A Hot Cold Summer

by Nova Weetman

  ‘Mum! Have you seen my green bathers?’ I yelled.

  ‘No, honey. Sorry,’ she finally called back.

  Urgh. I’d pulled out everything looking for them and now my room was a tip. I was always losing things. It didn’t help that I lived between two houses - all my stuff went back and forth a lot.

  Normally I just wore something else if I couldn’t find what I was looking for, but I needed to find my green bathers. It was the last day of school before the holidays and most of the kids in our class were meeting later at the pool, which meant one thing: it could be my last chance to hang with the gorgeous Tom Matthews.

  If I wanted to see him during the holidays, I’d have to arrange to catch up with him, or at least swap numbers. Either way, if it didn’t happen this afternoon at the pool, then I wouldn’t see him for the whole summer, and then my holidays would be totally boring. My best friend Gen was going away with her enormous family, both my parents were working, and almost everyone I knew had plans. I would have to spend six weeks hanging out on my own. Not cool. But if I could spend six weeks hanging out with Tom …

  ‘I did find these ones, Frankie.’ My daydream was interrupted by Mum, who was now standing in the doorway to my room, holding up an old pair of red bathers I hadn’t worn since I’d quit squad training. My face must have said it all because she looked at them and nodded. ‘Yes, they are a bit …’ She kind of lost her train of thought there. It was a thing she did. She was probably thinking about a work project.

  ‘I can’t wear them. They go all baggy in the water. I really need my green ones.’ I said, in a more whingey voice than I meant to use.

  ‘Maybe you left them at your dad’s,’ Mum tried.

  As soon as she said it, I grinned. Of course! ‘Why didn’t I think of that? Thanks, Mum!’

  Luckily, my parents lived really close to each other and I could ride past Dad’s on the way to school. I grabbed my schoolbag and bike helmet and headed to the front door.

  ‘Have a good day, honey. I’ll see you Sunday,’ said Mum, giving me a goodbye kiss.

  I was back to thinking about Tom when I opened Dad’s front door with my key. Distracted, I called out hello as I walked to my bedroom. I heard a door slam upstairs, but didn’t think much of it.

  ‘Dad, it’s just me. I’m getting my bathers,’ I called out.

  I had a quick look in my room, but I could see straight away my bathers weren’t there either. Then I remembered I’d gone to the pool one night with Gen and had rinsed off in the bathroom, leaving my bathers hanging over the shower screen. I was always doing that, and Dad was always telling me to hang them out on the line.

  As I started running up the stairs, Dad called out, ‘Frankie, can you wait a minute?’

  I didn’t stop, because I was already running late for school.

  Dad lives in a neat little townhouse that he bought after he and Mum split up. It suits him perfectly, because everything has a place. And because he lives on his own, except for the nights I’m there, there’s more than enough room. The only annoying thing is there’s only one shower, in Dad’s ensuite bathroom, so he’s forever telling me to hurry up when I’m in there. He doesn’t seem to realise you can’t rush a girl with wild, frizzy hair.

  As I barged into the bathroom to search for my bathers, there was a scream. Shocked, I looked up and saw a woman wrapped in a towel staring at me with a horrified look on her face.

  ‘Sorry, didn’t mean to, um … who are you?’ I managed to say.

  ‘I’m Jan,’ she answered, like I should have known.

  ‘Oh. Okay. Ah, I just need my bathers,’ I said as I slipped past her to rifle through the laundry basket, where my things usually ended up when Dad found them in the bathroom.

  ‘Do you mind?’ She sounded a bit angry, which I guess was fair enough, but I didn’t have time to be polite.

  Dad had obviously heard the scream too, because suddenly he was squashing in behind me, forcing Jan and me even closer together.

  ‘Frankie. Out, please,’ said Dad, using his stern voice.

  Just then I saw the familiar green of my bathers in the basket and snatched them out.

  ‘See you later, Dad,’ I said as I squeezed around him and fought my way out of the bathroom.

  But before I could make it down the stairs, Dad stopped me. I guess he wasn’t expecting a visit from me this morning, so now he felt like he had to explain. I knew we’d have to talk about it, but I didn’t really want to discuss it while Jan was still in his bathroom and could overhear.

