratching at her hair and yawning like crazy. ‘Morning,’ she mutters. ‘You all okay?’
‘Pretty good,’ Bianca says, grabbing tupperware to put the sandwiches into. ‘Alexandra is making lunch and Scotty is eating your food.’
‘All your friends seem to eat my food,’ Julia says, dropping down into a chair and scrounging the cereal off Scotty.
‘It’s because your food is so good, Missus W., just like your parenting.’
The sarcasm Bianca detects in Scotty’s tone appears to be lost on Julia, for she replies with, ‘You’re too nice to me, Scotty.’
‘Come on,’ Bianca says, grabbing Scotty by the back of the blazer even as Alexandra snaps the Tupperware closed and runs across to tuck it into her bag. ‘We’re going to be late if we’re not careful.’
‘Oy!’ Scotty twists around and her grip slips free. ‘You say that every morning and are we ever late?’
‘Really want me to answer that?’ Bianca says, but the scowl is more for his sarcasm and he seems to detect that, for he drops his spoon in the bowl, chirps a goodbye in Julia’s direction and heads for the door.
Bianca sighs and picks Alexandra’s pink bag up off the floor, throwing it at the blonde girl, who catches it with a smile, having returned to grab a bottle of water.
The bag was a present from Bianca seven days ago. Once she realised Alexandra would definitely be staying for a while, she bought her the things she felt the girl would need, including, but not limited to, a toothbrush of her own and a bag to put some stuff in.
‘You don’t have to be so rough with me,’ Scotty says, as the door closed.
‘You should be happy, Scotty!’ Alexandra announces. ‘For it is a beautiful day and we are going to school!’
‘But I’m not happy,’ Scotty says, huffing and slowing down. ‘School should not be something you’re deliberately on time for!’
Bianca puts her hands on his shoulder blades. ‘There, there, Scotts,’ she says, kissing his cheek. ‘We all have our crosses to bear.’ She plants a foot on his backside and shoves. He stumbles forwards, shouting obscenities, but she’s already grabbing his hand and dragging him down the road.
‘No way in hell am I letting you make us early!’ he shouts, helplessly. ‘I couldn’t bear the shame!’
Alexandra giggles and runs after them.
*
‘I would have made it on time,’ Scotty complains, half way to school. There’s a shoe print on the back of his blazer, something Alexandra seemed to enjoy pointing out.
She giggles. ‘You did not appear to be,’ she says. ‘Bianca was completely justified in her actions.’
‘Ha.’ Bianca grins at Scotty and reaches over to ruffle his hair.
‘Hey, guys!’ a voice shouts. ‘Wait up!’
The three friends turn around to see Cory jogging to catch up with them. He slides smoothly in between the two girls, effectively shoving Bianca and Scotty into the road, and grins at Alexandra, who smiles back. ‘How you doing?’
‘That’s okay, no one wait for me...’ Daisy says, trailing dejectedly up behind them. By the time she’s caught up with Scotty and Bianca, Alexandra and Cory are already wandering off up ahead, chatting animatedly and laughing at regular intervals.
‘Since when do you guys walk this way?’ Scotty enquires.
‘Since today, it seems.’ Daisy throws her hands up and sighs.
‘It’s something to do with Alexandra, isn’t it?’ Scotty says.
They all start walking again and Daisy nods. ‘I swear,’ she says, ‘he hasn’t stopped talking about her in a week.’
‘Ah...’ Scotty chuckles. ‘He has it bad.’
‘What?’ Bianca snaps out of the reverie she was in, watching Alexandra’s hair glint golden in the sunlight, and stares at her friend. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘Cory! He’s totally crushing on Alexandra!’ he exclaims. ‘Can’t you see it?’
Bianca glances up towards Cory and Alexandra’s backs, the two of them laughing and chatting together, Cory deliberately grazing the back of her hand with his as they walk.
‘Son of a...!’ Bianca gasps.
‘You see it now?’ Scotty enquires.
