by Beth Garrod
I looked around to see what quick job could work. But without warning, my blood ran cold.
Because three people were striding right towards us. Three people I was hoping to never see again. Marge, Britney T and Lols.
What were they doing here?
And more importantly, how could I get them to leave? Immediately.
“Hi, Bella.” Lols waved with just her fingers. I gave her a weak smile back as I tried to get Tegan’s attention to help, but she was too engrossed cutting out letters.
“Wow.” Marge looked at everyone working. She slow clapped and spoke extra loudly. “Seventeen people.” Rach wasn’t around so they weren’t bothering pretending to be nice any more. “Soooo great that you’re still going ahead with this protest, despite the fact NO ONE is going to see it.”
Could she be more patronizing? Yes, they might have cool hair, and great tattoos, and know anyone who’s anyone, but it was time I stood up to them.
I couldn’t let them come here just to make everyone feel like giving up.
I smiled as reassuringly as I could at the people making the posters. “Ignore them. They’re just going.”
Lols stepped forward. I could tell from the smirk on her face I’d just effectively declared war.
“Awww, don’t be like that.” She flicked some glitter off my top, like she cared. “We just wanted to say good luck –” she looked at Adam “– to both of you – for your big days.” I held my breath, hoping she’d stop there. “Seeing as you both had such a big night.”
So, she was going there.
She didn’t move her eyes off me, enjoying watching me squirm on the impact of her conversation bomb.
Adam laughed. “It was a late one, but today is 100% all about the gig.” He squeezed my hand. “And supporting this one.”
He had no idea what was going on. I had to get him out of here. I could explain later.
Lols clocked me looking for an excuse, and made sure she spoke first. “Ahh, you two lovebirds.” I felt like the ground was rotating beneath my feet. Why was she doing this? What had I done to deserve this? “Aaaaall over each other after last night. No wonder Bella was celebrating this morning.”
Adam’s hand tightened on mine. “Sorry, Lols. You’ve lost me.”
This couldn’t be happening.
“I wasn’t celebrating.” I yanked his hand. “We should go.”
But Adam stood firm, not wanting to give in to Lols.
“What are you trying to get at?” His voice was prickly.
Lols blinked all innocently. “Bella can explain.”
I was shaking my head in disbelief. What was she playing at?!
“There’s nothing to explain.”
“C’mon, guys, it’s not even a big deal.” Lols shook her hair out and scraped it into a high ponytail, overly casual, like she wasn’t deliberately winding this whole situation up. Adam studied my face as if I could help him understand. I looked back at him, wishing I could but not knowing how. All I knew was I had to stop this conversation before it got worse. “It’s only sex.”
Too late.
Adam shot me a look. I felt sick. Was he going to think I’d said something?!
“Well, what happens in tents, stays in tents, right, Bells?” He squeezed my hand – a secret signal that he was dealing with it. That he knew Lols was just being her usual self. That although this was awkward and embarrassing, we could style it out together,
Relief rushed through every inch of my body. Even my hair felt less stressed.
I squeezed his hand right back.
“Agreed.”
But Lols wasn’t bothered. She just laughed. “That’s not what you were saying this morning though, were you, Bella?”
Adam dropped my hand. And turned back to me, confused. “Bells?”
I’d promised him no more lies. Did I have time to explain?
“There was just a mix-up.” I tried – and failed – to laugh it off.
“The kind of mix-up where you stand around celebrating that you’ve lost your virginity? That’s quite a mix-up?!” Marge was pretending to be completely baffled. I couldn’t look at Adam.
“C’mon, Marge, that’s not how it was.” I didn’t know if I was telling her, or pleading with her.
She cocked her head. “But it was?! In fact, it was SUCH a sweet moment, I filmed the whole thing.”
She held out her phone, playing the moment Lols was up in the chair giving the toast. It looked bad. They’d totally set this whole thing up. But why?