  ‘Frankie.’

  ‘Yeah, Dad.’

  ‘Um, that’s Jan.’

  ‘Yeah, she told me.’ Was I supposed to know who Jan was?

  ‘She’s a friend,’ he said in a small voice. It was obviously really hard for him to have this conversation too. ‘A girlfriend. Um, my girlfriend,’ he continued. Then he looked surprised that he’d actually managed to say it.

  ‘Great,’ I said - only because I couldn’t possibly say what I was really thinking.

  ‘We’ve been dating for a while now,’ said Dad as he suddenly found a spot of dirt on his shirt that needed attention. He was doing everything he could to avoid looking at me. And it might have been okay if Jan hadn’t then come out of the bathroom, walked over to Dad and slid her arm through his like she was trying to show me they were a real couple. At least Dad managed to look as uncomfortable as I felt.

  ‘Right, um, introductions. This is Jan. And this is Frankie,’ said Dad, with a bit of a wobble in his voice.

  Jan and I stared at each other. It was weird looking at the first woman my dad had introduced me to since he and Mum had split. I knew he’d probably dated but he’d never been serious enough about anyone for me to meet them. And, to be honest, I’d sort of liked it that way.

  ‘I’ve heard a lot about you, Frankie,’ Jan said with a smile.

  ‘Great,’ I answered, sounding like it was the only word I knew. Why hadn’t I heard about her? I just wanted to dig a big hole for myself and crawl in. ‘Well, nice to meet you, Jan,’ I said as I started to leave.

  ‘I’ll see you tonight, Frankie,’ she said.

  ‘Tonight?’ I asked, confused.

  ‘Didn’t your dad tell you?’ she asked, looking between us. I didn’t know what to say, because Dad hadn’t told me anything.

  Dad tried to catch my eye. ‘Er, Jan and I thought we’d all go out for dinner tonight.’

  Tonight. Now I understood. Tonight was my night with Dad. Two minutes ago I didn’t even know Dad had a girlfriend. Now all of a sudden we were arranging to go out as a family, and apparently he was supposed to have told me already. I didn’t want to be rude or upset Dad, but I wasn’t going to pretend he’d told me something he hadn’t.

  Before I could say anything, Jan asked, ‘Is Thai okay?’

  ‘Sure,’ I said, heading for the stairs. I just really wanted to get out of there.

  I took the stairs faster than normal, and I’d almost made it to the front door when Dad said, ‘Just a sec.’

  ‘What?’ I said, sounding really cross.

  ‘I’m sorry. I should have told you,’ he said, looking me straight in the eye.

  I nodded. ‘Yeah, you should have.’

  ‘And I meant to ask you about dinner. Do you mind? It is our night,’ he said.

  I wanted to say, Yeah, I mind, but he looked really worried about what I was going to say and I’d never been very good at upsetting him. ‘It’s fine.’

  ‘Only fine? Well, that doesn’t sound good,’ he said, trying to win me with a smile.

  ‘No more secrets. Okay?’

  ‘Okay. Have a good last day! And don’t get up to anything.’

  I rolled my eyes at him and he laughed. He
was always saying things like that.

  ‘Make sure you’re home by seven. Jan made a booking.’

  Skidding through the school gates, I slotted my bike into the rack. I didn’t have time to bother with my massive lock. I was desperate to tell Gen about my dad, and if I didn’t find her before class started I’d have to wait until lunch because we took different subjects.

  Gen wasn’t at the lockers, so I chucked my bag in, grabbed my maths books and hurried off to find her. But as I dashed around the corner to E building, I crashed straight into Tom. The Tom.

  ‘Whoa, Frankie,’ he said, and grabbed my arm to stop me falling backwards. I couldn’t believe he was actually holding my arm.

  ‘Sorry.’ I looked everywhere but at him.

  ‘Whatevs,’ he said, as he let go of my arm and smiled at me. Like right at me. He had an amazing smile and I couldn’t help but smile back. Those blue eyes. And that messy dark hair. As we stood there smiling at each other, I couldn’t believe how cute he looked out of uniform for the last day, in his skinny black jeans and Ramones T-shirt.

  ‘Are you guys coming to the pool today?’ he asked.