She stares up ahead. She’d thought Alexandra was getting close to Cory and she was jealous of the friendship they’d managed to forge while not seeing each other much outside of school. When she compared it with the friendship she had with Alexandra, it seemed... different and it sent pangs through her chest that she didn’t really want to consider, but if Cory is crushing and Alexandra is... No.
‘Well,’ she says, after a moment, having arrived at this definite negative, ‘he can’t have her!’
Scotty quirks an eyebrow at her, interested now. ‘Oh, really?’
She colours. ‘Well, no. She lives with me and... and... and... It’s just, she’s really naive, you know? And Cory would probably... He’d probably corrupt her or something!’
Scotty breaks out in a grin. ‘Oh my god!’ he exclaims ‘Cory’s not the only one crushing!’
‘What?!’ Bianca squeaks. She stops walking and jumps back a few steps. ‘No! Don’t be daft! I’m not... I’m not crushing!’
‘You totally are!’ Scotty claps his hands together. ‘If you’re not going to take her, though, you should leave her to someone who wants her...’ It’s obvious that he’s just trying to provoke her now, so Bianca ignores him.
‘Wait, what?’ Daisy looks confused and Bianca looks at her. ‘If you’re crushing on Alexandra, that would imply you’re a...’ Daisy trails off, eyes widening. ‘Oh.’
‘Yes, well, maybe I am!’ Bianca exclaims, with a huff. She puts her hands on her hips and blows a strand of hair off her nose. ‘It doesn’t matter, though – sexualities and stuff – because he really can’t have her. Can we change the subject now?!’
Daisy raises an eyebrow. ‘Uh huh... Sure.’ She eyes Bianca for a moment, as though trying to work out if she can ask something.
Bianca rolls her eyes. ‘Spit it out, Daisy,’ she says.
Daisy bites her lip. ‘Do you think I’m hot?’
Bianca throws her hands up, gives Daisy the finger and stalks off towards Alexandra and Cory.
‘I...actually genuinely wanted to know,’ Daisy tells Scotty, with a sigh. Scotty smiles at her
, throws an arm around her shoulders and the two wander off after the others.
*
‘Serious question time,’ Scotty says, sitting down beside Bianca at lunch. Alexandra and Cory are off to the side, chatting and ignoring Daisy, who seems perfectly content to just watch Cory from afar with a wistful look in her eyes. ‘Are you crushing on Alexandra?’
Bianca looks up from rifling through her bag and glowers. ‘Don’t be daft,’ she says, a tad too quickly.
‘It’s not daft. I know you and she’s completely your type!’
‘I’m into blonde and ditzy then?’ Bianca goes back to her bag and starts throwing random items at her friend: purse, keys, notepad, books, pens, tampons, makeup... Scotty catches them all and piles them up in his lap, watching her.
‘No, but you’re into nice, sweet girls who dote on your every word and, more importantly, girls like Alexandra who genuinely think you’re a lovely person and seem to have a big heart.’ He dumps all the stuff on the table. ‘I do remember Melissa!’
Bianca glances up from her bag, looking off into the distance with a dreamy look on her face. ‘Ah, Melissa,’ she says, wistfully. ‘That was a good summer...’
‘Earth to Bianca,’ Scotty says, waving his hand in front of her face. ‘You’re evading the question.’
She shrugs and turns back to her bag. ‘Yeah, well, maybe I just don’t see the logic in this questioning. I don’t like Alexandra that way. I really don’t.’
Scotty raises an eyebrow. ‘Isn’t that what you said about Melissa? Right up until she kissed you and you were smitten?’
Bianca sighs as she finally retrieves her lunch from where it had sunk to the very bottom of her bag and grabs the stuff back off the table, piling it back into her bag. ‘No, this is just like how I don’t like her...’ She glances off towards Cory and Alexandra, chatting nearby, then looks determinedly away. ‘Anyway, I guess she likes Cory.’