“C’mon, Marge! That’s enough.” I reached for her phone. But I was too late, the screen was filled with me, hand in the air, saying “thanks”.
It looked like I really was celebrating.
Behind me came the sound of a metallic crunch of a can being stamped on. Adam was walking away. I felt like all the oxygen had been sucked out of the air. What had I done?
I didn’t know whether to run after him, or stay and sort this out once and for all.
My phone buzzed.
AARD: Do me a favour and leave me alone.
Well, that was my decision made.
“Why’d you have to do that?” My voice, which had previously disappeared, was suddenly back. Loud, clear and furious. Tegan realized something was up and ran straight over.
Lols shrugged. “Why are you pretending, Bells? I saw you leave his tent. There’s nothing wrong with the fact you had sex.” She winked, just like she had this morning. It was clear that all this time she’d known full well nothing had happened. So why pretend to everyone it had?
“Having what?” Oh joy of joys. My sister had chosen this exact moment to reappear. And she did not look happy.
“Jo – can you give us some space?!”
She plonked down the pile of T-shirts she was carrying. Guess that meant “no”. I did not need this lecture right now. But when Jo looked up, it was Lols she was glaring at. “Is there a reason you think it’s OK to shout your mouth off about my little sister’s –” please don’t say sex please don’t say sex “– sex –” oh she did “– life?”
To think – I’d been so worried about the protest, but now I was going to die of humiliation before it even started.
Marge stepped forward, quick to defend her friend. “Says the girl who thinks it’s OK to act the fool on a podium?”
My sister stepped even closer, not afraid of anyone. “I’m not a girl, I’m a woman.”
“Calm down, dear,” Britney T said with a snigger. “Anyway, we should be saying thanks; Bella’s video of you embarrassing yourself on that stage was the highlight of the weekend.”
I felt a flush of regret that I’d ever taken it. Jo had only been having a good time. Considering we were all here making “Girls Support Girls” banners, I could sometimes be spectacularly bad at practising what we preached.
Jo shook her head at me. “Nice to know where your loyalties lie, sis.” And just like Adam, she stormed off.
“Everything OK?” Rach arrived back from next door, doing a double take as Jo marched past her. She had no idea what she was walking into.
“Not really.” Was the only answer I could give. None of it made sense. “These guys – ” I pointed at Marge and the others “– were just leaving.”
“But they just texted me to say there were coming to help.” She looked around at some of the empty benches. “Don’t we need all the hands on deck we can?”
Tegan had my back. “Not from these, Rach. Honestly, helping is the last thing they want to do.”
Marge raised her eyebrows at Rach. “Told you they had a problem with us.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
Rach looked from me to Marge to Tegan to Lols like she didn’t know who to believe.
“As if?!” I turned to Rach. “Seriously, Rach, you need to stay well away from them. They’re obsessed with ruining everything.” I could fill her in later about what had just happened.
“Errr,” Lols butted in, “don’t tell her what to do
?! You’re the ones that have abandoned her every night to hang out with your boyfriends.”
My mouth proper goldfished. Lucky Tegan managed words.
“We had to get back so we could get up for work.” Each word came out staccato.
Marge shrugged. “Sounds hella convenient to me. At least we were there for her to have fun with.”
I looked at Rach to see if she was going to say something, but she was keeping quiet. I had more than a niggling feeling she might be believing them.
“It’s not convenient?! It’s the truth.” I had to make Rach see who it was that was being honest. “As is the fact – NEWSFLASH – I’m a virgin.” I said it so loudly even Jay who was three benches away gawped at this weird TMI outburst. May have misjudged the volume slightly. “Which you completely know already. Which I’d appreciate you telling Rachel.” I shook my head trying to keep calm. “Seriously, what is your problem?!”
Britney T’s mouth dropped open. “What’s our problem? Our problem? We’re not the ones trying to get The Session kicked out of RebelRocks?!”
Marge and Lols shot her a look. But it was too late. I’d seen and knew exactly what it meant.