  I was so rapt he was asking if I was going, I didn’t think. I just burst out with, ‘Oh yeah, I can’t wait. I’m so hot!’

  As Tom laughed, I realised what I’d just said. I could feel my cheeks blushing - it always happened when I said something embarrassing.

  ‘Oh god, I didn’t mean I’m hot,’ I tried to explain. ‘I just … well, it’s really hot today.’

  He had a huge grin on his face, like he was enjoying my embarrassment. ‘Yeah, sure,’ he said, infuriatingly. ‘Hey, I’ve been meaning to say that song you sang last week was awesome.’

  ‘Oh. Thanks,’ I said, trying to play it cool. I’d sung an original song at the school concert last week and people kept talking to me about it. But I didn’t ever think Tom Matthews would be one of them. ‘Actually, it was pretty fun, getting up there,’ I admitted.

  Then Tom really surprised me by saying, ‘We should get together and play. If you’re around in the holidays?’

  ‘Sure,’ I managed, trying to stay cool. ‘That’d be great.’

  Was that actually his way of asking to hang out with me? Or did he just really like music?

  ‘Well, see ya at the pool, Frankie,’ said Tom, as he walked off. Then he turned round and yelled, ‘Don’t get too hot …’ with a giant smile on his face.

  I watched him go. Even his back was cute. Now I just had to make sure we swapped numbers later. I couldn’t wait to tell Gen that Tom and I were going to hang out and play music. How was I going to make it through a whole day of school? I just wanted to be at the pool with Tom. Now!

  I survived maths and found Gen waiting for me under the tree where we always had lunch. Gen had already scoffed down most of her sandwich. I’d have to eat mine quickly or she’d start on mine next. She was always super hungry because she did swimming training most mornings. I didn’t know why she didn’t just bring two sandwiches of her own.

  ‘Guess what?’ I said as I slid down onto the grass next to her.

  ‘You’re finally allowed to get your ears pierced?’

  I laughed. ‘As if.’ Both of us knew that wasn’t going to happen until I was fourteen, which was still nearly a month away. My parents loved that they agreed on almost everything about what I wasn’t allowed to do yet.

  ‘So, spill,’ said Gen impatiently.

  ‘Do you want the Dad news or the Tom news first?’ I said, trying to string it out.

  She leant closer, expecting something good. ‘Do you really have to ask?’

  ‘Well, I crashed into Tom this morning and told him I was hot,’ I said, making her laugh. ‘And then he said we should hang out and play music in the holidays.’

  ‘Ahhh!’ squealed Gen. I looked around to make sure nobody could hear us. ‘You’re going to make beautiful music together,’ she said, with a silly grin.

  I rolled my eyes at her.

  ‘Told you so,’ she said, with a huge grin on her face.

  ‘Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe he was just being nice,’ I said, wanting reassurance.

  ‘Of course he likes you. You’re gorgeous. And lovely. And talented. And Tom Matthews would be lucky to go out with you.’

  ‘That’s what I wanted to hear!’ I said.

  Gen had been telling me that Tom liked me for months. She believed she knew how boys really felt because she had three older brothers and she was always helping them with girls. I wanted to believe her. I really did, but after having my heart broken earlier in the year by a boy called Jack, I’d vowed to stay away from boys for a while. They were just too complicated.

  ‘And, in other breaking news, Dad has a girlfriend,’ I said, surprised at how uncomfortable it made me just saying it. ‘Her name’s Jan, and I walked in on her in the bathroom this morning.’

  ‘What? Oh my god! Yuck! Was she naked?’ she asked all in one breath.

  I shook my head, smiling at the horrified look on Gen’s face.

  ‘But your dad doesn’t have girlfriends! Since when?’

  ‘I don’t know. He didn’t tell me about her. I just happened to find her in the bathroom, and now we’re all having dinner tonight.’ I couldn’t imagine sitting down at a table with Dad and Jan and watching them together, and feeling like I was in the way. I’d never felt like that with Dad before. We’d always got along really well.

  ‘Frankie, that’s awful. I can’t believe he didn’t tell you!’ she said, leaning over to hug me.

  ‘Me neither,’ I said, remembering how awkward it all was this morning.