She cracks open the plastic box and looks down at her lunch inside. There’s a post-it attached to the plastic bag containing her sandwiches and written on the yellow surface is a note: ‘Enjoy your food!’ There are several love hearts scattered around the message and smiley faces in the O’s.
‘I shouldn’t have shown her Post-Its,’ Bianca says, with a sigh, brushing her fingertips over the perfectly shaped little hearts.
‘Oh, yeah, ‘cause you’re not crushing on her at all,’ Scotty says, watching her.
She smacks him around the head with the plastic box. ‘Shut up!’
*
‘Are you and Scotty experiencing problems in your relationship, Bianca?’ Alexandra enquires, as they walk home from school together. She’s stopped clinging to Bianca’s hand now and, instead, holds on to her bag. Bianca misses the contact but says nothing.
‘No, why would you think that?’ Bianca turns to look at her and the blonde shrugs.
‘Earlier, you and he appeared to have an argument and tonight he is not with us.’ Alexandra gestures at the distinct lack of Scotty walking home with them. ‘Has something happened?’
Bianca smiles at her. ‘Nah, don’t worry. Scotty and I are still besties. Always will be.’ She slings an arm around Alexandra’s shoulders. ‘He’s just helping Cory set up for the party tonight.’
‘Oh, I see. This party...’ Alexandra furrows her brow, confusedly. ‘Is it a ball? A masquerade ball, perhaps?’
‘Err... no.’ Bianca offers her friend a sheepish grin and steps away again. ‘More like a... erm... well, just a party, really. If Cory has his way, it’ll be drinking, dancing and everyone making out with each other.’
‘Making out?’ Alexandra says, looking even more confused.
‘Kissing.’ Bianca sighs at Alexandra’s shocked look. ‘Alexandra,’ she says, ‘just how different is your world?’
‘Hmm...’ Alexandra looks thoughtful for a moment, as the two girls walk through the front door.
‘Mum! We’re home!’ Bianca shouts through the house.
‘We do not kiss those we do not have a connection with,’ Alexandra muses. Bianca nods, absently, and walks into the living room. Julia looks up from the sofa.
‘Who’s ‘we’?’ she enquires.
‘Just Alexandra, Mum,’ Bianca replies, leaning on the back of the sofa. ‘I said she could wear my pink party dress tonight.’
‘Hmm, as long as you get it back when she’s done,’ Julia says. ‘That dress was really expensive and I’d like you to wear it at least once before you completely out grow it.’
Bianca grins, knowing full well she’ll never wear it. ‘Yeah, well, Mum, at least someone will get some use out of it.’ She turns to Alexandra. ‘Come on! Upstairs, upstairs!’ She herds her out of the living room and up the stairs and the other girl giggles as she runs across the landing and into Bianca’s room.
‘Here it is,’ Bianca announces a couple of minutes later as she produces a beautiful pink party dress from the wardrobe. ‘And this is the green one... in case you wanna compare.’ She holds the two out together and Alexandra gives them an awed look.
‘They are simply marvellous!’ she exclaims, taking the pink one and laying it out on the bed. ‘I will truly be the belle of the ball in this!’
‘Alexandra, you’d be the belle of the ball if you wore a paper bag,’ Bianca says, only slightly jealously. She starts rooting around in the wardrobe as Alexandra examines the delicate lace trim around the neckline of the party dress.
‘What will you be wearing?’ Alexandra enquires.
‘Um...’ Bianca all but climbs into the wardrobe trying to find what she’s after and, when she almost trips straight into it, it’s Alexandra that hauls her back onto her feet.
‘Here we are!’ she exclaims, finally, dragging a pair of sparkly jeans and a fancy top from somewhere within the depths of the wardrobe. ‘This,’ she says, holding the two items against her body. ‘Simple and, you know... Trousers. I like trousers.’
Alexandra scowls at her. ‘Hm,’ she says, ‘I believe you can do better!’