She’d said too much. Just enough for me to work it out. As least I understood now.
They were the ones who had caused issues between the three of us.
They were the ones who had made sure Rach stayed out, stopping her doing her flyering.
They were the ones who had heckled my speech, trying to put me off.
They were the ones who had thrown the whole of today’s prep off with this made-up drama about Adam and me.
And as the pieces slotted together I realized what it was that had bothered me about that Tommy K group selfie Rachel had shown me.
“Rach. I know this is the worst timing, but could you just show me that picture of you and Ruby again?”
There was no reply. I turned to see where she was. And my heart sank. She was nowhere to be seen. I’d been so busy shouting I hadn’t notice her leave. What kind of a friend was I?!
But I didn’t need to see the selfie again to know. It was what the girls had been wearing in it that had bothered me. Underneath their hoodies. It was just a flash, but it was enough.
The three of them had The Session T-shirts on underneath.
“It’s you, isn’t it?” I asked, suddenly calm. They were almost impressive. “You’re @HeyItsTheSessionHQ, aren’t you?”
Finally, Marge smiled her first genuine smile at me.
“Bingo.”
CHAPTER
TWENTY-EIGHT
It all made sense.
How @HeyItsTheSessionHQ had always been one step ahead of us. Knowing there was a video of me dancing that could be shared to humiliate me and put me off, knowing about the prep session so they could set up an account to sabotage it. Once they’d realized who we were they’d deliberately got close to us just so they could use our information against us. It was cruel, mean and everything we should really expect from people who loved The Session so much.
The only silver lining had been watching them get removed from the area by Brenda and a furious lemur.
After they’d been chucked out, luckily everyone else stayed to carry on with the protest prep. But I had to go. Because as serious as the protest was, Rach was more important. Tegan and I agreed to divide and conquer. She’d stay here, and I’d look for Rach.
As for Adam, I knew he needed to focus on his gig, so as scary as it was, if I really cared about him, I had to do what he said and give him space. So I focused on finding Rach. But after ringing on repeat, and looking in every tent, stand and stall, I couldn’t find her. I slumped down on to a bench and pulled out a packet of emergency Wotsits. The rage I’d felt an hour ago had hardened into a painful ball of sadness.
My phone flashed with a message giving me a flicker of hope.
JO: FOR FUTURE REF DON’T TELL ME TO GET LOST EVER AGAIN.
I didn’t need this, not now.
ME: I THINK YOU’LL FIND I SAID “GIVE ME SPACE”.
That’s the thing with sisters, you know you’re going to be seeing them at Christmas in eighty years’ time whether you like it or not, so there’s no hurry to sort stuff out. I’d just avoid her till tomorrow, then sort it out back home – ’cos when Mum was around she couldn’t yell at me.
JO: ALSO I’M BEHIND YOU.
I turned around and almost slapped my face into a white paper bag she was carrying.
She passed it to me and sat down. “Got you these.”
If this was pick and mix then maybe I could reconsider how badly today was going. I peeked inside.
Nope. Today was definitely the Worst Day Ever.
It was pick and mix in a way. But this particular mix was about fifty silver square-foiled condoms. Which would be 0.00001% less awful if I needed them in any way, and wasn’t about to get dumped.
I scrunched the bag shut, shielding my eyes. Might as well just say it.
“You know I haven’t had sex, right?”
I should just record that on my phone so I could press play. It felt like it was becoming my catchphrase of the day.
“Always good to be prepared.” She was as bad as Mum.
“I’m about to get dumped, Jo – so unless you mean preparing for a mass water-balloon fight, have them back.”
“Oi. Don’t be ungrateful. I went to the festival pharmacy for them. They give out free condoms, y’know.” She sounded way too casual. Like she was always popping around town for condoms. Like she was always getting through her supply of condoms. Like she was always USING CONDOMS.
PLEASE SOMEONE STOP THESE MENTAL IMAGES!!!! I’d suffered enough today.