  Gen was the only friend I had who’d actually met my parents when they were still together, and she knew Dad hadn’t had a girlfriend since the divorce eight years ago.

  ‘There’s something about parents dating when you aren’t that makes it even worse. I guess if everything works out with Tom …’ she trailed off.

  ‘If it works out?’ I teased her.

  ‘When. I meant when it works out,’ she said. ‘But don’t you think? He’s your dad and he’s kissing someone. It’s weird.’

  ‘I know. And she’s nothing like Mum. That’s weird too,’ I said, realising I hadn’t even considered that until now. But it was true. Mum was a career woman. She was tall and thin and always wearing something black and stylish. Jan was shorter and curvier and, when she’d finally got dressed, she was wearing old jeans and a T-shirt. In fact, they couldn’t be more different.

  ‘Does your mum know?’ asked Gen, with a sort of panicked voice.

  ‘I don’t know,’ I said. I certainly wasn’t going to tell her. Usually my parents were so good about all this stuff. They talked to each other and sorted things out so I didn’t have to get in the middle, but Dad seemed to have kept Jan a secret.

  ‘So are you okay about it?’ asked Gen, as she stole the last part of my sandwich.

  Was I? I didn’t know. ‘I don’t want him to be lonely, and it’s not like I want Mum and Dad to get back together or anything …’ I started, then trailed off.

  Gen finished my sentence for me. ‘But you don’t really want to share your dad with someone you don’t know. Right?’

  ‘Exactly.’ I liked having Dad all to myself, and if he was already calling Jan his girlfriend then he was obviously pretty serious about her. Maybe all our time together would become about the three of us, and not just me and Dad.

  ‘Hey, that’s enough about your dad,’ said Gen standing up. ‘He’s not going to ruin your day. Tell me more about Tom Who Thinks You’re Hot.’

  I loved that Gen was so sure Tom liked me. I also loved that she thought everyone should love me. She was that kind of friend. But sometimes she was so blind about how great I was that she didn’t actually read situations or people very well. So I couldn’t always rely on her opinion. Still, she was right. Why let Dad having a girlfriend spoil the last day of school?

  The rest of the afternoon sped by. We watched a movie in English
class, because the fans had stopped working and it was too hot to do anything else. Mr Phillips didn’t even care when we all took our shoes off, and then he handed out icy poles and told us all to have a good holiday.

  Some of the older kids were already having water fights as we walked through the school to our bikes. It was so hot that nobody actually cared if they got hit.

  ‘Six whole weeks,’ said Gen, trying to eat the last of her icy pole before it dripped all over the ground.

  ‘Hey, Gen, where’s my bike?’ I was sure I’d dropped it sort of near hers, but I couldn’t see it anywhere.

  ‘Where did you lock it?’ asked Gen, looking around.

  Then I remembered. ‘I didn’t. I was running late.’ The thought hit me. ‘What if someone’s stolen it?’ I asked, worried about what her answer would be. I loved my bike. I rode it every day. I could get from my place to Gen’s house in less than five minutes.

  ‘It’ll be here. Nobody would steal it,’ she said, trying to sound confident. ‘Kids leave their bikes unlocked all the time.’

  But as we searched the bike sheds, the fences, and all around the school, it was pretty clear that someone had taken it.

  I felt sick. Dad had bought me that bike about five months ago and it was a really good one. Now I’d have to tell him that I hadn’t even bothered locking it up.

  Sensing I was close to tears, Gen hugged me.

  ‘Maybe I should just head back to Dad’s and break the news. You know, get it over and done with.’

  Before Gen could even answer me, Tom rode over with his friend Arlo.

  ‘You guys coming to the pool?’ asked Tom.

  ‘My bike’s been stolen,’ I said, feeling really stupid. I always locked my bike up. If only I hadn’t been in such a rush to find Gen before school and tell her about Dad’s new girlfriend.

  ‘That sucks. You sure it’s gone?’ asked Tom.

  ‘Yeah. I’m sure. It was right here,’ I said, pointing.

  ‘We’ll ride around school and see if we can find it. Someone might have just moved it,’ said Tom.

  ‘We already checked,’ I said.

  Tom shrugged. ‘That’s okay, we’ll look again.’