‘Yeah, well...’ Bianca unbuttons and pulls her shirt off, depositing it on the floor at her feet, already reaching for the top to replace it. ‘Maybe I don’t wanna do better.’
Alexandra looks at her sadly. ‘But you are so beautiful,’ she says, plaintively. ‘Why must you refuse to show off your limbs?’
‘I do show off my limbs!’ Bianca holds her hands out towards her friend. ‘See? Arms! They go well with bracelets and trousers.’ She shrugs the purple top on over her head, messing up her hair in the process.
‘Well, at least allow me to decorate your face and hair!’ Alexandra exclaims, as she pulls on the pink dress, careful not to rip it. ‘Will you do me the honour of doing me up?’
Bianca nods and zips the back of the dress up, gently removing Alexandra’s hair from inside the neckline. ‘You look beautiful,’ she says.
‘Thank you.’ Alexandra blushes a little as she reaches for Bianca’s hair brush and starts pulling it through her wavy hair. ‘I wish my hair was as straight as yours,’ she says. ‘I envy your locks.’
Bianca sighs. ‘Here.’ She reaches into the wardrobe and retrieves her hair straightener from the floor. ‘Use this. Just don’t blow any fuses.’
Alexandra blinks at the device. ‘What is this?’
‘Hair straightener.’ Bianca sighs as she wipes her makeup off in the mirror and reaches for more. She catches Alexandra’s confused look and says, ‘Okay, fine, I’ll do your hair for you. Just... give me a minute.’
Alexandra smiles gratefully. ‘You are the most gracious hostess!’ she exclaims.
Bianca smiles. ‘I try my best.’
*
‘Why, don’t you two look gorgeous!’ Julia says as Bianca and Alexandra descend the stairs together. ‘You look so pretty, Bianca.’
‘You don’t have to sound so surprised,’ Bianca says, grumpily.
‘Alexandra, you look beautiful,’ Julia says, smiling at the blonde. Bianca folds her arms and glare
s at the wall.
‘Whoa,’ Daisy says, from where she’s waiting by the front door. ‘You guys look great! Alexandra, did you straighten your hair?’ She walks over and steps behind Alexandra, running her fingers through the very bottom of her blonde hair which is brushing the small of her back. ‘It’s so long and shiny...’
‘Bianca did it for me,’ Alexandra says. ‘And I did her hair and makeup!’ She gestures at her friend who shrugs. ‘I believe I have perfected the application of makeup.’
‘Gotta admit she did do it well,’ Bianca says. ‘I’m not arguing about that.’
‘Couldn’t get her into a skirt though, eh?’ Julia says, casting an appraising look over Bianca.
Alexandra shakes her head. ‘I did try to persuade her, but she will not budge!’
‘Try bribing her with brownies in future,’ Julia says, with a shrug. ‘It used to work when she was younger.’
‘When I was five,’ Bianca snaps.
Daisy laughs. ‘Come on,’ she says, ‘before we’re late.’
‘You look beautiful, too, Daisy,’ Alexandra says, with a smile, admiring Daisy’s low cut blue top and short black skirt. ‘You did your hair up so nicely.’ She fingers a few stray strands by the base of Daisy’s neck and the redhead blushes until her ears go red.
‘Don’t be daft,’ she says. ‘I’m not beautiful.’
‘She’s fishing for ‘sexy’,’ Bianca whispers in Alexandra’s ear, as she makes her way to the door. Daisy smacks her on the shoulder.
‘Bianca, I was not!’ she exclaims.
‘You were so.’
Daisy chases Bianca out of the door. ‘Was not!’
‘Was so!’
Ten
‘So this is a party as your world knows it?’ Alexandra says, as they walk into the rented club and are assaulted by loud music and the sound of people talking and laughing. ‘I do not believe I care much for such festivities.’
‘Give it a go,’ Bianca says, with a laugh. ‘I’m sure you’ll love it.’
Alexandra sighs. ‘Then you do not know me very well. Could I not have remained at home?’
A Hole in the World Page 8