“Can you not use that word, please?”
“What, free?”
I huffed at her.
“Oh … connnndommmm?” I swear she said it extra slow. And loud. “Would … sheath be better?”
“You know full well it would not.”
“Although, wait. So why were those girls saying you and Adam hooked up last night?”
I shrugged. “’Cos they put two and two together and made five just to ruin my life, and now Adam hates me and so does Rach and now I’ve ballsed everything up.”
“Oh, Bells.” She put an arm round me. And as annoying and prophylactic-pushing as she was, it felt nice to know she was on my side. “So what happened?”
And those three small words opened the floodgates of me spilling out everything. About the girls, about me originally being jealous of them and Rach, about how they put pressure on me to stay with Adam, about how I was worried the protest was going to be one big embarrassing disaster, about college. Everything.
“This’ll cheer you up –” she got out her phone “– at least you’re not on the receiving end of these.” She opened up a thread between her and Mum. Whoa. They chatted – a lot. Jo laughed at my shock. “We do have conversations without you, if your fragile ego can handle that?”
She stopped on one from a couple of days ago. “Like, how was I meant to reply to this?”
MUM: Just had the longest session yet with my new man!
“Oh, Jo, I’m so sorry. No one should ever see that.”
I laughed, wanting to show her I appreciated her trying to cheer me up, but actually I was covering up what I was really doing. Reading the earlier messages above it.
MUM: My darling Jo-Jo HaNGin there. Itll all be worth it Just remember to look after yourself even with all that exr=tar work love you oodles and poodles xx (noodles!!
Jo hadn’t mentioned anything was up, so why was Mum telling her to hang in there? What extra work? Was her uni stuff all OK? Had I been so caught up in my own stuff, I’d missed everyone else’s? It was followed by:
MUM: PS Full MOON tonight would be great for some meditation help you destress FML SMEL XXX
I paused, trying to find something to say. Other than; why won’t Mum stop ploughing on with FML to mean “Feel My Love”?
“You know I’m her
e for you to talk to as well?”
Jo smiled. “Any time I need advice on how to survive on a diet of crisps alone, I know where to come.”
I did an indignant “Oi” which would have had more impact if Jo didn’t clock me shoving two empty crisp packets under my leg as I said it. But I’d seen another message. One from Mum thanking Jo for coming to the festival to make sure I was OK. Jo had been telling the truth after all.
“I saw that.” I pointed at her screen.
She smiled and shrugged. “Yeah. Mum panicked after she said yes to you going, and was going to come herself to ‘keep an eye on you’. I thought this was your better option.”
It 100% was. “Guess I owe you a thanks then?”
“One of these will do.” She plucked a Wotsit out. “So what’s your plan. Other than emergency crisps.” She knew me too well.
“Find Rach. Explain what those girls were up to.”
Jo raised an eyebrow. “That’s it?”
I scrunched my mouth to one side, knowing that wasn’t good enough. Because as much as Rach had walked out, it wasn’t like I’d given her load of reasons to want to stay. I should never have made her feel like she had a choice to make. “And say a massive sorry too. For making her feel caught in the middle… Oh, and then apologize to Adam and brace for a dumping. Basically all the fun things.”
Jo nodded. “Sounds good…” but she trailed off, something else on her mind. “You know, people always have their own stuff going on too, Bells. Remember that. But,” she gave me a hug, “I know you’ve got this. And if you’re honest with Adam, hopefully he’ll forgive you too.” Even she didn’t sound convinced.
“But what if he says he never wants to see me again?” I couldn’t image what life would be like if he said that. I’d have to cancel summer.
Jo tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “It sucks, but all you can do is tell him the truth. And if you need me, ring.”
I nodded, taking all the resolve I had not to dissolve into the flood of tears that were desperate to come out. “Fanks, sis.”
She smiled, and without needing to say the plan out loud, we leant our heads together and sent Mum a photo of us hanging out. Being sisters. Looking out for each other.